You may see people on the streets, or maybe co-workers, displaying black smudges on their foreheads today. If you’re wondering what’s going on, if it’s an after effect of too much Mardi Gras partying – by you or by them – well, it’s mostly a Catholic thing. One of the benefits of Catholicism is the aura of mysteriousness it conveys to others. The smudge is actually supposed to be a cross, applied by a priest during mass.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, a time of reflection. Ashes are a reminder of humankind’s humble place in the great cosmos: “Remember, you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.”
Click here for a primer on Ash Wednesday’s meaning and symbolism.
While as an adult, I don’t do the whole Catholic thing, I have many times gone with Sarah to Ash Wednesday mass to get the ashes. I do love a ritual, but the “remember you are dust and to dust you shall return” has resonated with since I was very young, long before I knew what resonated meant.
Going over to Fred Meyer to pick up some mandatory Tuna for a meatless meal tonite bearing the black smudge on me forehead I was gobsmacked to see a woman with a perfect cross walking down the aisle. Must be Episcopalian I said to my wife.