Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. The Season of Lent is
a season of penance, reflection and fasting. Lent prepares us
for our Lord’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. Through his
resurrection Jesus conquers death, and we attain the gift of
salvation. Where Do the Ashes Come From? Blessed palms from the
previous Palm Sunday are burned to make the ashes we receive
during Ash Wednesday Mass. These ashes are scented when they are
exposed to incense, and they are blessed with Holy Water. In the
Old Testament ashes were used as a sign of penance and mourning
when they were sprinkled on the head and over the body.
Receiving ashes on the first day of Lent is a practice that can
be traced back to the fifth century. It was a universal
Christian practice by the eleventh century. Many Protestant
churches did away with the use of ashes during the Reformation.
A lot of these churches have reintroduced the use of ashes in
recent years. Pope Urban II (c. 1035-1099) is the one credited
with advising that we Catholic rec