The Cross of Ash Wednesday
Hard to believe Ash Wednesday is already here!
If you saw someone with a mark on their forehead that you felt you needed to help them remove today, I hope you refrained. They were most likely at church earlier in the day and participated in an Ash Wednesday service.
The smudge, that you saw, when you encountered it, was no where near resembling that of a cross—which was the original intent.
As you may know, today, Ash Wednesday, marks the first day of Lent. The season of fasting in preparation for Easter.
The idea (given to us by the Catholic church) was to set aside a time where we turn our hearts toward the Lord and his sacrifice on the cross. If He could give up His life, we could at least share a bit in that gift of suffering, by acknowledging something we cherish and abstaining from it for a bit. To remind us of His ultimate gift to us:
Giving of His life, to bring eternal life to ours.
Folks will give up sweets, chocolate, soft drinks, and more during this 40 day fasting period that will take us toward Resurrection Day. I can assure you I probably will not give up coffee this season, or chocolate. Pitiful…I know.
But I do plan to set aside time to get my heart right, in shape if you will, as we move in the direction of Easter.
Do you think about or participate in Lent? If so, I’d love to hear from you. If you have fresh thoughts or any news twists to this tradition that you’d like to share—send them.
Happy fasting season!
S.
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