markdohle Posted March 5, 2014 #1 Share Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) Ash Wednesday 2014 Ashes are unpleasant. Leftovers after the flames have had their meal. All that was, is now reduced to soot and the lingering smell of smoke. Life is like fire in its own way. As we live it also consumes us, wearing us down, slowly depleting our energy until there is only a husk left…..we call it death. There are many unpleasant things about life that are hard to contemplate. When young, very young, there are many aspects of life we don’t have to reflect upon…. well if we live in a country that is affluent. In other parts of the world, the reality of the shortness of life, how easy it is to die, to suffer; to lose everything in an instant is ever before the eyes of the very young. Can they even be considered young, when the reality of life’s temporal nature is an unavoidable fact….. is it possible to even be a child. To be able to play with abandon, without fear and rancor and even hatred for ones enemies; who may live in the same town, on the same street, with centuries of loathing and discrimination rained down on both sides in the name of justice and right, by both participants. I can’t judge such things, for I know how hard it is for me, one who lives in an environment that is made for goodness and love to grow. Even here, there is struggle, so how can I judge those who live in the midst of unending violence, injustice and poverty? So today the reality of the sufferings of life, its shortness, is placed before us in a jarring way; at least it is for me. Does wisdom start when we understand how vulnerable the strongest of us is? How uncertain life is even for the rich and powerful, how easy it is to lose everything? During lent, we are encouraged to dig deeper into the meaning of our lives. To face aspects of ourselves that propels actions that run from this understanding of life. There can be a mad rush to escape pain and stress. The deeper the pain, the more all encompassing can the pleasure is; no matter what it is. Yet if this pleasure is only for escape, we again return to the experiences of ‘ash’, of inner emotional and spiritual pain that still cries out for release. So yes Lent is a difficult time for many….it is for me. Yet within the experience, if faced, joy hides in plain view. Edited March 5, 2014 by markdohle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellapenella Posted March 5, 2014 #2 Share Posted March 5, 2014 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdohle Posted March 5, 2014 Author #3 Share Posted March 5, 2014 [media=] [/media] Thank you very, very much. I love u@! peace mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdohle Posted March 7, 2014 Author #4 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I like this homily a great deal, very well said, I could not have done better, engaging, something artful in it's truest sense. God bless you for posting this! I compare this to be the Christian version of lambs blood over the homes of those that were passed over, our version, nobody needs to die. I look to this also, as a sign that we are Christians, we are believers in our Lord and God, through the trinity, we proudly display the manner of which His Son was sacrificed for us, to give us the option of eternal life in His presence. I also see it as a way to have parishes become closer together as a community, as well as their priest. Just my thoughts for the moment, keep up the positive attitude, sharing something as well you might like in youtube land! [media=] [/media] Your comment touched me deeply, thank you my brother in Christ. Loved the link, what a voice! Peace mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellapenella Posted March 10, 2014 #5 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Thank you very, very much. I love u@! peace mark You're welcome. I do too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellapenella Posted March 10, 2014 #6 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Wish we were a world without war.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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