Letters

Sign of Faith

Posted

To the Editor:

The chill of winter brings a rose to New Yorkers’ cheeks, an acceleration of our gait, and generally becomes a common ground for conversation and camaraderie. Seems to me that not too long ago ashes on the forehead created similar feelings of reassurance and companionship. Whether walking in any street in the city or commuting on the buses and subways, it was not uncommon to be accompanied by a great number of people bearing the same black thumbprint of their priests.

I do not believe that there is such a significant diminishment of the number of Catholics in such places that has caused the spotting of ashes to be so infrequent. Is it the product of our indifference, lack of available priests or our “busyness” that precludes us from coordinating our work schedules with our parishes’ Ash Wednesday services? People of all faiths have historically been eager to be demonstrative of their religion and beliefs. Why do we seem to be recessing into closets instead of holding our heads erect with a sign of our faith—especially in these times of constant assault on our Church?

The beginning of Lent must increasingly be heralded by visual reminders of human frailty and focus onto this holy season. This Ash Wednesday I was met with far too many people (many of whom profess to be Catholic) who looked astonished and said, “I didn’t realize it was Ash Wednesday already!”

Kenneth H. Horstman

Staten Island