Wednesday March 9th 2011 is Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of Lent in the Catholic Church, as well as many other Christian Churches. It occurs 46 days before Easter (40 days not including the Sundays), and is an allusion
to the 40 day period that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his ministry, a period in which he fasted and prayed and was tempted by the Devil.
Ash Wednesday is a day of prayer and repentance. During the ritual, the priest puts ashes, which are made from burning the ashes of the palms from Palm Sunday and mixing them with holy oil, on the forehead of each participant. As he does this he says, “Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return”, or “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”, or “Repent, and hear the good news”. The day of Ash Wednesday is traditionally a day of fasting, abstinence from eating meat, and repentance for sins.
The Pope celebrates Ash Wednesday every year in the Church of Santa Sabina, the station church for Ash Wednesday. Santa Sabina is a minor basilica and is the mother church of the Dominican order. It was built from 422-432, and it was given to Saint Dominic by Pope Honorius III in 1222. It is simple, but beautiful.
In his message for Lent this year, Pope Benedict says, “Communion with Christ in this life prepares us to overcome the barrier of death, so that we may live eternally with him. Faith in the resurrection of the dead and hope in eternal life open our eyes to the ultimate meaning of our existence: God created men and women for resurrection and life, and this truth gives an authentic and definitive meaning to human history, to the personal and social lives of men and women, to culture, politics and the economy. Without the light of faith, the entire universe finishes shut within a tomb devoid of any future, any hope”.
He continues, “The Lenten journey, in which we are invited to contemplate the Mystery of the Cross, is meant to reproduce within us "the pattern of his death" (Ph 3: 10), so as to effect a deep conversion in our lives; that we may be transformed by the action of the Holy Spirit, like St. Paul on the road to Damascus; that we may firmly orient our existence according to the will of God; that we may be freed of our egoism, overcoming the instinct to dominate others and opening us to the love of Christ. The Lenten period is a favorable time to recognize our weakness and to accept, through a sincere inventory of our life, the renewing Grace of the Sacrament of Penance, and walk resolutely towards Christ”.
Ash Wednesday is a day of prayer and repentance. During the ritual, the priest puts ashes, which are made from burning the ashes of the palms from Palm Sunday and mixing them with holy oil, on the forehead of each participant. As he does this he says, “Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return”, or “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”, or “Repent, and hear the good news”. The day of Ash Wednesday is traditionally a day of fasting, abstinence from eating meat, and repentance for sins.
The Pope celebrates Ash Wednesday every year in the Church of Santa Sabina, the station church for Ash Wednesday. Santa Sabina is a minor basilica and is the mother church of the Dominican order. It was built from 422-432, and it was given to Saint Dominic by Pope Honorius III in 1222. It is simple, but beautiful.
In his message for Lent this year, Pope Benedict says, “Communion with Christ in this life prepares us to overcome the barrier of death, so that we may live eternally with him. Faith in the resurrection of the dead and hope in eternal life open our eyes to the ultimate meaning of our existence: God created men and women for resurrection and life, and this truth gives an authentic and definitive meaning to human history, to the personal and social lives of men and women, to culture, politics and the economy. Without the light of faith, the entire universe finishes shut within a tomb devoid of any future, any hope”.
He continues, “The Lenten journey, in which we are invited to contemplate the Mystery of the Cross, is meant to reproduce within us "the pattern of his death" (Ph 3: 10), so as to effect a deep conversion in our lives; that we may be transformed by the action of the Holy Spirit, like St. Paul on the road to Damascus; that we may firmly orient our existence according to the will of God; that we may be freed of our egoism, overcoming the instinct to dominate others and opening us to the love of Christ. The Lenten period is a favorable time to recognize our weakness and to accept, through a sincere inventory of our life, the renewing Grace of the Sacrament of Penance, and walk resolutely towards Christ”.
