the large brown bowl
rests on a purple clothis roundness holding ashes
freshly burned
black and ready for wearing
blackened thumbs
press the ancient sign
upon the waiting foreheads
I hear the message repeated
until it haunts and hunts me down:
remember, remember, remember
you are dust, dust, only dust
someday only dust will remain.
the echo of the Lent-stained ashes
speaks the truth of my humanity
the humbleness of my beginning,
the simplicity of my departure.
A few wise words
echoing through Ash Wednesday
urge me to deeper things:
renewed dedication,
constant compassion,
and mindful awareness.
I leave marveling
at how simple and sublime
is this envelope of the soul,
which one day returns
to dust, dust, only dust.
prayer
Create in me a clean heart O God
and put a new and right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10)
and from today's reading
"Being a disciple today often means little more than
believing stuff in order to get stuff. "
Robin Meyers Saving Jesus From the Church, page 20
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