It was an Ash Wednesday to remember.
The 7:00 Mass at tiny St. John's Catholic Church was packed…and Father Joseph Meledom's face shone with pleasure at the number of folks who came out that cold Texas night.
Everything went as usual…until, that is, the blessing of the ashes.
As Father pronounced the prayers he picked up the Holy Water…
…but the Master Server hadn't put the lid on well…which resulted in copious amounts of Holy Water being poured instead of sprinkled into the little ceramic dish holding the ashes. Father Joe is a class act, though. He just grinned slightly, snickered and went on as usual.
The distribution of ashes, though, with it's solemn admonition “remember you are dust, and to dust you will return” was somehow a little less serious that night. It was actually more like painting with mud. Made for some great forehead crosses, though. And there weren't any eyelash ashes in the house!
As I returned to my pew, I was trying to pray, but after witnessing the drowning of the ashes my attention was kinda…well, it kept being drawn to the excited youngsters in the aisle beside me, each of them dancing around, waiting with various degrees of patience for their turn.
As Parishioners continued to file forward, a Kindergartener named Michael excitedly accompanied his family in their trek towards the Lenten distribution of the…ahem … muddy ashes. This particular child usually attends St. John's with only his three older brothers, but that night, for the first time, his whole family, including his newborn baby brother, attended. It was obvious how grown up Michael felt, as he walked towards the front of Church, his Dad's hand on the lad's shoulder.
It wasn't but a moment later when Michael stepped up for his turn at the front of the line. Then, in the quiet, his small, distinct voice could be heard as he lovingly, knowingly, lifted that five-year-old face up and cheerfully addressed Father Joe:
“Hello, God.”
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To read more about St. John's little Michael, click here.
Jackie Zimmerer is a wife and mother of four sons. She attends St. John's Catholic Church in the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas.