UnabASHed

By Grace Carballo ‘17

If you saw a fair amount of people with dirty foreheads on Wednesday, you aren’t crazy. 

If your offer to help wipe it off was denied, you may be surprised to know that it was in fact Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season (the 40 days of preparation before Easter) for many Christian denominations.

I went to St. Joan of Arc, a Catholic school, from Kindergarten to 8th grade so Ash Wednesday was simply another part of the curriculum. It wasn’t a question of if you had ashes but how dark they were and how closely they resembled the intended cross shape. Mine often just looked like a blob but every year I pinned back my bangs in the hopes of getting good ashes.

After attending a public high school, I grew accustomed to people asking questions about my ashes. Though I was a little offended by my peers assuming I had so small a grasp of makeup application that I had somehow gotten eye shadow in the middle of my forehead, or worse, that I neglected my hygiene and avoided looking in mirrors so much so that I failed to notice a clump of dirt on my face, I knew they meant well.

At USC, where we pride ourselves on diversity, it came as no surprise to me that with so many different students from such different backgrounds, some were unaware of the day and its significance. 

This year, like last year, I went to the 12 pm Ash Distribution service at Bovard at noon. My favorite part of this service is that it is orchestrated by the leaders of several different denominations on campus. Reverends from the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and United Methodist Churches all collaborated and represented their different campus ministries. 

For those who have extremely full class schedules, they also offer “Ashes on the Go” services in which reverends go to distribute ashes in popular areas on campus, like outside of Leavey and along Trousdale.

If you would like to know more about Ash Wednesday,don’t ever be afraid to ask someone wearing the ashes. It’s a rare time where Christians are easily distinguishable in a crowd and have purposefully chosen to be identifiable in this way, unabASHedly *cue pity laughter at weak play on words*.

If you missed the Ash Wednesday services this year but would like to take part, they will certainly take place next year and I truly recommend the service in Bovard if you can make it. There’s still plenty of Lent left and even if you don’t identify with a particular denomination or even Christianity in general, the different religious groups on campus tend to be very inclusive by nature and often serve food. (Example: Fish Fry Fridays at the Catholic Center because no meat on Fridays during Lent). 

Though I don’t believe in taking anything in life too seriously, least of all myself (see snapchats above), Lent is actually a pretty somber season in the Church - a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. You may notice your Christian friends have given up something that is difficult for them to let go of, like chocolate or swearing (My most original friend gave up utensils, like spoons, forks, and knives. It was admirable, for sure, but watching her eat yogurt or similar was hard to stomach). Prayer is pretty self-explanatory but almsgiving can be donating time, money, or just consciously making an effort to be a better person.

Whatever your Ash Wednesday experience, I hope you found this informative. And if you ever want to know more, just ashk. 

Too far?