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| Ashes: It's a conscience thing. |
Why is this? I mean, why so many NON-PRACTICING Catholics? I ponder the question and here are a few possibilities.
1. It's a cultural thing. It's like getting a stamp on your hand to get in the club. A big ash mark on your forehead shows that you're a Catholic. The difference is that you actually have to pay to enter Proud Larry's to see The Heartless Bastards or Blue Mountain. We just let you in.
2. Your parents or some Catholic makes you feel like you have to go. Trust me. ASH WEDNESDAY IS NOT A HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION. However, how many Catholics-in-the-know or parents see to it that you go to Mass on the honest ta goodness Holy Days? For the perplexed, those days are:
January 1 (Feast of Mary the Mother of God)
August 15 (Feast of the Assumption of Mary)
November 1 (All Saint's Day)
December 8 (The Feast of the Immaculate Conception)
December 25 (Christmas)
And, SUNDAYS are obligatory as well.
3. The Catholic has come to realize that his life is a void and this season of repentance will begin his journey to spiritual repair. Yeah, right.
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| Ashes to ashes, monk to monkey, if you don't get ashed you'll look like a flunky.* |
5. You get the smudge so it's like a total holy okey dokey from the Church. It's like absolution, validation and baptism all at once. Like a USDA stamp.
6.It makes you look good. Not "good" like hot or attractive but good like you are a pure-hearted clean person. Like wearing a "MADD" tshirt or having a "True Love Waits" sticker on your car, it makes you look like a good person. Just like a tshirt or bumper sticker. So believable.
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| John the Baptist says, "STOP SCREWING AROUND AND BE A REAL CATHOLIC! COME ON!"** |
If this somehow gets the attention of the non-practicing, please, please at least refrain from Communion until you've made a Confession. And if you go to Confession, make it sincere. Catholicism is already being made light of. We don't need "our own" to add fuel to the fire. More of our own, that is.
Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Seriously.
Do that.
*David Bowie anyone? Anyone?
** He didn't say that. He said something like it. But not that.
7 comments:
Wow, how incredible judgmental and non-welcoming.
I agree. You're always insulting at this time of year. I hate it. That is why you will not see me tomorrow.
Don't just get smudged with ashes! If you are a non practicing Catholic, begin anew to practice your faith! Repent and believe in the Gospel! Make a sincere confession and receive God's mercy! There, how incredibly judgmental, non-welcoming and insulting I have just been! Actually, this is a basic Christian message, that does a great service also for those of us who are practicing Catholics and also need to renew ourselves, who also need to repent, to be shaken out of simply practicing the Faith as a routine, who also need to make a sincere confession and receive God's wonderful mercy.
St Therese of Lisieux said the greatest sinners have the greatest reason for confidence in God's mercy, because God is a loving Father.
'judgemental and non-welcoming'.... Yo, missed the whole point: eyes off your navel - but don't go far! Check-out your soul.
You missed one. Ash Wednesday is when all the A&P Catholics come to church when they get something.
In the north there is a grocery store called the A&P.
The p stands for palm sunday.
Thanks Fr Joe, and for those of you who got your feelings hurt, well, grow up and get with it. There's a huge difference between being judgmental and stating the unabashed truth. Besides he is saying this for your immortal soul's sake, if you know that going to Sunday mass and holy days of obligation are required but do not go ( without good reason), that can put your soul in a state of mortal sin. Receiving Holy Eucharist in that state, especially with full knowledge is sinful, sacrilegious, and scandalous. If you did not know that, well now you do. Maybe this is good time for reflection and getting to know your faith a lot better.
I am one of the ones who go to church every week, but sometimes forget the Holy Days of Obligation if it's on a weekday and I don't write it down and I'm not reminded. It happens.
For some reason, I always think Ash Wednesday is required, Good Friday too. Oh well, it's just a bonus I guess ON TOP of the weekly mass.
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