My grandson attends Catholic school, and today was an all school mass for Ash Wednesday that I attended to help me start my 40 day lenten journey.
After the priest blesses the ashes, the faithful lined up to receive the ashes. The priest dips his right thumb in the ashes and makes the Sing of the Cross on each persons forehead.
When I was a young girl receiving ashes the priest would say; "Remember, that your are dust, and unto dust you shall return." Genesis 3:19
Today when I received my ashes the priest said; "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." Mark 1:15
The words of Mark surprised me, because I was so used to the old words. I always knew that there were other scriptures that were used, but my church always used the "ashes to ashes" scripture until today. I truly liked the new scripture that was used.
The reason we receive ashes is to remind us of our mortality and calls us to repentance, and so today I start my journey.
My pastor reminds us to "preach the Gospel to ourselves.... everyday."
ReplyDeleteAs Luther penned in his 95 theses, "the whole of life of believers should be repentance."
Blessings to you during Season.
And the priest at my children's catholic school said "Remember God made you and you belong to him" Happy Lenten journey
ReplyDeleteI was telling my friend about Paczki Day and she asked, "is today Ash Wednesday"? I have no idea so she ran into the other room to check and came back and said, "yes, it is." Apparently, the Irish have another name for Fat tuesday. She has Irish and Polish roots like we do.
ReplyDeleteI'm your newest follower via Linky and I would LOVE a return follow!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to sacrifice for the Lord in light of all He sacrificed for us. Best to you as you prepare for Resurrection Sunday! I'm following you via Linky Followers from the Blog Hop. Hope you'll follow back.
ReplyDeleteLynn at Cottage and Creek
www.cottageandcreek.com
Thanks for stopping by! It is so nice to meet you. I have just become a friend and follower and hope you will too!
ReplyDeleteWishing you well and feeling guilty for not going to church more often. :) I have fond memories of my days at Catholic school. This entry made me smile.
ReplyDelete