Contributing Editor to Crosswalk.com
Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the
beginning of Lent and is always 46
days before Easter Sunday. Lent is a
40-day season (not counting Sun-
days) marked by repentance, fasting, reflec-
tion, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day
period represents Christ’s time of temptation
in the wilderness, where he fasted and where
Satan tempted him. Lent asks believers to
set aside a time each year for similar fasting,
marking an intentional season of focus on
Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resur-
rection.
Who Celebrates Ash Wednesday?
Have you ever noticed how once a year,
usually in February or March, there are a lot
of people walking around with an ash cross
on their foreheads? You probably knew it
had something to do with Lent, but you wer-
en’t sure why the ash cross was significant.
Or maybe, you grew up in a Catholic or
Protestant church that held Ash Wednesday
services each year, and so you’re already
familiar with the service, but aren’t too sure
about the history of Ash Wednesday and
Lent, and what they have to do with the
Christian faith. If you want to learn more
about this important day in the liturgical
calendar and why so many celebrate Ash.
Often called the Day of Ashes, Ash
Wednesday starts Lent by focusing the
Christian’s heart on repentance and prayer,
usually through personal and communal
confession. This happens during a special
Ash Wednesday service.
What is the Meaning of Ash Wednes-
day and What Happens?
During Mass (for Catholics) or worship
service (for Protestants), the priest or pastor
will usually share a sermon that is peniten-
tial and reflective in nature. The mood is
solemn – many In many congregations, the
ashes are prepared by burning palm branch-
es from the previous Palm Sunday. On Palm
Sunday, churches bless and hand out palm
branches to attendees, a reference to the
Gospels’ account of Jesus’ triumphal entry
into Jerusalem, when onlookers lay palm
branches on his path.
The ashes of this holiday symbolize two
main things: death and repentance. “Ashes
are equivalent to dust, and human flesh is
composed of dust or clay (Genesis 2:7), and
when a human corpse decomposes, it re-
turns to dust or ash.” services will have long
periods of silence and worshipers will often
leave the service in silence.
Usually, there is a responsive passage of
Scripture, usually centered around con-
fession, read aloud about the leader and
congregation. Attendees will experience
communal confession, as well as moments
where they are prompted to silently confess
sins and pray.
After all of this, the congregation will be
invited to receive the ashes on their fore-
heads. Usually, as the priest or pastor will
dip his finger into the ashes, spread them
in a cross pattern on the forehead, and say,
“From dust you came and from dust you will
return.”
Where do the Ashes Come from and
What do the Ashes Symbolize?
“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” (The Catho-
licSpirit.com).
With this focus on our own mortality and
sinfulness, Christians can enter into the Lent
season solemnly, while also looking forward
in greater anticipation and joy of the mes-
sage of Easter and Christ’s ultimate victory
over sin and death.
The essence of Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before
Easter Sunday and marks the beginning of
the Lenten season. Lent is traditionally a
40-day fast — a reference to the time Jesus
spent being tempted in the desert — that
seeks to prepare the heart of the believer for
the solemn remembrance of Jesus’ death. It
concludes and is followed by a joyous Easter
Sunday celebration of the resurrection of
Christ. For more information on when Lent
is, visit our When Does Lent Start and End?
article.
Ash Wednesday is a penitent service that
uses ash to mark the sign of the cross on the
believer’s forehead, symbolizing our sinful
nature and need for salvation. The Catholic
church usually uses the ashes of Palm Sun-
day branches from the previous year’s Palm
Sunday service.
Does the Bible Say Anything about
Ash Wednesday?
While the Bible does not mention the cel-
ebration of Ash Wednesday or command its
practice, the Bible does mention ashes and
dust in several places. The use of ashes in the
Old Testament onward symbolized mourn-
ing, repentance, and the frailty of humanity.
“By the sweat of your brow you will eat
your food until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken; for dust you
are and to dust you will return.” —Genesis
3:19
“When Mordecai learned of all that had
been done, he tore his clothes, put on sack-
cloth and ashes, and went out into the city,
wailing loudly and bitterly.” —Esther 4:1
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes
have seen you. Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.” —Job 42:5-6
“All go to the same place; all come from
dust, and to dust all return.” —Ecclesiastes
3:20
“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded
with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,
and in sackcloth and ashes.” —Daniel 9:3
“The Ninevites believed God. A fast was
proclaimed, and all of them, from the
greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When
Jonah’s warning reached the king of Ninev-
eh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal
robes, covered himself with sackcloth and
sat down in the dust.” —Jonah 3:5-6
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were
performed in you had been performed in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented
long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” —Matthew
11:21
