Shoved to Them
It’s here, at last! Will you think me a weird freak if I confess that Ash Wednesday is probably my favorite day of the whole year to be Catholic? I love getting the ashes and getting to wear them out in the world. It is the one day when we have to put it out there and declare our Catholocity to the world. (Is that even a word?) Catholicness? Hmmmm…I’ll ponder it later. There has to be a word for what I’m trying to say. If only I were president and could make them up as I need them…
Ash Wednesday is a strange experience in a state that is less than 5% Catholic. There are strange looks and questions all day from people who just want to let us know that “we have a little something right there”. I appreciate the offer of help when people attempt to swipe at my forehead, even though I’ve perfected the Catholic backbend to avoid them. I’m like that guy on the Matrix…almost.
I also like the reminder of my own mortality. In an odd way, I find it reassuring. (I know, now my Irish Catholic is showing.) It is comforting to me to know that I’m just dust. That’s it. There is something nice in being dirt. I happen to like having my own bubble of self-importance burst gently every now and then, and Ash Wednesday is always a welcome dose of humility. It makes me feel a little better about my own shortcomings. I don’t have to be perfect. After all, I’m not God. I’m not even close to being God. I was created from the mud and the muck, and when I die the earthly part of me will go back to being mud and muck.
So, bring on the ashes, and the weird looks, and the back bending. For one day a year, let me be a visible testimony to the power and glory of Our Lord and His Church without having to utter a single word. I’m like the crazy guy on the street shouting “Repent! For the hour is at hand!” I like that guy; he has the courage to bravely face the world with a message it doesn’t want to hear. For today, we get to do that too. So go out there, wear your ashes with pride and humility, and be the crazy guy on the corner. It’s good for you
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