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March 6th – March 8th:
The priest blesses the ashes and imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, making the sign of the cross and saying, ‘Remember, man you are dust and to dust you shall return,’ or ‘Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter Sunday and marks the beginning of the Lenten season.
Lent is traditionally a 40–Day Fast, which is 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. 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 Sunday branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday service. While the Bible does not mention the celebration 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 mourning, 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 sackcloth 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 Nineveh, 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
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 Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, 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 resurrection. The use of ashes was adapted to mark the beginning of Lent, the 40–day preparation period (not including Sundays) for Easter. The ritual for the ‘Day of Ashes’ is found in the earliest editions of the Gregorian Sacramentary which dates at least to the 8th century. About the year 1000, an Anglo–Saxon priest named Aelfric preached, ‘We read in the books both in the Old Law and in 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.
Christians do not have to celebrate or partake in Ash Wednesday and Lenten season services and activities. There is nothing in the Bible requiring participation in the church tradition observances of Ash Wednesday or Lent. There is also nothing in the Bible about the requirement of attending Easter Sunday church services, but the Bible is clear about the resurrection and the gospel that they are to be observed and celebrated daily as well as in communion with other saints on church days. The Bible talks about a believer’s connection to their local church and how it is beneficial and necessary for learning and growth. The Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday on March 6, 2019; if you are following the 40 days tradition, Lent ends on Holy Saturday, April 20, 2019. However, in the Catholic tradition the "General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar," was updated in 1969 to say: "Lent runs from Ash Wednesday until the Mass of the Lord's Supper exclusive."