The season of Lent is a time in which we become centered in our humanity, looking at ourselves and looking at God and confessing the difference. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. This prepares us for the upcoming season of fasting.” Genesis 3:19 - For dust you are and to dust you will return. It is also an act of penance, as we recognize who we are, our limits and our weaknesses. This is a symbol that we are finite and will die, a symbol of humility by reminding ourselves of our mortality… This reminds us of our need to accept the grace of God. “Traditionally, Ash Wednesday has included the burning of palm branches that were from the previous Palm Sunday and turning it into a paste, using anointing oils and anointing the church community’s foreheads. Geoff Miller, a senior at SNU, commented on the common symbols that add to the importance of Ash Wednesday, saying, Kruck explained the dichotomy of Ash Wednesday, a day in which we move from hope and celebration into penance and servanthood, as we “recognize the frailty around us that prepares us to experience the needs of the world.” Ash Wednesday is intended to be a reflective season that brings people closer to God through their practices of either removing something important from their lives and/or adding a serving or reflective activity in order to practice self-emptying.
The season of Epiphany is a bit more of a celebratory season where we are seeking and discovering who Christ is and imagining the possibility of the Messiah… but Ash Wednesday is the hard stop in which we consider the truth and frailty of our lives and the fact that we are temporary… in preparation for the end of Lent.” “The beauty of Ash Wednesday that we need to understand is that it is the day that starts Lent, but it’s also the day in which we end Epiphany. When asked what Ash Wednesday was, he replied: Browse more artworks Joseph Leung Mong Sum from 10 Chancery Lane. In order to better understand this complex and often misunderstood liturgical season, I spoke with Professor Logan Kruck of the theology department. View From Dust You Came, To Dust You Shall Return by Joseph Leung Mong Sum on artnet. This practice of facing the anxiety of death is an important one to partake in as people prepare for Lent, the time of penance and self-reflection. In churches throughout the world, people will participate in the remembrance of human mortality as they have ashes and oil anointed upon their foreheads. On February 14, the liturgical season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and will end on Good Friday, March 30.
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