Ash Wednesday
Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down
Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
- From the Ash Wednesday liturgy
The children’s song “Ring Around the Rosie” is memorable as much for its words as the actions that go with it. Holding hands and moving in a circle, we either all fall down or all jump up, as we sing:
Ring around the Rosie
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down!
Ash Wednesday is memorable in a similar way. The profound words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” combined with the act of receiving the sign of the cross on our foreheads, means we are sure to carry this powerful message with us through the remainder of Lent.
Humility is at the heart of Ash Wednesday. To observe a holy Lent is to practice humility. It means softening our hearts and opening them to new learning and growth. It is to make changes (or repent) in order to live more fully into the life that God intends for us.
While humility is not one of the nine fruit of the Spirit spelled out in Galatians 5 that we will be focusing on in this devotional, it is foundational ground for the fruits of love, peace, joy, kindness, patience, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Life has a way of humbling us at times, of causing us to fall down. Ash Wednesday is an invitation to embrace our fragility and vulnerability. As people of faith, falling down is not something to fear, for we fall knowing that our faith and our God will help us rise up in new and unforeseen ways.
Ash Wednesday reminds us also of our mortality, that life is short. Many churches offer a wonderful benediction that speaks to this, based on words from Henri-Frédéric Amiel:
Life is short,
And we do not have much time
to gladden the hearts of those who
make the journey with us.
So … be swift to love,
and make haste to be kind.
And the blessing of God,
who made us,
who loves us,
and who travels with us
be with you now and forever.
This benediction inspires us to be “swift to love and make haste to be kind.” Love and kindness, it just so happens, are two fruits of the Spirit we will be focusing on cultivating through this devotional during Lent.
The ashes of humility and contemplating our mortality can become fertile soil for deepening our spiritual lives and enhancing the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.
I pray that it will be so for all of us this Lent.
Making it Personal: How might practicing humility help you cultivate the fruits of the spirit this Lent? What areas of your life might benefit from “softening” and opening to new growth?
Listen To Our Lent Podcast Episodes
We also invite you to listen to the Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast hosted by Scott Stoner. This is a year-round, weekly podcast; however, during Lent, there will be two new episodes each week to enrich your experience of our Lenten readings on Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit.
You can listen to the podcast on our website by clicking HERE. You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast listening app (Apple, Google, Spotify, etc.)—just search for Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness