Remember You Are Dust...

 ( FAQ's about Ash Wednesday are below!)
While working for a parish, we had a maxim: More people come to Mass when we are giving away something.

Translation: Ash Wednesday.... Palm Sunday...

For some reason, even the nominal Catholics manage to make it to Mass on Ash Wednesday. Perhaps it is because they believe it is a holy day of obligation ( it is not)...but if it gets them there, we'll take it.

After the excesses of Mardi Gras ( and perhaps a paczki or two too many), Ash Wednesday is a subdued celebration.

Celebration?

Yes. It is the beginning of our own, personal desert experience modeled after Jesus' own 40 days fighting temptation and the Israelites' 40 years of wandering.  We set before ourselves a challenge- to enter this time of preparation and use it to become closer to the Lord, and- as I have said before- to become better people on Easter Sunday than we were on Ash Wednesday.

By now, we each should have looked into our hearts and found them in need of spring cleaning. The sacrifices and challenges we choose for ourselves are often more difficult than someone else would choose for us- and we also judge our compliance more harshly. So much so, that- like New Year's resolutions, many a Lenten promise falls by the wayside, never to be taken up again.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan  reminds us not to get discouraged, "We’ve got a Lord who’s not so much concerned with what we’ve done in the past as with what we’re doing today- so cast out into the deep!”

So if you miss a day of exercise, toss a piece of candy in your mouth absentmindedly, or forget to pray.... that's alright.

It's not a sin. Your Lenten sacrifice is between you and the Big Guy. Start again. However many times you need to- just keep going, keep trying.

...and when Easter Sunday dawns, you can walk out of the tomb a better person than you are today. 

Why ashes?

The ashes represent the old sackcloth-and-ashes penances of the old days. They also remind us that everything we do in this life will end up as nothing but ash- and that includes our own lives. Hence the phrase uttered as the ashes are imposed: Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return. ( "Repent and believe in the Gospel" is the other option, but it sure lacks the punch of the former)

It is only through the Cross of Jesus Christ that anything we say or do in this life as any value. Those ashes are a stark and humbling reminder.

Where do the ashes come from?

Traditionally, the ashes are from the burning of  old Palm Sunday palms. Nowadays, most churches order their ashes from a church supply company. For sign value, some churches will burn the palms for their Ash Wednesday use....  hopefully after they cool- and it takes some time for them to cool, as many have learned the hard way!

Can only Catholics receive ashes?

Ashes are a sacramental, and are not limited to reception by Catholics. An increasing number of non-Catholic churches are having Ash Wednesday services and non-Catholics may receive ashes at an Catholic church. Non-Catholics may not receive the Eucharist or other sacraments at a Catholic church.

How long must I leave the ashes on my forehead?

There is no rule about leaving them. If your job requires it, you may wash them off after the Mass/ service. However, the ashes are a powerful sign! In 2001, I had some business to attend to on Ash Wednesday, immediately after morning Mass. On woman I met with pointed out to me that I had "some dirt" on my forehead. She was Presbyterian and her church was having its first-ever ash service that evening. We had a wonderful discussion about ashes, Lent and Lenten practices in our faiths!

Some siblings have contests to see who can keep the ashes visible the longest....until Mom makes them wash their faces!

Who must abstain from meat?

Catholics age 14 and older should abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. Younger than 14? Teach them young! The difference is that younger those younger than 14 are not bound by the rule because they may not fully understand it.

As a side note, the point of abstaining from meat is to make a sacrifice. Bypassing steak and having lobster and shrimp instead is not exactly a sacrifice. These meatless meals should be simple and sacrificial. Traditional Lenten meals in the Alderman home are : Potato Pancakes, Potato Soup, Homemade Pierogies, Macaroni and Cheese, Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, Fish and Tater Tots, Tuna Casserole, Spaghetti and  Meatless Sauce

How does fasting work?

Catholics who are age 18 and have not yet reached their 65th birthday are obligated to fast. Fasting means they may eat one complete meal, and the balance of the food eaten during the day should not be greater than  a one-meal amount. Days of fast are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.