Feeling Ash-y? It IS Ash Wednesday
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Today is Ash Wednesday, which for those of you who don’t know, marks the first day of Lent.
I’m actually disappointed that I had class this morning because I was hoping to go to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to attend Mass and celebrate with the students there. No, I’m not Catholic anymore… but I am still a Christian and this is one of those dates on the Christian calendar that Grace doesn’t formally celebrate. I remember when I attended Saint Luke’s Catholic School and we’d have Mass on the morning of Ash Wednesday which would be followed by going to the Narthex (lobby) and have a cross placed on a forehead using ashes.
According to Wikipedia, these ashes typically come from the burning of the palm leaves used the previous year for Palm Sunday. These ashes are then blessed before placed on the forehead. Why do we put ashes on our forehead? As a visible reminder that we are dust and to dust we will return (Genesis 3:19). Some people use this day also as a day of when confessions are made and make a choice to give up something for 40 days (length of Lent).
I think when I was in Catholic school, I gave up chicken liver… which was extrememly easy because I hated it. Ha ha! To read more about Ash Wednesday, check out:
this is cool. i heard recently that these types of things are going to become more and more popular among evangelicals in the coming time. i don’t know how true that is, but i can certainly see the value in it all.
right on kiel…
ps. is that a german name?
Hey Matt,
I just read an article in The Christian Post about what you’re talking about.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080206/31091_More_Evangelicals_Value_Lent_Disciplines.htm
And my name probably is German, but I don’t think it was planned that way.