Memento, Homo

Two days ago was Ash Wednessday, the beggining of the Western Lent. Attending the Ash Wednessday liturgy is not exactly a fun experience, but it is a beautiful one, and our parish choir, as always, was superb. The liturgy calls upon us to reflect up two important, and interconected, aspects of our humanity: our sinfullness and our mortality. "Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris." says the priest as he imposes ashes on our forhead- "Remember man that you are dust and unto dust you shall return."

The prayers of the liturgy are a touching, plaintive and repeated cry of a sinful people who know that we stand before the majesty of a perfectly Holy God whom we have offended and yet is whose mercy we complelty trust.

Inter vestibulum et altare plorabunt sacerdotes ministri Domini, et dicent: Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo: et ne claudas ora canentium te, Domine

Between the porch and the altar, the priests, the Lord's ministers, shall weep and say: Spare, O lord, spare your people, and close not the mouths of them that sing to you, O Lord.