Although that view is true enough if you are painting with a very broad brush, it does not take into account the fascinating twists and turns of the development of Ash Wednesday and the ritual practices associated with it, most notably the imposition of ashes. 2 That practice was later expanded to all of the laity as a sign of their own repentance and of their commitment to walking the way of Lent together with those who were to be baptized at Easter or, in the case of the penitents, restored to the faith. The imposition of ashes is generally understood to be rooted in the enrollment of penitents on the first day of Lent. That said, the profoundly tactile nature of the rite has become a significant ritual moment for many of our people so simply eliminating it without an appropriate ritual substitute, particularly in this time of pandemic, will surely have pastoral consequences. In any event, the imposition of ashes remains an optional dimension of the Ash Wednesday rite. A variety of rites and practices were in circulation, some with semi-official status from diocesan bishops, while others were local adaptations of the rites of other traditions, normally the Roman. Although the present Prayer Book is the first to set forth a rite that includes the imposition of ashes, the practice was not unknown in The Episcopal Church previously. 1 In this brief note we will limit ourselves only to the imposition of ashes.įirst, it is probably important to note that the Prayer Book rubric reads, If ashes are to be imposed (265).
The broad outlines, but still without the detail the topic deserves, may be found here. This is not the place for a lengthy excursus on the history and development of the Ash Wednesday liturgy and the regrettable turn that the rite took in the post-Vatican II reforms of the Roman Church which, unfortunately, the Book of Common Prayer 1979 may have followed a bit too closely. Rubber gloves? Q-Tips? Imposition with immediate removal with an antibacterial wipe? All sorts of things are surely possible, but perhaps we should look first to see if the tradition has anything to teach us. The implication of the questions has generally assumed that some sort of fresh and innovative solution could be found. Several bishops have recently asked if I had any counsel with respect to the imposition of ashes in a time of pandemic.
A Note on Ash Wednesday and the Imposition of Ashes in a Time of Pandemic
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