It’s that one day of the year when we walk around with ashes on our foreheads. Non-Christians tell us that we have something on our foreheads, but we wear the ashes faithfully throughout the whole day, which we know as Ash Wednesday. We as Catholics are not alone in our practice; Anglicans, Episcopalians, and Lutherans all go to Church too to celebrate this day. Although Ash Wednesday is not considered a Holy Day of Obligation, one of the biggest crowds of the year comes to Church, next to Christmas Day and Easter Day. Ash Wednesday traditionally marks the beginning of the season of Lent, in preparation for Easter. We never really have thought of this tradition as a big deal but there is more meaning that just wiping Ashes on our forehead during this day.
It is pretty obvious the Bible gives us clues on how to live our lives. Similarly, it also gives us clues on how to celebrate important moments. The Jewish rebels, the Maccabees, used ashes to prepare for battle: : “That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes” (1 Mc 3:47; see also 4:39). The prophet Jeremiah speaks about repentance with ashes, “O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes” (Jer 6:26) The prophet Jonah also speaks about the ashes when he finally follows God’s plan for him to teach in the city of Nineveh. Jonah’s speeches were so inspirational, they spread all over the city of Nineveh and the repentance involved ashes, “When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes” (Jon 3:6). The Bible constantly has examples of using ashes for many different purposes.
The mentions in the Bible about ashes did not go unnoticed by the common people. The first time ashes used in the Catholic Church was during the 11th Century when it was noted by the Pope that many Catholics were taking part in a short ceremony with ashes to celebrate the start of Lent. Their ceremony was not an official celebration, just a small gathering Catholics had the option of taking place in. Later that year, Pope Urban II announced that day to mark the beginning of Lent with the use of ashes. The name eventually became Ash Wednesday as time grew on. During the 12th Century, people grew accustomed to the rule that the ashes had to be created from the palms used from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
The tradition of ashes shifted its focus to repentance, especially with the readings. The purpose to have the ashes on our forehead is to acknowledge sin and show we need repentance and renewal from God. The readings for Ash Wednesday are particularly chosen to remind us about returning back to God during the season of Lent. The season of Lent is to help us “return” back to God and follow his ways again. We are seeking God during this season, sometimes by using sacrifice, and other times by doing little things for one another each day.
