REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE DUST...
The
Spiritual Significance of Ash Wednesday’s Liturgical Celebration.
INTRODUCTION
Pope St. Clement I in his letter to
the Church in Corinth avers, “For we have only to survey the generations of the
past to see that in every one of them the Lord has offered the chance of
repentance to any who were willing to turn to him. When Noah preached
repentance, those who gave heed to him were saved. When, after Jonah had
proclaimed destruction to the people of Nineveh, they repented of their sins
and made atonement to God with prayers and supplications, they obtained
salvation, notwithstanding that they were strangers and aliens to him.” (The Second Office of Reading for Ash
Wednesday, The Divine Office, Vol. II (Lent and Easter), p. 6).
Taking
a lift from St. Clement’s epistle to the Corinthians one will not in any way
deny God’s ever readiness to welcome us back no matter how scarlet or crimson
our sins may be. The only thing He asks of us is our willingness to return to
Him. Recalling the prophecy of Ezekiel, “If a wicked man turns away from all
the sins he has committed and keeps all God’s decrees and does what is just and
right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of his offences will be
remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done he will
live.” (Ezekiel 18:21-22). This same proclamation was made by Christ inviting
you and I to repent of our sins for the kingdom of God is at hand. (cf. Matt
4:17).
It is against this background that
the Church invites us into the solemn season of Lent beginning with the service
of Ash Wednesday, as a preparatio for
the forty days long walk of prayer, fasting and almsgiving with the Lord. The
term “Ash” is referred to as earthly or mineral combustible substances
remaining after combustion, as woods or coal. It may also be designated with
the term “dust”. Within the context of this work, we will use both terms
interchangeably. In the light of this unique event in the economy salvation of
man, we will take a look at the biblical imports, historical dimensions of the
Ash Wednesday liturgy, the rite of imposition of ashes, as well as its
spiritual significance in our liturgical and spiritual lives.
BIBLICAL BACKGROUND
There
are various instances both in the Hebrew and Christian Testaments (Old and New
Testaments) where God invites man to reconciliation. In the New Testament
account, Christ employed the parables of the lost sheep, coin and prodigal son
to remind us of God’s unfathomable mercy depending on our willingness and
acceptance to return to Him. (cf. Matthew 18:12-14; Luke15:8-10; Luke
15:11-32).
On
the other hand, Prophet Joel in the Old Testament account invites the people of
Israel to return to the Lord with all their hearts, with fasting, weeping and
mourning. (cf. Joel 2:12-13). Malachi also prophesy to the Israelites God’s
willingness to return to them if they are willing and ready to return to Him.
(cf. Malachi 3:7). Ezekiel further revealed that God does not take pleasure in
the death of the wicked (cf. Ezekiel 18:23). In the same way that Isaiah
reminded the people of Israelites of God’s invitation to sinners to depart from
their old ways. (cf. Isaiah 55:7). Now the question is. How do they approach
the “throne of mercy” for the forgiveness of their sins? The Holy Scripture has
cited various instances and approaches of seeking God’s face for repentance by
the people of the old. The scripture narrates various forms of the penitential
acts. Among them were: putting on sackcloth, weeping, mourning, sitting on
ashes, rubbing of ashes, fasting, etc. But our concern is the act involving
fasting and ashes which are part of the Ash Wednesday’s liturgical rite.
In the Old Testament ashes and dust were used
as signs of mortality and worthlessness, sorrow and repentance. Now let us take
a closer look into instances where ashes were used as penitential gesture. When
Tamar was raped by her half-brother, "she sprinkled ashes on her head,
tore her robe, and with her face buried in her hands went away crying" (2 Samuel
13:19). The sign was used to express sorrow for sins and faults. In Job 42: 6, Job says to God: “Therefore I retract, and I
repent in dust and ashes”." The prophet Jeremiah calls for repentance by
saying: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the
ashes" (Jeremiah 6:26). The
prophet Daniel recounted pleading to God: "I turned to the Lord God,
pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3). Just
prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence,
the Maccabees, prepared for battle using ashes: "That day they fasted and
wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their
clothes" (1 Maccabees 3:47; see
also 4:39).In the
New Testament account Christ made allusion to this saying: "Woe to you,
Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and
Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes.” (Matthew 11:21).
In view of these scriptural passages we have
seen the basic events where ashes were used. It is symbolically representing“metonoia” that is repentance or
changing ones’ way of life being the focal point for this reflection. At this
juncture, let us take a step into the historical background of Ash Wednesday
liturgy and how ashes came into the celebration.
THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ASH WEDNESDAY
LITURGY
Historically,
the ashes of burned objects such as plants, animals, human bodies and dust are
commonly found in use among ancient peoples for religious, magical and medical
purposes. Among these ashes there are certain ashes or dusts that have sacred
character and power, above all, ashes or dust signify mortality, mourning and
penance or repentance. In line with this ritual, Christian liturgical usage and
symbolism of ashes or dust is traced to Jewish tradition.
Presently,
the Roman liturgy uses ashes only on Ash Wednesday liturgy. The practice of all
the faithful receiving ashes on their heads has been a universal act since the
synod of Benevento in 1091AD. However, this was known by the Anglo-Saxons a
century earlier. The first prayer for the blessing of the ashes gives them a
sacred character as sacramental for healing from sin; the other three prayers
and the formula of imposition express their symbolism of mortality. Originally
ashes were used as signs of private penance; then they became a part of the
official ritual for public penitents and were given to them only. (cf. Johnson,
E. J., Ashes, Liturgical Use Of, New
Catholic Encyclopaedia, Vol. I USA: Jack Heraty & Associates, Inc., 1967, p.948).
Christians
continued the practice of using ashes as an external sign of repentance. Tertullian (c. 160
– c. 225) said that confession of sin should be accompanied by lying in sackcloth and
ashes. The great Church historian Eusebius (c.
260/265 – 339/340) recounts how a repentant apostate Pope Zephyrinus covered
himself with ashes when begging to be re- admitted into communion with the
Church. John W. Fenton writes that: "by the end of the 10th century, it
was customary in Western Europe (but not yet in Rome) for all the faithful to
receive ashes on the first day of the Lenten fast. In 1091, this custom was
then ordered by Pope Urban II at the council of Benevento to be extended to the
church in Rome. Not long after that, the name of the day was referred to in the
liturgical books as "Feria Quarta Cinerum"
(i.e. Ash Wednesday)." (cf. Fenton,
J. W., "Orthodox Ash
Wednesday", Antiochian Western Rite
Vicariate, 2013).
The
public penance that grave sinners underwent before being admitted to Holy
Communion just before Easter lasted throughout Lent, on the first day of which they were sprinkled
with ashes and dressed in sackcloth.
At the
dusk of the first millennium, the discipline of public penance was dropped, the
season of Lent began, seen as a general penitential period, was marked by
sprinkling ashes on the heads of all during Ash Wednesday liturgy till date.
This practice is found in the Gregorian
Sacramentary of the late 8th century. ("Ash Wednesday". Encyclopaedia Britannica).
ASH WEDNESDAY’S LITURGICAL RITE AND ITS SPIRITUAL
SIGNIFICANCE
Ash
Wednesday marks the start of a 40-day period which is an allusion to the
separation of Jesus from people to desert for fasting and prayer.
During this time He was tempted. (cf. Matthew 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13, and Luke 4:1–13). While
not specifically instituted in the Bible text, the 40-day period of repentance
is also analogous to the 40 days during which Moses repented and fasted in response to the making of
the Golden
calf. (cf.
Exodus 34:27-28). In the Jewish religious setting till date, the Jews follow a
40-day period of repentance in preparation for and during the High Holy Days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur (the day for atonement).
Ash
Wednesday is observed by fasting, abstinence from meat and repentance. In the Western Christianity it is first
day of Lent. It occurs 46 days (40 fasting days, if the six Sundays, which are
not days of fast, are excluded) before Easter and can fall as early as February
4 or as late as March 10. Ash Wednesday is observed by many Western
Christians. The day derives its name
from the practice of blessing ashes made from Palm branches blessed on the
previous year's Palm Sunday, and placing them on the foreheads of participants
to the accompaniment of the words "Remember that you are dust, and to dust
you shall return", an extract from the Old Testament (cf. Genesis 3:19).
In the
1969 revision of the Roman Rite, an alternative formula based on Mark 1:15,
“Repent, and believe in the Gospel” was introduced and given first place. The
old formula, based on the words spoken to Adam and Eve after their sin, reminds
worshippers of their sinfulness and mortality and thus, implicitly, of their
need to repent in time. (cf. Bucher, R. P., "The History
and Meaning of Ash Wednesday"as culled from "Ash Wednesday". Encyclopaedia Britannica). The
newer formula makes explicit what was only implicit in the old.
However,
the act of imposition of ashes varies; various manners of placing the ashes on
worshippers' heads are in use within the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the
two most common formulae are using the ashes to make a cross on the forehead
and sprinkling the ashes over the crown of the head. Originally, the ashes were
strewn over men's heads, but, probably because women had their heads covered in
church, were placed on the foreheads of women. In the Catholic Church the
manner of imposing ashes depends largely on local custom, but the general
custom is using it to make the sign of the cross on the foreheads.
Consequently,
the significance of this religious act cannot be over emphasized, as we are
always and at every point in time in need of God’s mercy and compassion. It is
a moment of return to the Lord with prayer, fasting and repentance. The service
of Ash Wednesday puts us in the right liturgical atmosphere to begin the forty
days of long walk with the Lord. Ashes remain a sacramental. Their reception
with humility is a sign of penance. We wear them publicly to acknowledge our
need to atone for our sins. "God desires not the death of the
sinner." He is moved by our humiliation, and His justice is appeased by
satisfaction, Says Eileen O'Callaghan. It symbolizes the transience of our
earthly status. The body must fall temporarily into dust. This fact should
serve as a challenge to spiritual accomplishments. Through grace we were
"buried" in Christ that we may rise with him and "live unto
God."
CONCLUSION
Recalling
the words of Thomas Merton, “Even the
darkest moments of the liturgy are filled with joy. And Ash Wednesday, the
beginning of the Lent fast, is a day of happiness, a Christian feast. It cannot
be otherwise, as it forms part of the great Easter cycle.” In this
spirit, the service of Ash Wednesday should ignite in us a spark of joy for yet
another great moment the Church has offered us to reconcile with the Father. It
goes beyond the outward wearing of the ashes on our foreheads in the public.
The primary spot of this celebration is our heart. As Fr. Saunders a one-time
President of the Notre Dame Institute for Catechetics says: “We again convert
our hearts to the Lord, who suffered, died, and rose, for our salvation. We
renew the promises made at our baptism, when we died to an old life and rose to
a new life with Christ finally, mindful that the kingdom of this world passes
away, we strive to live the kingdom of God now and look forward to its fulfilment
in heaven.”
Finally,
my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord; let us join the Mother Church in the
celebration of this liturgy for the sanctification of our souls by making
sincere effort in putting ourselves within the ambience of this solemn season.
To crown it all, reflect with me on the words of St. John Baptiste Marie
Vianney who avers “At the time that we deprive ourselves of anything which
gives pleasure to do, we are practising a fast which is pleasing to God because
fasting does not consist solely of privations in the way of eating and
drinking, but of denying ourselves what pleases us most”. Peace
be with you!
