Ash Wednesday: Dust and Breath

Ash Wednesday, 2026

Today many churches mark the start of Lent. They put ashes on people's foreheads in the shape of a cross. They say: "Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return."

Not everyone does this. Some Christians don't celebrate Lent at all. Some people find the ashes too much. Maybe it feels too busy, too public, or just not right for them. If Ash Wednesday feels like too much for you — that's okay. You don't need ashes on your forehead to know God loves you.

But whether you do this today or not, there's something old and beautiful in this tradition. It's about being dust and being loved at the same time.

The Tau Mark: God Saves His People

Long ago in the Old Testament, God showed the prophet Ezekiel a vision. Bad things were coming to Jerusalem. But before anything bad happened, God told an angel to do something important:

Ezekiel 9:4 (Easy English Bible):

"Go through Jerusalem city. Go among the people. Make a mark on the front part of the heads of all the people who are sad. They are weeping because people are doing such wicked things in Jerusalem."

The mark was called a Tau (ת). It's the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It looks like a cross — like the letter T. The people with the Tau mark were saved. They were protected. God knew them. They belonged to him.

This same mark appears in the book of Revelation. It's called "the seal of the living God." It shows that God's people are saved, not judged.

A long time later, St. Francis of Assisi heard a sermon about this Tau mark. It touched his heart. After that day, Francis put the Tau on everything. He signed his letters with it. He painted it on walls. He traced it on people's foreheads when he blessed them. For Francis, the Tau was the cross of Jesus — a sign that God protects us, shows us mercy, and loves us.

We Are Dust and We Have God's Breath

So when some people get ashes today in the shape of a cross — that old Tau mark — they're getting two messages at once. One about death and one about life.

Genesis 2:7 (Easy English Bible):

"The LORD God made man from the dirt of the ground. He breathed into his nose the breath of life. So the man became a living person."

Dust. That's what we are. Just ordinary dirt, shaped by God's hands. But then — breath. God's breath. The dusty thing becomes alive, loved, and known.

Psalm 103:13-14 (Easy English Bible):

"The LORD is kind to those people who respect him. He is kind like a father is kind to his children. He knows how he has made us. He remembers that we are only dirt."

God remembers we are dust. Not to make us feel bad. But because he understands. He knows we get tired. He knows we break. He knows life is hard. And he is kind to us anyway — because we are dust, not even though we are dust.

You Are Loved — Ashes or Not

Whether you get ashes today or not. Whether you celebrate Lent or not. Whether church today feels like too much — the truth stays the same:

You are dust. You are fragile. You are beautifully human.

And you are marked by God. Not always with real ashes. But with God's Spirit. The old Tau mark. The sign that says: you are saved, protected, and loved.

For those of us who are autistic, who have children with complex needs, who work caring for others, who carry heavy loads:

You are allowed to be tired. You are allowed to not have everything together. You are allowed to skip church today if it's too much.

You are dust, and God breathed life into you. You are dust, and God calls you beloved. You are dust, and God marks you — ashes or no ashes — with the sign of salvation.

This season, may we remember we are dust. Not as shame. But as permission to rest. Permission to be gentle with ourselves. Permission to stop pretending we're stronger than we are.

And may we remember the breath — God's Spirit keeping us alive, even when we're worn out.

And may we remember we are marked — not by doing rituals perfectly, but by grace — as God's own beloved children.

Pax et Bonum — Peace and Good.