Many religions have “brands”. They are a symbol of belief and practice.

brand

/brand/

noun

1. a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name.

"a new brand of detergent"

2. an identifying mark burned on livestock or (formerly) criminals or slaves with a branding iron."the brand on a sheep identifies it as mine"

Your brand strategy defines what you stand for, a promise you make, and the personality you convey.

A brand is the way a company, organization, or individual is perceived by those who experience it. 

The Hindu religion, the third most populous “brands” or marks its adherents by painting Tripundra, three horizontal lines with a dot of ash in the middle on the forehead. To those who apply it, is a reminder of the spiritual aims of life, the truth that body and material things shall someday become ash, and that mukti, a form of enlightenment is a worthy goal.

The second most populous religion is Islam. Its “Branding” is a prayer spot where the head of its followers touches the prayer rug 5 times a day. For women, branding is also a head veil or scarf--the hijab being one form of this head covering.  

For the Christian Faith, the most populous religion in the World: “Branding” is Ashes on Ash Wednesday. 

Check out these Fast Facts about Ashes from Ann Ball in The How-To Book of Sacramentals.

• The first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday from the ceremony of imposing blessed ashes on the forehead in the form of a cross pronouncing the words from Gen 3:19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return. (“remember Man that You are Dust, and to dust you shall return”).
• Ashes are made from the previous Palm Sunday blessed palms for which prayers are found in the Roman Missal as early as the 8th century.
• Pope Urban II officially changed the name of the first day of Lent from “Beginning of the Fast” Commemoration to Ash Wednesday beginning in 1099.
• Ashes have been used as a token of penance and sorrow since the time of the Old Testament: sackcloth and ashes.
• The Church accepted the custom from Jewish tradition and kept its original meaning.
• Originally it was only for public sinners; by the 11th century many devout people voluntarily submitted to it
• Now a general practice worldwide
• Medieval times, Pope walked barefoot with his cardinals to the Church of Santa Sabina where the Pope received the ashes from the oldest cardinal-bishop and then distributed them to all the cardinals.
• In the Oriental Churches, Ash Wednesday is not observed. Their Lent begins on Monday called Clean Monday because the faithful cleanse their souls in penance and scrub all the cleaning utensils to cleanse all cooking utensils from meat and fat in preparation for the penitential season.
• Although kept alive for a time in the Church of England, most Protestant churches discontinued the imposition of ashes after the Reformation. Some mainline denominations do have some form of it today.
   

Ashes are more than a “sticker/brand”. I think our beloved fellow Catholics sense the “channel of grace” in this sacramental.  I think they feel a connection with the entire Mystical Body of Christ. From the grace of the ashes received they radiate hope, repentance, a turning to a period of prayer. This experienced increase in grace through this sacramental channel affords a union with the Eternal.

Carol Finke (Crisis Magazine 2/15/21) spoke loudly to the faithful being denied Ash Wednesday last year: The response to the pandemic from both our bishops and elected leaders has revealed what is important in post-Christian America. Faith is number 100 out of 100, if it’s on the list at all. We’ve done what we were told, at first out of understandable terror, and later out of adherence to questionable public health policies. We gave up Easter, despite our professing it to be our holiest celebration, with few objections. Many of us gave up Christmas. On the liturgical calendar, Ash Wednesday is nothing compared to them. But in the popular imagination, in what remains of popular devotional practice, Ash Wednesday is Catholicism in all its weirdness and glory. If we don’t understand that and respond accordingly, we are far, far along the road to losing our faithful, and our faith, altogether. In the popular imagination, in what remains of popular devotional practice, Ash Wednesday is Catholicism in all its weirdness and glory.

Fr. Edward Hays has written extensively and in great detail for Catholic practices for home liturgy for the domestic church. In The Lenten Pharmacy: Daily Healing Therapies (2006) he said: Because of infirmity, family obligations, or work-related responsibilities you may not be able to go to church today and be marked with ashes. But do not let that prevent you from being touched by this powerful ancient medicine. All the earth is holy land and all the soil is blessed. So, place a small pinch of dust or dirt in the palm of your hand and use it to trace upon yourself the sign of the cross, a sign of death that leads to new life, as you prayerfully ask God to heal you.

Check out these Fast Facts from Fr. Hays in the above mentioned The Lenten Pharmacy: Daily Healing Therapies.

•     In times of disaster, ashes served as physical offerings of supplication to God: Abraham bargaining that God not destroy the just with the wicked:  18:27. And Abraham answered, and said: Seeing I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes.

•     Christian ascetics used to sprinkle ashes on their food to indicate their total disdain for the pleasures of the body.

•     Ancient Mayans used ashes as an inoculation against disease, much like a flu shot

•     When planting corn, Mayans mixed in ashes to protect their seeds from blight and rotting

•     For us? Ashes can be a vaccination for “tomorrowitis”, that procrastination virus that postpones a reform of life until next Lent or “whenever” [my interpretation].

•     Pharmacist-healer Jesus advises those suffering from lethargic encephalitis, the deadening inflammation of the brain so common today to “Stay awake. Seek healing this very day for you do not know if you will be alive tomorrow.”

•     Lying in the dust of our own ashes is an antidote to the hubris and hyperactivity that mark our contemporary way of life.

Note to self: I am YOUR BRAND, dear Lord!!! Teach me with your grace to wear YOUR BRAND in Faith graciously, proudly, lovingly, wisely, cheerfully and with selflessness.

                                                         Prostrate before you, We pray……

                                LITANY OF PENANCE.
                               (By Cardinal Newman)

Lord have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost,
Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.

Incarnate Lord,
Have mercy on us.

Lover of souls,
Have mercy on us.

Saviour of sinners,
Have mercy on us.

Who didst come to seek those that were lost,
Have mercy on us.

Who didst fast for them forty days and nights,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy tenderness towards Adam when he fell,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy faithfulness to Noe in the ark,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy remembrance of Lot in the midst of sinners,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy mercy on the Israelites in the desert,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy forgiveness of David after his confession,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy patience with wicked Achab on his humiliation,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy restoration of the penitent Manasses,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy long suffering towards the Ninevites, when they went in sackcloth and ashes.
Have mercy on us.

By Thy blessing on the Maccabees, who fasted before the battle,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy choice of John to go before Thee as the preacher of penance,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy testimony to the Publican, who hung his head and smote his breast,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy welcome given to the returning Prodigal,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy gentleness with the woman of Samaria,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy condescension towards Zacchaeus, persuading him to restitution,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy pity upon the woman taken in adultery,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy love of Magdalen, who loved much,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy converting look, at which Peter wept,
Have mercy on us.

By Thy gracious words to the thief upon the cross,
Have mercy on us.

We sinners, beseech Thee, hear us.

That we may judge ourselves, and so escape Thy judgment,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That we may bring forth worthy fruits of penance,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That sin may not reign in our mortal bodies,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That we may work out our salvation with fear and trembling,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Son of God, We beseech Thee,
hear us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

O Lord, hear our prayer.
And let our cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
to Thy faithful, pardon and peace,
that they may be cleansed from all their offences,
and also serve Thee with a quiet mind,
through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

PRAYER POWER!!!! YES!!! Please and THANK YOU, LORD!!!!!