For context I work in a industrial setting, as a traveling electrical technician installing and repairing our machines.
There is a 12pm non-mass service with distribution of the ashes and then there is a 6pm Mass with no distribution of the ashes. I had been feeling the urge to attend the 12pm non-mass and receive ashes, I haven’t received them in so long, maybe since I was a young teenager.
My concern is my work place, I am unsure if the reactions I will get will be negative. (I work mainly with eastern Germans who are predominantly atheist)
On top of this I am also unsure if this will be too “outwardly” as I know in my self I have not been the best person to myself and thought this would be hypocritical of me to be wearing the ashes openly?…not sure if this is a valid sentiment.
Well, coming from someone whose very bold about what it is I believe in, just do it! Who cares if they’re Atheist or not, just do it. And if someone asks, you can just tell them it’s a religious thing, you don’t have to go into great detail if you don’t want to. I would do it honestly….who cares what you believe in? Most people shouldn’t give a dang about what you believe in, it’s just another way to divide people.
Welcome to the forum! We should never be ashamed of our faith in Jesus Christ. It think it depends on each person and why they are choosing to, or choosing not to, wear our ashes publicly.
Are you doing it out of pride? Then maybe sporting the ashes is not suggested.
Are you not publicly wearing ashes out of shame or fear? Then maybe you should keep it visible.
Here is a story about a time when I decided to wear the ashes publicly. It could be the witness someone else needed in their life.
I’m glad you changed the question from what someone should do (I don’t know) to what I would do. I used to when I could, but for many years I had to leave for work too early to go to church first. Then, as I think I mentioned in another thread, I saw a Protestant minister giving ashes outside a Metro station. The first time I saw it, I didn’t even know that any Protestants had Lent. The next year, I got ashes there and wore them all day.
Then I worked at the National Guard Bureau for a few years, and some years we had a chaplain giving ashes at a noontime service. It was nice to go to church with coworkers, and a lot of people were walking around with ashes at work in the afternoon. And a captain I worked with, who even went to a Protestant church that observed Ash Wednesday (but forgot what day it was), saw someone with a mark on the forehead and thought it was a tattoo (against the rules). The captain was embarrassed to realize that the mark on the forehead was ashes.
In the practice of receiving ashes, we are acknowledging human mortality, lowliness & weakness (Genesis 3:19) AND that Jesus conquers death (Romans 6:8-10) & gives us strength (Psalm 118:14), Pray for those who don’t get it.
I also saw the following post from Matt Fradd and though I would share.
