You are Dust

If you have ever been to an Ash Wednesday Liturgy, you would probably have heard the formula or prayer, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return."  Or maybe you've heard "Repent and believe in the Gospel."  Those are the two most common ones I've heard used when the priest or minister is distributing ashes.

At face value it sounds a bit harsh - we are nothing but dust and ashes?  There is truth to it though.  In the Book of Genesis we are told that Adam was "formed out of the dust of the ground." So indeed we are dust and ashes.  But the most surprising thing comes immediately after that line.  "...then the Lord formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."  We are indeed dust.  But God not only formed us but He blew into us the very breath of life - His own breath.  The breath of the Living God is inside of us and is what makes us alive.  The Eucharist sustains us.  So, the formula and prayer, "You are dust" is not a way of making us feel bad or worthless but rather it should remind us of how much we are loved, so loved that God breathed into us His very own breath, giving us life.

This Lent let us remember this great love of the Father and commit our lives to thanking Him for His great love and to remind others that they are so loved.  May our acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving show that yes we are dust, but dust that has been so loved.  What we see today as dirty and worthless God made into something priceless and invaluable - you.  So yes, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return."

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