Ash Wednesday

"Dust Thou art, and to dust thou shall return"

"...ask the beasts to teach you...which does not know that the hand of God has done this? In His hand is the soul of every living thing, and the life breath of all mankind." (Job)

Have you ever noticed how the liturgical calendar follows the seasons? Today the "Christmas season" is over and Lent begins. Out here on the prarie the Christmas season has been one of ice storms and snow storms. We have had to chop ice and carry extra feed to the cattle daily. Wildlife becomes scarce (except for the giant herd of deer eating all the crops I planted for the cattle). The spring calving cows are growing their babies in utero, and the fall calvers are raising their very young calves in spite of the challenging weather. Now lent begins, and brings the spring babies. The fall calves are putting a huge drain on their mamas, who must make the milk in larger quantities at the same time that the grass has its lowest nutritional content of the year. All the cows will lose weight from now until Easter in spite of how much we feed them. A time of fasting has begun. All of creation waits in hopeful expectation for the rebirth of God's blessings that come with the new growth of spring. Meanwhile, back at the Church, all of the the faithful are called to fast and pray and focus on how our very beings would surely be lost if not for the rebirth of God's blessings that come with the risen Christ.