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Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris
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Home away from home
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Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return
ASH WEDNESDAY 5:30 PM, St. Anthony of Padua 457 Monmouth Street, Corner of Monmouth and 6th Distribution of Ashes and Sung Latin Mass .....The Ash Wednesday hope is conveyed in the action of the rite itself. You receive the ashes at the same place and in the same posture you receive Communion, and in fact will receive Communion a few minutes later, with its assurance of God?s favor. And psychologically, at least, it is a ?safe place,? indeed a sort of home: precisely the sort of place you would want to hear bad news. And the ashes mark a cross upon your forehead, a sign not only of the cost of your sins but also of your redemption from your sins. (In the early Middle Ages, the ashes were dumped on the head, which is probably more fun, at least for the officiant, but not as good a symbol.) So the imposition of ashes has a double meaning, one despairing, because it describes the reality of what we have made ourselves; the other hopeful, because it describes the new reality God has made for us. For the Christian, hope trumps despair. ?In Adam all die? and ?In Christ shall all be made alive? are both true, but Christ has conquered death. But this is not a reason to feel good about yourself on Ash Wednesday. That would be to presume upon God?s good will and take the Lord?s death for granted. Ash Wednesday is a fast day given us to remember what we have done and to try to learn how much of the old Adam remains in us. And of course the more you see what Jesus did for you, the more you will want to face your sins, to track them down to the places they have hidden, drag them into the light, and with God?s help drive them away. http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=17-02-021-v
Posted on: 2014/3/5 16:14
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