What is “Ash Wednesday” ?
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a 40 day period of
contemplation of one’s sins, 46 days before Easter (Easter is when we
acknowledge the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and remember his sacrifice and
instructions and then celebrate his resurrection). Jesus spent 40 days fasting from notable meals and
resisting temptation out on the road. A
Christian may fast on Ash Wednesday as Lent begins and we abstain from meat on
Fridays as a form of conscious sacrifice to help us remember the sacrifice of
Jesus in our name.
On Ash Wednesday if you attend mass you will be marked on
your forehead with ash in the form of a cross.
The ashen cross serves as a reminder of our mortality, serves as a
presentation to others that we are committed Christians, and serves to
encourage us to turn away from sin and be faithful to the will of our Creation
Entity as we can discern what that will might be. The words might be expressed “Remember that
you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Ecclesiastes 3:20). You might also pray, or you might hear, “turn
away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel [of the Lord]”.
The ashes used by the church community are made from burning
the blessed palms used on Palm Sunday celebrated the previous year.
Ashes were used as a sign of repentance in the Old Testament
(see Daniel 9:3-4). During the middle
ages, sinners could repent in public for 40 days by wearing hairshirts blessed
by a bishop, subsequently burned to produce ashes poured over the sinner’s
head.
Ash is a sacramental (a.k.a. aid to devotion), due to the
way it is prepared, meaning it is another physical reminder that opens our heart
and minds to the Grace of God. Another
sacramental is holy water. When I dip my
finger into the holy water at church I might pray “By this water and by your precious
blood, wash away all my sins Lord Jesus Christ”. Or I might pray “Lord, I will never forget my
baptism, and my faith in you is eternal”.
