Ashes, used to mark the Cross of Jesus on the forehead whether at Mass or at the Liturgy of the Word, are blessed and distributed after the proclamation of the Word of God. Receiving the Cross of Jesus on our foreheads is, most importantly, a response to His Sacred Word summoning each of us to ongoing and deeper conversion of heart, mind and body.
The marking of the Cross of Jesus on the forehead with ashes of last year’s burnt and blessed palm takes place only within Mass or the Liturgy of the Word. Whether within the Mass of Ash Wednesday or the Liturgy of the Word of Ash Wednesday, receiving the Cross of Jesus made with ash is a response to the Sacred Word of God that calls each person to conversion. This conversion is a change of heart, mind and body that aims, with the initiative and ongoing grace of Holy Spirit, to radiate the holiness of Baptism that has made each of us a child of God. This is the reason why ashes are imposed as a response to God’s Holy Word. Ashes in and of themselves are not magical. ‘Getting ashes’ without a willingness to become more like Jesus serves little to no purpose. In and of themselves, ashes cause nothing unless receiving the Cross of Jesus motivates one to seek — with Holy Spirit’s necessary assistance — a life more radically mirroring Jesus as revealed in His Gospels. Ash Wednesday is consequently a challenging and courageous moment in one’s life. Presenting oneself to allow the Cross of Jesus to be marked on the forehead is essentially saying to Jesus, ‘Yes, I am willing to become more like You by changing, with Your help, those areas of life that do not reflect You.’
The marking of the Cross of Jesus on the forehead with ashes of last year’s burnt and blessed palm takes place only within Mass or the Liturgy of the Word. Whether within the Mass of Ash Wednesday or the Liturgy of the Word of Ash Wednesday, receiving the Cross of Jesus made with ash is a response to the Sacred Word of God that calls each person to conversion. This conversion is a change of heart, mind and body that aims, with the initiative and ongoing grace of Holy Spirit, to radiate the holiness of Baptism that has made each of us a child of God. This is the reason why ashes are imposed as a response to God’s Holy Word. Ashes in and of themselves are not magical. ‘Getting ashes’ without a willingness to become more like Jesus serves little to no purpose. In and of themselves, ashes cause nothing unless receiving the Cross of Jesus motivates one to seek — with Holy Spirit’s necessary assistance — a life more radically mirroring Jesus as revealed in His Gospels. Ash Wednesday is consequently a challenging and courageous moment in one’s life. Presenting oneself to allow the Cross of Jesus to be marked on the forehead is essentially saying to Jesus, ‘Yes, I am willing to become more like You by changing, with Your help, those areas of life that do not reflect You.’
SCRIPTURE
“Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.” Psalm 51
COLLECT
Grant,
O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting
this campaign of Christian service,
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,
we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.
O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting
this campaign of Christian service,
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,
we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.
