Posted on 03/03/2011 7:31:54 AM PST by marshmallow
Catholics should try not to rub their ashes off after Ash Wednesday Mass, an English bishop has said.
Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton, who heads the department of evangelisation and catechesis, urged Catholics across Britain to wear the outward sign of our inward sorrow for our sins and for our commitment to Jesus as Our Lord and Saviour.
He said: The wearing of the ashes provides us with a wonderful opportunity to share with people how important our faith is to us and to point them to the cross of Christ. I invite you where possible to attend a morning or lunchtime Mass.
Please try not to rub off your ashes as soon as you leave church, but take the sign of the cross to all those that you meet in your school, office, factory, wherever you may be. This might just make people curious and wonder why you would do this. If you explain about Lent and Easter it might just make them think and may even awaken in them the questions that might lead to faith. Many people have a dim awareness of Lent and even ashes. It would be good to make this clear rather than dim.
Dont underestimate the power of this simple action and wear your ashes as not only a sign of the beginning of your Lenten journey, but also to witness to your greatest treasure in life. This small step could awaken faith in the hearts of many that you meet in a way that words could never do.
Catholics receive ashes at Mass on Ash Wednesday where they are reminded of their own mortality when the priest says From ashes to ashes. The ashes are made from the fronds of palm used on Palm Sunday of the previous year.
"Remember man that thou art dust........"
I quit smoking....Now what do I do????
ha ha! Nah, now you can go to Church and pray that you stay off the habit. Btw, I’m not a smoker, but have friends who are and they find it incredibly hard to stop — is it so addictive?
Not to worry - Ash Wednesday is usually not a BYOA (Bring Your Own Ashes) event. :-)
Cronos,
Not to divert from the topic, but I was able to quit years ago using the Nicoderm patch. But it wasn’t so much the patch that did it, it was the little booklet that came with the patch that helped me to understand WHY I smoked. Tell your friends that once they figure out why the smoke, it makes it easier to quit.
....We now return you to the regular topic....
I still remember the 1st time I ever saw someone with ashes on their head. I was about 20 years old. (I’m 52 now)
I was working downtown, and saw this person. I thought they had dirt on their face. It was a real “What the...” moment for me.
Brings back fond memories of when I was a kid in Catholic school. Don’t let one of the nuns catching you trying to rub off/in the ash. NEVER! They did say it was “acceptable” to wash it off before bedtime.
Same thing for me too, except it was a co-worker that went to mass that morning and returned to work. I almost stuck my foot in my mouth, but luckily did not call his attention to the smudge on his forehead.
My experience was spot-on the same as yours! I was working downtown in my 20’s and during lunch I started to notice people walking around with smudges on their forehead. It was a “what the...” moment for me as well!
Wow, that church sure looks like St. Joe’s in Biddeford Maine!
Many, many non-Catholics come to the Ash Wednesday Mass to receive the ashes on their foreheard.
|Remember, man, thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return.”
Ping!
Don’t smoke. :)
Yes!
*****************************
There's something very comforting about that.
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It never even occurred to me to wipe off the ashes. To the contrary, I tend to be very upset if the ashes fade over the course of the day. I only became Catholic (Anglo-Catholic) a few years ago, so maybe my newness has something to do with my view.
At my old job- hauling loads and driving trucks- I would frequently get jokes about having grease or oil on my face. I’d take them with a laugh and a smile, and offer some kind of joke as a reply so that it was clear I was not going to be so easily riled. It occasionally led to someone asking about the ashes.
I can’t wrap my mind around wiping the ashes off....
I got question what happen if you have oily skin I am serious they rub on me won’t take I being serious
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