"Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." These words are spoken by Father Malcom as he makes the sign of the cross in ashes upon my forehead at the Ash Wednesday Service at St Stephens Episcopal church in Belvedere California. Today, millions of Christians hear these same words being said to them as they too, receive the Ashes. As I received the ashes, I thought of another phrase in the Common Book of Prayer which also mentions ashes, Ashes "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to dust." I sat in meditation post communion and thought of the ashes on my forehead representing my heavenly father and the literal ashes of my deceased mother in the bracelet upon my wrist. Most people dont' give notice to the bracelet and fewer still understand the significance. I was surprised last June at a concert when I was backstage and one of the ladies at the merchandise table said she liked my bracelet and asked whose ashes it was. She then showed me hers for I believe it was her father and mine for my mom. Few people too, unless they attend church realize the significance of Ash Wednesday or the season of Lent. People hear the word "Lent" and think of what people are "giving up" for Lent (i.e. chocolate, swearing, alcohol etc) or of the extreme fasting as exemplified by Alfred Molina's character in the movie Chocolate.
For this Lenten season Father Malcom challenged us with thinking about and doing the following every day for the 40 days of Lent:
Fasting: He clarified saying for example that usually for lunch on certain days he gets two chocolates which are supposed to last the entire afternoon but never do so today for his "fasting" no chocolate. Tomorrow it may be something different.
Prayer: In what way are you going to pray today?
Reading: What reading are you going to do today (not work related but spiritual or religious)
Good Works: As the sign on the Seagate properties says this month "Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud." One person tonight pointed out that we don't always know how even a conversation with a person in a grocery store might make someone's day. Sometimes we don't choose our good works, sometimes God chooses them for us.
So I present this challenge to you: take a blank calendar for the months of February and March and write down these headings and fill them in for the following day:
Fasting:
Prayer:
Reading:
Good Works:
We take challenges every day on social media, fun games that predict how we'll look when we're 80 or a 10 things you didn't know about me. So this is a new challenge.
For this Lenten season Father Malcom challenged us with thinking about and doing the following every day for the 40 days of Lent:
Fasting: He clarified saying for example that usually for lunch on certain days he gets two chocolates which are supposed to last the entire afternoon but never do so today for his "fasting" no chocolate. Tomorrow it may be something different.
Prayer: In what way are you going to pray today?
Reading: What reading are you going to do today (not work related but spiritual or religious)
Good Works: As the sign on the Seagate properties says this month "Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud." One person tonight pointed out that we don't always know how even a conversation with a person in a grocery store might make someone's day. Sometimes we don't choose our good works, sometimes God chooses them for us.
So I present this challenge to you: take a blank calendar for the months of February and March and write down these headings and fill them in for the following day:
Fasting:
Prayer:
Reading:
Good Works:
We take challenges every day on social media, fun games that predict how we'll look when we're 80 or a 10 things you didn't know about me. So this is a new challenge.
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