DISAPPEARING  ACT 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Disappearing Act.”

Today is Ash Wednesday.

Ashes are put on our forehead and sometime before tomorrow morning they will have disappeared.

Today’s first reading and Gospel tell us about doing acts of penance – and religious deeds – but not to do them to be seen.

So we do this public act of penance on Ash Wednesday – but now for the rest of Lent – we are called to do what we do for penance privately – pray, fast, give alms, make sacrifices for others – but not to be seen.

TWO PRAYERS

There are two different prayers or formulas the person giving us ashes can say.

The first is, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

The second is: “Remember you are dust and into dust you shall return.”

I prefer the second – the older formula – the almost 2000 year old formula.”

“Remember you are dust and into dust you shall return.”

Remembering that, recalling that, every day for 40 days – not a bad idea – to help us grow in spirituality – to give us a growth spurt in the spirit.

It brings us back to our origins.

Suggestion: take your rosary and say that formula on all 59 beads – thinking about what we’re saying. It takes no more than 2 minutes a day.

GENESIS 2:7 AND 3:19

In the most primitive parts of the book of Genesis – the first book of the Bible,  we have these 2 texts – that in the beginning God formed us out of the earth, the dust, the soil, the mud - Genesis 2:7. That was how we began our Genesis in our mother’s womb. In Genesis 3:19 – the message is about our ending – the other side of our life.  Someday we’ll be going back into the earth – into the dust  from which we came.

Question: What to think and pray about during Lent?

Answer: See reality. See that we are a disappearing act.

Brand new socks age. Socks get holes in them. I made sure the two socks I’m wearing today – have holes in them. They are slowly disappearing.

Skin wrinkles. We age.  We are disappearing acts. I see mine happening at the age of 75 on the inside part of my arms – right below my elbows.

The song ends. The movie ends. The piece of pie has that last bite. The banana, the pear, the apple ages. It browns. It’s tossed or we eat it and it becomes it.

Human beings are disappearing acts.

Does anyone know whom their great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, ancestors in the year 1015 were or in the year 15?

We die. We disappear. But is that it? Is this are there is?

That is the question. Everyone consciously or unconsciously asks that question all their lives – at a health scare, another’s death, or what have you.

This is the major question, wondering, worry, we are challenged to look at during these 40 days of Lent.

Come Good Friday – Christ  - God – is killed – on the cross.

Lent ends with Easter – Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again to take us to himself – into heaven, into the whole human race – who have gone before us.

CONCLUSION

Yes we are disappearing acts – but the reappearance of Christ after his death – is our ticket to ride forever.  At some point we’ll all be forgotten – unless we’re another Rembrandt or Michelangelo or Elvis Presley – we’ll have disappeared from history and anyone knowing we were here – but we believe in the reappearance after our disappearance.

We can’t make that happen – only Christ – only God – can do that.

There’s centerpiece of our existence and we’re called to reflect up this every year in this season of Lent. Amen.