Ash on forehead at work

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Since you will be dealing with candidates being interviewed for positions with your company I would remove them as it could be made into an issue by those being interviewed. For example. You have the ashes on your forehead. Interviewee A has ashes. Interviewee B does not. Interviewee A and B have very similar backgrounds and resumés. You hire Interviewee A. Interviewee B could claim the hiring decision was based on religious affiliation. And honestly, if all other things we’re pretty much a wash, you’d have a very hard time proving otherwise.
 
EasterJoy said:
If you’re more likely to edify someone, leave them on. Otherwise, wash them off. They’re meant for mutual reminder, not for letting everyone who is not fasting know that we fast.

We’re supposed to let the world know we belong to the Lord by our love, not by the ashes.
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Well yeah, letting others who don’t fast know that we are fasting on Ash Wednesday is not a terribly important thing to do. But, in addition to the more important reminder that all things end that and that we should consider what happens next that is not limited to Catholics, I think it is worth letting people know that there are those who fast at all and pay attention to religion at all. It’s not a matter of saying “we’re fasting, you’re not, why aren’t you/we’re better than you.” It’s simply a physical visual reminder that there are things beyond the mundane (and that contemplation of such things is not a purely private matter to be hidden away), as well as a reminder that we should take our views of greater reality should effect how we behave in more places than at home and at Church.

Yeah, our love is the most important thing to show, but this does not mean we should discount the value of physical signs. There’s a reason that we place importance on relics, though they have no inate powers, why we build statues, even though our minds are very capable of thinking of a person without staring at inaccurate likeness that probably looked nothing like them, why we have crosses, etc etc. We are animals as well as spirits and physical signs affect us. Yeah, ashes aren’t that big a deal. But they can be a small deal, and the fact that they are not as important as other things does not mean they cannot be put to good use.

In much the same way that one of the least important parts of being a priest is wearing that collar everywhere, and yet every time I see one it reminds me of all that the priest stands for and of the fact that there are still people who stand for it. Ashes are pretty small potatoes in comparison, of course, but even small potatoes are nice every now and then.

Basically, all I’m saying is that the edification need not be limited to other Catholics remembering that they need to get a fish sandwich today.
 
Usige said:
I generally leave them on. Its an outward sign of penance so I feel like wearing them only to the parking lot defeats the purpose of receiving ashes. Its not like its required to receive them. I really don’t care if people look at me odd. Most just say, I didn’t know you were Catholic. I don’t leave them on as a sign of piety, but as a reminder to myself.

And yes I work in a visible position in my company. I have had ashes on my forehead while meeting with VPs and internal clients. I still remember walking in to a meeting a few years ago and a female Sr. VP looked at me, smiled, and pushed back her bangs so I could see her ashes.
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You’d be surprised who shows up at work with ashes on their forehead. We’re not alone. I’m always amazed at th number of other people walking around with ashes on (I work at a major insurance company). Unfortunately, I work from home now and we only have one car so not sure if I’m going to make it to mass tomorrow as my wife will be using the car tomorrow.
 
The past two years I have left them on, but I wasn’t working and was pretty much hanging out at home. I remember last year I went to the bank but that was it. Tomorrow I’m planning on getting my ashes at noon and then I have to work at 5. I work in a rural, mostly evangelical/fundamentalist area. I will most likely wash the remainder off before I go to work. I hate, hate, hate, hate drawing attention to myself and in an area where there are very few Catholics, I know I will. Most people will probably think I’m dirty and I work in food service. I just would not feel comfortable wearing them.
 
I don’t know, I see ashes as a great way to evangelize. Maybe a fallen away Catholic sees your ashes and the Holy Spirit moves in them and suddenly they have a desire to come back to church. What does it hurt to have them on your forehead? You’ll certainly not be the only Catholic wearing ashes tomorrow. 🙂 I don’t see it as prideful, I see it as a way to share your faith with others.
 
I leave them on, it’s a great way to explain a small portion of our faith. Jesus died for us, surely we can wear the ashes of Palm Sunday for one day. I love to be amazed by the people who wear them.
 
In my first career (not in the ministry) I used to leave the ashes on all day. The responses of my colleagues were interesting. From a Presbyterian, “I didn’t know Lutherans did that.” From several Catholic colleagues, “I need to go to St. Patrick’s at lunch.”😃 I was glad that I could help them to live out their faith.
 
Since this is my first Ash Wednesday at this company, I think I’ll err on the side of caution and not wear it for the day. Once I get a sense of what people do at work, I’ll know what to do next year.
 
I left mine on. A colleague of mine asked me, “Why do you have ashes on your forehead? Whose ashes are those?” She insisted on wiping them off.
 
This is my first year observing Ash Wednesday ands I was in Dallas with my boss for a meeting with my second largest client. I attended Mass at 8 am and returned to the hotel to pick up my boss for our meeting. I told him it meant quite a bit to me to receive them but, I would remove them before our meeting. He asked why and told me to leave them on since it was obviously a very deep thing for me. That made my day!
 
jhyer said:
This is my first year observing Ash Wednesday ands I was in Dallas with my boss for a meeting with my second largest client. I attended Mass at 8 am and returned to the hotel to pick up my boss for our meeting. I told him it meant quite a bit to me to receive them but, I would remove them before our meeting. He asked why and told me to leave them on since it was obviously a very deep thing for me. That made my day!
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What a nice man. You are lucky to have such a considerate boss.
 
It turns out that the lady sitting right next to me at work had ash on her forehead. It’s good to know that people still do that. I think I’ll start doing that next year.
 
I keep mine on for as long as they last…sometimes two or three days…and if anyone at work asks, I tell them…prideful? What a lot of hogwash - it is being Catholic - OUT LOUD
 
When I worked in a regular office setting I always left them on. There was a decent number of practicing Catholics in the office so it would be fun to walk around and see others with them. Even though we may not have talked to one another much the rest of the year, you could always count on them to give a friendly greeting on Ash Wednesday.
 
I work at a nursing home and a priest came in to distribute ashes to our residents. I got my ashes while I was still on the clock, along with a coworker. +:)
 
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