From Palms to Ashes
Reflection on Ash Wednesday
March 1, 2017
by Mico Pacheco
March 1, 2017
by Mico Pacheco
Poster by Kenichi Tigas
In the preceding year, we ushered in the Holy Week with palm branches in hand, remembering the victorious entry of our Lord to Jerusalem. The palm became the symbol of Christ's acceptance of his fate within the Holy City, that it is here that the fulfillment of the promise will take place: where he will be condemned to death, made to carry a cross to which he will be crucified, will die, be buried but will triumphantly rise from the dead - redeeming man from the slavery of sin. The palm became the symbol of martyrs, who too have accepted their fate to die for their love of Christ. Today, as we begin the Lenten Season, we are met with burnt palms and what remained of them: ashes, mere ashes.
Today we begin the season of Lent, a period where the universal Church prepares for our commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord during the last three days of the Holy Week - the Paschal Triduum. It is composed of 46 days - 40 weekdays which correspond to the number of days of Jesus in the desert and the number of years the people of God wandered towards the promised land, and 6 Sundays leading to the Holy Week. All these are marked with the theme of repentance, turning back to God, and penance for the sins against God and man.
But why do we mark the beginning of this season with ashes? In the Bible, we see in numerous parts of the Old Testament the use of ashes to signify remorse and repentance. We see this in the book of Esther, Job and Daniel, that in repentance, they plead to God in sackcloth and ashes. Ashes show human mortality – that all, in the end, will turn to dust, even the most glorious things, such as the palm branches of the triumphant entry, will also turn to ashes.
As we enter the season of Lent, may the ashes on our forehead remind us of our own mortality – that we are here only for an earthly pilgrimage. This is not our final destination but rather the heavenly homeland with the Father. As the ashes remind us of our own finitude, may we realize to invest on the more important things – those of the matters of the soul. As our own souls make its movement and uplifting towards God through prayer, and as we practice our rejection of worldly pleasures through fasting and abstinence, may we embark in the Lenten Journey with hope in the Risen Lord, that through his Paschal Mystery which has redeemed us and by our continuous perseverance to do good for love of him, we may be united with him in heaven. Amen.
We rise again from ashes,
from the good we've failed to do.
We rise again from ashes,
to create ourselves anew.
If all our world is ashes,
then must our lives be true,
An offering of ashes,
An offering to You.
Watch the music video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dO5kBOGnYA
Today we begin the season of Lent, a period where the universal Church prepares for our commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord during the last three days of the Holy Week - the Paschal Triduum. It is composed of 46 days - 40 weekdays which correspond to the number of days of Jesus in the desert and the number of years the people of God wandered towards the promised land, and 6 Sundays leading to the Holy Week. All these are marked with the theme of repentance, turning back to God, and penance for the sins against God and man.
But why do we mark the beginning of this season with ashes? In the Bible, we see in numerous parts of the Old Testament the use of ashes to signify remorse and repentance. We see this in the book of Esther, Job and Daniel, that in repentance, they plead to God in sackcloth and ashes. Ashes show human mortality – that all, in the end, will turn to dust, even the most glorious things, such as the palm branches of the triumphant entry, will also turn to ashes.
As we enter the season of Lent, may the ashes on our forehead remind us of our own mortality – that we are here only for an earthly pilgrimage. This is not our final destination but rather the heavenly homeland with the Father. As the ashes remind us of our own finitude, may we realize to invest on the more important things – those of the matters of the soul. As our own souls make its movement and uplifting towards God through prayer, and as we practice our rejection of worldly pleasures through fasting and abstinence, may we embark in the Lenten Journey with hope in the Risen Lord, that through his Paschal Mystery which has redeemed us and by our continuous perseverance to do good for love of him, we may be united with him in heaven. Amen.
We rise again from ashes,
from the good we've failed to do.
We rise again from ashes,
to create ourselves anew.
If all our world is ashes,
then must our lives be true,
An offering of ashes,
An offering to You.
Watch the music video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dO5kBOGnYA