This is what was said while smearing the ash on the foreheads of the faithful on Ash Wednesday to commence the Lenten season to prepare for the forthcoming Holy Week! Now a days, though an alternate formula, 'repent and believe in the gospel', is given, the one given as title is usually preferred.
Now let us reflect on it: The text from Genesis 3:19b says: '... you are dust, and to dust you shall return.' But John commences his gospel stating that 'In the beginning was the Word....And the Word became flesh...' Word need not necessarily mean always spoken word. It could also mean volition. Every human act has its own volition, all the more so the sexual acts, the basic instinct, without which no birth is possible, other than the 'virgin birth'!
Word takes flesh to incarnate. It is this flesh that is said to be the dust and unto dust everyone should return. Dust is earth/ ground and so on. It is on this earth we all, along with every living and non-living organisms, subsist.
Then what exactly becomes dust, the word or the flesh? [Needs to be developed...]
No comments:
Post a Comment