What is really Ash Wednesday?!
Answers: And Lent?
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. With all due respect to other Answer-ers, some Protestant denominations, such at Lutheran and Episcopalian, also observe Ash Wednesday and Lent.
Lent is the period of 40 days leading up to Easter, for many denominations of Christianity. Since Easter is the feast-day about the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, the period leading up to it is necessarily somewhat somber...in order to rise from the grave, one must be placed INTO the grave for some reason. In the case of Jesus, it is because of his crucifixion, which Christians generally believe "pays for" man's sin against God.
This is a very serious season for Christians who observe it -- a time to repent from one's own wrongdoing and to contemplate the great price that was paid for redemption. This is why many cultures celebrate "Carnaval" or "Mardi Gras" -- Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, as the last fun day before all the serious contemplation starts.
During Lent, many Christians choose to give up a particular pleasure -- TV, meat, dessert (it's a personal choice) -- as a reminder of Jesus' suffering. That can sound superfluous, but it's meant as a metaphor, not literally. Some choose to fast, except for water, the entire time. Some believe that since Sunday is a reminder of the resurrection, they can indulge on that day.
Ashes are a sign of repentance (as in "sackcloth and ashes"), so the ashes a priest applies to a Christian's (most often Catholic Christian's) forehead at Ash Wednesday Mass are symbolic of the person's desire for true repentance (turning away) from his or her sins.
I've tried to make this as objective as possible, so I would appreciate if others would refrain from nasty commentary. I realize there are differing opinions both within and outside of the Christian world. I am just reporting objective observation.
Yeah Feb 6 was ash wednesday. Its the start of lent until Mar 23
Ash Wednesday is more or less the start of Lent. They burn the palms from last year and make the ashes with it, when you go to church they put the ash on your forehead in the shape of a cross, it's too remind you to be humble and that we all came from dirt will go back to dirt, and to make you begin to think about your sins from the past year. Lent is the period from Ash Wednesday to Easter where Catholics fast and make other sacrifices in preparation for remembering the death of Christ. Of course it's much more involved than that, and entire books could be written about it, but that's the general idea.
These are both Catholic. Lent is the forty days of fasting and prayer before Easter. Usually, Catholics will give up something for those forty days as well. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, while Satan was trying to tempt him. You're basically preparing yourself for Easter, which is when Jesus died and came back to life.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, when Catholics usually go to church and the priest will mark their forehead with ash in the shape of a cross.
Don't really care. I'm not catholic.
? Ashes in the Bible ?
"O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes." (Jeremiah 6:26)
"I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes." (Daniel 9:3)
"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." (Jonah 3:6)
"And all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord." (Judith 4:11; see also 4:15 and 9:1)
"That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes." (1 Maccabees 3:47; see also 4:39)
Jesus refers to the use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes." (Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13)
? Ash Wednesday ?
As the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday calls us to the conversion journey that marks the season.
As those preparing to join the Church enter the final stage of their preparation for the Easter sacraments, we are all called to walk with them so that we will be prepared to renew our baptismal promises when Easter arrives.
When we receive ashes on our foreheads, we remember:
? Who we are
? That we are creatures of the earth
. "Remember that you are dust"
? That we are mortal beings
. "and to dust you will return"
? That we are baptized
? That we are people on a journey of conversion
. "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel"
? That we are members of the body of Christ
? That smudge on our foreheads will proclaim that identity to others, too
http://www.americancatholic.org/Newslett...
? Lent ?
The Catholic Church and many other Christians Churches follow the Biblical practice of Jesus Christ and the Jews in setting aside days where the entire Church fasts and prays as one in a attitude of constant renewal.
By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert and in spiritual preparation for the celebration of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
This season of penance is an intense moments of the Church's penitential practice and are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and charitable and missionary works.
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1438:
http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/p...
With love in Christ.
To noncatholics, its the day after Fat Tuesday, or the end of Mardi Gras, and after partying for a month the catholics agree to give up one temptation for forty days. Though, it used to be during lent, catholics gave up alcohol, tobacco, and dark meats and one thing of pleasure of thier using to teach them inner discipline.
Course this knowledge could only apply to new orleans and the surrounding area.
Note: its also very possible that lent and ash wednesday come from a pagan origin (rabbit, moon date - spring festival, tree ash,etc).
It's when i give up wearing deodorant for 40 days. Such a sacrifice!!!!
hrmm....
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It really means nothing. I have a feeling that it was made up so poor people would give away the little they had to people who did not need it.
? Ashes in the Bible ?
"O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes." (Jeremiah 6:26)
"I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes." (Daniel 9:3)
"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." (Jonah 3:6)
"And all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord." (Judith 4:11; see also 4:15 and 9:1)
"That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes." (1 Maccabees 3:47; see also 4:39)
Jesus refers to the use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes." (Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13)
? Ash Wednesday ?
As the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday calls us to the conversion journey that marks the season.
As those preparing to join the Church enter the final stage of their preparation for the Easter sacraments, we are all called to walk with them so that we will be prepared to renew our baptismal promises when Easter arrives.
When we receive ashes on our foreheads, we remember:
? Who we are
? That we are creatures of the earth
. "Remember that you are dust"
? That we are mortal beings
. "and to dust you will return"
? That we are baptized
? That we are people on a journey of conversion
. "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel"
? That we are members of the body of Christ
? That smudge on our foreheads will proclaim that identity to others, too
http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsle.....
? Lent ?
The Catholic Church and many other Christians Churches follow the Biblical practice of Jesus Christ and the Jews in setting aside days where the entire Church fasts and prays as one in a attitude of constant renewal.
By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert and in spiritual preparation for the celebration of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
This season of penance is an intense moments of the Church's penitential practice and are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and charitable and missionary works.
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1438:
http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text.....
u already got one really good answer, about the burning of the palms.(LENT) its a period of fasting in the catholic church. ash wednesady marks this day. catholics go to church on this d ay and recieve blessed ashes, and the priest utters these words " remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return" so we are reminded of our immortality...............so enjoy ur life its nota rehearsal...........
It's like Christmas for athletic facilities and fitness gyms.