Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Ash Wednesday
One of my most memorable Ash Wednesdays was at Blue Cloud Abbey several years ago. I truly felt Christ presence as Abbot Thomas placed the mark of the cross on my forehead. It is a powerful symbol of our faith. Yet it can cause a dilema for some believers as described in the following comments by Amy Green:
John Spink, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution photographer, often observes Ash Wednesday while shooting services for the newspaper. He sets aside his camera, walks to the altar and feels the sensation of a priest's finger making the blackened image of a cross on his forehead. Spink says he then returns to the office, sometimes getting quizzical looks and odd comments such as, “Excuse me, there's something on your forehead,” as if he didn't know. Many Christians will mark the start of Lent on March 1 by observing Ash Wednesday, when an ashen cross is smeared on the forehead as a sign of one's sins and penance. But the day poses a dilemma at work. With office religious displays often a sensitive issue, could the ashen cross be seen as a proselytizing gesture? And if workers wipe ashes off their foreheads, are they somehow denying their faith? For Spink, the answers are clear. For others, they're not.
John Spink, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution photographer, often observes Ash Wednesday while shooting services for the newspaper. He sets aside his camera, walks to the altar and feels the sensation of a priest's finger making the blackened image of a cross on his forehead. Spink says he then returns to the office, sometimes getting quizzical looks and odd comments such as, “Excuse me, there's something on your forehead,” as if he didn't know. Many Christians will mark the start of Lent on March 1 by observing Ash Wednesday, when an ashen cross is smeared on the forehead as a sign of one's sins and penance. But the day poses a dilemma at work. With office religious displays often a sensitive issue, could the ashen cross be seen as a proselytizing gesture? And if workers wipe ashes off their foreheads, are they somehow denying their faith? For Spink, the answers are clear. For others, they're not.
