HAPPY ASH WEDNESDAY!

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

From your friendly neiborhood Pagan. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

What are the ash on the forhead suppose to represent? I do know that today is lent, in which catholics give up something til Good Friday, but can't for the life of me remember what the ash is for. /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

From your friendly neiborhood Pagan. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

What are the ash on the forhead suppose to represent? I do know that today is lent, in which catholics give up something til Good Friday, but can't for the life of me remember what the ash is for. /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

[Naturist Mark]

It's not just Catholics, the wearing of ashes has been gaining ground among Episcopalians, Lutherans, Prysbyterians and Methodists in recent years.

The wearing of ashes (and dressing in sackcloth) is an ancient Hebrew custom denoting repentance and mourning. In Christian custom the ashes are made from burned palm fronds used in the previous years Palm Sunday celebration (the Sunday before Easter that commemorates Jesus triumphant return to Jerusalem).

Lent consists of the 40 days before Easter -not counting the 4 Sundays which are not technically part of Lent. Those 40 days are meant to correspond to the 40 days Jesus spent alone, fasting, in the wilderness in contemplation and reflection in preparation for his ministry.

-Mark

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

Recycling!
Waste not want not!