Fr. Kevin's Cluttered Desk
February 23, 2020
Following the example of the Ninevites, who did penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and remind us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told "Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return." Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.
It was the practice in Rome for penitents and grievous sinners to begin their period of public penance on the first day of Lent in preparation for their restoration to the Sacrament of the Eucharist. They were sprinkled with ashes, dressed in sackcloth, and obliged to remain apart until they were reconciled with the Christian community on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. When these practices fell into disuse (8th–10th century), the beginning of the penitential season of Lent was symbolized by placing ashes on the heads of the entire congregation.
Ash Wednesday is an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence, where only one full meal and no meat are to be consumed. Although Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation, it is traditionally one of the most heavily attended non-Sunday masses of the liturgical year. Worship services are also held on Ash Wednesday in Anglican, Lutheran, and some other Protestant churches. Eastern Orthodox churches begin Lent on a Monday and therefore do not observe Ash Wednesday.
For many years the people fasted both on Wednesdays and Fridays during lent and some continued to do so throughout the year. Some believe that the practice of fasting on the Wednesday and Friday goes back to the early church and the choice of Wednesday and Friday have much to do with the pagan celebrations of the times. I am pretty sure that God did not chose a Friday for Jesus to die on so that some pagan celebration could be ended, and the counting of the 40 days (excluding Sundays) that takes us back to a Wednesday was not done to cancel out a pagan celebration. Would the pagan celebrations and the actions of fasting and abstaining have been seen as contrary to each other, definitely. But at the same time in the early days of the church the Christians tried to live lives contrary to the ways of the people. Being Catholic meant being different, standing apart from the main stream and letting Jesus lead us, not the base human desires that the pagans chased after.
So you might want to think about fasting and abstinence on Fridays and Wednesdays and see if it might help you draw closer to Christ. You don’t have to sit in sackcloth and ashes but we can all eat less and do without meat for a couple days of the week. Doctors tell us fish more than once a week is good for us, and how many of us could do well to lose a little weight?
Peace Fr. Kevin
It was the practice in Rome for penitents and grievous sinners to begin their period of public penance on the first day of Lent in preparation for their restoration to the Sacrament of the Eucharist. They were sprinkled with ashes, dressed in sackcloth, and obliged to remain apart until they were reconciled with the Christian community on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. When these practices fell into disuse (8th–10th century), the beginning of the penitential season of Lent was symbolized by placing ashes on the heads of the entire congregation.
Ash Wednesday is an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence, where only one full meal and no meat are to be consumed. Although Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation, it is traditionally one of the most heavily attended non-Sunday masses of the liturgical year. Worship services are also held on Ash Wednesday in Anglican, Lutheran, and some other Protestant churches. Eastern Orthodox churches begin Lent on a Monday and therefore do not observe Ash Wednesday.
For many years the people fasted both on Wednesdays and Fridays during lent and some continued to do so throughout the year. Some believe that the practice of fasting on the Wednesday and Friday goes back to the early church and the choice of Wednesday and Friday have much to do with the pagan celebrations of the times. I am pretty sure that God did not chose a Friday for Jesus to die on so that some pagan celebration could be ended, and the counting of the 40 days (excluding Sundays) that takes us back to a Wednesday was not done to cancel out a pagan celebration. Would the pagan celebrations and the actions of fasting and abstaining have been seen as contrary to each other, definitely. But at the same time in the early days of the church the Christians tried to live lives contrary to the ways of the people. Being Catholic meant being different, standing apart from the main stream and letting Jesus lead us, not the base human desires that the pagans chased after.
So you might want to think about fasting and abstinence on Fridays and Wednesdays and see if it might help you draw closer to Christ. You don’t have to sit in sackcloth and ashes but we can all eat less and do without meat for a couple days of the week. Doctors tell us fish more than once a week is good for us, and how many of us could do well to lose a little weight?
Peace Fr. Kevin
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