For Catholics, Wednesday was Ash Wednesday ... the beginning of our Lenten Season. Due to Covid, many of us may not have received the mark of ashes on our forehead. Not only do the ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us ... as the priest applies the ashes to a person's forehead, he speaks the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return." A very depressing tradition in the church when you first think about ... basically they are saying, "You will die."
As, I watched the candle on my desk, burn the other day... a thought came to me ... ashes come from that which burns. (I know... I am a smart one! :) By Webster's definition, "ash is the powdery residue left after the burning of a substance." As I watched the golden flame dance, I thought of another way to look at Ash Wednesday... in order to be turned into dust, we must decompose first and in order to turn to ashes, we must be burned first. Like the ashes, being a symbol of death, the "burning" can be a symbol of life. I want to be a light and burn for others to see the goodness and love of God. I want my heart to burn with the desire to be the best person that I can be. I want to burn ... do you?
