An Ash Wednesday Message from the Chaplain
March 1, 2017
Dear Wagner community,
A few weeks ago the President of Wagner College, Dr. Richard Guarasci and his Senior Staff sent a message to our campus community that spoke of Wagner College’s values, including a commitment to full expression of religious traditions. A recent feature in Wagner’s Alumni Magazine made even more explicit Wagner’s historic commitment to Lutheran Christian faith.
The value of religious faith is sometimes misunderstood. As your Chaplain one of my commitments is to help all people of goodwill: Buddhists, Catholics, Hindus, Jews, Protestants, Muslims, Non-Believers, and Spiritual Seekers of many kinds practice their commitments and learn about their neighbors’ traditions.
Many Religious and Cultural festivals are regularly observed on campus. The biggest of these traditions is Ash Wednesday. Since my arrival as your Chaplain three years ago between 400–800 students and staff annually come to the Chapel to receive ashes.
As an ordained Lutheran minister I am humbled to say, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This is heavy stuff. However, it is the words of the prophet Isaiah that are even more serious. He reminds the faithful that their piety — the appearance of doing good — is not right practice. Rather, to be a person of faith is to do good; care for our neighbors — especially our most vulnerable neighbors. In the spring of 2017 the long list of vulnerable people include: Jewish, Homeless, Immigrant, LGBTQ and Muslim communities.
The reminder of the kind of care Christians are asked to offer their neighbors (and a confession of not doing so) is smudged in the shape of a cross on foreheads with ashes. Tradition says that the ashes come from Palm Branches from the church’s Holy Week commemoration of Jesus entering Jerusalem the year before.
If you are among the few hundred people of faith that will visit the Chapel throughout the day tomorrow Wednesday March 1st I invite you to remember that Palm Sunday was a poor people’s parade. Everything from the colt and the staging place of the procession to the palm branches and clothing laid on the ground were choreographed. It was political theatre that modeled spiritual practice as an alternate expression to Rome’s exploitation of people. In other words while ashes are symbols of individual faith, their origin was first as a sign of communal solidarity with the oppressed.
If you are not among those who observe Ash Wednesday please know this history too!
A recent interview with John Lewis recalled the ways in which church basements during the Civil Rights Movement were not just for Christians but also for Atheists, Jews, Muslims, and all people of good will. Civil rights participants read Buddhist, Hindu, Hebrew, and secular scriptures as preparation for their social action.
On Ash Wednesday many Christians on campus will have a cross on their forehead in preparation for spiritual action. In the spirit of Wagner’s 2016 commencement speaker, Humans of New York Blogger Brandon Stanton, I invite all on campus to PAUSE to see one another more deeply. I invite Christians to contemplate their faith, make renewed commitments to spiritual practice, and in the spirit of Jesus to care for their neighbors.
If you are looking for some help, to better see one another, to learn about other’s traditions, or to more deeply practice Christian faith, beginning Monday March 6 there are two new programs to do so.
No Commentary Bible Study: During a 12–20 minute time period participants will read an entire book from the Christian New Testament from beginning to end. Rather than focusing on devotional, historical, literary, or theological aspects readers will simply take turns reading and listening. Over the course of a few short weeks participants will have read 90% of the Christian New Testament in 20 minutes or less and in the process become more Biblically literate. Readings take place on Mondays at 9am, and Wednesdays at 12noon. All are welcome.
The OA for Lent: The Netflix hit series The OA is filled with spiritual themes which raise important questions around faith and meaning. I’ve helped create a digital study guide and podcast to assist viewers watch the show on the privacy of their own screen with summary highlights from each episode that include: spiritual themes, scriptural references, reflection questions, and a suggested spiritual practice. On Wednesday evenings at 7pm all are invited to the Family Room of the Chapel for snacks and to discuss the latest episode from the study guide.
Whether you are someone who observes Ash Wednesday, a person of faith who observes other traditions, or one who makes their own path I invite all in our Wagner community to model what it means to practice what we teach and preach.
Peace be with you,
Rev. Martin Malzahn
Wagner College Chaplain
Director for the Center for Religion and Spirituality
