Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
Ash Wednesday
I know. The day has already passed. Last Wednesday I was at a meeting where people were talking about the “drive through” ash place. You just drive up, like you’re at McDonalds, and some soul makes the ash cross on your forehead. You don’t get out of your car. I was taken aback. That sounds like a lazy person’s ritual. Get in the car and get to your church, for God’s sake.
How I meant to start today was to write about the blogs I produced last Easter. I wrote three essays on Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. They are pretty good reading and I might see if I can make them available at my church this year. I tried to write them from the point of view of Jesus’ beloveds, who witnessed his death, burial, and the absolute mystery of the empty tomb.
Now here we are in the 2023 season of Lent. I think it’s hilarious that on Fat Tuesday we can let it all hang out and laissez les bon temps rouler, all in preparation for the somber 40 days to come. I liken it to how I act on the day before I start a diet. But come Ash Wednesday and we enter a period of contemplation, fasting, and giving up something as a penance and a sacrifice.
This is serious business. Back in the 7th century the duration of Lent was adjusted so that it covers 40 days, to emulate the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness. Ashes and sackcloth originated in Rome, when serious sinners began a period of public penance. Eventually, the ashes became a sign that we are all sinners in one way or another, and the faithful are marked with the cross on the forehead.
I learned that Eastern Orthodox Christians start Lent on “Clean Monday”, so they do not observe Ash Wednesday. Same church, same devotion to the Trinity, different approach to the solemnity of a period of contemplation and sacrifice. This forty day period is referred to as Great Lent. Also their Easter does not necessarily fall on the same day as the Western Christian church. I know this because I looked it up, but also because I once had an Eastern Orthodox client who explained the differences to me.
I have had ashes on my forehead only a few times in the past. What I remember most about the occasion are the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” And, the admonition to “repent and believe in the Gospel.” Now that I belong to Unity, there are no ashes, but there is the observation of Lent. Unity minister Reverend Teresa Burton writes, “Lent is considered a season of renewal, but it is also a period of reflection and release. Spiritually, we must face crucifixion before we celebrate resurrection – we must look at the shadow then turn to the light without flinching from either.”
So, I am learning that Lent is my opportunity to improve my practice of prayer and contemplation. It can be a period of fasting from negative thoughts and actions, and choosing affirmations that support the teachings of Jesus. It’s not about giving up chocolate anymore. It’s about keeping my soul “cleansed and purified that it may feel the presence of God” (Charles Fillmore, “Keep a True Lent”.) Seems like a worthy cause to me!