Today is Ash Wednesday.
The time we receive a mark on our foreheads reminding us,
“From dust we came and from dust we shall return. Repent and believe the Gospel.”
Or . . . phrasing it this way . . .
“We are reminded of our humble origins and finite existence, prompting a call to introspection and a renewed commitment to the Gospel’s message of repentance and faith.”
Remember, repentance means “to turn.”
What do you need to turn from or turn to?
The image on the left was created by a Catholic teacher during an Ash Wednesday service.
It’s a funny way to seeing the various ways the ashes can be imposed on Ash Wednesday.
The author remarked, “It’s hard for a minister to dip his thumb in ashes and rub it in a perfectly formed cross.”
A perfectly formed cross.
The cross is a symbol for us not just of the death of Jesus, but of death to our ego. The crap we have that gets in the way of us experiencing God’s love and then sharing God’s love with all.
So, a perfectly formed cross is an oxymoron.
There is no such thing.
Because we are all imperfect beings, trying to perfect this thing called life.
In doing so, we are are trying to “hit the mark.”
The mark is Love. Loving self. Loving God. Loving neighbor.
Think about making the mark of a cross with your life.
What would that look like?