Ash Wednesday: All Flesh Is like Grass

All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.

—1 Peter 1:24–25

LOOK: French Exit by Tadao Cern

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In this installation by Tadao Cern, hundreds of thousands of dried grass stalks are suspended from the ceiling, creating a dense cloud under which viewers can walk. It’s an organic memento mori, a reminder of death. The title, French Exit, refers to the act of leaving a social gathering or a date without saying goodbye. The artist said he wanted viewers to consider their farewells.

Throughout the duration of the installation, some of the dead grass falls from the hovering field onto the floor, to be swept away.

LISTEN: “All Flesh Is Like the Grass (1 Peter 1:24–25)” by Fernando Ortega, on The Shadow of Your Wings: Hymns and Sacred Songs (2006)

All flesh is like the grass
The grass withers and fades away
All flesh is like the grass
The grass withers and fades away

The glory of man, like a flower
That shrivels in the sun and falls
The glory of man, like a flower
That shrivels in the sun and falls

But the word of the Lord
Endures forever
The word of the Lord
Endures forever

All flesh is like the grass
The grass withers and fades away
All flesh is like the grass
The grass withers and fades away

The glory of man, like a flower
That shrivels in the sun and falls
The glory of man, like a flower
That shrivels in the sun and falls

But the word of the Lord
Endures forever
The word of the Lord
Endures forever