For many Christians, Ash Wednesday is a day of reconciliation that sparks renewed hope for transformation. Ash Wednesday, traditionally known as a day of repentance for sins through the public display of ashes, also marks the first day of the 40-day season of Lent leading up to Easter. Ash Wednesday often falls during the last week of February or early March, depending upon when Easter falls during the calendar year. Many Protestant and Catholic churches acknowledge Ash Wednesday with a service by spreading burnt ashes across the foreheads of anyone who participates. In some cases, these ashes come from the burning of blessed palms from the prior year’s Palm Sunday. For Christians, Palm Sunday “recalls the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem when his followers shouted ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord-the King of Israel’ and scattered palms in his path.”¹ The people in Israel glorified Jesus for also resurrecting Lazarus from the dead (John 12:13-17).

Ashes, in the Old Testament, also are associated with mourning and humiliation such as when: Job covered his body with ashes when he mourned his fate (Job 2:8), or when Tamar covered her face with ashes when her brother cast her out (2 Sam 13:13).² These ancient stories have been incorporated over centuries into the sacramental meaning of Ash Wednesday rituals. Today, on Ash Wednesday, “ashes are placed on the foreheads of the faithful to remind them of death, of the sorrow they should feel for their sins, and of the necessity of changing their lives.”³ Ash Wednesday is traditionally considered a day to repent sins, because sins separate God’s people from their community and from God.⁴ Life renewal is important for Christians, because God’s people are promised eternal life through repentance and reconciliation.

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