Ashes, ashes... I NEED to fall down...

A beautiful sunny day, today, a bit of a February thaw; enough that the dog prefers to lie out in the sun on the driveway than huddle in his kennel in the garage. And at the Ash Wednesday Mass today, I could feel a thaw beginning in my heart, too. In the Missal, there is an introductory paragraph to the readings and responses for each week, and I thought today's was really good:

Yesterday was not Lent. Today is. Our Catholic sacramental world-view, which for two thousand years has used visible realities to remind us of invisible ones, long ago sharpened the distinction between yesterday and today by filling yesterday with such festivals as Mardi Gras. The un-sacramental culture in which we live now fails to see the logic. Yesterday the stock market closed at X, today it shall open at X, thence go up or down - one business day following another. The two days are separated by one night, nothing more. To appreciate and benefit from Ash Wednesday requires greater effort now than in a more sacramentally-minded era.

So why, when I do not feel a greater sinner today than yesterday, should I put on ashes today? Because Ash Wednesday - Lent - is meant to serve as a speed bump, forcing me to slow down, consider my spiritual state, and repent of my sins. May we embrace the opportunity this "different" day offers and take our ashes with full awareness of our need for them.

Lent: a speed bump in a drive-by culture; a "caution: slow down" sign in a fast-lived world. I need this time of considering my spiritual state. And this year, instead of giving up something for Lent.. I plan on adding something. Something positive, to enhance my communion with God.

(Side note: interesting that the post-modern generation coming up behind me is rediscovering Lent, as in this article. This is the generation that the same magazine refers to as the "irony" generation. If they're looking for real and lasting meaning outside of self.. I think they've come to the right place.)