(English text after the Italian)

 

From dust to water: The meaning of the austere symbol of the ashes

The holy ashes that are traditionally derived from the burning of the Benedetti olive branches for the Palm Sunday of the previous year perform their entrance door function for the strong time of Lent and already let the man renewed by the risen Christ already glimpsed in the waters of baptism, as the liturgy makes us relive in the holy vigil of Easter night.

— Liturgical ministry —

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Author
Simone Pifizzi

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PDF print format article – PDF Article print format

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Yesterday, with the liturgy of the ashes The Holy Time of Lent has begun for the Church. Once that, According to what reported in the rules for the liturgical year and the calendar, has the purpose of preparing for Easter. The Light Liturgy Guide to the celebration of the Easter mystery both the catechumens, through the different degrees of Christian initiation, both the faithful by means of the memory of baptism and through penance.

As everyone knows The Holy Time of Lent begins with a symbol that is called austere: Receive ash on the head. In the Old Testament the ash is a symbol of what is provisional, perishable and as such is reduced to powder, As you read in Job 10, 9; or because it is worthless (Gen 18, 27). Always in the Old Testament, ash was a sign of desolation and mourning. So here are the gestures to spread ash on the head (2Sam 13, 19), sit in ash as Job (Gib 2, 8), roll in ash (This 27, 30), feed on ash as of bread (Shall 102). Davide exposed his sins in ashes, The ninivites after the preaching of Jonah covered the ash's head. The ash was used in purification rites, When a red cow was burned whose ashes were then thrown into the water, used for the various ritual purifications (Num 19, 1 e ssg). Above all, the ash brings the thought to the words that God addresses to Adam after sin: "Dust, You are and in dust you will return " (Gen 3,19); They underline the punishment of death and the nothing of the creature shaped by soil powder.

In the Middle Ages, public penitents who had to atone for their faults and receive the sacrament of penance as a second baptism presented themselves at the beginning of Lent covered with ash and with the cilicio. In the Christian liturgy, also currently, The expression that the priest uses blessing and imposing the ashes on Wednesday that marks the beginning of Lent are these are: "Remember that you are dust and powder you will return". Accept, that is, The meaning of pain, of the mourning of death as a consequence of the sin and fragility of man. Hence the duty to recognize his faults and to engage in a healthy life, as the alternative formula of the imposition of the ashes urges: "Get converted and believe in the Gospel". The ashes reminding us that we are dust helps us to reinvigorate the sense of true Christian consciousness that accuses us of being guilty and does not give us peace until we have found remedy for our inclination to evil.

Penance becomes a need: We must make penance to denounce ourselves to the sky and the earth that we are miserable people. The obligation to implore mercy and to demonstrate with some of our acts that we repudiate the evil made and the evil we are able to do. Far from then to be a sign of superstition, The ash reminds us of a theological truth well synthesized by the words of the blessing, the oldest one, that can be used on Wednesday that from the beginning of the Holy Lent:

«O God who does not want death but the conversion of sinners, It does that recognizing that our body will return to dust, The exercise of penance obtains the forgiveness of sins and a renewed life in the image of the Risen Lord. For Christ, our Lord. Amen».

The same concept It is also expressed in the renewed formula of the blessing of the ashes that reads:

«O God who pity of those who regret and give your peace to those who convert, Listen with paternal goodness the prayers of your people and bless these children of yours who will receive the austere symbol of the ashes, Because through the spiritual itinerary of Lent they come completely renewed to celebrate your child's Easter ".

And it is also repeated in the alternative formula in which these words are used:

«O God who does not want the death of sinners but the conversion, Listen to our prayer benign and bless these ashes that we are about to receive on our boss, recognizing that we are dust and powder we will return. The exercise of Lenten penance obtains the forgiveness of sins and a renewed life in the image of your risen son, who lives and reigns over the centuries of the centuries. Amen».

Prayers, Remember above, They therefore present us the right perspective from which to look at the sign of the ashes imposed on the head of those who start the Lent itinerary with good will. It is essentially a gesture of humility, what does it mean: I recognize myself for what they are, A fragile creature, made of land and destined for the earth, but also made in the image of God and destined for him. Dust, Yes, but loved, shaped by the love of God, animated by his vital breath and capable of recognizing his voice and therefore to answer him; free e, because of this, even capable of disobeying him, giving in to the temptation of pride and self -sufficiency. Here is the sin, mortal disease soon entered to pollute the blessed land which is the human being. Created in the image of the saint and the right man has lost his innocence and now he can return to being right only thanks to the justice of God, the justice of love that, As San Paolo writes:

"It has manifested itself through faith in Christ" (RM 3,22).

Just the second reading of the Liturgy of the Word of Ash Wednesday, contains Paul's appeal to let himself be reconciled with God (cf. 2Color 5,20), Through one of his famous paradoxes that leads all the reflection on justice to the mystery of Christ. Saint Paul writes:

«He who had known no sin [that is, his son made man] God sinned him in our favor, because in him we could become justice of God " (2Color 5,21).

In the heart of Christ, that is, in the center of his divine-human person, All the drama of freedom has been played in decisive and definitive terms. God brought his own design of salvation to the extreme consequences, remaining faithful to his love even at the cost of delivering his unigenous son to death and death of Croce. Divine justice is discouraged here, deeply different from the human one: «Thanks to the action of Christ, We can enter "bigger" justice, which is that of love " (Benedict XVI, Message for Lent, 2010)

Holy Lent, while starting with the austere gesture of the ashes that makes us bow the head, However, it widens our horizon and oriented us towards eternal life, Since on this earth we are on pilgrimage:

«We have not here a stable city, But let's go in search of the future " (EB 13,14).

Lent while it makes us understand the relativity of the assets of this land and therefore it makes us capable of necessary renunciations, It also gives us the freedom to do the good, to open the earth in the light of the sky, in the presence of God among us.

So the holy ashes which are traditionally obtained from the burning of the Benedetti olive branches for the Palm Sunday of the previous year perform their entrance door function for the strong time of Lent and already let the man renewed by Christ risen and reborn in the waters of baptism, as the liturgy makes us relive in the holy vigil of Easter night.

Florence, 6 March 2025

Beginning of Lent

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FROM DUST TO WATER: THE MEANING OF THE AUSTERE SYMBOL OF ASHES

The holy ashes which are traditionally obtained from the burning of the olive branches blessed for Palm Sunday of the previous year perform their function as the gateway to the strong season of Lent and already allow us to glimpse the man renewed by the Risen Christ and reborn in the waters of baptism, as the liturgy makes us relive in the Holy Vigil of Easter night

— liturgical pastoral —

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Yesterday, with the Liturgy of Ashes, the holy season of Lent began for the Church. A time which, according to what is reported in the norms and the calendar for the liturgical year, has the purpose of preparing for Easter. The Lenten Liturgy guides both the catechumens, through the different degrees of Christian initiation, and the faithful through the memory of baptism and through penance in the celebration of the Paschal mystery.

As everyone knows, the holy season of Lent begins with a symbol that is defined as austere: receiving ashes on the head. In the Old Testament, ashes are a symbol of what is temporary, perishable and as such is reduced to dust, as we read in Job 10:9; or because it is worthless (Gen 18:27). Also in the Old Testament, ashes were a sign of desolation and mourning. Here then are the gestures of sprinkling ashes on the head (2Sam 13:19), sitting in ashes like Job (Job 2:8), rolling in ashes (This 27:30), eating ashes like bread (Ps 102). David atoned for his sins in ashes, the Ninevites after Jonah’s preaching covered their heads in ashes. Ashes were used in purification rites, when a red cow was burned and its ashes were then thrown into the water used for the various ritual purifications (Num 19:1ff). Above all, ashes bring to mind the words that God addressed to Adam after his sin: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19); they underline the punishment of death and the nothingness of the creature shaped from the dust of the ground.

In the Middle Ages, public penitents who had to atone for their sins and receive the Sacrament of Penance as a second baptism appeared at the beginning of Lent covered in ashes and wearing sackcloths. Today, In the Christian liturgy, the expression that the priest uses when blessing and imposing the ashes on Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent are these:

«Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return».

That is, I accept the meaning of pain, of death mourning as a consequence of sin and man’s fragility. From this comes the duty to recognize one’s faults and to commit to a healthy life, as exhorted by the alternative formula for the imposition of ashes:

«Convert and believe in the Gospel».

The ash, reminding us that we are dust, helps us to reinvigorate the sense of true Christian conscience which accuses us of being guilty and does not give us peace until we have found a remedy for our inclination to evil.

Penance becomes a need: we must do penance to denounce ourselves to heaven and earth that we are miserable people. We have the obligation to implore mercy and to demonstrate with some of our actions that we repudiate the evil done and the evil we are capable of doing. Far from being a sign of superstition, the ash reminds us of a theological truth well summarized by the words of the blessing, the oldest one, which can be used on the Wednesday that begins Holy Lent:

«O God who does not want death but the conversion of sinners, grant that by recognizing that our body will return to dust, the exercise of penance obtains for us the forgiveness of sins and a renewed life in the image of the risen Lord. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen» (From the Roman ritual)

The same concept is also expressed in the renewed formula of the blessing of the ashes which reads:

«O God who has mercy on those who repent and gives your peace to those who convert, listen with paternal goodness to the prayers of your people and bless these children of yours who will receive the austere symbol of the ashes, so that through the spiritual itinerary of Lent they may arrive completely renewed to celebrate the Easter of your Son».

And it is also repeated in the alternative formula in which these words are used:

«O God who does not want the death of sinners but conversion, listen kindly to our prayer and bless these ashes that we are about to receive on our heads, recognizing that we are dust and to dust we will return. May the exercise of Lenten penance obtain for us the forgiveness of sins and a renewed life in the image of your risen Son, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen».

The prayers mentioned above therefore present us with the right perspective from which to look at the sign of the ashes placed on the heads of those who begin the Lenten journey with good will. It is essentially a gesture of humility, which means: I recognize myself for what I am, a fragile creature, made of earth and destined for the earth, but also made in the image of God and destined for Him. Dust, yes, but loved, shaped by the love of God, animated by his vital breath and capable of recognizing his voice and therefore responding to him; free and, for this reason, also capable of disobeying him, giving in to the temptation of pride and self-sufficiency. Here is sin, a deadly disease that soon began to pollute the blessed earth that is the human being. Created in the image of the Holy and the Just, man has lost his innocence and can now return to being just only thanks to the justice of God, the justice of love which, as Saint Paul writes:

«was manifested through faith in Christ» (Rom 3:22).

Precisely the second reading of the Liturgy of the Word on Ash Wednesday contains Paul’s appeal to be reconciled with God (see 2 Color 5:20), through one of his famous paradoxes which leads all reflection on justice to the mystery of Christ. Saint Paul writes:

«For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him» (2 Color 5:21).

In the heart of Christ, that is, in the center of his divine-human Person, the entire drama of freedom was played out in decisive and definitive terms. God took his plan of salvation to the extreme consequences, remaining faithful to his love even at the cost of handing over his only begotten Son to death and death on the cross. Here divine justice is revealed, profoundly different from human justice:

«Thanks to the action of Christ, we can enter into the “greater” justice, which is that of love» (Benedict XVI, Message for Lent, 2010)

Holy Lent, although it begins with the austere gesture of the ashes that makes us bow our heads, nevertheless broadens our horizon and orients us towards eternal life, since on this earth we are on a pilgrimage:

«For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come» (Heb 13:14).

While Lent makes us understand the relativity of the goods of this earth and therefore makes us capable of necessary renunciations, it also gives us the freedom to do good, to open the earth to the light of Heaven, to the presence of God among us.

Thus the holy ashes which are traditionally obtained from the burning of the olive branches blessed for Palm Sunday of the previous year perform their function as the gateway to the strong season of Lent and already allow us to glimpse the man renewed by the Risen Christ and reborn in the waters of baptism, as the liturgy makes us relive in the Holy Vigil of Easter night.

Florence, 6 March 2025

Beginning of Lent

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