“Remember that You are Dust
and to
Dust You Shall Return”
A "FIRESTARTER"
Spiritual Essay by Rev. Dr. Benjamin Berinti, C.Pp.S.
When someone asks us, “where are you from?”
most likely our first thought is where we were born, or perhaps we might take it
to mean, where we live now. Sometimes, it’s fun to try to figure out where a
person’s roots are sunk as we watch their peculiar mannerisms, or listen to the
drawl, or twang, or colorful way they pronounce certain words. Having lived
several places in my life, I can quickly identify a Boston, or Chicago, or
Pittsburgh accent.
Just a few days ago, as the Church celebrated
Ash Wednesday, we gathered to begin our Lenten pilgrimage. With many thoughts
of renewal, repentance, “doing good,” and sacrificing ricocheting within our
minds and hearts, on that day, we could say that were asked to remember from
whence we came—where our roots are planted. Despite the incredible
self-consciousness most of us possess, always concerned about how we “look” in
public, on Ash Wednesday, we proudly wore a peculiar sign that told anyone who
met us that day, where we got our start—and ultimately, where we are going.
Often, we misunderstand the purpose of this
not-so-subtle smudge of ashen dirt on our foreheads. We wear these ashes not as
a sign that we are dirty and corrupted, nor as a sign that we are miserable
failures, nor even as a sign that we have a lot of “cleaning up” to do in the
weeks to come—but rather, we wear these ashes as a sign of where we got
our start. “Remember that you are DUST and to DUST you shall return.”
At first blush, perhaps we are panicked to
hear these words. In fact, many parishes have done away with these ancient
words spoken on Ash Wednesday for more “user-friendly,” less scary words. But
they are powerful words indeed, and are meant to awaken us to our roots, to
where we got our start—and to celebrate that grand beginning!
We come from the earth—that sacred ground
from which our loving Creator has fashioned God’s beloved humanity. After
sorting through all the mixed and varied meanings and purposes and agendas for
this gracious season, ultimately, our Lenten pilgrimage, is about winding our
way through the labyrinth that is our life, toward intimacy with
God—allowing ourselves to be drawn into the very heart of God. With a
smudge of charcoal-gray ash, we ritually return to our beginnings—to our true
selves—created from the earth, God’s own first creation, which God
saw…loved…and proclaimed “very good”.
But
to return to that sacred place, to journey toward the center of who we truly
are, that holy place where God makes God’s home within each of us, we must,
first of all, FAST—to remove the distractions which draw us away from God’s
awesome love. Secondly, we must FEAST—that’s right, “FEAST”! We do so to
remind us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, whose flaming compassion wants
to break loose from the bondage we often impose on that Spirit. Our passage
through the Lenten labyrinth is then
full
of twists of denial and sacrifice, as well as turns of joy and celebration.
Lenten is a season of many emotions and commitments—not all one tone of sobriety
and sullenness.
And
so, my sisters and brothers, let us answer the call to a HOLY FAST—and a HOLY
FEAST in each of the days of this season.
Fast
from worry and anxiety, and feast on trust in God.
Fast from complaining, and feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives, and
feast on affirmatives.
Fast
from unrelenting pressures, and
feast
on unceasing prayer.
Fast
from bitterness, and feast
on forgiveness.
Fast
from self-preoccupation, and
feast on compassion for others.
Fast
from idle and destructive gossip, and
feast
on sacred silence.
Fast
from laziness & “I don’t care,” and
feast on enthusiasm and
optimism.
Fast
from thoughts that weaken, and
feast on promises that inspire.
Fast
from judging others, and feast
on the Christ within them.
Fast
from running, and feast
on strolling.
Fast
from blaming, and feast
on “owning” who we are and where we are.
The
labyrinth of each of our lives is filled with twists and turns, and yet in this
great season which is given to us as a gift, we take our stand and proclaim to
all the world that amidst those many twists and turns—there is ONE
CENTER from which we come and to which we return. This Lenten pilgrimage is
all about drawing us into the immense love that God has for each of us and all
of creation—knowing that “we are dust and to dust we shall return.”
That gracious and loving hand which fashioned
you and me from the earth continues to fashion and shape us now, as we take our
first, tentative Lenten steps, going deeper into the heart of God.
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