Ash Wednesday...I have a vague memory of Ash Wednesday as a child. I have good memories of going to the Catholic church, the smell, the ritual, the beauty, the holy water. Even as a child the spirituality of it all, the mystery, appealed to me.
And now I'm deciding whether to go to an Ash Wednesday service. Below is a quick explanation of Ash Wednesday.
"Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.
Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality. The service focuses on both themes, helping us to realize that both have been triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
During some Ash Wednesday services, the minister will lightly rub the sign of the cross with ashes onto the foreheads of worshipers. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship. Historically, ashes signified purification and sorrow for sins.
It is traditional to save the palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday service to burn to produce ashes for this service. Sometimes a small card or piece of paper is distributed on which each person writes a sin or hurtful or unjust characteristic. The cards are then brought to the altar to be burned with the palm branches. The ash cross on the forehead is an outward sign of our sorrow and repentance for sins."
And now I'm deciding whether to go to an Ash Wednesday service. Below is a quick explanation of Ash Wednesday.
"Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.
Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality. The service focuses on both themes, helping us to realize that both have been triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
During some Ash Wednesday services, the minister will lightly rub the sign of the cross with ashes onto the foreheads of worshipers. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship. Historically, ashes signified purification and sorrow for sins.
It is traditional to save the palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday service to burn to produce ashes for this service. Sometimes a small card or piece of paper is distributed on which each person writes a sin or hurtful or unjust characteristic. The cards are then brought to the altar to be burned with the palm branches. The ash cross on the forehead is an outward sign of our sorrow and repentance for sins."
— Adapted from The United Methodist Book of Worship
I haven't been to a Catholic church in decades! Hmmmm...I think I'll go. I think it may be the perfect way to begin this Lenten Season. We'll see.
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish
6:00 & 9:00 AM Mass with Distribution of Ashes
12:00 PM Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes
4:00 PM Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes for Youth
5:30 PM Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes
7:30 PM Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes
12:00 PM Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes
4:00 PM Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes for Youth
5:30 PM Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes
7:30 PM Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes
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