By the Very Reverend Sam Candler
Dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip
No, it is not an imposition. On this day called Ash Wednesday, many of us assemble in communities of faith, around the world. It is not an imposition for us.
This service that we attend today is one that churches have unfortunately come to title as “The Imposition of Ashes.” But I resist that title; I am in “opposition” to anything that we call an “imposition” today.
We do not gather for an imposition. We gather for a “remembrance.” The words that we hear as dust touches our foreheads are, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
A joke: Do you know why Southerners attend family reunions? Answer: So they can find a spouse. (Only Southerners get to tell that joke!) Not a joke: Do you know why Christians attend Ash Wednesday? Answer: Because it is a family reunion. We re-unite with each other today. And, further, we re-unite with dust, with the clay, with the earth, from which we came.
Today, we remember where we came from. We came from dust. We came from dirt. Around this time of year, good gardeners gather good soil in which to plant. They call that good soil, “humus.” It is organic, fertile, matter that enriches whatever we grow in it. We need humus.
Well, “humus” is also the root for our word, “humility.” We need humility, too. In my experience, humble people really are “down-to-earth” people. Humble people realize where they came from, and they rest in being real; they do not think too highly of themselves. When we remember that we are dust, we remember our humility; we are to be good dirt.
On the other hand, the word “imposition” betrays a power differential. A stronger power “imposes” something on a weaker vessel. (Thus, countries “impose” such things as taxes and levies and tariffs!) Sadly, the Church itself has been seen as the one “imposing.” The Church has often held to itself alone the power to impose ashes, the power to declare people sinful, and then the power to forgive and absolve them.
We may be sinful. It is always good to confess sin. But today is not a day to emphasize sinfulness. Today is not a day to impose sin upon ourselves, or upon others. Today is a day to remember dust. The Church serves to be real today.
So, we remember today where we came from. We remember to be real. We remember to be good dirt in the world. We remember to be humble people, not imposing things on each other, but being holy to each other. On Ash Wednesday, the good dirt of humility grows into the fine grace of holiness.
