Ash Wednesday / Lent

I often get asked about the observance of Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent and why I fast during the 40 days before Easter. I will try to explain these practices and the reasons behind them as best I can. If any of you have similar questions I hope this helps.

Why do you have ashes on your head?

On Ash Wednesday or the “day of ashes” as it was once known, it was an ancient custom to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass. The priest would mark the forehead of the congregation in the sign of the cross with blessed ashes. He would say the words: “Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.” The ashes came from the blessed palms given on Palm Sunday the previous year. They were collected, burned and mixed with holy water and infused with incense for use on this day. It is a symbolism of penitence that comes from both the New Testament and the Old. Men who repented their sins clothed themselves in sackcloth and threw ashes over themselves. Today we repent of our sins during the fast of the Lenten season and this practice reminds us that we too will leave our bodies and they will return to the dust of the earth. Only through the resurrection of Jesus does God guarantee us life after death.

Why do you fast for 40 days?

The Lenten fast was not always a season of 40 days of fasting. It has evolved into what we have today from many different versions over time. Originally it is believed to have been an apostolic institution but that has been proven false. They now believe that the original fast was only during Friday and Saturday of Holy Week - “the days of which the bridegroom was taken away.” The church of the apostolic age commemorated the resurrection weekly not annually. Sunday represented the resurrection and the Friday fast represented the crucifixion. It was later changed in duration to a week of strict fasting during Holy Week and then to three weeks alternating fasts on the first, fourth and sixth weeks of the season. Eventually it came to be 40 days of fast instead of fasting during the 40 days of the season. In Rome in 590-604 AD they practiced six weeks of only six days each, which totaled 36 days of fasting symbolizing approximately a tenth part of a year of 365 days and was considered spiritual tithing. Even to this day the Church of Milan adheres to that arrangement. So the 40 day fast has evolved to into what we have today some say to represent the 40 hours Jesus spent in the tomb, others the 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert or the 40 days Moses spent on Mount Sinai but I don’t think anybody really knows exactly why other than 40 is a significant number in the bible.

What do you mean by fasting?

Generally, most people who observed Lenten fasts only ate one meal in the evening during the fast days. But as time continued on, the rules were relaxed more and more. It was difficult for the working men to abstain from food and maintain the ability to work consistently for 40 days.  It started with breaking the fast earlier in the day, at 3 PM instead of evening and later was relaxed further to noon. In the ninth century the Council of Aix la Chapelle conceded to allowing beverages to quench the thirst of those who were exhausted by manual labor during the day and then they allowed small quantities of food not counting them as complete meals. From these small beginnings much larger indulgences have evolved. Today it is so relaxed that most do not really fast at all. Children give up candy during Lent; adults abstain from one particular food that they favor. It’s really nothing like it was intended in the beginning. Let’s face it; Christ hung on the cross and died for our sins; that’s quite a sacrifice he made for us. What we call the Lenten fast is supposed to mimic that sacrifice in a small way to acknowledge what he did for us.

Why don’t you eat meat on Friday during Lent?

It was the practice in the fifth century to “abstain from every sort of creature that has life.” It comes from the Mosaic account of the creation. But sadly this tradition is also rarely held to today with the exception of the older congregation members; at least that has been my observations where I go to church and in the surrounding communities where I live.

So then where did the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs come from?

They are pagan symbols that portray fertility and the earth awakening from winter as new life emerges. It really has nothing to do with why we celebrate Easter as a Christian.

In trying to explain Ash Wednesday and Lent, it makes me realize how often our religious holidays have been diluted with pagan rituals and commercialized. It’s hard to believe that most children today don’t know anything about Christ dying on the cross and rising from the dead on Easter but all of them know about the Easter bunny and Easter eggs.  Our faith is being watered down till it no longer exists in our culture. That is why I feel it so important to educate our children and participate in our faith based celebrations with more zeal and excitement than the secular or pagan versions before they disappear totally. It’s something worth pondering.

Which Easter do you celebrate, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ or the pagan goddess `Eostre and the spring equinox?