Ash Wednesday

Church Marks Ash Wednesday Today To Usher In Lent

... to their local parish office. Fr. Anton Pascual, president of Radio Veritas, urged the faithful to fast and abstain from meat, not only during Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, but on all Fridays of Lent. “This practice of penitential abstinence from meat during this time is part of self-denial and mortification in prayerful remembrance of the passion of Jesus Christ,” Pascual said. Lent is an opportunity for the faithful to do works of charity, he added. A way of life. Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the Permanent Committee on Public Affairs of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, stressed that fasting and abstinence “are not mere fads that just go away over time.”. “They’re a way of life that teach us to empty ourselves so that we can have a place for Jesus,” he said. It’s not only a physical kind of fasting, but “a kind of spiritual emptying that entails giving up so many things, including perhaps the excessive and irresponsible use of social media,” he said. “But if social media will be used to create a kind of spiritual awareness, it will be most welcome because the essence of this spiritual ...

What Is Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, And How Do We Celebrate

... partying (read debauchery) leading up to Mardi Gras is called Carnival.  The day after Fat Tuesday, when all the nonsense is to stop and you have about six weeks to try to remember what you did and ask forgiveness for it, is called Ash Wednesday. Ok, I’ll bite. What happens on Ash Wednesday. In the church, Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and reflection. It is also the first day of Lent on the Christian calendar. Lent last 46 days, and ends on Easter. Traditionally, one will give up something during the Lenten season in commemoration of the 40-day fast Jesus experienced in the Judaean Desert. Lent last 40 days with the six Sundays that fall within the period being non-fasting days. It gets its name - official the “Day of Ashes,” -  because of the practice of rubbing ashes on one’s forehead in the sign of a cross. Why the name Mardi Gras or Fat ...

The Church As A Midwife

... Ash Wednesday is when Christian all over the world gather, we look in each other’s eyes and declare the serpent was lying. And this, very countercultural discipline can make all the difference. Pushing Through The Pain. In the Boston Review, Larissa Mac Farquhar (a staff writer for the New Yorker) was interviewed on her writing and research on the very “saintly” people who make great sacrifices for the good of others. Many of them were religious, of course, and Mac Farquhar, who worked as a staff writer for The New Yorker, had no religious faith, but she found herself drawn to people who did. At one point, the interviewer asked how she viewed these people. She spoke candidly about “a difference between religious…and secular people that was very enlightening.” She said. “I…think that, within many religious traditions, there is much more of an acceptance of suffering as a part of life and not necessarily always a terrible thing, because it can help you become a fuller person. Whereas, at least in my limited experience, secular utilitarians hate suffering. They see nothing good in it, they want to eliminate it, and they ...

Ash Wednesday Service At First Christian Church

... Old Home Place Concert Series will host Verlon Thompson in a repeat performance at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 9. Seats may be reserved via fac…. Updated: 8:14 pm. Eagles next face Lamar March 1 at Willard High. Updated: 8:10 pm. First Christian (Disciples of Christ) Church will have an Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. Wednesday (today) at the church, 502 N. Maple, Buffalo. Subscription Required. An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety. Have an online subscription. Already a Print Subscriber. An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety. Have an online subscription. Need an account? Create one now. You must login to view the full content on this page. An online service is needed to view this ...

When Is Shrove Tuesday 2017, What Is Ash Wednesday And Why Do We Eat Pancakes? Here's All You Need To Know

... the first day of Lent. This year, Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Day ) is taking place on Tuesday February 28 (TODAY!) – so get that lemon and sugar – or possibly Nutella – at the ready. Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday – so the date varies each year but will be between February 3 and March 9. What is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the day after Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day and this year is on March 1. It marks the start of Lent, where people over the globe give up certain foods or habits to improve their health or demonstrate self-restraint. The fasting period of Lent lasts for 40 days until Easter, but this is without Sundays being included in the amount (if there were counted it would be 46 days). Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday. Why do we ...

Invitation Offered On Ash Wednesday Not Just Verbal, It Is Tangible

... the answer lies in the way in which the invitation is given. While the eloquence of Christ’s teaching in scripture, and even the homilist’s words, may be compelling for some, nevertheless these still lie at the level of the intellect. The invitation offered on Ash Wednesday, however, has a different quality to it. It’s not just verbal; it’s also tangible. The person in the pew hasn’t simply been invited to turn away from sin; they have the mark to prove it. It can be felt, and so will be less easy to dismiss from your mind. Earthy ritual. Allowing ourselves to receive the slightly wet imprint of ashes on our foreheads also constitutes a public acknowledgement that we are far from perfect, but are called to something greater. There is something real about recognising this; often, I think, we are far more comfortable with the idea of our being sinners than we ever are with ...

Bull Head Mountain Beckons On Ash Wednesday

... Ash Wednesday is officially celebrated as Bull Head Mountain Day. At the beginning of Lent each year, Bull Head comes alive with the staging of an annual festival offering visitors a mixed bag of live and recorded music, food, art, and craft. Organisers say the festival will be no different this Ash Wednesday (March 1). There will also be an opportunity for visitors to test their fitness by being part of a 5 K nature walk to the peak of the mountain. The Bull Head celebration began 29 years ago. Back then, members of neighbouring communities, including Kellits, Croft’s Hill, Crooked River, Brandon Hill, Colonel’s Ridge, and Sandy River would trek to the top of the 3,600-foot mountain every Ash Wednesday just to relax with friends. Gradually the pilgrimage grew, with more and more people taking on the expedition, which has mushroomed into a major community festival today attracting visitors from distant communities such as Frankfield, Trout Hall, Spalding, May Pen, and Linstead. This year, for the second time, the Clarendon Municipal Corporation has partnered with ...

The Harvard Crimson

... undying love for burrito bowls. A local Christian radio station I grew up listening to regularly challenged its listeners to listen to nothing but Christian music for a month, promising it would change your life. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about this claim. The music snob in me chafed at the prospect of listening to only slightly different four-chord songs on repeat, and decided that jazz and classical tunes would be permissible. Listening to music is a cultural liturgy in the same way that reading the Bible is a Christian liturgy, and the liturgies we practice invariably shape and permeate our deepest selves. We put on the headphones when we walk to class, focus before the big game, break out the textbooks, or turn up the speakers at the party. It is precisely because rhythm and harmony and groove are so powerful that the messages they accompany resonate so deeply. Our listening habits do more than release dopamine or produce adrenaline in our bodies; they shape our very essence at a level deeper than our ...

Ancient Tradition Still Thrives In Modern Times

... they “get a sense of repentance and a kind of solidarity in it.”. “Clearly it touches on a deep sense of Catholic tradition in a way few other symbols do,” he told CNS Feb. 17. For many, it also links them to childhood tradition of getting ashes. It also links them, even if they are unaware of its origins, to an ancient Church tradition. The priest said the use of ashes goes back to Old Testament times when sackcloth and ashes were worn as signs of penance. The Church incorporated this practice in the eighth century when those who committed grave sins known to the public had to do public penitence, sprinkled with ashes. But by the Middle Ages, the practice of penance and marking of ashes became something for the whole Church. Ash Wednesday also is one of two days, along with Good Friday, that are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence ...