March 5:  Ash Wednesday

                 "I went down to the potter's house and there he was, working at the wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in is hand, he tied again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the Lord came to me. Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? Indeed like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel"  (Jeremiah 18. 3-6) 

                    "Today as I begin this forty-day journey, I gaze back into time. I am dreaming about those "in the beginning" times. I see the Divine Artist holding a handful of clay. As I behold this scene I behold my life and remember my humble beginnings. It is not just myself I am gazing upon. It is the dust of the whole human race made moist with the breath of God. All of my ancestors are there in the palm of God's hands. I go outside and stand upon the earth. I kneel upon the earth. With deep reverence I scoop up a handful of soil. I take a moment to be in communion with all my relatives formed from the dust of the earth. This is my family: the entire human race, the animals, the birds, the trees, the plants, and the flowers. We are relatives - intimately connected. This is holy ground!"   (Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B.)

          -Scriptures taken from the NAB, Catholic Publications, Inc. 1971