Ok, I couldn’t possibly tell you everything you need to know about Ash Wednesday and Lent. I don’t think anyone really could. But I will tell you what I have learned.

And I must confess, I didn’t actually go to an Ash Wednesday Mass. I wanted to – it was actually the entire reason I chose the Catholic Church for February. But I was running a fever all day, and I didn’t want to infect anyone. So instead of telling you about my experience with Ash Wednesday, I will explain Ash Wednesday and Lent.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, and it marks the beginning of a season of fasting, penance, and reflection. It is so named for the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents. The ashes usually are the remains of burned palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. In the Catholic tradition, the priest christens the ashes with Holy Water and places them on the forehead in the shape of a cross. The priest reminds each person, ”Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return.”

These words, along with the alternate phrase “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”, reaffirm the call for continual conversion and holiness of life. The act itself is a symbol. The ashes remind each person of their own mortality.  This is why those receiving the ashes refuse to wash them off right away. They prefer to leave the symbol on their foreheads the whole day, reminding themselves and others of mortality and the need for a Savior.

Lent is the season between Ash Wednesday and Easter, though it is important to note that Easter is not only a day but an Octave (eight day) celebration leading to a Season of the Church, Easter Season, which ends on Pentecost.

In Catholic tradition, there are three pillars of Lenten observance: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Prayer seems like a rather obvious one. Clearly during this season of Lent, one should be spending more time in prayer to draw closer to God. According to Catholic.org, “We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully. We might pray for the elect who will be baptized at Easter and support their conversion journey by our prayer. We might pray for all those who will celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with us during Lent that they will be truly renewed in their baptismal commitment.”

The second pillar of Lent, fasting, is what is most closely associated with this season. The idea of fasting has become increasingly common in Protestant circles, with many giving up sweets, caffeine, or social media. It is important to note, though, that fasting should be more than just giving up something. It should be used in addition to prayer, as a way to increase our hunger for the Lord. Catholics tend to be more traditional when fasting; they give up meat on Fridays, and strive to remember the true reason for this abstinence.

The final pillar of Lent, almsgiving, is as essential to Lent as the first two. Almsgiving is the act of giving materially to another. In the Catholic faith, it usually involves giving monetarily to charity. It is a way of acknowledging the blessings bestowed upon you while sharing them with others.

This post could go on and on about Scrutinies, Penance, and the Stations of the Cross, but I wouldn’t be able to do them justice. I’ve barely scratched the surface of Lent and the Catholic Church, but I’ve already learned a great deal more than I knew before.

And that is what matters, right?

If I got anything wrong in this post, feel free to correct me in the comments. I don’t wish to misrepresent anything.

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Image by Mandy Jansen - used under Creative Common License