In preparation for Lent, the seventh grade SOR class did research on Ash Wednesday and the significance of using ashes. The following paragraphs were written by the students reflecting some of what they would like to share with you.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Ash Wednesday is 40 days before Good Friday. Lent lasts 40 days because Jesus fasted and was tempted in the desert for 40 days. Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence. It is not a holy day of obligation because it does not celebrate or remember any particular event. Ash Wednesday serves as a reminder of a new beginning. We are marked with ashes on this day.

The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made from the old palms from last year’s Palm Sunday. The symbol on the forehead of a cross shows that we belong to Christ who was crucified on a cross. The customs of fasting and of wearing the ashes on the forehead also symbolize mourning and penance. We receive the ashes to humble our hearts and remind us that life on earth will pass away. This is the reason one of the phrases used as we are marked with ashes is, “Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return.”