imposition of ashes ash wednesday forehead

He pointed not only to the rite of the imposition of ashes, but also to 'the Liturgy of the Word, and the proper texts of the Mass, such as the Collect, the prayer over the people and the chants of the Mass' as prayers that help deepen our relationship with God. The ashes 'help us to understand the words of the prophet Joel, which we will hear during the Ash Wednesday liturgy, where he says, 'Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord our God,'' Father Wisniewski said, 'What really counts is to return to God with a contrite heart to receive his mercy.' 'During the Middle Ages, this rite of placing ashes on the head was adopted by all members of the parish,' he continued, adding that the sign was a way of publicly beginning the season of Lent. Once public sinners had spent 40 days repenting for their sins, living apart from the community, they received sacramental forgiveness and were then led back into the assembly by their bishop.

'This custom is an ancient penitential practice common among the Hebrew people.' He pointed to several instances in the Old Testament when people use sackcloth and ashes, including the city of Nineveh in the book of Jonah, to demonstrate their repentance.Īccording to Father Wisniewski, during the seventh century, ashes were 'used as part of temporarily expelling public sinners from the community of believers for sins like apostasy, heresy, murder, and adultery.' 'At first, this rite was not directly connected with the beginning of Lent,' explained Father Wisniewski. These ashes, according to Father Wisniewski, are made from either burning olive branches or the palms blessed the previous year on Palm Sunday.īut where does the tradition of receiving ashes at the beginning of Lent originate? 'The imposition of ashes is not just a simple rite, but it is something very profound that touches our hearts,' said Father Lukasz Wisniewski, vice-rector of the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Brookline.

Lenten program promotes prayer, supports Cor Unum Meal CenterĪrchdiocese provides Lenten resources for familiesīROOKLINE - Walk through any local school, supermarket, subway, or shopping center on Ash Wednesday, and you are likely to find Catholics marked with the sign of the cross in dark ashes on their forehead.

Imposition of ashes ash wednesday forehead