February can be strange. And that’s not just a statement about the weather. What other month includes an upbeat holiday like St. Valentines Day and the uncomfortable challenge of Ash Wednesday –turn from sin and embrace the Gospel. Or are they really opposites? Isn’t there a relationship between being capable of expressing our love and asking for God’s help when we can’t?
On Ash Wednesday we turn away from being self-obsessed, from peeking in mirrors, and worrying about our appearance and our reputations. Instead we wear ashes, not because they are a prize or a badge, but because we have been given the fire of the Holy Spirit, who IS the power to love. Ashes are evidence of that dynamic fire. Ashes are a sign that God has acted and will act again.
During the Middle Ages, children were overwhelmed by watching whole families get wiped out by the plague and their homes burned down to contain the disease. To comfort themselves and make sense out of life, they chanted, “Ring around the rosy. Pockets full of posies. Ashes ashes we all fall down.” This month, we who seek love through Valentines are given a choice. Join us in chanting, “Ashes! ashes! We all turn around. We turn to you, Jesus. Give us new hearts full of love!” Celebrate Ash Wednesday with hope!
