THE HISTORY AND
SIGNIFICANCE OF ASH WEDNESDAY
Today is Ash Wednesday, the traditional start of
the Lenten season, which falls exactly forty-six days prior to Resurrection Day
or Easter. In some Christian traditions,
ashes are applied to the foreheads of Christians, signifying repentance for
sins. The observance of Ash Wednesday
dates back to the 8th century A.D. when it was called “Dies Cinerum,”
the day of ashes.
Aelfric, an Anglo-Saxon
abbot, gave us one of the earliest descriptions of this day: “We read in the
books, both in the Old Law and the New, that the men who repented of their sins
bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of
our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent
of our sins during the Lenten fast.” During
the Middle Ages, ashes were sprinkled on the entire head, rather than applied
to the forehead as is our practice today.
To underscore the seriousness of the observance of Lent, Aelfric wrote
about a man who refused to go to church to be anointed with ashes and was
accidentally killed while hunting. It
was indeed a serious day!
The practice of
pouring ashes on one’s body and dressing in sackcloth (a very rough material)
as an outer manifestation of inner repentance or mourning is an ancient
biblical practice. (Job 42:6 – II Samuel 13:19 – Esther 4:1-3 – Jeremiah 6:26 –
Ezekiel 27:30 – Daniel 9:3) Christ,
Himself, alludes to this practice in Matthew 11:21 – “Woe unto thee, Chorazin!
Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had
been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes.”
In the typical Ash
Wednesday service, believers are summoned to the altar to be anointed with
ashes prior to partaking in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Traditionally, the ashes are applied to the
forehead in the shape of the cross while the minister quotes the following
scripture: “For dust you are and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) Of course, this is the judgment of death that
God pronounced upon Adam and Eve subsequent to their disobedience and fall from
grace. On Ash Wednesday, it is a powerful
reminder of our own mortality and brief stewardship on earth. Additionally, it highlights our need to repent
and to fully surrender ourselves before the Christ and cross of Calvary.
Some Christians choose
to ‘wear’ their ashes all day long as a witness that, though all have sinned, salvation
is freely available through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ. Just like the Lenten season, Ash Wednesday is
never mentioned in the scriptures.
However, it is a meaningful celebration whenever it is observed with heartfelt
sincerity, true repentance and conscientious discernment of Christ’s
sacrifice. Otherwise, it is merely a superficial
act of ritual and religiosity.
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