Questions About Ash Wednesday Answered

Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Lenten penitential, fasting season. It is no coincidence that it falls the day after Mardi Gras, aka Fat Tuesday, a time to overindulge before having to fast. Ash Wednesday marks the 40-day preparation for Easter and dates back to around 1000 A.D.

The first day of Lent (40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays), Ash Wednesday, is observed by many different Christian denominations; such as Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian. There are many Biblical references to 40 days; Moses on Mount Sinai, Jesus in the desert, Noah's Ark and the flood, to name a few.

According to the Bible, ashes were used to symbolize mourning and repentance. At mass on Ash Wednesday, the priest or minister will smudge parishioners' foreheads with ashes in the sign of the holy cross and quote a passage from the Bible. For example, from Genesis 3:19, "Remember, O man, that you are dust and unto dust you shall return" or a passage from Mark 1:15 "Repent, and hear the good news."

The ashes are made from the prior year's Passion Sunday (the last Sunday of Lent, the week before Easter Sunday) palms, blessed with Holy Water and scented with incense. You are not supposed to wipe away the ashes but that doesn't mean you can't shower or wash your forehead for 40 days, silly. Ash Wednesday is a day to repent your sins, fast and abstain from meat.

Fasting From Food and Certain Activities

Fasting is explained in the Bible as a means of afflicting the soul by not allowing one's needs or wants not come to fruition. Isaiah 58:3 In ancient times, fasting was extreme and Lent may have originated for practical purposes. Today, the rules have been greatly simplified.

Catholics between the ages of 14-17 should not eat meat on Ash Wednesday or on Fridays during Lent. Those between the ages of 18-58 should follow this rule but should also fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (the Friday before Easter Sunday) by eating only one full meal with small amounts of food at two other mealtimes.

Many people do not just abstain from food on these occasions but take it a step further. Practices vary depending on denomination and personal preferences. I was in basic training during Lent and a fellow Airmen was fasting to the extreme. I don't know how she did it; I lived for chow time.

When I was little, I recall giving up certain junk foods and soda for Lent. We also sometimes gave up TV, although that may have been my Mom's way of saving some money. Nowadays, it would be a great time for kids and even adults to give up their video games. It's only 40 days, come on.

Prayer for Lent and Ash Wednesday (From the church I was baptized in, attended mass, and accepted the Sacraments of Communion and Confirmation - St. Basil's Catholic Parish)

"Lord Jesus, in your most difficult hour, you asked your friends to watch and pray with you. We pray now for the courage to remain faithful to you, surrounded as we are by the difficulties of our own lives. Help us to learn from you what it means to take up our cross each day and to seek the will of the Father. As our Lenten prayer and action bring us closer to you, open our eyes to the gift of your saving grace in our lives. We ask this in your most holy name. Amen."

Sources:

Lenten Fast and Abstinence: An Invitation to Awareness, St. Basil's Catholic Parish

Prayer for Lent, St. Basil's Catholic Parish

Shrove Tuesday, Wikipedia

Ash Wednesday, Wikipedia