The first day of Lent

Not all Christian churches observe Ash Wednesday or Lent. They are mostly observed by the Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican denominations, and also by Roman Catholics. Eastern Orthodox churches observe Lent or Great Lent, during the six weeks or 40 days preceding Palm Sunday with fasting continuing during the Holy Week of Easter. Lent for Eastern Orthodox churches begins on Monday and Ash Wednesday is not observed.

The Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday or the custom of Lent, however, the practice of repentance and mourning in ashes is found in 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Daniel 9:3; and Matthew 11:21.

In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. Lent is a forty-day liturgical season that initiates the most sacred part of the Christian year. Sundays are not included in the forty-day count because every Sunday is a joyful celebration of our Lord’s resurrection.

The word Lent is apparently derived from the Old English lencten, which means “lengthen.” It refers to the lengthening of the daylight hours that occurs in the northern hemisphere as spring approaches. It is in this period of transition from late winter to early spring that the season of Lent falls.

The duration of the season of Lent is based on the ancient church custom of requiring catechumens to undergo a 40-day period of doctrinal instruction and fasting before being baptised on the evening before Easter. This probationary period was called the quarantine (from the Latin word for forty). The number 40 occurs frequently in both testaments of the Bible. It signifies the time that is required for discipline, testing, and separation prior to achieving a goal or new beginning

While Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, all Roman Catholics are encouraged to attend Mass today to mark the beginning of the Lenten season. During Mass, the ashes which give Ash Wednesday its name are distributed. The ashes are made by burning the blessed palms that were distributed the previous year on Palm Sunday.

After the priest blesses the ashes and sprinkles them with holy water, the faithful come forward to receive them.

The distribution of ashes reminds worshippers of their own mortality and calls them 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 are a reminder of man’s sinfulness, and many Catholics leave them on their foreheads all day as a sign of humility.