Ashes in the form of a cross on the forehead of a Catholic.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent.
We receive ashes on our foreheads as a sign of repentance and acceptance of the fact that one day our bodies will return to ashes.
Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return. (Latin: Memento homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.)
Ashes are made from the palms from last year's Palm Sunday ceremonies.
On Ash Wednesday we are obliged to observe fasting and abstinence.
During Lent, not only should we offer personal sacrifice, such as depriving ourselves of sweets, but we should add a sacrifice that has a public aspect too.
For example, defend the faith in a public way by going to a anti-abortion prayer vigil, rosary rally, or by making a public profession of faith in opposition to today's relativistic and secularist culture (tell the manager at your supermarket that you want the porn magazines removed from the check-out aisle).
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Picture of a cross of ash on a worshipper's forehead on Ash Wednesday. Photograph by Gareth Hughes (2006-03-01).
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