Ashes to ashes, dust to dust: A Lenten reflection
MANILA, Philippines — Ash Wednesday officially opens the season of Lent. On this day, Catholics all over the world gather in churches for Mass and go through a particular rite: the rite of having ashes put on their foreheads in the form of a cross. This is done by the priest, who blesses the ash and sprinkles it with Holy Water before using it on the faithful.
The rite of having ashes put on one’s forehead is an act of submission to God and acknowledgment of His power and dominion over mankind. It is also like an admission that man came from dust and to dust everyone shall return.
But have you ever wondered where the ash that the priest puts on your forehead comes from? Have you found your answer? Well, the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from the palm branches that were waved and blessed on Palm Sunday of the previous year. Parish priests ask church-goers to bring them to the church premises on a certain date. These are collected and, on the designated time, burned together into ash then used to put a grayish black cross on the forehead of the faithful during Mass on Ash Wednesday.
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