Dust

 Today is Ash Wednesday.  Ashes is what everything eventually will become.  Did you ever return to your childhood home?  Nothing is as you remembered.  Stores are renamed.  Movie theatres are gone.  Your favorite drug store where there was a soda fountain is missing.  Condominiums are everywhere.

Everything is changed or completely gone.  Reminds me of Ash Wednesday, "You are dust and to dust you will return."  Again, my mantra comes to mind, "All is passing, only God abiding."

This Lent I will work on my relationship with God and others, who are in His image.

Home

Home Sweet Home!  I'm glad to be back.  Unfortunately, I came home with a UTI and a frozen iPhone.  My broken cell phone caused me much anxiety.  I couldn't tell my family I was leaving; I had arrived; when are you coming; help!
I spent all yesterday morning trying to fix my phone.  It was dead.  I had to buy a new one.

My doctor's appointment is this afternoon.

But the trip to the RE Congress and my visit with my relatives: nephew Fred and his wife, Monika was great.  Fred always takes us to fantastic places.  He drives me crazy because he offers too many options, but it's always fun.  The Congress was my best.  I chose good speakers this year.  Every single one of them was interesting.  I'm sure I'll be posting thoughts I've gleaned from them, later on.

Since I was traveling on Ash Wednesday, and would not have been able to get ashes, we made up a ceremony.  Fred burned last year's palms, Tuesday night.  Wednesday morning, we set up a little holy space: candle, holy water, and ashes.  We blessed ourselves with holy water as we lit the candle.  We said a little prayer.  It was extemporaneous so I don't remember it.  Then we smeared ashes on each other's foreheads.  Fred got his revenge on me by smacking me with a humongous cross.  SoI went all day feeling kind of embarrassed but sacrificial.

The sad part is that during our flying home, across the country, I only saw two people with ashes.  No one in Orange County airport.  One person in Chicago.  And one person in Boston.  Two.

Lord have mercy on us.

Ashes

Ash Wednesday is only four days away.  I'm uncomfortable about wearing the ashes.  One acquaintance of mine says she never gets them.  When I asked her why, she quoted "wash your face so that you may not appear to be fasting."  She meant that people who wear their ashes on their foreheads all day are showing off.

I always felt the opposite.  I was embarrassed to wear them.  That dirty smudge always brought my piety to people's attention.  It makes me uncomfortable, but I would force myself to wear them because it's the least I could do, for Jesus.

But why do we it?  The ashes represent penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and reminds us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told

                                     "Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return."

Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.

Well I've been getting ashes all my life and I haven't developed a spirit of humility.  Wearing ashes is sacrifice, however.  It's the first sacrifice I'll do for Lent.

Drinking my coffee black.

No more desserts.

Fasting Fridays.

Palanca.

Lent is only 40 days.  

Returning to Ash

Last night at the 7:30 PM Mass, I received my ashes. Also, yesterday morning the electricity went out. I thought I had checked the alarm.

...to make the story short, I overslept two hours!

I raced out of bed, threw on my clothes and went off to work. I didn't even comb my hair.

The first thing I did was go into the Ladies Room to freshen up. And what did I see when I looked into the mirror?

Ashes!

I debated whether to wash them off. Shouldn't I wear them to proclaim that I'm Catholic? It would be a penance for me.

But today is Thursday. I had to wash up; I just had to.

Did you know that in Europe, the people don't receive ashes on their foreheads? This picture is Pope Benedict XVI receiving his ashes. They're dusted on the top of the head. This custom explains why these English commentators are so baffled by Vice President Biden's ashes. They think he has a bruise.

Some people don't have a clue.

MMMMMMmmmmm. Maybe I should have kept my ashes on.

Ash Wednesday

It didn't begin very well. Ash Wednesday began with the electricity going out, while I was in the shower. I was just rinsing off, so it could've been worse.

I was going to microwave oatmeal, but couldn't. Oh well, today's a day of fasting. But I had to eat something, so I had a small bowl of cereal. No fruit or nuts were added. Just Total and milk.

I couldn't blow dry my hair. "Oh no!" People will think "I'm neglecting my appearance, so that I'll appear to others to be fasting."

Work was one crazy problem after another. Nothing was easy.

Ash Wednesday turned out to be a day of Penance. Since I was assigned to Lector at the 7:30 PM Mass, I didn't get my ashes until night time.

It was a nice Mass. "Lord bless we sinners who ask for your forgiveness and bless all those who received ashes. May we keep this Lenten season in preparation for the joy of Easter." we ask this through Christ our Lord.