MARK OF PENANCE
Ash Wednesday starts Lent’s 40 days of prayer, fasting, charity and sacrifice
BY
TODAY marks the first day of Lent, observed by Christians all over the world for millennia.
The religious rite starts on Ash Wednesday – today – and lasts for 40 days, ending at Easter.
It has four main features: prayer, fasting, charity and sacrifice.
We know the drill well here in Ireland – mostly involving giving up sweets before eating lots of chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday.
In the olden times of Catholic church rule in Ireland, it was a much stricter observance of denial and penitence.
Meat, dairy, alcohol and even sex were off the menu, and instruments were put in their cases, ceremonially.
It was so severe, everyone agreed to give themselves the day off on St Patrick’s Day, to eat meat and have a few drinks.
But what is Lent? Why do so many religions mark this solemn ritual? And what are the traditions associated with it?
For Christian believers of all faiths, Lent is the time of preparation for Easter.
It commemorates the 40 days which – according to the Gospels – Jesus spent fasting in the desert.
Towards the end, he endured temptation from the devil, but resisted and went on to begin his earthly ministry.
To mark Lent, Catholics attend Ash Wednesday mass, where ashes are put on foreheads in the sign of the cross, with the words: “Remember, man is dust and to dust you shall return.”
VOLUNTEERING
For devout followers, it is a “black fast” day, meaning only dry bread and water can be taken.
Catholic celebrities, such as Mark Wahlberg and Gwen Stefani, have previously shown their forehead markings on Ash Wednesday.
Prayer is a big part of the start of Lent, with the 14 images of the Stations of The Cross commemorating Christ’s carrying the cross and his execution.
Sacrifice is in the form of giving up a luxury for the duration of the period, to represent Jesus’ sacrifice in the desert.
In recent years, it has become more common to take something up – such as volunteering – as well.
This self-denial and helping of others is part of Lenten penance.
In Ireland, the Trocaire Box has been used traditionally as a way to donate to charity for Lent.
Lent gets its unusual name from the Anglo-saxon word Lencten, meaning ‘Spring’.
In other languages, the word comes from the Latin, Quadragesima – a period of 40 days.
The period of 40 days is significant in Christianity.
The six weeks is understood to refer to a time of intense prayer and preparation – we remember the biblical stories of Noah and the flood of 40 days and the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness as well.
The ashes of Ash Wednesday are a symbol of penance and are intended to foster a spirit of humility and sacrifice.
They are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year.