Ash Wednesday

 ASH WEDNESDAY & LENT DAYS 

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Scriptures : Ps. 103 : 8-14 ; 

Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17 / Is. 58: 1-12; 

2 Cor. 5:20b- 6:10; Mt. 6 : 1-6, 16-21.

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1. ASH WEDNESDAY :

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The first day of Lent. It is called on the basis of an ancient custom of marking on the foreheads of worshippers with ashes which have been previously blessed. The appointment of Ash Wednesday as the first day of Lent occurred sometime in the seventh century and the custom of imposing or smearing the Ashes on the foreheads of the congregation began sometime in the eighth century. The imposition of ashes on the head or forehead is a sign of penitence and mourning in the Old Testament. Ashes are a symbol of purification( Num. 19:9, 17f.; Hebrews 9:13) and penitence ( Jonah  3:6 ; Lk. 10:13 ; Mt. 11: 21 ).According to the Roman rite during the consecration of a church,  water is mixed with wine, salt and ashes and sprinkled on the altar and walls of a church in different places by the bishop as an exorcistic rite intended to purify the building before it is consecrated by the anointing with chrism. In the earlier centuries ashes were sprinkled on the head as a token of penitence and mourning. The blessed ashes were prepared from the palm branches of the previous year. The prayers used indicate that the rite is a penitential one and one formula used for the imposition of the ashes suggests the necessary abasement before God if forgiveness is to be achieved: “ Remember, man , that you are dust and into dust you shall return”( Gen. 3:19).The Reformers abolished this ceremony . Formerly the rite took place before the mass. Since 1970 it takes place within it, after the homily.

2. SEVEN CYCLES IN THE CHURCH CALENDAR : 

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According to Ezamo Murry, the church calendar is divided into seven seasons – namely , Advent Season, Christmastide, Ephiphany  Season,  Lenten Season,  Eastertide,  Pentecost Season and Kingdomtide. Among the Seven Seasons the fourth one is the Lenten Season. The English word “ Lenten “ is derived from the old English word “ Lencten” and the German word is “ Lenz” which means “spring.” In Latin it is called as “Quadragesima.” Quadragesima is the sixth Sunday before Easter. In the  Seventh Century A.D.,   the Lenten Season begins on the Quadragesima Sunday amounting to a thirty six days of fasting. Later a period of forty days’ fasting before Easter was  calculated by adding four fasting days from  Ash Wednesday to Saturday .The emergence of Wednesday as the commencement of the Quadragesima was a deformation of the original Lent.  In the Bible the prophets  Moses, Elijah and our Lord Jesus Christ had  fasted for forty days in their life times. Hence a period of forty days are fixed for fasting before Easter. 

3. THREE CYCLES :

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 Some Churches  divide the Church Year into three cycles which are ,  Christmas cycle, Easter cycle and Ordinary cycle. According to this order, from the ninth Sunday before Easter to Pentecost Sunday , the Easter cycle is to be followed. So the Lenten Season begins six and a half - week before  Easter. Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Lent. The third cycle  is between the Trinity Sunday and the Judgment Sunday or Doom Sunday or  the Sunday before Advent Sunday  is known as the Ordinary cycle.

4. PURPOSE OF LENTEN DAYS: 

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The forty days of fasting were used to prepare the new catechumens to get baptism on the night of Easter. Penitence is another ancient aspect of Lent, deriving from the practice of publicly excluding penitents from Communion at the beginning of Lent and their public reconciliation on Maundy Thursday. The passion theme dominated the fast. Roman Catholics now usually keep only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as fast days , but Lent remains a time of penitence. 

5. NATURE OF THE FAST : 

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Originally the fast was rigorous. One meal a day was allowed, and all flesh and “ white meats” forbidden. In most places along with flesh -meat and fish, eggs and “lacticinia” were too absolutely forbidden.  Gradually the fast was relaxed slowly in the West in the eighth/ninth centuries. The breaking time of the fast was anticipated to three o’clock in the evening and was shifted to noon in the fifteenth century.    By the sixteenth century the evening office of Vespers was advanced to before midday so that the rule of not eating before Vespers could be maintained. A light meal ( collation ) and the fish was also allowed. 

6. CONDUCT DURING LENT :

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 Lent is generally observed as a time of penance by abstaining from festivities, by almsgiving, and by devoting more than the usual time to religious exercises. Of recent years in the Western Church more emphasis has been placed on these aspects than on physical fasting. The observance of Lent continued in the Church of England , after the Reformation. The Book of Common Prayer ( BCP) has Scripture readings and prayers for Ash Wednesday known as the Commination Service. The theme of the service is indicated in its subtitle , a “ denouncing of God’s anger and judgements against sinners.” 

7. LENTEN SEASON 2021:

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Ash Wednesday - February 17.

6th Sunday before Easter-  First Sunday in Lent- February 21.

5th Sunday before Easter- Second Sunday in Lent- February 28.

4th Sunday before Easter - Third Sunday in Lent – March 7.

3rd Sunday before Easter - Fourth Sunday in Lent -March 14.

2nd Sunday before Easter- Fifth Sunday in Lent - Passion Sunday – March 21. 

Palm Sunday -March 28.

Maundy Thursday - April 1. 

Good Friday - The day of Redemption-April 2. 

Holy Saturday- April 3.

Easter -The day of Resurrection -April 4.

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- Pr.S.John Madhiyazhagan.