This past Ash Wednesday all were welcomed to receive ashes since all of us are both saints and sinners. As we receive ashes Jesus invites us to “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” or “Turn and put our faith and trust in God.” Before Jesus issues this invitation he proclaims: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). God takes the initiative and stands next to us, “at hand” waiting to embrace us as we turn to God.
You might have noticed on Ash Wednesday all are welcomed to receive ashes from babies to adults, Catholics and non-Catholics, couples in irregular situations and couples of the same sex. The distribution of ashes is not a sacrament but a sacramental. Since it is not a sacrament one does not have to be in the state of grace to receive ashes. All are welcome to receive ashes.
A similar line of reasoning applies to the recent declaration of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith “Fiducia supplicans, On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings” which discusses the blessing of couples in irregular situations and couples of the same sex. The declaration makes a distinction between a liturgical blessing and a simple blessing. A liturgical blessing takes place in the context of the celebration of a sacrament and requires one to be in the state of grace. The Dicastery goes on to state: “One must also avoid the risk of reducing the meaning of blessings to this point of view alone, for it would lead us to expect the same moral conditions for a simple blessing that are called for in the reception of the sacraments.” I and the other priests perform many such “simple blessings.” We not only bless people but objects such as water, houses, cars, and even animals on the feast of St. Francis. These simple blessings are sacramentals and are open to all people just like ashes.
All of us, saints and sinners, whatever state we may be in, need the blessing and the help of God to direct and guide us in our daily life. All are welcome to receive ashes, and all are welcome to receive these simple blessings. When Pope Francis asked the famous or infamous question, “Who am I to judge?” he was really paraphrasing the words of Jesus: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged…Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s or sister’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3).