Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the forty-day Lenten journey toward Easter (excluding Sundays) in imitation of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness following his baptism (Matthew 4:1-11). The tradition of a ceremonial imposition of ashes on the foreheads of worshipers as a sign of mortality and penitence dates back to at least the 10th century. In the 12th century, the tradition began of creating the ashes by burning the branches used on Palm Sunday the previous year.
During the season of Lent, Christians have traditionally (1) given-up a bad habit in order to loosen attachment to the aspects of our lives that unduly occupy our attention and (2) taken on a spiritual practice that helps focus this regained attention on the love of God and neighbor (Mark 12:28-31).
Examples of spiritual practices include Bible study and devotional reading, fasting and almsgiving, prayer and works of mercy (feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned). These and many other disciplines have been used throughout history by people seeking to deepen their journey of faith.
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