Ash Wednesday
Today, Ash Wednesday, is for me a day to commit myself to the process of introspection and reflection that is Lent. I am committing myself to daily meditation and prayer and focusing on the issues that have been standing in the way of my being in tune with God. Also, because my church attendance has been low for the last year or so, I am committing myself to attending church every Sunday during Lent (and hopefully thereafter).
I was reading up on Ash Wednesday today. While I don't feel compelled to appropriate certain liturgical elements such as the palm ashes in the shape of a cross worn on my forehead all day until after sunset, I do find a round-about meaning for me in the Ash Wednesday concept of repentance.
The word "repentance" is a tricky one because of the connotations of guilt and shame. Rather than saying I am repentant, instead I will acknowledge that I have some things I need and want to work on. One of the things I plan to work on this Lent season is my perfectionism. I need to give myself permission to just be who I am and to accept myself for that. Also, I have consistently lived in a state of "lacking" rather than "abundance" and, as a result, that is what has manifested in my life. I need to turn that around and focus on the abundance that I already have in my life. And finally, I need to start working on simplicity...paring down my life to focus on what is important while cutting down on the chatter.
This morning I read PeaceBang's blog and I loved what she said about Ash Wednesday in her post entitled Lenten Hiatus:
I'm off to church for a midday service to get smeared on the forehead and reminded that I'm mortal but that I get to spend my eternity with God.
It's okay to acknowledge that I am "only" human while I also rejoice that I will always be part of the divine.
"Remember...that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return."
I was reading up on Ash Wednesday today. While I don't feel compelled to appropriate certain liturgical elements such as the palm ashes in the shape of a cross worn on my forehead all day until after sunset, I do find a round-about meaning for me in the Ash Wednesday concept of repentance.
The word "repentance" is a tricky one because of the connotations of guilt and shame. Rather than saying I am repentant, instead I will acknowledge that I have some things I need and want to work on. One of the things I plan to work on this Lent season is my perfectionism. I need to give myself permission to just be who I am and to accept myself for that. Also, I have consistently lived in a state of "lacking" rather than "abundance" and, as a result, that is what has manifested in my life. I need to turn that around and focus on the abundance that I already have in my life. And finally, I need to start working on simplicity...paring down my life to focus on what is important while cutting down on the chatter.
This morning I read PeaceBang's blog and I loved what she said about Ash Wednesday in her post entitled Lenten Hiatus:
I'm off to church for a midday service to get smeared on the forehead and reminded that I'm mortal but that I get to spend my eternity with God.
It's okay to acknowledge that I am "only" human while I also rejoice that I will always be part of the divine.
"Remember...that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return."
Labels: Lent, My Spiritual Search
posted by Mama G @ 9:43 PM
2 Comments:
At 4:27 PM,
Mystical Seeker said…
Maybe it's the scars left over from my fundamentalist upbringing, but little alarms go off in my head at the mere suggestion of any worship experience that focuses on my sinfulfulness. But I do like the take that you have on the whole affair as having to do with things that you need to work on. It sounds like you have made a meaningful experience out of Ash Wednesday for yourself. That is truly wonderful.
At 10:01 AM,
Unknown said…
Should we shunt sin to the side and bath in the balm of situational ethics ? I think not - right and wrong still exist as does sin. We can ignore the truth , but it is the truth nonetheless...
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