Friday, February 23, 2007

"Fuistre polvo, polvo eres"

These words at the dispensation of ashes ("Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return"), two days ago, help bring us round course back to what out time on earth really means. These words help us to recognize that what time we have on earth is really a gift from the Lord, and that soon, we will, God-willing, enter into that eternal communion of love that is the Beatific Vision.

Being that I work at a funeral home, I often see some interesting things. Yesterday, I saw one of the most amazing (the other being the eighteen week old stillborn) things yet. I picked up the body of a deceased fellow from the hospital, and when the mortician began the embalming process, we noticed that the body had ashes on his forehead. He had died the day before, Ash Wednesday, and we got to see this visible witness of those wonderful words, "Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return."

This man had heard the words earlier that day and then fulfilled their promise a few hours later. God-willing, he had followed the advice of Christ and repented and believed the Good News (cf. Mark 1:15).

But, where am I going with all this? Like I said before, the time we spend on earth is a gift from the Lord. This man's witness truly attests to that, and it visibly shows a reality that we might not understand otherwise. The words on Ash Wednesday are meant to really convey in us a sense of awe and wonder at God's omnipotence. They are meant to bring about a conversion in our hearts so that when we pass from this earthly life to a heavenly one, we will do just that and not go down to the netherworld. Our passing could come at any time, that's what the words tell us. That's what this man's story shows us. But, while we're living, we must remember that we are not here of our own accord but because the Lord willed us into existence.

Our whole creation is based on the outpouring of the love of the Lord. He created us because He wanted to share his love. He didn't need to, but He wanted to. He wanted to bring others to understand what love was. Pope Benedict XVI's first Encyclical is titled "Deus Caritas Est" - "God is love." This love that is God is a communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And, our creation is meant to share in that love. In other words, our existence is a gift from the heavenly Father.

When we remember those words throughout this Lent, let us remember what they are trying to convey. We have existence as a gift from God. Let's offer that gift back to the Father. Our lives are not our's to choose whatever we want (not to say that we don't have free will), but rather they are a gift from God, and we should live with such a mindset. Let us live lives of thanksgiving to the Triune God, in which we offer all we can back to the Father in repentence of our sins and in thanksgiving for the gift of life.

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