Ash Wednesday - Memento Mori

Matthew 6:1–6 NRSV

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:16–21 NRSV

“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Today, we remember our death. Memento Mori.

We come from dust and return to dust. All things are fleeting. This life is frail and but a wisp. The promise of Easter Sunday, resurrection hope, life of eternal blessing — this is far, far off.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Wouldn’t we rather not think about our death? Deny our aches and pains. Deny the reality of decay and failures.

Our culture would turn our attention elsewhere, away from this finality, towards some possibility of avoiding or cheating death. In recent years, I’ve become very curious about some of the claims of alternative therapies that supposedly can slow down or even reverse the effects of aging. Cryotherapy, red lights, infusions, surgeries — all these ways we pursue this generation’s fountain of youth. Promises that we can somehow avoid the unavoidable.

Perhaps Jesus had some of this in mind when he spoke of the proper alignment of our religious devotion. Much the same way that our modern pursuit of youth becomes more and more apparent and clearly less and less natural, so is the fasting of the hypocrites, with their disfigured, wallowing faces. Spiritual disciplines, of course, are not glamorous or youthful expressions of the self, but rather an inward work of aligning our hearts and spirits to God’s way, despite the struggle or challenge it may lead us into. Fasting, leads not to accolades or recognition, youthfulness or beauty. No, to fast is to be cleansed, purified, the chaff of our lives burned away.

Memento Mori. Remember, you will die. From dust we come and to dust we shall return.

So, does any of this matter? We die.

So why show of your piety to others? Can you take their admiration with you? No, it, as well, is simply dust. Here today, gone tomorrow. So do not make a show of your deprivation. Do not call out on the street corners in prayer, just to be seen.

I remember an evangelical pastor, some years ago, talking about “making Jesus famous.” Is that what this is about? Should we set out for fame and recognition? Does Jesus even do this?

Or perhaps, what we most need, is to turn and look in the mirror and face reality: memento mori, we will die.

As the people of God, we boldly proclaim this reality — we die, life is frail and fleeting.

And also, all the more boldly, we wait in hope. For our trust is not in whether these frail figures can somehow eek out another couple of decades or been seen as somehow younger or more holy by our actions. No. Our trust is that in a world where death is inevitable, unavoidable, distressingly real — our trust is in Christ who has taught us to store up our hopes elsewhere. Beyond, after, through, finally ending the power of death.

Memento mori. Remember your death.

And hope. Hope, that as we embrace our finality, we can begin to recognize ourselves in these ashes, these frail, fleeting forms that we return to, folding, blowing, resting back into the heart of our Loving Creator, the God who has undone the power of death.

Memento mori. Remember your death.

Christus Victor…Christ victorious, controls even the swirling winds of dust that we are. And to Christ, the victor over death, we return, one in Him again.