Bentonite is used widely in a number of industrial applications. A small pouch of the dried clay is included in our wine-making kit, and we add it to four litres of water in our freshly cleaned and sanitized pail.

It seems strange to wash everything so carefully, and then start with muddy water. It’s going to help clarify the wine – grab a hold of particles that would make the wine cloudy – helping produce a shiny, clear, ruby-red liquid.

We use ashes to mark the beginning of Lent, a small cross on our foreheads. “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” We cover ourselves with dirt to make things clear. It becomes clear that we are justified by grace, not by our own doing. It becomes clear that our mortality s always with us. It becomes clear that transformation of our lives by God’s love is the way forward. A little bit of dirt helps remind us of that.

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