Ash Wednesday

A short post for today, in keeping with the solemnity of the day. On Ash Wednesday, we have the ashes of palm fronds rubbed onto our forehead as a penitential custom. The ashes were choosen to remind us of our mortality. From dust we came and into dust we shall return.

A small comic that was pulished in an old Roman Catholic magazine that has stuck with me through the years revolves around a group of children who in their playing out-of-doors, will re-enact various aspects of the mass. The comic was meant to be touching and grin inducing, not "ha-ha, hillarious" in terms of its impact. In the most memorable of these various comics from this artist was one that re-enacted Ash Wednesday. In the yard was the young kid who was pretending to be the priest... one of his father's ties draped over his shoulders to give the image of a vestment, and he held one of his father's cold pipes in his hands and was using the pipe ashes as a mimic for the palm ashes that are the symbol of this day. Every time I think of this comic, I grin.

PipeTobacco