THE MESSAGE  IN  ASHES

The title of my reflection for this Ash Wednesday is, “The Message In Ashes.”

Today is Ash Wednesday.

What’s the message in ashes?

Sometimes we might have that question - but we best not ask it.

We see a dark marble urn on a shelf over a fireplace. We begin staring at it, but  we dare not ask, “Is that the remains of someone you loved?”

We see around someone’s neck a golden chain - that has on it a tiny - rosary bead size - see through glass something - with something grey inside - and we get the feeling - that we’re looking at a tiny ash remains of someone.

The message in those ashes seems to be: “It’s hard to let go of those we love.”

We see on a shelf - a see through plastic box - with charred wood inside and the picture of burnt down home.  We can ask about that. “Was that your home? Did it burn down?” And the person whose shelf holds that picture of a burnt house charred wood  tells us about a home they lived in - that burnt to the ground and all was lost - pictures, records, certificates, the precious mementos of a lifetime - a good 17 years ago.

It’s Ash Wednesday and a person is walking down a street till they come to a church. That person hears music and drops into church to see what’s going on. They hear a sermon and then they see people coming up the aisles to  get black  ashes - thumbed into their forehead -  in the shape of a rough looking cross. They sense  the scene has a sense of the sacred, the mysterious, life and death. They get the gist of what is happening. And then  they go up themselves to receive the ashes and hear the words, “Remember that you are  dust and into dust you shall return.” as ashes are thumbed into their brain.

They ask someone afterwards - in the parking lot, “What was that all about?”

And a stranger tells a stranger, “It’s Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent.”

What’s the message in the ashes?

“We’re reminded today that we have 40 days - called “Lent” -  to reflect upon our lives - what’s important - what lasts and what doesn’t last.

Toys break - the little girl loses her doll or her blankie - or friends  when her daddy loses his job and the family has to move to another state - for another job.

Teenagers play sports and their team has a horrible year - losing game after game after game. A kid doesn’t make the play, the team, the National Honor Society.  Grandma dies and they say what they used to say year’s earlier: “Life is not fair.”

Young people start to date and they get dumped and their feelings are crushed. They get married and they discover the better and the worse - and sometimes the worse is when they get burnt.

What’s the message in the ashes?

Lent is a season - 40 days to fast from too much food or drink or TV - but to do all that in secret and not to show off or to toot one’s own horn about what we are doing for Lent.

Lent is the time to take gained time and visit or call and spend some sacred time with people who are shut ins - or to take long walks to figure out life.

Lent is 40 days to do what Jesus did - to go into the desert - where no one is - and discover the within. Lent is a time to pray - alone - there are public prayers of course - but the prayer Jesus is talking about in today’s gospel is inner room prayer - secret prayer that nobody sees but me and God.

The title of my homily is, “The Message In Ashes.”

What hit me this morning is all the above - but especially the following message: Ashes are a sign of movement towards the invisible - towards the great values - towards the Invisible God.