Why Do Catholics Put Ashes on Their Foreheads?
Ash Wednesday is the solemn and sacred start to the liturgical season of Lent, a forty-day period of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter Sunday. The use of sackcloth and ashes to symbolize punishment is often seen in modern literature and art; however, the use of sackcloth and ash to denote penance is found in several books of the Bible. The Catholic practice of applying ash to the foreheads of believers has been traced to the eighth century.
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Biblical Foundation
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The Bible mentions sackcloth and ashes in several books: 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Daniel 9:3; and Matthew 11:21; Numbers 19:9 and 19:17; and Hebrews 9:13.In Jonah 3:1-10, upon hearing that the town of Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days, the people dressed in sackcloth and fasted for forty days as an act of penance and humility. The king also wore sackcloth and sat in ashes. This was done as an act of penance and humility.This event is noted by some Catholic historians as the foundation for Ash Wednesday.
Early Catholic Practice
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In the early Catholic church, Christians found guilty of serious sins were forced to wear hair shirts, sprinkled with ash and removed from the church for forty days to perform acts of penance. Referred to as public penance, this practice was adopted for all believers in the tenth century and continues today with some variations. For instance, the penitential procession is no longer widely practiced.
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Current Catholic Practice
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The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are sacramental, made from the palms of the previous year's Palm Sunday. The ashes are blessed and sprinkled with holy water. A priest applies the ash with his thumb, making the shape of the cross and believers do not remove the ash, allowing it to wear off over time. Catholics speak of "receiving the ash" or "imposition of the ashes."
The Meaning of the Ashes
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The ashes symbolize humility, contrition and sacrifice. The ashes are a public pronouncement of reflection during which Catholics consider their behavior over the past year and reaffirm their faith and obedience. The ashes also remind Christians of their relationship to God, as symbolized by the priest's recitation of the phrase, "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return."
Ash Wednesday in Other Denominations
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Ash Wednesday and Lent are part of the worship of other Christian denominations, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians. Aspects of the service may vary, but the symbolism of the "imposition of ashes" remains the same---penance, humility and a reaffirmation of Christian faith and values.
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- Photo Credit cathedral image by Stanisa Martinovic from Fotolia.com
