Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.

Why people receive the ashes  Following the example of  penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and reminds us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told-"Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return." Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.

The Ashes

The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts. His Divine mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.

Giving up. Giving out. Giving in. What are you giving up for Lent?

Christ promised to never, ever leave us, but somehow, during Lent, we can draw closer to Him who is always close to us. Our Church calls us to Give up. Some appetite, some distraction, some affection given up creates a type of "Vacuum" that the Holy Spirit rushes to fill.

Our Church calls us to Give out. Nothing demonstrates quite as dramatically our intent to put our trust in God, who never fails, like giving away our treasure to someone that can never repay us. In this act we demonstrate that our faith is in God, and not in money or things. 

Our Church calls us to Give in. In a world where every popular "life coach" encourages us to find our purpose, set our goals, do our own "thing" to the utmost, the Lord Jesus Christ coaches us differently , "If you want to find your life, you must lose it." The Lenten season reminds us that we are most fulfilled when we are emptied of "self" and "filled" with the Spirit of God, becoming ever more transformed into the Image of Christ.

Give up something that matters this Lent. 

Eat all the chocolate you want -give up self-loathing or bitterness. 

Give up your biases and prejudices. 

Give up giving up on yourself. 

Don't just fast from something that is, in the end, inconsequential. 

Choose a fast that matters. Choose a fast that makes a difference in the world.