 Today is Ash Wednesday! Here are some fun facts about this special day... Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence and fasting. In addition to personal penance, Catholics are expected to go without meat on Fridays during Lent. Why does Lent start on Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent because it falls 40 days (minus Sundays) before Easter. The Bible recounts 40 days of rain during the flood, Israel’s 40-year journey through the desert, Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert, and the 40-day period of post-resurrection formation Jesus gave to his disciples before his ascension. At the end of each of these scriptural 40s, the things involved are changed: a sinful world is reconstituted, slaves become free, a carpenter begins a messianic ministry, and fearful followers are ready to become Spirit-filled preachers. Lent and its 40-day fast offer the Church the same opportunity for transformation. Why do we use Ashes? The ashes are meant to represent dust. When receiving ashes on your forehead, you will hear the words: "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." This is a reference to what God says to Eve and Adam when exiling them from the Garden of Eden. On Ash Wednesday, the saying is a reminder to be humble in the face of mortality. “Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.” (Genesis 2:7) “You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. You were made from soil, and you will become soil again.” (Genesis 3:19) Where do the ashes come from? The ashes for Ash Wednesday normally are made from blessed palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. The ashes are sprinkled with Holy Water and incensed before distribution. MASS SCHEDULE: Mary, Mother of God Parish is offering multiple Masses throughout the day so you can begin the Season of Lent by receiving ashes. Check out the full schedule here. Comments are closed.
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