By Fr Joshan Rodrigues –
The world took notice of the devastating effects of climate change when wildfires ravaged millions of hectares of forest land across continents, especially in North America and Australia. Entire forests have been reduced to ash; a staggering 1 billion animals were claimed to have been killed in the Australian fires alone, with many species of animals and insects lost to human kind forever. The fires also had a devastating effect on human communities, burning down thousands of homes and rendering entire townships homeless.
However, just two months later, incredible photos have captured lush and vibrant green sprouts emerging from the charred ground; green foliage breaking forth from the burnt bark of trees. This tiny bit of green in the vast canvas of blackness has brought a renewed sense of hope to these communities and countries who were battling the impacts of the fires. The re-birth of nature in the midst of death and destruction shows that life cannot be held back – the very ash now acting as a catalysing fertiliser for new vegetation to emerge.
The deep spiritual import of Ash Wednesday could not be any closer to this striking image that nature gives us. As the lush and verdant palms from a year ago are turned to ashes through the destructive application of fire, the same ashes are offered to us as a catalyst for a renewed Christian life. The vagaries of life, the debilitating effects of sin and evil have taken a toll on our lives and on our relationship with our Creator, Father and God. We have gone far from God, but our loving and merciful Father always reaches out to extend a hand of reconciliation, friendship and new beginnings. “Turn back to me with your whole heart”, God says, for He is slow to anger and rich in kindness.
The ash on my forehead reminds me of the black dot or ‘tikka’ that Indian parents usually put on their babies to ward off the evil eye. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of a powerful time of grace when humanity unites to overcome evil, sin and godlessness and transform their lives to one centred on God and His Moral Imperative. This brings us then to the ‘communitarian nature’ of Ash Wednesday.
The reason we mark ourselves this day with ashes, right on the forehead, where everyone can see them, is to tell the world and each other that we are all in this together. When any saint resists sin and remains faithful to the Gospel, the whole line of faith grows taut. When we choose to sin, we slacken the very line of redemption. Salvation is then like a tug of war, and we are on the side of Christ and his Saints. We live in such a time of heightened individualism that we fail to see that our personal sins have great social consequences, hurting the very family, community and country that we love.
On the other hand, fighting evil tendencies on our own is extremely difficult as most of us experience; we therefore need the support, prayers and strength from our fellow human beings, through whom the grace of God flows, prodding us towards reconciliation and the keeping of our promises. We experience this even in our secular life, when any attempt at cultivating a good healthy habit towards transformation is more achievable when we have the constant motivation of a friend or family member.
The readings on Ash Wednesday bring out this communitarian aspect of the season of Lent. “Call an assembly; Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children”, says the Prophet Joel; “We are ambassadors for Christ”, St Paul reminds us. On behalf of Christ, our King, we offer the gift of reconciliation to our brothers and sisters, as we ourselves bask in the joy of the Lord’s invitation to each one of us. As we approach God in mourning and penitence on Ash Wednesday, our hearts should be full of joy, for “now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” As we prepare for Lent, let us be reminded that “if anyone is in Christ, s/he is a new creation!”
Fr Joshan Rodrigues is currently the Managing Editor of The Examiner, Catholic Newsweekly of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome in Institutional and Social Communications. He has done brief stints with the DeSales Media Group in Brooklyn, New York and Communications Office of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales, London. He frequently blogs on faith and culture in ‘Musings in Catholic Land’
Brilliant ! So true.