Time to Rise Up

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, and on this day we recieve Ashes on our foreheads. Ashes have long been a symbol of repentance. There are two things the person who gives us ashes can say: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." and "Repent and believe in the Gospel". These two are options that the person giving ashes can say. The first is a very ominous message, we are like these ashes, passing and failing. The second is a much more personal reminder, a call to repent, and to dedicate ourselves to the Lord. Either way you mark it, the message of the ashes is the same. First of all, serving as a mark of our beginning of penance, and second of all as serving as a reminder of the repentance we should have. We should recieve these ashes as a symbol of our want for improvement in our life, our want for change, to be better people. Ashes then serve as a symbol of renewal, a symbol of burning, and then from the burning and destruction, rising up, back and better. Think of the mythical creature the Phoenix, who rises from it's ashes, as a new creature. So in these ashes, we have fallen into sin, into the depths, the darkness and sin. And marked with these ashes we recommit ourselves to rising up, picking ouselves up and returning back.

Look I kept my promise! (At least so far!) I do hope to upload or write a new post every day. Altough I started writing this Yesterday (on Ash Wednesday). While this is the day after Ash Wednesday, this is an important message for Lent. As our ashes fade, let's remember this for our entire Lent.

God Bless,

Matthew S.