Remembering we are dust reminds us of our eternal salvation

Published: March 2, 2017

By Deacon Matthew Glover
Chancellor for Canonical Affairs

About this time each year, Catholics around the world go through what some may call a rather morbid practice: having ashes smeared across our foreheads, while hearing the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Those words are taken from Genesis 3:19, and the ashes from the burned palm branches of Palm Sunday. The former reminds us of the punishment due to original sin. And the latter, that our return to dust has a silver lining: Jesus Christ, whom we praise as our king, has conquered death.

Ash Wednesday, as we’ve come to call it, immediately follows another Catholic tradition that sometimes goes unconnected with our Catholic faith: Carnival (or, here in the States, Mardi Gras.) Celebrated just before Ash Wednesday, Carnival festivities throughout the world have become synonymous with decadence and debauchery.

But they didn’t start out that way. "Carnival" comes from Latin, literally meaning “farewell to meat.” It was the period of time preceding Lent (in which meat was entirely forbidden, and is still forbidden on Fridays for those bound by fasting and abstinence).

Because meat was forbidden, and because it would easily spoil, Catholics began to use the time before Lent as an opportunity to purge their houses of any meat and other animal-related products. Over time, purgation turned into celebration, and people began reveling in the very things they were supposed to be giving up.

Hence, "Mardi Gras," meaning the “Fat Tuesday” before Ash Wednesday. I went to college in New Orleans, so I know a thing or two about Mardi Gras festivities. And I’d be the first one to tell all the nay-sayers about the many uplifting, hope-filled, family-friendly aspects of Mardi Gras.

From the parades, to the costumes, to the beads, to the dancing and music, to the King Cake — most of Mardi Gras is about celebrating all those aspects of life that bring us joy. After all, it was Jesus who said he wants our joy to be complete. But as most of us know all too well, life is not always replete with joy-filled moments.

The reality of our sin-plagued world is that there will likely be suffering, and there will certainly be death. We are all dying — some just more quickly than others. And for us Catholics, being constantly reminded of our mortality isn’t morbid — it’s the doorway to eternal life.

Indeed, Pope Alexander VII, whose beautiful Bernini-carved marble tomb lies in St. Peter’s Basilica, is said to have kept a coffin in his room because he believed he’d be a better pope if he kept death always before his eyes.

This season of Lent is not just about abstaining from meat, fasting from food or giving up our favorite treats and desserts. Lent is about keeping death always before our eyes. Keeping away from things that tie us to this earthly life. And keeping focused on our heavenly reward with Jesus.

I’m certainly not recommending that we all start keeping coffins in our rooms. But, we could all do with a bit more of Ash Wednesday. A bit more of a daily reminder of our own mortality and the fleetingness of this life. And a bit more of the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Because those words, in the end, also remind us of our eternal salvation.

Deacon Matthew Glover is the chancellor for canonical affairs for Diocese of Little Rock. He holds a juris doctorate and a degree in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. This article was originally published in Arkansas Catholic March 4, 2017. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.