You might be interested in some of the thoughts of mine about Ash Wednesday that we’ve posted on our diocesan blog. Here’s a taste:

“I find it very evocative that the ashes we use on this day come from the destruction of the work of creation. The microbes and cellular creatures of creation labored for years to organize the minerals and chemicals that made up the structure of the leaf of palm. When we cut the leaf off the tree, taking it away from its source of nourishment and water, those cells began to die. They dried out and become mere husks of what they once were. But the fire of Fat Tuesday released the molecules back into the atmosphere so that a new plant could use them again. Fire, water, air, and Earth are all present in the moment of the creation of the ashes. And though we put the end product on our foreheads, the life-giving parts have been returned to creation to be used again and again.”

The full meditation is posted here.

It’s from my new book published by Forward Movement. You can read the first week’s meditations on our diocesan blog linked above, and download the ebook for Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, or iTunes at a discounted $1.99 price to follow along as we discuss this book the rest of Lent. The print editions of the book sold out three weeks ago, but there will be additional copies printed for next year and following. (Links to the ebooks are also found on the diocesan blog.)