Ash Wednesday 2011

It is my habit to reflect on the daily readings during the Lent season. This year, I have other plans. At first, I intended to read some papal encyclicals, such as the latest Apostolic Exhortation, Verbum Domini. On Monday, after attending the Biblical Formation workshop in which we did Lectio Divina on the Temptation of Jesus, I changed my mind. I decided to spend time reflecting on the book of Deuteronomy first. And if I am able to finish the book before Palm Sunday, I will switch back to the reading of Verbum Domini.

Deuteronomy begins with the setting of the location and time.
The location was:
These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.(Deuteronomy 1:1-2)
The time was:
And in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them,
after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (Deuteronomy 1:3-4).
Moses retold what they had gone through, how the Israelites had multiplied and it became too heavy a burden for Moses to settle their disputes alone so that Moses appointed "heads" to share his administrative work (Deuteronomy 1:9-17).
Now that they had arrived at the hill country of the Amorites which the Lord had given them to take possession of and that they had sent spies to inspect the terrains and found that it was a good land (Deuteronomy 1:19-25), yet they hesitated and thought up stupid reasons not to go ahead to occupy the land.
and you murmured in your tents, and said, 'Because the LORD hated us he has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
Whither are we going up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there."'(Deuteronomy 1:27-28)

The Israelites had come all the way there after spending 40 years. Why then did they still doubt the promises of God? While the readers should feel sorry for this people, we don't need to go too far to find one modern day example. My boss.
We organized an Ash Wednesday Prayer Service and Hunger Meal today. The Supervisor would come to celebrate with us and would impose ash on the foreheads of the Catholic students and teachers who presented themselves in this activity. Due to the "unhappy" experience of the blessing of the renovated staff room and school library, my boss doubted very much whether a nun had the authority to impose ash. Today, he did not go out to receive the imposition of ash from the Supervisor, his boss!
What a pity! Why should he doubt and lose this opportunity to receive the blessing from God? Of course, he has no obligation to go out to receive the ash. He is free not to receive, just like everyone else who has the freedom not to receive God's grace. He has a doubtful conscience but it is his responsibility to clarify. Of course, he might have a certain, but wrong conscience. He wrongly believed that a nun did not have the authority to impose the holy ash and he acted accordingly.
What a pity! The ash is not a sacrament, like the Holy Communion. In that case, even a layman, an extraordinary minister can give the consecrated Holy Communion to people who cannot attend masses in the Church. Our Supervisor did not bless the ash in our prayer service. She brought the blessed ash from the parish. Even if the Bishop's approval is required, we don't need to query our Supervisor. It is her responsibility to obtain the approval and if she has done it before, she has already obtained the approval. We should give her the benefit of doubt. What is the problem of receiving the ash from a female? Bigotry is truly disabling and unfortunate.

Dear Lord, may we keep our hearts open to receive graces of which we dare not to dream. May the reflections in Lent purify our souls so that we shall be able to receive Your blessings more fully. Amen.