A couple of years ago, I began a tradition that I continued this morning - leading a chapel service for young children where I talk about Lent, about Ash Wednesday, all while actually making the ashes that are used for the traditional Imposition of the Ashes.  

When I asked the kids today if they knew about Ash Wednesday, one of the girls indicated that this was something Catholics did.  And certainly Catholics are known for it, but it's not unknown outside of Catholic circles either.  It was enjoyable this morning to share a bit of Christian history and tradition with children who probably by and large go to churches where such traditions have been jettisoned as extraneous, outdated, or too Catholic.  

The practice goes back to roughly the 9th century - that's quite a long time.  In the Bible the placing of ashes on oneself is a sign of mourning or penance.  It's an outward indication of the state of the heart and soul on the inside.  It is associated with mourning.  I talked with the kids about how so much of our Christian lives is really focused on ourselves.  Am I doing the right thing?  Am I saying the right thing?  Am I living up to who I'm supposed to be?  There is a time and a place for these questions and they need to be asked constantly.  But I fear too often in the emphasis on self-examination, we forget to look at Jesus.  The life of faith is more than a theological Simon Says.  At it's heart, it is the understanding that Jesus is what we cannot be, and that he did what we cannot do.  This is most obvious in the season of Lent as we prepare ourselves by reminding ourselves that Jesus suffered and died.  For me.  For you.  And that we can never duplicate that effort and it would be erroneous to try.  We simply look at it.  We observe.  We ache that we are why he died.  All of which prepares us better to rejoice on Easter morning.  

The tradition is to burn some of the palm branches from the prior year's Palm Sunday service.  I mix these ashes with a tiny bit of myrrh (because it's really potent stuff) and water to make a sort of paste of ash.  While we can't see it on our own head, others can - and we can smell the perfume that was used as a burial spice all day  as a reminder of what Jesus has done.  

So much of modern Christianity distances itself from the very tactile nature of the traditional faith, as though we no longer had senses or that these senses play no role in integrating us more fully into our experiences of each day.  I'd like to think that we will relearn how important our sense of smell and touch is, as well as our sense of hearing and taste and sight.  Little traditions like the Imposition of the Ashes reach out to these other senses to draw us in more fully.  

Another aspect of Lent that many people enjoy but others ignore as a Catholic thing is giving something up.  This Lent, I'm going to give up a true time sink - something that all too easily distracts me and makes me less effective and efficient and productive - playing browser/flash games online.  Simple little games that are amusing and sometimes challenging, but that I need to spend less time on in order to accomplish other more important things.  What a good opportunity to try and break this annoying habit!

Are you giving up anything for Lent?  What traditions do you associate with this time of the Church year?