Ash Wednesday – what & why?

This is a very insightful message. May you be motivated to read, reflect & apply its teachings this Lent.

"The ashes placed upon our foreheads on Ash Wednesday symbolize our mortality ("Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return") or our need for conversion ("Repent, and believe in the gospel").

The liturgical use of ashes originates in the Old Testament times for instance, in the Book of Esther, Mordecai put on sackcloth and ashes when he heard of the decree of King Ahasuerus of Persiato kill all of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire(Esther 4:1). Job repented in sackcloth and ashes (Job 42:6).

Prophesying the Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem , Daniel wrote, "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes" (Daniel 9:3).

After Jonah's preaching of conversion and repentance, the town of Nineveh proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, and the king covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the ashes (Jonah 3:5-6).

These Old Testament examples evidence both a recognized practice of using ashes and a common understanding of their symbolism.

Jesus Himself also made reference to ashes: Referring to towns that refused to repent of sin although they had witnessed the miracles and heard the good news, our Lord said, "If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have reformed in sackcloth and ashes long ago" (Matthew 11:21).

Ashes are something that are left when something is burned. Ashes are a symbol of being sorry for things we have done wrong and want to get rid of forever. It is also a reminder to us that we all come from ashes, and to ashes we all will return. The actual moment when the forehead is marked initiates the beginning of lent for each individual person.

Ash Wednesday:
It marks the beginning of six and a half weeks of repentance, fasting and abstinence in preparation for the most important festival of Easter. In churches the Priest first burns the palm that have been kept from last year's Palm Sunday and then mixes the ashes of these crosses with holy water (which has been blessed) to make a grayish paste. When people go to church on Ash Wednesday, the Priest dips his thumb in the paste and uses it to make the sign of the cross on each person's forehead.

Why are last year's Palm Crosses recycled? Palm Sunday Celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, so when the crosses used in the last
year's Palm Sunday service are converted to ashes, worshippers are reminded
that defeat and crucifixion swiftly followed triumph.

Why forty days?
Moses stayed on the Mountain of God forty days, Jesus prayed and fasted in the wilderness forty days, Elijah reached the cave where he had a vision, after forty days of travel. Hence, the period of forty days has great religious significance amongst Catholics; Jesus was resurrected forty hours after his crucifixion. He was crucified at noon on Friday, and came back at 4 a.m. on Sunday. Forty is a traditional number of spiritual testing, in various cultures. Essentially, forty days of Lent signify Christians 'joining' Jesus on his forty-day retreat in the wilderness.

What do people usually abstain from during Lent?
Amongst the more religious, Lent is regarded as a period of fasting, penance and prayer. Earlier on, it used to be customary to abstain from meat during this period. However, things are more relaxed now. For most Catholics, there are no specific rules and regulations regarding abstinence, though a person is encouraged to abstain from at least one pleasure-giving activity. Generally, people choose to abstain from certain foods such as non-vegetarian food, alcohol, cigarettes or sex. Some people choose to fast (skip a meal) everyday during this time or on the Fridays falling in the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent are days of fasting.

"For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10)

"I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke
13:5)

Remember: LENT = Leave Every Negative Thing

May you have a fruitful Spirit-led LENT!