…You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19b
In his “Season of the Spirit” reflection for February 2012, my friend and spiritual director, Dr. Ken Orth, writes this:
‘Momento mori’ means ‘remember your mortality.’ It is one of the phrases used for centuries in monastic orders and spiritual communities. It is not to be a morbid reminder of our death, but actually a freeing reality. Ash Wednesday is our own way of lifting up this potentially healing insight. We are to be reminded of God’s great love for us that carries us through the worst the world can do to us–that carries us through death itself to offer us a new way of being, a new life that comes only after we have been released from our idea that we can save ourselves. Only through God do we find the gift of our immortal life.
We are inclined to experience our mortality as a negative. It can be terrifying to remember that we and our loved ones will not be here forever. It can be painful to face growing older and coming to accept the limits of time and physical ability. Our culture tempts us to deny our mortality, to pretend we can live forever, to act as though we can overcome all limits by the force of our will.
Ken suggests that remembering our mortality can instead be freeing. It can free us to recognize our need for one another and for God. It can free us from the bondage of thinking we have to do it all ourselves. It can help us put our lives in perspective, assuring us that we are part of something much greater than ourselves. It can remind us that every day is precious,and every expression of love is a priceless gift.
As we enter this season of Lent, I invite you to reflect on how claiming your own mortality might be freeing to you. –Debbie Clark
Creator God, help us rejoice that we are part of your creation. Amen.