“Remember man that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shall return.” That’s what the priest says when he smudges the sign of the cross in black chalky paste on congregants’ foreheads. It’s a reminder of our connection to the earth, a warning not to get too big for our britches, and maybe even a relief that our daily worries are like flecks that float through the kitchen in the morning sun, small compared to the vastness of all that is.
When I was little, Ash Wednesday was a boring day that marked the beginning of a boring time. Mrs. Connors, the church school director at St. Anne’s, encouraged us to give up things we liked — candy, soda, or Saturday morning TV — and take on things we didn’t like as much — cleaning up dog poop without being asked or visiting old people in the nursing home.
In college, when I was studying philosophy and thinking big thoughts, the Ash Wednesday ceremony connected me to other earth-based traditions. We come from the earth and will return to it. How non-Western. I will leave the direct translation of Latin to some of you readers who know about such things, but I think dust, dirt, earth are pretty similar.
Today, I see similarities between the start of Lent and the many secular initiatives that encourage a healthy lifestyle. The Global Wellness Economy represents trillions of dollars in today’s market. Clearly there is a demand for reflection, self-improvement, and maybe even a touch of sacrifice on our road to a better self. Lent may be an ancient version of a 40-day cleanse. But Lent isn’t just about shedding unwanted pounds or encouraging regular bowel movements, it is a time to think about more than ourselves.
Ironically, yesterday was also Valentine's Day. It’s not common that the day to celebrate romantic love – with sweet indulgences like chocolate, wine, fancy dinners, and intimate delights – falls on the same day of fasting and meditation. Perhaps there is a lesson in the juxtaposition.
Ash Wednesday’s dust theme grounds us in humility. What a healthy attitude to bring into a relationship. Maybe, given my dust-like origin and destiny, I don’t have it all figured out.
I remember the priest who married me and Mark. He talked about the importance of what happens after the initial excitement of a new romance settles - “after you shed clothes and inhibitions.” For some, Valentine's Day represents those lusty early days of a relationship. A Lenten daily practice may be just the thing to keep those home fires burning.
It has been many years since I kicked off Lent with a forehead smeared with ashes. I thought about going to church at noon yesterday, but learned that the service was at 7:00 pm. As it turns out, I had a date with my Valentine.
Thinking about your Ash Wednesday comments, have 2 thoughts: 1) healthy dirt is life affirming and essential for a healthy climate. We degrade it with our approach to burial; 2) the Catholic Church tolerates and supports barriers to returning to dust/dirt. In most places bodies are preserved with toxic chemicals, encased in elegant wood coffins, and in some cases surrounded by concrete. Such strange customs backed by strong regulations.