By Leon Bent –
One of the popular feasts of the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Year is Ash Wednesday. It is full of spiritual symbolism. Let us look at the Jewish roots of the varied meaning of ashes, especially in the Old Testament. These peculiar signs are more than skin deep.
We begin with the Book of Genesis 3:19: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread, until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The message is, we human beings have to face mortality and death.
Job 42:6: “Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” This goes one step ahead. It talks of mortality and repentance. This brief paragraph narrates how Job humbles himself in response to God’s voice. Those who persist in trusting God will be rewarded. Job’s material possessions and family are restored. On Ash Wednesday one needs to make a total turnaround in one’s life, and return to the joy of the Lord, like Job.
1 Maccabees 3:47 states, “They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and tore their clothes.” This adds another layer of meaning to putting on ashes. The passage mentions ashes and sackcloth. The Jews did what Maccabees says, when they entered into a period of intense prayer. We must do the same, figuratively!
Esther 14:1-3 is one of my favourite passages regarding Ash Wednesday and the ashes: “1Queen Esther also, fearing the danger that was at hand, had recourse to the Lord. 2 And when she had laid away her royal apparel, she put on garments suitable for weeping and mourning: instead of divers precious ointments, she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body with fasts: and all the places in which before she was accustomed to rejoice, she filled with her torn hair. And she prayed to the Lord the God of Israel, saying: O my Lord, who alone art our king, help me a desolate woman, and who has no other helper but thee. The stunningly beautiful Esther, removes her extravagant clothing and adornments of joy, and even covers herself with cow dung! Incredible!
Matthew 11:21: Even Jesus recognizes that sackcloth and ashes are an outward signs of the interior spirit of repentance and interceding for others.
The First Reading from Isaiah 58: 1-9a asserts that true worship is more than religious ritual, going to the temple every day, fasting and listening to Scripture Readings. This form of prayer misses the point of a living, vital relationship with God. He doesn’t want us acting pious, when we cannot forgive and indulge in sinful acts. More important than correct worship and doctrine, is genuine love for the poor, the helpless and the oppressed.
Fasting can be beneficial physically and spiritually, but, at best fasting helps only the person undertaking it. God wants our service to go beyond our personal growth, to deeds of kindness, charity, justice and generosity. True fasting is more than what we don’t eat, or fast from; it is pleasing God by applying his Word in reaching out in compassion and mercy.
A public fast, like the Jewish Day of Atonement and Ash Wednesday, is visible to everyone. An official day of fasting by a community is a sign of repentance and prayer, so that, penitents come to the Lord. This is what the Church is calling us to. When we fast, we use our bodies to focus our attention only on God through pangs of hunger. Thus, we are spiritually focused and our body and spirit are united.
Ash Wednesday helps us begin the Season of Lent by fasting praying and almsgiving, in secret, so that, we return to God.
Psalm 1:3-4, 5-6a, 18-19, tells us that God will not spurn a humbled and contrite heart. My worship will not be a burnt offering which does not please God, but a sacrifice of a broken spirit and a humbled heart. David was truly sorry for his adultery with Bethsheba and for murdering her husband to cover it up. He knew his actions had hurt many people. But because David repented, God mercifully forgave him. No sin is too big to be absolved. One can never please God by outward actions, if one’s heart is not pure.
The Gospel, Matthew 9: 14-15 states that, John the Baptist’s disciples fasted as a sign of repentance, and to prepare for the Messiah’s coming. Jesus’ message focused on life, which should result in us turning from sin and opting for a radical path back to him. Are our eyes fixed on Jesus alone?
The arrival of the Messiah in his kingdom of heaven was like a wedding feast, with Jesus as the Bridegroom. His disciples, therefore, were filled with joy. It would not be right to fast or put on sackcloth and ashes when the Bridegroom was present.
Now, this gold nugget! The Fall of Adam and Eve was due to giving in to pleasure (lust, sex), possessions (money, property, worldliness, etc.) and pride (power, status, prestige). Jesus battled these very temptations immediately after his 40-day fasting and prayer in the desert, according to Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. On Ash Wednesday we ought to reflect on what we should do, to take us several notches closer to the Lord. Maybe a good ‘Dialogue Confession’ will transform our life’s story, in addition to fasting, prayer and almsgiving. During Lent we must enter into the mystery of Jesus in the Desert, so that, we are rewarded with grace and eternal life.
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.