VaLENTine’s Day

Ash Wednesday 2024

If you happen to follow clergy social media—of which there is a lot—you could not have escaped the fact that Ash Wednesday coincides with Valentine’s Day this year. I can’t escape it personally, either, as my dear husband—who generally does Valentine’s Day very well—will be home alone this year. I’m going to have to make it up … Read the rest

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Fire and Ash/Fuego y Cenizas

Ash Wednesday 2022

A priest friend of mine told me a story about visiting  a crematorium and peering through the peephole that allowed him to see a human body in the process of becoming ash. The body was luminous, he said. The process seemed to generate more of a glow than a conflagration: my friend described it as something akin … Read the rest

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Why Not Become Fire?

Ash Wednesday
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Our own Honorary Canon Jim Bethell recently told me a story about visiting  a crematorium and peering through the peephole that allowed him to see a human body in the process of becoming ash. His main takeaway was surprise. The body was luminous, he said. The process seemed to generate more of  a glow than … Read the rest

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Been There, Done That

Ash Wednesday

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There’s this silly graphic making the rounds on social media these days. Maybe mostly on nerdy clergy Facebook pages, but perhaps you’ve seen it too. It’s a series of  crosses that might be made on people’s foreheads. There’s the clean, crisp one called “first in line,” and the very pale one called “add toner.” There are also some … Read the rest

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