Q. At Mass on Ash Wednesday, we heard the
injunction from Matthew's Gospel, "Take care not to perform righteous
deeds in order that people may see them." But I have found that wearing
ashes is a recognizable reminder of the season for those whom I meet during the
business day, and it can sometimes serve as a tool for evangelization.
Recently, I explained to an associate at
lunch the significance of ashes and the rules of the Lenten fast, and I noticed
that he wound up eating less — although maybe he was simply being polite. My
question is this: Should I wash off my ashes early in the day to honor the
biblical directive or wear them throughout the day with the hope of prompting
conversation about them? (Philadelphia)
A. I would say, "Wear the ashes all day." The passage
you quote from (Mt 6:1) is taken from Christ's Sermon on the Mount, and earlier
in that same sermon, Jesus had said, "Your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father"
(5:16).
It all has to do with motivation; what Jesus rules out is wearing
ashes "to win the praise of others" (6:2). But that's not why you are
wearing them; your goal, instead, is to have people look at your forehead and
wonder what it means.
The ashes serve first as a sign of repentance; in the early
church, converts who were coming into the church at Easter were sprinkled with
ashes during Lent as a sign of their need for forgiveness. We are not perfect
people; all of us stand in need of God's mercy. Second, the ashes indicate our
mortality — the fact that our bodies will one day return to the dust of the
earth.
When worn for the right reasons, ashes witness publicly to our
belief. Matthew's Gospel discourages not the outward show of faith but the
interior pride that could undermine it. As you have found, the ashes can
sometimes lead to a discussion about their meaning, and that is surely a worthy
outcome.
Q. I have been to churches where young
children and those not receiving the Eucharist still process forward at
Communion time and receive a blessing. My own parish has forbidden
extraordinary ministers from giving such a blessing. Is that a church rule or
simply the preference of the pastor? (southeast Indiana)
A. At the present time, there would seem to be no absolute and
universal "church rule" regarding the practice. Clearly, there are
some situations where laypeople can offer blessings: Parents often do so when
children are going to bed or families are gathered around the table.
But the Catechism of the Catholic Church does note that "the
more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its
administration reserved to the ordained ministry" (No. 1669).
In 2008, the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship was asked
specifically about an extraordinary minister's giving a blessing in the
Communion line. The reply came in a private letter from the congregation's
undersecretary — an advisory opinion not having the force of law — saying that
the practice was then "under attentive study" but for the moment was
to be discouraged.
To my knowledge, nothing further has come from the Vatican on
this. Meanwhile, dioceses seem to take varying approaches. The Archdiocese of
Washington says on its website, "Extraordinary ministers are deputed for
the sole purpose of distributing holy Communion. They are not to administer
blessings or lay hands upon people who approach them but do not wish to receive
Communion."
The Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida, on the other hand, says
in its guidelines that when a person comes to them in the Communion line with
arms crossed, an extraordinary minister "may place a hand on the
individual's shoulder and say, 'May God bless you.' They do not make the sign
of the cross over the individual in the manner of a priest or deacon."
Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at
askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 30 Columbia Circle Dr., Albany, New York 12203.