Today’s ashes remind us of one of the most famous lines in the Bible, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). This is a rather strange reminder, at least from the perspective of the world around us. The strangeness of this tradition, from the perspective of the world, tells us a lot about our culture, and about the wisdom of our Church.
The ashes remind us that all of us are mortal; we are all going to die someday. The readings from today’s Mass reminds us of the same thing; telling us to “return to the Lord” and to be “reconciled to God.” Life on earth will not go on forever, so we need to take responsibility for it, to live life the way God wants it to be lived. If we do not, then we will have failed in the very purpose of our existence; we will fail to reach the destination we are meant for: eternal life.
Instead of following the path of least resistance through life, it should be the natural thought of every Christian that this is not our forever home. The promise of Heaven should be a source of strength to stay faithful amid difficulties in this life.
However, for the world around us, life on earth is all that matters, and death -- well, let’s not think about it. Instead, let’s institutionalize our elderly and never visit them. Let’s legalize assisted suicide to convince ourselves that the meaning of life is pleasure on earth. Let’s allow doctors to kill our babies in the darkness of the womb, where we don’t have to take responsibility for either life or death. Let’s practice contraception, although it violates God’s plan for human love, so that life does not even begin in the womb in the first place.
These are examples of tragedies that occur when we lose sight of the true purpose of life and death. Today, let us reflect on the meaning of these ashes, on the Christian meaning of death, so as to better be able to live the Christian meaning of life.
A keen awareness of the simple fact that we are going to die, has been a source of extraordinary wisdom in the lives of many saints.
St. Theodosius was the founder and abbot of a monastery built near Bethlehem in the 6th century. His holiness and wisdom attracted hundreds of young men to his monastery. Visitors were astounded at the atmosphere of peace, charity, and joy that reigned in a community made up of men from many different nations.
Later in life, St. Theodosius risked his own life by returning to the big cities to preach in defense of the true Catholic faith when it was being attacked by a heresy and the Byzantine Emperor. He continued these grueling preaching missions until he died; at the age of 105.
St. Theodosius was one of the towering figures of his times. Where did he get such vitality, wisdom, confidence, and influence?
When he started his monastery, one of the first things he did was to dig a large, empty grave, right in the middle of the cloister. When he had finished digging, he gathered his curious monks around for an explanation. St. Theodosius said simply; “Here you see a grave. Here we will all one day be buried and our bodies will return to the dust from which they were made. Remember this, my sons, so that you never stray from the Lord’s sure but narrow road of prayer and self-denial. It is better to die to ourselves each day and rise again on the Day of Judgment, than to indulge ourselves foolishly now and remain in the grave forever.”
That is the lesson the Church teaches us every Ash Wednesday: this life, as beautiful and wonderful as God has made it, is not the whole story, so we should not act as if it were.
When we leave Church today, we will be wearing ashes on our heads, and we will have Jesus, received in Holy Communion, in our hearts. We will go out into the world. We will be in shopping centers and at gas stations. We will be in offices and schools. We will be in health clubs and homeless shelters. We will be in living rooms and restaurants. People will see the ashes, and whether they say anything or not, they will be touched. They will be reminded that in this pleasure-centered world, there are some people who believe in eternal life. They will be reminded that in the self-centered world, there are some people who have experienced an unconditional love -- the love of Jesus Christ. They will be reminded that there is more to some people’s lives than money, power, sex, and popularity. God will be reminding them of all these things, simply because we have decided to renew our faith in Him today.
Tomorrow the ashes will be gone from our heads, but Christ will still be in our hearts. During the rest of this Lent, let’s make it our commitment and our joy to continue wearing the ashes every day, not on our heads, but in our actions, by living like Jesus by speaking words of truth and encouragement, and not criticism and gossip; by reaching out to help our family members, neighbors, and co-workers without looking for anything in return; by forgiving those who offend us; and most of all, by sharing the Good News that Jesus has given to us with those around us who need to hear it. This year, let’s not let Ash Wednesday last only one day -- life is too wonderful, and death is too near.