In the Roman Rite, the beginning of the forty days of penance is marked with the austere symbol of ashes which is used in [Ash Wednesday]'s liturgy. The use of ashes is a survival from an ancient rite according to which converted sinners submitted themselves to canonical penance. - Catholic Culture
Traditionally in the Catholic and now Anglican and Episcopalian churches, members go to church on Ash Wednesday to observe the beginning of Lent. Lent, for the uninitiated, is a time of deprivation and reflection to prepare oneself for the gloriousness of Easter.
How do the Sisters treat this tradition?
When the Sisters re-enter the Convent for the start of the Spiritual Year of Success, their eyes are bright and their concealer unused. They have slept this summer, regardless of their internship or job or position as head of a groundbreaking NGO in Tunisia or Montenegro or some country that is about to become popular for receiving aid (probably because of the NGO.)
They arrive, and in these past five weeks, they have begun to celebrate the season of Lent. For the Sisters, Lent is no mere forty-day period; it encompasses the time between Lake Day and December 20th, the day Finals are finalized. To prepare for this season of deprivation and no reflection at all, the Sisters don their ashes.
These ashes take a curious form at the Convent: they are dark shadows underneath the eye of each devout Sister. This is not the lack of Neutrogena Eye-Makeup Remover (works on waterproof mascara!) but the sign of convent devotion. The really sincere Sisters add bags to their eyes, to have three-dimensional proof of their love of Success.
Lent is a time of sacrifice to understand what God really means to us. For the Sisters, our Lent is a time of sacrificing health to attain Success. It is a delightful time of stress-filled coffee binges, extraordinary achievement, and ashy eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment