Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is a very important day in the Catholic Church: it marks the beginning of the Lenten season! Lent has forty days, so Ash Wednesday begins those forty days. Ashes symbolize penance, as well as mourning. In Biblical times, people would wear sackcloth and sit in ashes to show that they had done wrong. We receive ashes on our foreheads to symbolize repentance.

When you go up to receive ashes on your forehead, the priest might say a number of things, including:

1. You are dust and to dust you shall return.
2. Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel

You are encouraged by the church to go to Mass on Ash Wednesday, but it is not a Holy Day of Obligation.

I encourage you to keep your ashes on all day! The ashes are meant to show we are sinners, so wearing them in public is okay! We're all sinners, and so you shouldn't feel uncomfortable with your ashes on at the grocery store, in the park, or anywhere else! Remember: The ashes are not making you a better person, neither are they a sign that you are holy. They point you out as a sinner, which we all are. 

Fun Fact! Did you know that the ashes are from burnt palms from last Palm Sunday?