Christians mark start of Lent with ashes, pancakes and parties The Hamilton Spectator By Sharon Boase Mar 1, 2006
Today is the day many Roman Catholics wear their heart on their sleeve. Ash Wednesday, the solemn day that begins Lent, a period of fasting, spiritual reflection and prayer, is the day Roman Catholics (and some Protestants) attend special worship services to have a symbolic cross marked on their foreheads in ash. Some will wear the sooty mark throughout the day, pleased to sport a symbol full of meaning. Others will grow self-conscious and wipe it away soon after leaving church. Either response is correct, Catholic leaders say. "All of our sacraments and sacramentals (like holy water and ashes) are designed to be symbols, outward signs that help us in our faith journey," says the Most Reverend Gerard Bergie, auxiliary Bishop of Hamilton Diocese. "Even though it's an outward sign, it's something very personal between you and God," Bergie says. Ashes have symbolized mourning, mortality and penance since the days of the Old Testament. In the context of Ash Wednesday, they're a reminder that God created humanity from dust and that our bodies will be nothing but dust again one day. Reminded of their mortality, the priest tells the faithful to turn away from sin and to embrace the gospel. "Some people take that very seriously as a sign of the Lenten journey they're entering into and they don't want to hide that from others," says Father Mark Gatto, diocesan vocations director. "But afterwards, if you choose to keep it on or not as a sign to others is really up to you." The same is not necessarily true in the U.S. where cases of workplace discrimination toward Catholics have been reported. CNN founder Ted Turner drew some unflattering press in 2001 when he referred to a small group of his employees as "Jesus freaks" because they wore ashen crosses to a meeting. He later apologized. In 1997, a San Diego retirement home supervisor was fired after forcibly removing an ashen cross from a worker's forehead with a washcloth after the employee had refused to remove it, reports the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. In LaGrange, Ga., in 1994, a police detective was fired and then reinstated after wearing an ashen cross to work. "It's a very subtle mark and it doesn't stay on that long," notes Bergie, who has never heard of an area Catholic experiencing a workplace problem over the Ash Wednesday cross. "It's no different than wearing a cross around the neck." Bishop Tonnos high school chaplain Filomena Tassi says there aren't many opportunities in a day to stop and look in the mirror. But when she gets a chance to on Ash Wednesday, it's powerful. "To see the cross there is important to me," says Tassi. "It's a reminder to myself of my commitment to follow Christ. Then during Lent, you're working on developing your inner spiritual life. It can show others that that's what makes you tick. "When people know that Jesus motivates what you do, it can be a very powerful witness to them." ~(^^)~ Avelino
