Ash Wednesday – Lenten Preparation
by Marianne Buzzelli
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. The season of Lent is 46 days before Easter Sunday. In the Catholic Church the day is observed by fasting, abstinence from meat, and penance. It is on Ash Wednesday that we begin our preparation for the great celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. We recognize the significance of 40 days of fasting in preparation for Easter in imitation of the life of Jesus. We hear in the Gospels how Jesus prepared for each significant event in his ministry during his life by going away in private to fast and pray. He went into the desert to fast and pray before he began his public ministry. It was through this act of fasting and prayer that Jesus sought and received the understanding of God’s will for his life. Jesus gives us this example of the significance of solitude in our conversation with God, as well as the discipline of fasting in gaining control of our bodies as we allow ourselves to hear God’s will.
On Ash Wednesday Catholics and other Christians (Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians) receive the sign of the cross made with ashes on their foreheads. Ashes were used in ancient times as was noted in the books of the Old Testament as a sign of mourning and repentance.
Reflection: Let us begin our 40 days of preparation for the resurrection of Our Lord by offering Jesus our little sacrifices of time, service, fasting, alms, and prayer. And, offer up our sacrifices for the conversion of souls and our own holiness. The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Lent provides an excellent resource for spiritual growth and development during your lenten preparation for Christ.
