A man and his wife rushed home when they heard there was a fire in their neighborhood. What they saw upon arriving melted their hearts. Their whole house, with all their memories and possessions, was gutted by fire. Everything “turned into ashes,” and the couple could not do anything other than hug each other in tears.

“Turn into ashes” – a term we use to describe the event of great loss, the state of being irrecoverable, the fact that something is now beyond reach. When something turns into ashes, there is no joy, only sadness, no light, only gloom, no hope, only pain.

We enter this season of Lent with this powerful symbolism of ashes, which at first strikes us as a big loss. Come to think of it, who does not welcome Lent without a sense of loss? All through our lives, we lose something, we are lost in something, we are at a loss what direction our lives will take.

We do not meet God in triumph and strength but rather in weakness and brokenness. Maybe we have just broken a relationship, bungled an opportunity, relapsed into some previous vice, or remained mired in selfishness, anger or pride. Ashes that we are, to be realistic about ourselves is to see that left to our own powers, we are ultimately helpless and useless.

But not to God, no! Even if many things, even if life itself “turns into ashes,” the Lord finds a remedy for it.

After some time, the man and wife who lost their home, was able to relocate, restart, and rebuild. They did not remain downtrodden and lost, they have “risen from the ashes.” Now, that is another saying about ashes.

Ashes need not signify the end of everything. It can also mean the start of something new, better, and marvelous. A burned down house can be reconstructed, a loss item retrieved, a grief overcome, a broken relationship restored.

This is God’s purpose for Lent: what has turned into ashes may rise from them. The ashes of our lives, brought about by our human frailty and personal struggles do not mean that we are bound for disposal, oblivion or destruction. Instead, the Lord has something better in mind, a greater plan – healing, restoration, reward.

If we will allow ourselves to be humble like ashes and let the hands of God fashion something beautiful out of these elements, we will be in for a big surprise. We will not live in the midst of ashes forever but will be salt of the earth, light of world, a city set on a hill. And Lent will teach us, help us, accompany us towards this dream of God and this desire of our hearts, if we let the Lord guide us through these forty days of prayer, sacrifice and self-giving to others.

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