This coming Wednesday, Christians throughout the world will begin Lent, an extended period of preparation for the celebration of the Easter Mystery. In all but a few Christian churches, people will receive ashes on their foreheads. Have you ever wondered when this custom started, what does it mean, and how does it fit into Lent?
            Ashes are used to symbolize one of the three threads in our contemporary observance of Lent. Made from last year’s palms, the ashes are an outward sign of one’s inner desire to repent, to change. One of the acclamations used for the imposition of ashes, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” is meant to be a wake- up call--life is short, and we need to “put our house in order.”  Still another acclamation, “Repent and believe the good news” points to its being a sign of repentance. In an Old Testament story, the king of Nineveh is moved to repent after hearing Jonah’s preaching. He then, places ashes on his head and dons sackcloth.  This is but one example of its signification in our Jewish roots. Receiving ashes on Wednesday is a commitment to change our lives and live them more fully according to God’s will.
      The penitential mood of Lent derived from the Order of Penitents. In the early centuries of the Church, at the beginning of Lent, public sinners who wished to be reconciled with the church entered the Order of Penitents. Not only would they receive ashes, they would have a reserved place in the church.  Like the Catechumens, they would be dismissed after the Liturgy of the Word. On Holy Thursday, the bishop would reconcile them with the church.
      A second thread is fasting. Originally, Lent was observed as a time of fasting--to prepare for Easter. How long they fasted varied from church to church. In some places the fasting was limited to Good Friday and Holy Saturday, whereas in others the fasting was required for forty days. We have a remnant of this in the requirement to fast and abstain on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  Though not required, we are encouraged to keep the Easter Fast.  That is, to fast and abstain during the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
      A third thread in the Church’s observance of Lent is Baptism. The women and men in the Catechumenate preparing to be baptized and brought into our Catholic faith community, use Lent as a time of more intense preparation for Baptism. This usually happens at the Easter Vigil. We can pick up this thread by praying for catechumens and also reflecting on our Baptism and what God did to and continues to do to us.
      At the back of the church there are booklets and Lenten calendars to help with this practice.