Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday begins our season of Lent. It is a day when we physically show our repentance and humble our hearts before God.
Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, but it is one of the highest attending Masses annually. It is a day when people are solemn and abstain from a busy day.
Ash Wednesday is a Jewish custom when they would repent and fast for the day. The ashes we wear on our foreheads symbolize our sorrow and show how we take the next forty days to walk with God. In the book of Daniel, we hear how the people used the ashes as we do today. It was a way for them to show God how sorry they were and how they wanted to be back in His good graces.
When we receive our ashes, the minister applies them on our forehead in the shape of a cross and says, 'remember that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return.' In this outward sign, we acknowledge that before God created us, we were dust, and until the second coming, we will lie as dust until God raises each of us again. It, too, can be a time when we die of our old ways/sins and rebirth ourselves into a life with Christ through abstaining from something during the forty days.
Ash Wednesday was initially for baptized Catholics who had walked away from the Church and wanted to return. They would receive the ashes the Wednesday before Holy Thursday and wear them until Holy Thursday without washing them. By the 11th century, the Pope and Bishops had regulated Ash Wednesday to be around the world for anyone who wanted ashes. It does not matter what faith you are, and it does not matter what time of day or if your ashes wear off, as long as you are coming to the altar ready to walk a closer life with God during the next forty days.
The ashes used for Ash Wednesday come from the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday. The palms are blessed, and then once turned into ashes, are blessed again to go on our foreheads.
Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and prayer. It is a time to cleanse our minds, bodies, and souls and bring ourselves closer to God.
While Ash Wednesday begins Lent, I want to take this time to explore Lent. First, why does Easter move from year to year? Easter is the one holiday that is determined by the moon. Astrologers look at the moon's cycles each year and determine when Easter will be, which determines when Palm Sunday and Ash Wednesday will be. They begin their process by looking for when the Paschal full moon will be. Once they find that, Easter is set a whole week after that date, and it always lands between March 21 and April 25. Once Easter is decided, they count back one week for Palm Sunday. Then for Ash Wednesday, they count back six weeks plus four more days.
The word Lent means 'spring' and 'march' in Anglo-Saxon, which became official during the Council of Nicea. Before the Council of Nicea, there were disputes about the timeline of 40. Some thought it would only last 40 hours, and others 40 days. They looked at the importance of the number 40 in the Bible. The rain came down for 40 days and nights for Noah, Moses stayed on top of Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights without any food or drink, Elijah walked 40 days and nights to get to Mount Horeb, and finally, Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the desert after being baptized. When we look at all of these, it is easy to see the importance of the number 40. Lent is also a time for us to reflect on our Baptisms. That is why at Easter, we renew our Baptismal promises that we, or our parents, made when we were Baptized.
Why do we not count Sundays during Lent? Fasting started in the very beginning, but everyone did it differently. Those in Jerusalem fasted for 40 days, but only Monday-Friday. They extended Lent to eight weeks. In Rome and the West, people fasted Monday-Saturday, making Lent what we know today as the 40 days. Sundays do not count during Lent because they are days on which we celebrate Jesus (even though the Alleluia has been buried). It is not a time for us to be fasting and sorrowful, but rather joyful, as that is what we celebrate during Mass.
Why do we fast on specific days during Lent? On Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and every Friday during Lent, we fast or abstain from food during a particular period. We refrain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Friday during Lent. We fast completely on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, eating one big meal and two small snacks (if medically permitted). We are allowed to have eggs and milk from animals, and we are allowed to have fish during those days. Since Jesus died on the cross on a Friday, that is why we abstain or fast on Fridays during Lent. It is also a day of penance and sorrow.
Why do we give something up during Lent? The custom of abstaining from something during Lent reminds us not to rely on anything other than God. Sometimes we enjoy the good stuff too much, and it no longer becomes a treat but rather something we rely on. In abstaining from it, we call upon the virtue of prudence to help us give it up and rely on God to grow stronger in faith in Him.
Lent is a time for us to reset ourselves and grow closer to God. Make time this week to talk with your children about how Lent can be a time to grow closer to God and each other, and talk about the importance of Lent and why we prepare ourselves for Jesus to die for our sins.
https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/blog/the-biblical-roots-of-ash-wednesday