Dust and Joy and Sandwich-boards

I remember when I was younger, the same message was repeated every year on Ash Wednesday: "From dust you were made, and to dust you shall return." The ashes on the forehead were a sign of our mortality, of the finite nature of our existence... Today, it was a different blessing of sorts. Today, I heard "I invite you to turn away from sin and live the gospel."

It felt odd, that new message. I'm so used to the slight doom and gloom of entering into Lent. Such a dark time of year, cold season, bleak really... And you're staring down 40 days of giving up something you love (well, hopefully not love, maybe giving up something you crave). And to start the party, you are reminded that you came from nothing but ash and dust and one day, you'll be straight back there. I never felt it was condemning, almost comforting. Only certainty in life: Death and Taxes. Life is certainly limited. There is an end point. But... BUT that's merely the physical life. Your body, your belongings, your clothes, your books, your trinkets, your hairstyle, your photos, your computer, your (i)phone, your things, your STUFF... That is made of dust. It's all transient. It is not what matters. What matters is what is inside, what matters is your thoughts, your beliefs, your faith, your soul, your love and your joy. I liked the old message - marking the body for where it was headed while entering a time to whip that soul into shape...

That being said, I don't dislike the new message. I find it quite... happy? "I invite you to turn away from sin." Who doesn't like an invitation?! I hear invitation, I think party! And living the gospel... Hell of a party! Maybe I'm a traditionalist. I'm a creature of habit. I don't like changing things I find comforting. But I think the Church often needs a positive message, especially now. And if a simple blessing can be the linchpin in conversion than who am I to question it?

The homily we heard this evening was a bit of kick in the pants. A call to action of sorts. And one of those homily points that hit home, and hit home hard. The focus of the question was, "How does your life inspire?" It was broken into bits of, "How do people know you're a Catholic?" and "What sacrifices are you making for Lent?" But the message was clear. You should be inspiring. People should want to be you. People should want to know you. (You should be cool, eh?) But what are you doing? How are you inspiring? How are you challenging others around you? How do you live the gospel? ... How are you a good Catholic when it seems so counter-cultural to be even remotely Christian? Think about it. It's a tough question.

Last thing: Sandwich boards. Not a topic I'd expect in a homily. But love the imagery. Why do you wear a sandwich board? So the guy walking up the street and the guy walking down the street both get the message! They're bringing back sandwich boards as a form of cheap advertising. Sweet. Do the same. Be a sandwich board for your message (whatever it may be). Make sure that everyone can read it, no matter if they're coming or going, if they're in front of you or behind you, if they agree or disagree...

So what's on my board then? Good question. Off hand, only one thing pops to mind - - Joy. Forget happy and sad, they're transient feelings. Joy is a way of being, a way of living, a way of loving. So that's it, my message is simple: Joy... and maybe an anti-smoking message too.

"I do it for the joy it brings
because I am a joyful girl
because the world owes me nothing
we owe each other the world
I do it 'cause it's the least I can do
I do it 'cause I learned it from you
I do it because I want to
because I want to."