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Ash Wednesday
EWTN ^ | 1996 | James Akin

Posted on 03/03/2003 5:35:48 PM PST by Salvation

ASH WEDNESDAY
James Akin
Q: What is Ash Wednesday?

A: Ash Wednesday is the day Lent begins. It occurs forty days before Good Friday.

Q: Is Ash Wednesday based on a pagan festival?

A: Heck, no. Ash Wednesday originated in the A.D. 900s, long after Europe had been Christianized and the pagan cults stamped out.

Q: Why is it called Ash Wednesday?

A: Actually, Ash Wednesday is its colloquial name. Its official name is the Day of Ashes. It is called Ash <Wednesday> because, being forty days before Good Friday, it always falls on a Wednesday and it is called <Ash> Wednesday because on that day at church the faithful have their foreheads marked with ashes in the shape of a cross.

Q: Why do they have their foreheads marked with a cross?

A: Because in the Bible a mark on the forehead is a symbol of a person's ownership. By having their foreheads marked with the sign of a cross, this symbolizes that the person belongs to Jesus Christ, who died on a Cross.

This is in imitation of the spiritual mark or seal that is put on a Christian in baptism, when he is delivered from slavery to sin and the devil and made a slave of righteousness and Christ (Rom. 6:3-18).

It is also in imitation of the way the righteousness are described in the book of Revelation, where we read of the servants of God (the Christian faithful, as symbolized by the 144,000 male virgins):

"Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."(Revelation 7:3)

"[The demon locust] were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads"(Revelation 9:4)

"Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."(Revelation 14:1)

This is in contrast to the followers of the beast, who have the number 666 on their foreheads or hands.

The reference to the sealing of the servants of God for their protection in Revelation is an allusion to a parallel passage in Ezekiel, where Ezekiel also sees a sealing of the servants of God for their protection:

"And the LORD said to him [one of the four cherubim], 'Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark [literally,"a <tav">] upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.' And to the others he said in my hearing, 'Pass through the city after him, and smite; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity; slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one upon whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.' So they began with the elders who were before the house."(Ezekiel 9:4-6)

Unfortunately, like most modern translations, the one quoted above (the Revised Standard Version, which we have been quoting thus far), is not sufficiently literal. What it actually says is to place a <tav> on the foreheads of the righteous inhabitants of Jerusalem. <Tav> is one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and in ancient script it looked like the Greek letter <chi>, which happens to be two <crossed> lines (like an "x") and which happens to be the first letter in the word "Christ" in Greek <(christos).> The Jewish rabbis commented on the connection between <tav> and <chi> and this is undoubtedly the mark Revelation has in mind when the servants of God are sealed in it.

The early Church Fathers seized on this <tav-chi->cross-<christos> connection and expounded it in their homilies, seeing in Ezekiel a prophetic foreshadowing of the sealing of Christians as servants of Christ. It is also part of the background to the Catholic practice of making the sign of the cross, which in the early centuries (as can be documented from the second century on) was practiced by using one's thumb to furrow one's brow with a small sign of the cross, like Catholic do today at the reading of the Gospel during Mass.

Q: Why is the signing done with ashes?

A: Because ashes are a biblical symbol of mourning and penance. In Bible times the custom was to fast, wear sackcloth, sit in dust and ashes, and put dust and ashes on one's head. While we no longer normally wear sackcloth or sit in dust and ashes, the customs of fasting and putting ashes on one's forehead as a sign of mourning and penance have survived to this day. These are two of the key distinctives of Lent. In fact, Ash Wednesday is a day not only for putting ashes on one's head, but also a day of fasting (see below).

Q: What are some biblical examples of people putting dust and ashes on their foreheads?

A: Consider the following verses from the New International Version:

"That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head."(1 Samuel 4:12)

"On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor."(2 Samuel 1:20

"Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went."(2 Samuel 13:19)

"When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head."(2 Samuel 15:32)

Q: Is there another significance to the ashes?

A: Yes. They also symbolize death and so remind us of our mortality. Thus when the priest uses his thumb to sign one of the faithful with the ashes, he says, "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return, "which is modeled after God's address to Adam (Genesis 3:19; cf. Job 34:15, Psalms 90:3, 104:29, Ecclesiastes 3:20). This also echoes the words at a burial, "Ashes to ashes; dust to dust, "which is based on God's words to Adam in Genesis 3 and Abraham's confession, "I am nothing but dust and ashes"(Genesis 18:27). It is thus a reminder of our mortality and our need to repent before this life is over and we face our Judge.

Q: Where do the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from?

A: They are made by burning palm fronds which have been saved from the previous year's Palm Sunday, they are then blessed by a priest—blessed ashes having been used in God's rituals since the time of Moses (Numbers 19:9-10, 17).

Q: Why are ashes from the previous year's Palm Sunday used?

A: Because Palm Sunday was when the people rejoiced at Jesus' triumphal entrance to Jerusalem. They celebrated his arrival by waving palm fronds, little realizing that he was coming to die for their sins. By using palms from Palm Sunday, it is a reminder that we must not only rejoice of Jesus' coming but also regret the fact that our sins made it necessary for him to die for us in order to save us from hell.

Q: Is having one's forehead signed with ashes required of the faithful?

A: No, it is not required. However, it is to be strongly encouraged as it is a fitting and visible spiritual reminder that encourages one to adopt an attitude of prayer, repentance, and humility. As James said: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up"(James 4:10).

Q: Is Ash Wednesday a holy day of obligation, that is, a day on which we are required to go to Mass?

A: No, it is not a holy day of obligation. However, it is strongly advisable since it is fitting to mark the beginning of penitential season of Lent by going to Mass. The formal, corporate worship of God is a good way to get a good start to the season. Also, even though it is not a holy day of obligation, it is a day of fast and abstinence.

Q: Why isn't Ash Wednesday a holy day of obligation?

A: Holy days of obligation are either commemorations of particular events (such as the birth of Christ or the presentation of Jesus in the Temple), particular people (such as Jesus' earthly father, St. Joseph), or important theological concepts (such as the Kingship of Christ). Ash Wednesday does not commemorate any event (nothing special happened forty days before the crucifixion—at least not that we know of), and could only be said to indirectly commemorate a Person (Christ) since it is the beginning of preparation for the greater celebrations of Christ's saving work, which follow, and although Ash Wednesday is a day of penance (like all of the days of Lent except Sundays, which are feast days no matter when they occur in the liturgical calendar since they celebrate Christ's resurrection), the Church has never chosen to make it or any other specific day the definitive commemoration of the concept of repentance.

Copyright (c) 1996 by James Akin. All Rights Reserved



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KEYWORDS: ashwednesday; beginning; catholiclist; lent
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To: jrny

Thank you!


81 posted on 02/09/2005 7:25:25 AM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: NWU Army ROTC

Below is a reflection on Ash Wednesday I (NWU Army ROTC) wrote for our campus' conservative newspaper. If anyone is interested, nothing illicit I hope:

This Wednesday, 9 February 2005, marked the beginning of the Christian Holy season of Lent. Lent is the forty days of preparations that precede the Easter Triduum. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving the Christian begins the Lenten journey, preparing for the Passion of Good Friday and the Resurrection of Easter Sunday. Catholics mark themselves with ash as a sign of penance and of mortality.

Lent is a season of penance and contrition for our sins. As a society, we have our faults. Most prominent is the Culture of Death that attacks the dignity of the human person and sadly our society has fully embraced. There are the deliberate murders of one and a half million children in abortion during the last three hundred and sixty-five days. There are the inequities of a criminal justice system where justice is not always blind, the guilty not always punished, and the innocent sometimes convicted and even executed. There is the sacrifice of human life in the form of embryonic stem cell research, in the name of progress. A society filled with violence toward one another and ourselves, where drugs destroy our bodies, and sexual perversity demeans our dignity. There is Corporate Greed that allows CEOs and others to exploit those who rely on them in order to line their pockets. There is the assault on traditional values in regard to the human person, relationships, marriage, and the family. We are not an innocent society. Yet, Lent carries another message as well.

Lent is a season of Joy in Thanksgiving for the mercy which we do not deserve, but we receive from above. It is a season where we can turn away from our sins and our faults. We can abandon the Altar of Death. We can turn away from our pride, our lusts, our greed, our anger, our jealousy, our gluttony, our sloth. We can turn away. We can joyfully leave these shortcomings. We can embrace life. We can embrace the Culture of Life that treats every human person as deserving of dignity and respect. We can honor life from conception to natural death. We can seek mercy and change our ways. We can.

During this Lent, we also recognize the twilight of life. John Paul II, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church for more than twenty-five years is approaching the end of life. His journey shows us our own mortality, but also offers a lesson that our society is loathed to listen too, but we must. John Paul II has taught against communism, materialism, and the attack on life itself. Now, he is teaching us a more important lesson than anything previous. He is teaching us, how to die. John Paul II is teaching us how to go with dignity to our Maker, not on our terms, but on God’s. Even life at the moment of death, wracked by Parkinson’s Disease and old age, is worthy of dignity and respect. It is not our place to decide when our lives are ended, it is God’s choice, John Paul is showing that to us.

Ash Wednesday is a reminder of our mortality. It has a lesson for us, if we listen. Lent is a time to recall our sins and be sorry for them. We are not innocent. Lent is a time of joy, because mercy is available to us and we can turn away from our faults. We can. Will we?


82 posted on 02/20/2005 5:56:26 AM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: All

BTTT!


83 posted on 02/24/2006 8:32:35 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: All
Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday: Our Shifting Understanding of Lent

Ash Wednesday: Preparing For Easter

Pope will preside at Ash Wednesday Mass, procession; act will renew ancient tradition

84 posted on 02/24/2006 8:36:02 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation
Ash Wednesday: Our Shifting Understanding of Lent
85 posted on 02/24/2006 8:42:18 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation; Gophack

When I lived in NYC, virtually all of my black Protestant friends used to go to receive ashes before work...

Catholic or not, the thought was there and everybody understood it.


86 posted on 02/24/2006 9:38:42 PM PST by livius
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To: All

BTTT for Ash Wednesday -- tomorrow!


87 posted on 02/28/2006 7:29:01 AM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation

bttt


88 posted on 02/28/2006 7:40:46 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: Salvation

Ash Wednesday, 2006, BTTT!


89 posted on 03/01/2006 9:27:05 AM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: All

BTTT on Ash Wednesday, February 21, 2007!


90 posted on 02/21/2007 8:59:59 AM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Gophack

I was wondering if non-Catholics could recieve the blessed ashes today as well. I searched on the internet & found a website from the Georgia Tech Catholic Center. It says, “Since the imposition of Ashes is a Sacramental, non-Catholics may also recieve Blessed Ashes.” If you would like to check this website out ourself, it is “http://cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/catholic/tidings/1999/0214.html";


91 posted on 02/06/2008 12:56:45 PM PST by MeganL
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To: Salvation
Here's wishing everyone blessings as the Lenten season begins.
92 posted on 02/06/2008 1:00:56 PM PST by Ciexyz
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To: Salvation

BTTT!


93 posted on 02/24/2009 3:56:08 PM PST by Salvation ( †With God all things are possible.†)
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