‘SPRINKLE OF ASHES’
Area Catholics take part in Ash Wednesday, marking first day of Lent
ALBANY, N.Y. » Lent started off a little different this year for area Catholics, who experienced alternate ways of receiving their ashes this Ash Wednesday.
Wednesday marked the start of Lent, the 40-day preparation period in anticipation of Easter, for Roman Catholics and many other Christians worldwide.
Blessed ashes - made from the burned palm branches from the previous year - are used as a sign of mortality and the need to repent and be faithful to the Gospel.
During the annual Ash Wednesday mass, priests and other clergy members typically apply the ashes to attendees’
foreheads in the sign of the cross.
Due to concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19, the Vatican has asked parishes worldwide to sprinkle ashes on the top of each individual’s head rather than smudge them in the shape of a cross on the forehead, a press release from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany explained, noting that although this is new for American Catholics, the practice is customary at the Vatican and in other parts of Europe.
Rather than gather in churches on Wednesday, many Catholics chose instead to watch the special mass online.
Those who virtually attended Ash Wednesday mass with Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of the Roman Catholic Diocese
of Albany, live-streamed from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and those who chose to attend in person, heard him speak about Lent as a time for change.
Some are asking if Lent is necessary among all the sacrifices made throughout the ongoing pandemic, and Scharfenberger’s answer is yes.
“Lent is not a lockdown,” he said in his homily. “If anything, Lent is an invitation for us to get closer to one another, to get closer to God.”
Scharfenberger continued, “It’s not a time for discouragement. It’s not a time for hunkering down. It’s not a time for any form of lockdown, spiritually, emotionally, and I would submit - as best as we can safely - even physically.”
In discussing the purpose of Lent, Scharfenberger continued, “Lent is a time for opening ourselves to the changes in our lives which will make us better.”
Though 2021’s season of Lent is a unique and uncertain time, Scharfenberger told listeners, “Be not afraid. God is with us. God is with us through one another, and he wants us to come closer in our lives spiritually, emotionally, and as best as we can physically.”
The Lenten season will end on Easter, Sunday, April 4, 2021.
The full Ash Wednesday Mass with the bishop can be viewed through the YouTube channel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany at www. youtube.com/DioceseOfAlbany.