Christians mark start of 40-day Lent today

Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson (right) leads the burning of sacred palm fronds outside the St. Pedro Calungsod Shrine on the eve of Ash Wednesday. The ashes taken from the burnt palm fronds will be used by priests and lay ministers in marking a cross on the foreheads of Catholic devotees today as they mark the start of Lenten Season. (CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza)

Christians  around the world today will mark the start of the 40-day Lenten season with the  observance of Ash Wednesday.

According to an article in the Daily American, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar, directly following Shrove Tuesday. Occurring 46 days before Easter, it is a moveable feast that can fall as early as February 4 and as late as March 10.

In the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting or abstinence. Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays.

As the Christian sabbath, Sundays are not included in the fasting period and are instead “feast” days during Lent.

The book Preaching the Calendar: Celebrating Holidays and Holy Days by J. Ellsworth Kalas explains that Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a celebration and reminder of human mortality, and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God.

The ashes used are typically gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.

The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday has been historically observed not only by Catholics but also by  Anglican  and Lutheran Christians. It has also become a standard practice in the Methodist Church.

Pope’s message

In his message, Pope Francis urged the Catholic faithful to rekindle their faith in Jesus Christ who “though He was rich became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

“Once in a while, the Church reminds us about the reality of life. As the ashes are placed on our foreheads, let us remember that we came from dust and to dust we return,” said Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

All Catholics aged 18 to 60 are obliged to fast or to eat less today and on Good Friday which is April 18 this year.

Abstain

Under Church law, fasting meant eating only one meal and taking two small snacks not equivalent to a meal in a day.

Fasting has been relaxed for ailing people and in places where there is low food supply.

Also today and in all Fridays of Lent, Catholics at least 14 years old are obliged to abstain from eating meat.

But Msgr. Binghay said fasting and abstinence should not only be directed for the self but for the good of others.

Aside from fasting and abstinence, Catholics are also encouraged to spend more time in prayer and go to confession.

During the 40-day period of Lent (excluding Sundays), Catholics commemorate the passion, death, and resurrection of the Lord. It culminates on Holy Week, which starts this year on April 13, Palm Sunday. Easter Sunday is on April 20.