Back on Ash Wednesday, before lent and Easter, I was thinking about several things. I want to put them into a post now. I had ash all smudged up on my forehead. I’ve been told that the ash churches use is from burnt palms saved from the Palm Sunday of the previous year. They say, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” What does that mean to me? We are all going to die someday. We are all dust like that black dust on my thumb from my forehead. So we are all similar. Humans, we are like one another. Carbon-based like the dust on my thumb. We are all carbon. Strange that it is the same stuff diamonds are made from. Identical carbon makes diamonds or dust. Why do I consider diamonds so much more valuable than the dust? Perhaps all humans are made of dust. Or perhaps it is that we all are potential for diamonds.
The diamond thing is nice. I think I’ll hang onto that. Now take one of those rolling standing still devices and follow me to the next thought…
Good Friday this year was a fairly normal day. I’ve never really followed the Catholic no meat thing. I get that from my parents who always said the no meat thing was meant as a sacrifice, when eating fish instead is really sort of an upgrade. So we would eat a meal that was less fancy and not worry about whether there was meat or not. In retrospect, if vegan and veggie substitutes were more common when my parents were raising me, we might have eaten vegetarian on Good Friday.
Step on a segway and follow me now to…
A really great thing I like to do around Easter is listen to the CD Jesus Christ Superstar. I’m always a sucker for cool music, cool musicals, and Andrew Lloyd Weber. I often sing along with this CD (record when we’re at my mom’s house). It helps me remember the Easter story. I think I have a greater connection to music than other forms of media / other delivery methods of stories. I always feel so sad when Judas sings, then you know he has to die because that’s how the story goes. Even Jesus’ death they don’t dwell on so much. Maybe because it happened relatively quickly for a crucifixion, maybe because he wasn’t tortured by guilt like Judas, or maybe because you know he’s going to rise. Anyways I feel so much worse for Judas. At least Jesus knew in his head he was a good guy. What did Judas have in his head and what was he feeling at the end?
That, the weather and some other things prevented me from really feeling happy about the resurrection this year. They say, “Rejoice! He is risen!” I will rejoice. Soon, but not yet.