Ashes, ashes
On Sunday after Mass, the celebrant distributed ashes for anyone who missed the opportunity on Ash Wednesday. Receiving ashes on Sunday at the relatively newly constructed church at the seminary was not how I pictured our Lent beginning.
We had plans for Ash Wednesday. Even if we were not able to make Mass, we thought we would try to drive to one of the older churches in the Beijing area, a pilgrimage of sorts. We would begin Lent either at Mass or in some quiet contemplation at a church that was originally built before 1900, meaning the site of a Boxer rebellion siege. There are plenty of churches in and around Beijing that would fit this, one being the Yongning church we find ourselves frequently drawn to when we need a country-side break in Yanqing County.
We thought—I thought—we would find ourselves really understanding a meaning of Ash Wednesday in a site that was just over 100 years ago violently reduced to ashes. We don’t often consider that part of history when we are out and about in Beijing. But to observe some part of the start of Lent in such a place…well it would definitely not be our usual experience.
However, as things would turn out, we were unable to get ourselves out of the house at all on Wednesday. For weeks we’ve been each fighting various sicknesses and infections, and Wednesday was Not a Good Day. In some ways, this was good. Contemplation is likely impossible in our current blessed reality of Mass-going, a shushed chaos of crayons, coloring pages, and a waving, chatty baby.
There will be other years to attempt this, I’m sure.
We had plans for Ash Wednesday. Even if we were not able to make Mass, we thought we would try to drive to one of the older churches in the Beijing area, a pilgrimage of sorts. We would begin Lent either at Mass or in some quiet contemplation at a church that was originally built before 1900, meaning the site of a Boxer rebellion siege. There are plenty of churches in and around Beijing that would fit this, one being the Yongning church we find ourselves frequently drawn to when we need a country-side break in Yanqing County.
We thought—I thought—we would find ourselves really understanding a meaning of Ash Wednesday in a site that was just over 100 years ago violently reduced to ashes. We don’t often consider that part of history when we are out and about in Beijing. But to observe some part of the start of Lent in such a place…well it would definitely not be our usual experience.
However, as things would turn out, we were unable to get ourselves out of the house at all on Wednesday. For weeks we’ve been each fighting various sicknesses and infections, and Wednesday was Not a Good Day. In some ways, this was good. Contemplation is likely impossible in our current blessed reality of Mass-going, a shushed chaos of crayons, coloring pages, and a waving, chatty baby.
There will be other years to attempt this, I’m sure.
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