Designer Ashes - Homily for Ash Wednesday 2021

  

        There’s an amusing meme floating around Facebook called the “Catholic Guide to Ashes.” It shows pictures of different “designs” of ashes that have been administered on the foreheads of the faithful and assigns a fitting name to each. For example:

The Load Toner – The name says it all—a very light cross. This design is most often the result of not having dipped the thumb hard enough into the ashes. However, it can also be found on women who wear too much foundation and on nervous people who stop to receive their ashes just beyond arm’s reach.

The Blob – A nondescript blotch, this design typically lands on the over-enthusiastic, who come charging at us with such force that our thumbs are planted into their foreheads, rendering us unable to make the sign of the cross. Charismatics and elementary school child typically sport the Blob. 

The Harry Potter – Imagine a lightning bolt. This design is typically administered by the priest or deacon who rushed the application, like when you ask for a blessing and instead of getting a distinct cross, you get a lightning bolt.

Father’s Revenge – My favorite, this is the enormous, pitch black cross that spans the width and height of the forehead. There are three groups of people that tempt the Father’s Revenge: 1) Nasty people, which can include troublesome children - It gives them something to think about on Ash Wednesday. 2) The highly devout – Let’s face it, that’s what they really want anyway. 3) Bald men - I’m sorry, but the canvas is just too big to let it go to waste. 

The Franciscan – This design is named after the T-shaped cross that’s a symbol of the Franciscan Order. As a product of a Jesuit education, I’m not inspired by this one. Truth be told, if I were going to impose a letter on someone’s forehead it would be Hester Prynne’s scarlet “A”, an “L” (you figure it out), or my initials.

          As you may have heard, we won’t be using any designer ashes on your foreheads this year. Due to COVID restrictions, we’ve received instructions from Rome that we’re to impose ashes by sprinkling a tiny amount on top of your head. Lest ye be concerned, this method is totally legit, and just as effective. In fact, it’s the method traditionally used in Rome every year. Yes, we like sporting around our ashes on Ash Wednesday, declaring our Christianity to world, as we explain it’s meaning to the many kind people who take the time to tell us that we have dirt on our foreheads. But that’s not the reason we wear ashes. Ashes aren’t intended to be an instrument of evangelization; they’re a mark of humility. Ashes remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. They’re a memento mori, a reminder that someday we will die and that we will be judged.

          These reminders may come across as morbid, but they’re quite the opposite. They’re a reminder to live! They remind us that through Jesus Christ we’re all invited to be “reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5: 20) so that we may have eternal life. That’s why God begs us through the Prophet Joel in our first reading to return to him “with fasting, and weeping, and mourning” (Joel 2:12). The first step toward reconciling ourselves with God is acknowledging our sins and making amends for them. The Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that we take up today and the Sacrament of Reconciliation are great ways to do this. But they require humility—the very humility Jesus talks about in our Gospel.

          When we give alms, we’re to do so quietly, without seeking fanfare or praise. When we pray, Jesus teaches us not to stand out in public for all the world to see how holy we are, but to pray in private instead. Likewise, when we fast, we shouldn’t look gloomy and seek sympathy. Jesus teaches us to keep our fasting hidden. In short, Jesus teaches us humility.

          And so it is with ashes. I do think there’s spiritual value in marking our foreheads with ashes, but I’m happy that we’re sprinkling this year for several reasons. First, it protects the public health. Second, it protects our spiritual health, too, by keeping us humble. The fact that we received ashes will be known to us and to God alone this year, and that’s enough. Finally, sprinkling this year gives me 365 days to come up with new designer ashes for your foreheads next year!

Readings: Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6. 16-18