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Why do we receive ashes on Ash Wednesday? |
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By Father Michael Van Sloun - For The Catholic Spirit
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 |
 The imposition of ashes is a solemn ritual that signals the beginning of the holy season of Lent. The ceremony is distinctive; there is no liturgical action like it throughout the entire church year.
The ashes come from a previous Palm Sunday. The palms are burned, the
ashes collected and then crushed into a fine, sooty powder and placed
into bowls.
The ashes are blessed by the priest during the Ash Wednesday Mass —
Feb. 25 this year — after the homily. Then, in a Communion-like
procession, those who wish come forward, and the ashes are applied to
each person’s forehead in the shape of a cross as the minister says
either, “Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15), the
usual prayer, or “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall
return” (Genesis 1:13), the older, more traditional invocation.
Ashes symbolize two main things in the Old Testament.
Ashes represent death
Ashes are equivalent to dust, and human flesh is composed of dust
or clay (Genesis 2:7), and when a human corpse decomposes, it returns
to dust or ash.
For example, Abraham told God, “I am but dust and ashes” (Genesis
18:27), a reference to his human mortality. Jeremiah described death as
a “valley of corpses and ashes” (Jeremiah 31:40).
Ashes are an ominous sign, and we use them on Ash Wednesday to remind
ourselves of our own impending deaths. Death may come sooner, or it may
come later, but it will surely come. And if death is coming, we need to
be prepared, and the time to prepare for death is now, and the way to
prepare is to live according to God’s ways.
Ashes stand for repentance
When the prophet Daniel shamefacedly clothed himself in sackcloth
and ashes, they were a sign of his people’s contrition for their
rebellion, wickedness and treachery (Daniel 9:3).
When Jonah warned the Ninevites that God planned to destroy their city
because of their corruption and depravity, the people covered
themselves with sackcloth and ashes as a sign of their intention to
turn from their evil ways (Jonah 3:6,10).
Ashes are a plea to God for mercy and compassion, pardon and forgiveness.
Moreover, they are a public admission of guilt, an expression of sorrow
for sins that have been committed, a promise to reform and a pledge to
resist temptation in the future.
We, too, are sinners. When we come forward to receive ashes on Ash
Wednesday, we are saying that we are sorry for our sins, and that we
want to use the season of Lent to correct our faults, purify our
hearts, control our desires and grow in holiness so we will be prepared
to celebrate Easter with great joy.
Father Michael Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen Parish in Anoka, Minn
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