One of the first sections in the newspaper many turn to is the obituary notices. Some figure, if their name is not there, all is well and they can begin the day. But everyone of us knows that, one day, our name WILL be there, like it or not. As has been said, the only things certain in this life are death and taxes. We know it is true, but we would rather not think about it.
Some people take the opposite tack - they refuse to read the obituaries.
They avoid going to funeral homes or attending memorial services. If they forget about death, perhaps it will forget about them. But it does not work that way. Now we come to Ash Wednesday. Millions of people all around the world are gathering for worship.