Dusted

"All of us go down to the dust..."
(The Commendation, BCP, p. 499)

"Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return"
(The Imposition of Ashes, BCP, p. 265)

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
(The Committal, BCP, p. 501)

Remembering
Where we came from while
Looking toward
Where we're going
Challenges us to live fully today.

To say the prayers of the Church
In a space where the ashes
Of those who have gone before
Are at our backs...
Grounds us in the present.

The dead will be raised,
Our Faith tells us.
But for now,
They are dead.
And we will die too.

Marked with ashen crosses,
Dusted with the reminder of Death.
We arise from our prayers
Penitent?
Humbled?
Rededicated?
Hopefully.