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Ash Wednesday
The day before yesterday, I had the opportunity, as in previous years, to go to church. For me, the celebration of Ash Wednesday is an important milestone at the beginning of Lent.
I don't want to explore the issue of religion per se, but rather talk about one of the most striking phrases that anyone (not just a Christian or a believer) can hear.
Yesterday, after the sacred readings and the homily, we were called to receive a small quantity of ashes on top of our heads. At the same time as the minister or priest deposits the ashes, he says the following words: ‘Remember that you are dust’.
And what does it mean to come from dust and return to dust? That's what it means. That we are carnal beings, and that we must transmit something by ‘burning’ and ‘consuming’ our lives. Before reaching the ashes from which we were born.
And is there a phrase that could become one of humanity's greatest mantras?
Is there anything that can arouse in us a sense of recollection, of stopping, of pondering and reflection?
We know that we are born one day and that we will necessarily die at some point. No one has lived forever. Everything comes to an end. And when we have this finitude in our minds, we end up not taking our intentions further than they should go.
Everything ends up being relative, of course. If we are extemporaneous, what are we looking for when we subjugate our neighbor? Is it worth all the effort, hatred, anger and war we wage with the outside world and even with our own inner selves?
Are our own convictions more valuable than any other kind of belief? We are all the same in the most essential way. We're present, we're alive, but it's only a present condition. Right this second.
What makes us almost certain that we'll be here tomorrow, and that's why we haven't had the courage to forgive someone today? What guarantees us that the person you despised in a supermarket queue will be here tomorrow, or that you yourself will be here?
Gratitude for the moment, the elevation of existence far beyond a simple self-centered existence could be an answer.
This is not to say that we have to attribute an immaterial dimension. Even if we look at our life as something that ends, and there is nothing beyond our corporeal part, we must respect our body, as well as the others around us.
I believe that these days, even many issues are taken to extremes in the name of religion or ‘God’. But is that really the case? Doesn't man want to justify his irrational actions with something he can't explain, understand or even love?
How do we want to build a better future when we let differences, however simple, pollute our minds and our actions?
When we often hear people say that they want peace in the world, we can ask ourselves if they are looking for peace in their own homes and families. We have to start small and then grow. When light appears, it makes darkness disappear.
I wish you all a Lenten season that at least gives you time to reflect more on your own actions. There's no need to get into religious extremes. What differs from me to the other? Just the perspective. Let's stop focusing on our differences with others and try to find points of contact.
There are, of course, people who only seek their own good at any cost. Unscrupulous people. We can do little or nothing about them and with them. But what about everyone else? Try doing something different. Even if it's inside your bedroom. Don't try to make your actions about you to glorify yourself, or for others to look at you with admiration. Try to change in yourself, and for yourself.
Thank you for taking the time and attention to read my post.
Cheers🍀
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