‘Ashes to ashes’

Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.

Those are the familiar and sobering words that will be pronounced this year on Feb. 22 in church parishes as ashes are distributed in the form of a cross on people’s foreheads. One would think this stark reminder of their mortality would send people running away, not flocking to churches that day.

Yet, even though it’s not a holy day of obligation, droves of people come to “receive their ashes” on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.

This speaks perhaps of people’s innate understanding and acknowledgement of the need for repentance.

Beginning in Old Testament times, ashes were a symbol of mourning, mortality and repentance. When undergoing conversion or facing distressing situations, people put on a sackcloth, a coarsely woven cloth usually made of goat’s hair, and covered themselves with ashes. Among those were Jacob, Esther’s adopted father, Mordecai, Job, David, Daniel and Jonah.

People also repented in sack cloth and ashes as a community. In the book of Jonah, when Jonah announced to the Ninevites that God was going to destroy them because of their wickedness everyone, including the king, repented by fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes. Even the animals were covered with sackcloth.   

Jesus himself gave stern warnings of repentance. When towns refused to repent of sin even though they had witnessed his miracles, Jesus announced, “If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have reformed in sackcloth and ashes long ago. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.”

The church continues to use ashes for the same penitential reason.

On Ash Wednesday, in ages past, people who committed grave sins went through a public repentance. They wore hairshirts that were blessed by the bishop, who sprinkled ashes from the palms from the previous year.

As the faithful sang penitential psalms the penitent was turned out of the church for 40 days. This symbolized how Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise because of original sin. The penitent did not return to church until Maundy Thursday, after 40 days of penitence, toil and absolution.

During the Middle Ages dying people were laid on the ground on top of sackcloth and sprinkled with ashes. The priest blessed the dying person with holy water, saying, “Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return.” 

Next, the priest asked, “Art thou content with sackcloth and ashes in testimony of thy penance before the Lord in the day of judgment?”  The dying person replied, “I am content.”

Today, the distribution of ashes is used to mark the beginning of Lent, a 40-day preparation, not including Sundays, for Easter. Ashes from palm branches blessed from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are distributed.

While people are not required to wear the ashes for the rest of the day and can wash them off their forehead, many choose to keep them as a reminder until the evening.

Since Ash Wednesday marks the opening of Lent, it is considered inappropriate to feast, dine out or go shopping after receiving ashes.

During Lent, it is good to remember the significance of receiving ashes and mourn our sins, repent and partake in the sacrament of reconciliation.

We also renew our baptismal promises, when we die to old life and rose to new life in Christ. While the world passes away, we commit our lives to living for the kingdom of heaven and look forward to its fulfillment.