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 ...