I was trying to think of something appropriate for Ash Wednesday and I thought of one of my old travel communion sets. I never did like these things. The little thin metal plate is too insubstantial. The bottle of juice leaks all over the place when you try to pour from it. It seems too miserly for so generous a meal. A few years ago I made my own travel set with a nice large pottery plate and large enough cups for people with arthritis to grip. The local high school shop class made me the tray as a student project. It feels more appropriate to the occasion.
Stuff matters. Or maybe I should say, matter matters. It's hard to express eternal concepts through cheap flimsy physical objects. Substantial stuff is needed to convey a substantive message. Maybe that's why I've never been a big fan of plastic crosses or disposable communion cups. The stuff that matters should be no more disposal than the objects that represent them.
"We came from dust and to dust we will return." That's what I said today as I smeared some ashes on everyone's forehead. We are not disposable. We're made of substantial stuff - earth. That's pretty cool stuff.
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