I don’t know about you, but I love seeing people in the middle of the day going about their regular jobs and routines with a very discernible ash cross that has been marked on their forehead.  I think a lot of Catholics try to celebrate the noon mass, and personally I believe it is the most visible Christian witness made during the entire calendar year.  Christians are sent out into the world marked in such a way that to me supersedes even wearing a cross daily.  It is a seal placed upon their forehead which means they are a follower of Christ.  I have mentioned we are Episcopalian; Roman Catholics are not the only Christian denomination to dispense ashes.  We prefer to attend the evening service so that we can all be together as a family.  The imposition of ashes is such a powerful statement of faith.  I love seeing people from the receptionist at the dentist’s office to the bagger at the grocery store bearing the most recognizable sign of Christianity on their forehead for all to see and without shame.  We are blessed to live in a country where we may do so without fear of reprisal.  I wrote last year about the significance of ashes and quoted the reading from Genesis that reminds us all of our mortality.  You may look for it at the bottom of my blog if you wish by typing, “Dust In The Wind” in the search bar.  This year I wanted to quote Psalm 103:8-14:

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy:  long-suffering, and of great goodness.  He will not alway be chiding:  neither keepeth he his anger forever.  He hath not dealt with us after our sins:  nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.  For look how high the heaven is in comparison of the earth:  so great is his mercy also toward them that fear him.  Look how wide also the east is from the west:  so far hath he set our sins from us.  Yea, like a father pitieth his own children:  even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him.  For he knoweth whereof we are made:  he remembereth that we are but dust.

I do not know that anyone likes to think about death.  I choose to focus on the Eternal Salvation we are promised for accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior because of the great sacrifice He made for the sins of us all on the cross.  For those who are practicing, I wish you all a blessed Lenten season, beginning with Ash Wednesday.