14/02/2024
Catholic fact of the day
My friend asked me where Ash Wednesday came from so I also divulge here
One of the earliest accounts of Israelites using ashes to show their mourning or repentance was when Jacob mourned for his son, in Genesis 27. Later, after King David had sinned by taking Uriah's wife and then having him killed. In 2 Samuel 12v16, David fasts, wears sackcloth and sits on the bare ground. He also composes Psalm 51, the miserere. Other accounts are in Lamentations 20 and Joel 1 (and many more)
Wearing sackcloth, fasting, and pouring ashes or dust over oneself was an outward sign of mourning, repentance and humility. It was supposed to inspire others to do the same. Sometimes, whole cities or villages would hold a public fast, such as in Joel 2 or in Genesis, after Jonah had preached repentance in Niniveh. All the people from greatest to the least, would fast, pray, give alms and repent for personal or common sins.
In the new testament, John the Baptist dresses in sackcloth and fasts often in order to become a public sign of repentance and to challenge the religious and political powers of his time. Later on, Jesus sees that others have used public fasting as a way to look righteous before people. He then encourages his followers, in Mathew 6, not to make a show of their fasting and almsgiving, so that they may be rewarded by the Father, who sees all that is in secret. This was to highlight the humble disposition of a Christian when they fast or give alms.
The Ashes used on Ash Wednesday are dried palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. The palms we use to remember the people of Jerusalem welcoming Jesus are now burned. These ashes remind us that we haven't always welcomed Him and deepen our sense of repentance. These ashes are not to be used as an outward show of one's holiness, but as a reminder to ourselves and others, of our need for God's grace, and of course, in remembrance of biblical tradition.
A blessed Lent to all!
