Ash Wednesday always has a special Nepali feel for me. The act of smearing powder by someone in authority on one’s forehead resembles so much the Hindu tradition of tikka. As I was slowly heading back to Canada following my stay in Nepal 3 years ago, I attended the Ash Wednesday service at Notre-Dame-de-Paris. I remember how very profound it was for me to come out into the bustling streets of Paris with ash on my forehead, after having spent a year refusing to receive such marks… since it would have signified an affiliation with Hindu beliefs for Christians in Nepal’s Mid-Western Region.
Today, we attended a Catholic service near our home where we received this symbol of repentance and mortality. Clayton followed the service as any good Catholic would. Since I am less liturgically inclined, I tried to get its gist through the rather high religious vocabulary. At least I recognized the Lord’s Prayer!
Lent will be a little different than the last few years… no cutting out caffeine or chocolate… but instead of sacrifice, trying to add more… more time, more remembrance, more of Him.
Today, we attended a Catholic service near our home where we received this symbol of repentance and mortality. Clayton followed the service as any good Catholic would. Since I am less liturgically inclined, I tried to get its gist through the rather high religious vocabulary. At least I recognized the Lord’s Prayer!
Lent will be a little different than the last few years… no cutting out caffeine or chocolate… but instead of sacrifice, trying to add more… more time, more remembrance, more of Him.
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