Ash Wednesday is the 7th Wednesday [6th February – this year] before Easter Sunday and marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. The name comes from the ancient practise of placing ashes on worshippers’ heads or foreheads as a sign of humility before God, representing a symbol of mourning and sorrow at the death that sin brings into the world. It not only foreshadows the mourning because of the death of Christ, it also places the worshipper in a position to realise the result of sin.
Ash Wednesday is meant to be a serious day of reflection for the Christian. He or she should take this time to make a firm determination to make changes in their lives and fully embrace Christ-likeness. It is not about solely giving up things, but taking on the person of Jesus Christ.
Historically, in the early church, ashes were not offered to everyone. This was reserved for those worshippers who had made a public confession of sin and sought to be restored to the fellowship of the community at the celebration of Easter. Over a period of time this practise changed and the imposition of ashes was extended to the entire congregation in services very similar to those that are now observed in the liturgical Christian churches on Ash Wednesday.
From a biblical stance, Ashes are a symbol of bereavement and atonement. During bible times it was customary to fast, wear sackcloth, and sit in dust and ashes. If you read the Old Testament you will find that Blessed ashes have always been used in rituals to suggest atonement: [Numbers 19, 2nd Samuel 13:12-19, Ester 4:1-4,Jeremiah 6:22-26]. Further it can be said that they also symbolise death and remind us of our mortality. So when the priest places the ashes on your forehead, he will say, "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return,"
During the Lenten season I hope that you will meditate on and study the following psalms that reflect the season of Lent: psalms 95, 32, 143, 102, 37, 35, 42, 43, 138, 29, 61 and 68. I trust that new insights will be gained from purposefully reading and meditating of these readings.
This year to celebrate the start of lent try sending free e-cards to friends and family. They are a great way of reminding people about things, and also celebrating events. My favorite thing about them is that they are totally free, and that you can send them across the globe and they will still arrive instantly.
Ash Wednesday marks the official start of Lent, a period of forty days which is symbolic of Jesus Christ's forty day fast in the desert, during which devout Christians perform deeds of spiritual cleansing and penitence preceding the major festival of Easter.
A day of religious obligation, church worship and the receipt of the sacramental ashes for which the holiday is named, the holiday is the beginning of the fasting, praying, and giving of alms which characterizes Lent. This is done in preparation for receiving the supreme gift: Christ's ultimate sacrifice, his voluntary crucifixion.
This feat of dedication and purification, along with his miraculous resurrection, and its significance as the salvation of his followers, are the themes of prayer and intense contemplation.
The fast originally lasted forty hours in keeping with how long Christ was entombed, but over the centuries, as Christianity spread, the length of the season grew to Holy Week, then was extended to 36 days, or a tenth of the year, and the last addition was made with the establishment of Ash Wednesday and the three days that follow. Sundays are not counted as part of the forty days of Lent because they are already celebrated as the Lord's Day.
This holiday's dominant tradition is being marked by ashes as an outward sign of your repentance. This practice originated because early Christians who had committed serious sins were forced to do public penance, and one of the ways of singling those offenders out was to sprinkle ashes on the clothing made and worn specifically during the Lent season.
After receiving their ashen garments, they would not reappear in church until after they had passed the required 40 days atoning, ruminating, and imploring forgiveness for their transgressions.
The ceremonial ashes were historically and continue to be made of the consecrated palm leaves used during the previous year's Palm Sunday services. Many Christians worship and go through the ritual of the ashes on this day, as well as sacrifice some aspect of their daily life to demonstrate their devotion to God, their preparation for their own redemption, and to bring themselves closer to God by eliminating a distraction.
For some, this means a refusal of television or movies for the length of the season, for others certain foods, and for others still, activities that interfere with their devotion, such as athletic clubs, or other forms of social interaction.
Way over ten million e-cards are sent each year, and they can cover nearly any genre or event you want. They are environmentally friendly, and are gradually starting to take over the whole card market. Free e-cards sure will make your life that bit easier.
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