Relevance of "Ash Wednesday"

Fr. Paul Lelen Haokip *

Ashes imposed on the forehead of a Christian on Ash Wednesday. :: Pix - Oxh973 / Wikipedia.org

Introduction:

It may appear strange to people to see Catholics smeared with black ashes on a particular day of the year. We also see a good practice of the Hindus wearing 'chandon' (sandal wood paste) on their forehead before worship of the Almighty God. For the Roman Catholics (1.2 billions), Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the season of preparation (46 days in particular) for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. This year (2013) it falls on the 13th February, just a day before Valentine's Day. (In Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, Lent begins two days earlier, on Clean Monday). This day reminds us of the mortality of life and the true nature of beings – dust.

Scripture related with Ash Wednesday:

Joel 2:12-18, Psalms 51:3-6, 12-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

The Distribution of Ashes:

During the Holy Mass (Eucharistic celebration), the ashes which give Ash Wednesday its name are blessed by the priest and holy water sprinkled. The priest dips his right thumb in the ashes and making the Sign of the Cross on each person's forehead, says, "Remember, man, that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return" (Genesis 3:19b). The ashes are made by burning the blessed palms that were distributed the previous year on Palm Sunday.

A Day of Repentance:

The ashes remind us of our own mortality and calls us to repentance. In the early Church, Ash Wednesday was the day on which those who had sinned, and who wished to be readmitted to the Church, would begin their public penance. The ashes that we receive are a reminder of our own sinfulness, and many Catholics leave them on their foreheads all day as a sign of humility.

Fasting and Abstinence Required:

The Church emphasizes the penitential nature of Ash Wednesday by calling us to fast and abstain from meat. Catholics who are over the age of 18 and under the age of 60 are required to fast, which means that they can eat only one complete meal and two smaller ones during the day, with no food in between. Catholics who are over the age of 14 are required to refrain from eating any meat, or any food made with meat on Ash Wednesday. Greater meaning of fasting leads us to share the sufferings and poverty of people around us.

Fasting and abstinence become complete when what has been sacrificed is given to the needy. This fasting and abstinence is not simply a form of penance, however; it is also a call for us to take stock of our spiritual lives. As Lent begins, we should set out specific spiritual goals we would like to reach before Easter and decide how we will pursue them—for instance, by going to daily Mass when we can and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation more often.

How Are the 40 Days of Lent Calculated?

Similar to the Islamic law of 40 days fast during Ramzan, Lent is the period of prayer, fasting, abstinence and almsgiving. It is 40 days long, but there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar and Easter. How can that be? The answer takes us back to the earliest days of the Church. Christ's original disciples, who were Jewish, grew up with the idea that the Sabbath—the day of worship and of rest—was Saturday, the seventh day of the week, since the account of creation in Genesis says that God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2).

Christ rose from the dead, however, on Sunday, the first day of the week, and the early Christians, starting with the apostles (those original disciples), saw Christ's Resurrection as a new creation, and so they transferred the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Since all Sundays—and not simply Easter Sunday—were days to celebrate Christ's Resurrection, Christians were forbidden to fast and do other forms of penance on those days. Therefore, when the Church expanded the period of fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter from a few days to 40 days (to mirror Christ's fasting in the desert, before He began His public ministry – Matthew 4:1-11), Sundays could not be included in the count.

Thus, in order for Lent to include 40 days on which fasting could occur, it had to be expanded to six full weeks (with six days of fasting in each week) plus four extra days—Ash Wednesday and the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday that follow it. Six times six is thirty-six, plus four equals forty. And that's how we arrive at the 40 days of Lent!

Why Don't Roman Catholics Sing the 'Alleluia' During Lent?

Throughout the Roman Catholic Liturgical year, the Catholic Church makes certain changes to the Mass to reflect the liturgical season. Next to the change in the color of the priest's vestments, the absence of the 'Alleluia' during Lent is probably the most obvious. The 'Alleluia' comes to us from Hebrew, and it means "Praise Yahweh."

Traditionally, it has been seen as the chief term of praise of the choirs of angels, as they worship around the throne of God in Heaven. It is, therefore, a term of great joy, and our use of the 'Alleluia' during Mass is a way of participating in the angels' worship. It is also a reminder that the Kingdom of Heaven is already established on earth, in the form of the Church, and that our participation in Mass is a participation in Heaven.

During Lent, however, our focus is on the Kingdom coming, not on the Kingdom having come. The readings in the Masses for Lent and in the Liturgy of the Hours focus heavily on the spiritual journey of Old Testament Israel toward the coming of Christ, and the salvation of mankind in His death and resurrection. We too are on a spiritual journey toward the Second Coming and our future life in Heaven. In order to emphasize that journey, the Church, during Lent, removes the 'Alleluia' from the Mass. We no longer sing with the choirs of angels; instead, we acknowledge our sins and practice repentance so that one day we may again have the privilege of worshiping God as the angels do.

The Return of the 'Alleluia' at Easter:

'Alleluia' returns triumphantly on Easter Sunday or rather at the Easter Vigil, on Holy Saturday night when the priest chants a triple 'Alleluia' before he reads the Gospel, and everyone present responds with a triple 'Alleluia'. The Lord is risen; the Kingdom has come; our joy is complete; and in concert with the angels and saints, we greet the risen Lord with shouts of "Alleluia!" During the 'Lent', instead of 'Alleluia' we use "Glory and Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:11) an acceptable substitute.

Conclusion:

In the Gospel for Ash Wednesday, Jesus tells His disciples not to "change the appearance of their faces" when they fast, and to "wash your face." But don't we do just the opposite when we get ashes put on our forehead? That's a very good question! The fact that the Church has read this Gospel (Matthew 6:16-18) for centuries on Ash Wednesday is a good clue that there's more here than meets the eye. What Christ is telling His disciples to avoid is hypocrisy. Those who "changed the appearance of their faces," He was saying, did not change their hearts. They wanted people to see outward signs of repentance and to assume that they had changed.

That's not the purpose of the Catholic Church's distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday. The Church doesn't tell us that we have to keep the ashes on our forehead all day long (although many people do, and there's nothing wrong with that). That's because the Church marks us with ashes not to make a statement to others, but to remind us of our own mortality and sinfulness (and, since the ashes are blessed, to strengthen us on our Lenten journey).

Ash Wednesday opens the door for us to enter the holy time of LENT. It a time for restoration phase when enemies are reduced, virtues are multiplied, wrong doers are forgiven. Most of all it reminds us of the love of God for us to return to him. Prayer, fasting and abstinence go along with almsgiving, generosity and worship. Just as every big event in life needs preparation, so do we prepare for the coming Easter celebration throughout this Lent season.