We do.
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| Topsy says, "No flour sifter shaking ashes into my hair!" |
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| Tuptim says, "No drawing on my face with Q-tips. |
There were two priests distributing ashes. We would have liked to have had them placed on our foreheads by the priest who drew beautiful great black crosses on each person's forehead but at least the priests were TOUCHING the people with their own thumb and not Q-tips. There were no rubber gloves, no masks, no Q-tips, no social distancing, no ashes sprinkled in anyone's hair and, thankfully, no silly Repertoire of Safety rules. There was holy water, reverence, respect for Our Lord both by the people and the priests and there were 10 (?) altar BOYS.
The 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal states: Ashes are blessed by four ancient prayers, sprinkled with holy water and incensed, and then placed in the form of a cross on the foreheads of each of the faithful with the words: "Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.
Note the words "ON THE FOREHEADS". It's becoming ridiculous that the customs of other cultures are to be respected (Pachamama) while our customs more and more are to be ignored.
I went to a TLM Mass yesterday but my husband and I didn't present ourselves for ashes as they were being sprinkled on the hair. I realize that Ash Wednesday is not obligatory. But why are the fearful, the faithless and liars getting to direct everything? If "they" are too afraid to have a priest touch their foreheads after touching someone else's forehead THEN SATY HOME and not ruin it for those who trust God.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...I almost wonder if you were at my parish last night. Fr. M did the thumbprint. His side of the church was dots and Fr. P's was dark crosses....
ReplyDeleteAlso, FYI, sprinkling of the ashed is actually the more traditional way of doing it. I don't care either way, but do know that it is not necessarily a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteSo... they could and did touch your foreheads but didnt make the sign of the cross?
ReplyDeleteAny reason why?
I suspect this was a top-down decision, meaning that it was not laymen who were chickens, but bishops.
ReplyDeleteWe were told to hold out our left hand so that the priest could sprinkle ashes on the back of our hand. We then were to make the sign of the Cross on our own foreheads. Sad. Very sad.
ReplyDeleteHi Newguy,
ReplyDeleteThere were two priests distributing ashes. One was making very obvious crosses. On our side of the church the priest was doing a little gesture on the forehead but he was making the sign of the cross, but so subtly it came out as a circle. I was sorry not to get the big cross. But one thing he did that was interesting was to extend his hand around the faithful as he gave the blessing and then signed us with ashes. It was a beautiful traditional service at the end of Mass.
What's your church, Liesa? I was in Florida.
Epiphany Tampa
ReplyDeleteI was in Sanford, Liesa. My friend and I went to Mass at St. Thomas More before I left on the auto train to return to snowy and icy northern Virginia. I had a harrowing drive home wishing I were still in Florida. We camped at DeSoto State Park a few years ago. Tampa's a lovely area, but we arrived during rush hour and it was the worst traffic I've ever seen bar none. And we lived in the D.C. metro area for thirty years so I've experienced some horrendous rush hour traffic.
ReplyDelete