Ash Wednesday

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive all the sins of the penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The holy season of Lent begins with the smudge of ashes and the inescapable awareness that "we are dust and to dust we will return" -- a bit of liturgical grounding to counteract our pretensions of immortality. The prayer for Ash Wednesday is full of words that we'd rather not say about ourselves. We don't want to believe that we have any sins to lament (worthily or otherwise!). We don't want to use the word "wretchedness" in a self-referential fashion. Isn't wretchedness the condition of other people???

And yet, when we embark on this pilgrim way of Lent, we know the only nourishment that will carry us through this season of fasting is the sustenance of self-awareness. Self-awareness will lead us to confession. Confession will push us toward repentance. Repentance will shove us toward new behaviors  -- behaviors incumbent upon those who have known the grace of forgiveness. Forgiveness New behaviors then deepen our propensity for self-awareness. 

We have begun the journey of Lent for another year. We walk the pilgrim path in the assurance that a new creation is possible. We rend our hearts so that God can create in us new hearts. "If anyone is in Christ," St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "New Creation!" Maybe the only way new creation can happen is through a smudge of oily ash...after all, when it comes to church, stranger things have happened!