Ash Wednesday

I love Ash Wednesday. That may sound like a strange statement to make about the day that marks the beginning of Lent. It is a stark day that invokes themes most of us would rather avoid.

We begin with the Collect for Ash Wednesday:

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Phrases like, “lamenting our sins” and “acknowledging our wretchedness” do not create the warm religious feeling most of us think the Gospel embodies. The readings shine a light on religious hypocrisy. The liturgical centerpiece of the day is the imposition of ashes with the reminder of the transitory nature of human life. So what could I possibly love about this observance?

I love the challenge of the day to get honest and real. What proclivities do I possess that are about displacing God, and seeking to be my own god? Is this not the nature of sin, the violation of relationship with God and one another, by seeking to occupy space that is not mine? Are most of my sinful predilections not tied to my denial of my own finitude and the reality of death of the body?

This day is not about being bad. It is about the creative, redemptive love of God, who beckons us near. I need to get honest and real to answer.