Spartacus....
For the last time....
I truly understand your concerns about the Catholics using ashes as a way of Spiritual pride, but that is a something that you would have to take up with those individual Catholics. To dimiss an ancient practice as something against the words of Christ or the teachings of the Church just because some misuse this tradition, is toally absurd!
The use of ashes, as a sign of penance and in seasons of repentence, were used by the Jews in the OT, I have supported this with scriptural evidence, and it was used in the early Church, esp in the Celtic Church, the Spanish Mozarabic rite and the Order of the Penitents.
If the pratice of using ashes is against the teachings of Christ, and as you said never used by the Orthodox, then you must be prepared to admit that the Celtic Church, the Spanish Mozarabic rite, and the Order of the Penitents were all not apart of the Orthodox Church, which is contrary to the teaching of the Orthdox Church, which is that the entire Christian Church, east and west, was Orthodox in the pre-schism centuries.
Not only are you rejecting historical truth, but also you do not understand that Christ does not condemn the practice of using ashes. You misuse our Lord's word, that condemned spiritual pride, to condemn the use of ashes.
I am still wondering why the Orthodox Church, in the early centuries of the Church, or more recently, hasn't condemned the use of ashes, you must also be wondering about this since you believe this tradition so contrary to the words of Christ.
I am also still amazed that of all the things you, as an Orthodox Christian, could object to in the Catholic Church, you choose the use of ashes, what nonsense!
I am sorry, but your argument is just plain silly, and is contrary to scripture, and historical evidence.
I no way am I saying the use of ashes is a must, but it certainly isn't contrary to the teachings of Christ, or the early Church, and this is a fact that can not be denied.