Ash Wednesday

In many churches it is the custom on this day to sprinkle the worshiper with ashes. In the Congregational Church we do not observe this practice, but we do observe Ash Wednesday as the beginning of Lent.

We do not know exactly when the Christian practice of sprinkling ashes began. Some scholars think it might be alluded to by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. Then, also, there is a verse in the Book of Daniel that links fasting to ashes, and some scholars believe this is the origin of the Lenten practice.

We do know that it officially became a practice of the Church sometime in the 11th Century A.D..

About the Ashes:

The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are surprisingly eco-friendly. On Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, many churches pass out palm fronds like those used to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem days before his crucifixion. Some churches save those palms to burn them and make the ashes that are applied to peoples' foreheads roughly eleven months later.

Should we fast on Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting. For many Christians, that doesn't mean abstaining from food completely: Instead, observers of the holy day should limit themselves to one whole meal plus two smaller meals that, when added up, don't equal a meal they would eat on a normal day. Christians marking Ash Wednesday should also avoid eating meat like they would on Fridays during Lent. (Filet-o-fish is still fine to eat, though.)

It Is An Important Day:

Ash Wednesday holds great meaning for all Christians as they enter Lent. Here are a few lovely and gracious thoughts about Ash Wednesday, as offered by the noted Roman Catholic, Pope Francis – thus the mention of “we” referring to those who do receive a sprinkle of ashes on this day. But though we are not among those who observe this practice, his thoughts for Lent are loving and edifying.

Ash Wednesday Homily

We begin the Lenten Season by receiving ashes: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (cf. Gen 3:19). The dust sprinkled on our heads brings us back to earth; it reminds us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. We are weak, frail and mortal.

Centuries and millennia pass and we come and go; before the immensity of galaxies and space, we are nothing. We are dust in the universe. Yet we are dust loved by God. It pleased the Lord to gather that dust in His hands and to breathe into it the breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7). We are thus a dust that is precious, destined for eternal life. We are the dust of the earth, upon which God has poured out His heaven, the dust that contains His dreams. We are God’s hope, His treasure and His glory.

Ashes are thus a reminder of the direction of our existence: a passage from dust to life. We are dust, earth, clay, but if we allow ourselves to be shaped by the hands of God, we become something wondrous. More often than not, though, especially at times of difficulty and loneliness, we only see our dust! But the Lord encourages us: in His eyes, our littleness is of infinite value. So let us take heart: we were born to be loved; we were born to be children of God.

Excerpt from Pope Francis Ash Wednesday Homily February 26, 2020