Ashes

Today is Ash Wednesday. The day that begins the season of Lent, as the Church Universal begins her 40 day walk towards Easter. Today Roman Catholics throughout the world will approach the altar of God, and a priest or designated minister, will trace the sign of the cross with ashes on the forehead of a penitent Church go-er. When this happens he will say "remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." If not those exact words, something similar, something to remind the penitent that we have entered a season of sacrifice, and penance. The next 40 days in the Catholic Church are filled with penitent psalms, sedated liturgy, and music that reminds us of this somber attitude.

I hated Lent in Seminary. I remember thinking, "Sacrifice? What more can I POSSIBLY F*CKING SACRIFICE!" Never tell a celibate, Portuguese, gay man who has lost all his freedom that what he is doing isnt enough...or anyone for that matter? Isn't that one thing about us as persons that really can get us fired up really quickly? When someone says what we are doing isn't enough. When we are reprimanded for something by an employer, or a lover, or a friend, so often the response that we give is fuelled by this concept "What I'm doing isn't already enough??"

Certainly to be asked to make sacrifices these days is a ballsy request. Our economy has made so many sacrifices already for us. President Obama last night acknowledged the situation in an hour and a half address to the Congress and the Nation:

"I know that for many Americans watching right now, the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so. If you haven’t been personally affected by this recession, you probably know someone who has – a friend; a neighbor; a member of your family. You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost; the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread; the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope. The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere."

Indeed we are by no means lacking in the category of sacrifice. Certainly we must acknowledge the fact that while things may be difficult for us, there is always someone else out there for whom it is worse. That provides little comfort for us however, in this situation. I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about me, and that's what the season of Lent calls us to do. To stop, and to at least acknowledge someone else.

I know what I intend on doing for Lent, and I don't share them with anyone...I mean petty "Im giving this up for Lent" stuff I will, but there are countless small acts along the course of the next 40 days that I will try to do. They will pop up in the moment, and Ill do it. If nothing else those little acts give you a small boost when you do them. You feel good about yourself for a few minutes afterwards, and who out there doesn't need a little boost like that during the course of their day.

Lent is also a great time to evaluate and take stock. Look at where you are...are you happy? Are you happy in your relationships, your job, your career. Are you where you want to be? If not there are 40 days of Lent to inspire a change to be celebrated at Easter.

Certainly the President has done that, and left us with a message of hope for our nation's future, "We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before. The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more."

Plato tells us in his famous work The Republic, that society is "a macrocasim of a microcasm." In other words, essentially a society is the sum of it's parts. A reflection of the individuals that make it up. Therefore I take the Presidents words to heart. It is time for ME to boldly confront the challanges I face, and take responsibility for MY future. For all of us that means something different and I know what it means for me.

There are many things about being a Bartender that calls upon tools I learned in Seminary. One such thing is how I am blessed in my job to hear people bear a bit of their souls. After a few cocktails people tend to feel perfectly comfortable talking about alot of things. These things range from bragging about sexual conquests, to sharing their hopes and dreams. It's comforting to know that I am not the only one who isn't exactly where I want to be. The drive to continue to improve ourselves is a natural one...and the temptation to give up when we hit a roadblock is as well. The President's speach, Lent, and a little inward reflection however provides all the reminder we need to NOT give up. The President would agree;

"I know that it is easy to lose sight of this truth – to become cynical and doubtful; consumed with the petty and the trivial. But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary."

You and me, the everyday guy is just as important as anyone else in this tapestry we call life. So therefore our hopes and dreams are key in making that tapestry, making society itself, making America itself all that it can be. Society is a Macrocasim of a Microcasim. We the parts, are responsible for the outcome of the Sum. I am resonsible for my own happiness, success, and role in this great project.

So then essentially maybe I have to swallow some pride. Maybe I have to admitt that yes, David you are not doing enough. In so many aspects of life there is more that I have to do, harder that I have to work. I know what those details are in my life and they are different for us all. The reward is for this hard work is clear, "And if we do – if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, 'something worthy to be remembered.' "

Indeed Mr. President, pray God when talking about ME my children's children will say the same thing. That my life and work was truely, "something to be remembered."