All you need to know about Ash Wednesday
Father Jonathan Morris answers common questions about the first day of Lent
Lent is celebrated by Christians all over the world starting on Ash Wednesday, which this year is Feb. 22, 2023.
It is a season of reflection and preparation leading up to Easter Sunday, which will be celebrated on April 9, 2023.
The purpose of Lent is to strengthen the faith of Christians leading up to the celebration of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the savior and son of God in the Christian religion. The event has been a common annual observance in Christianity for centuries since at least 325 A.D. after the Council of Nicaea.
Certain denominations mark Lent in different ways, such as the Eastern Orthodox, which view it as a means to cleanse the soul and body from sin and purify the heart as well as liberate the mind toward Christ.
What is Lent?
Believers typically fast or give up certain food or activities for 40 days commemorating the 40 days that Jesus Christ fasted in the desert.
As the Bible describes, during the 40 days, Jesus was tempted by Satan before his public ministry began. The goal for many Christians is to use fasting to practice self-control and prayer so that they may understand the temptation that Jesus overcame.
ASH WEDNESDAY, START OF LENT: WE MUST ‘TURN TO GOD’
The branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday service is used to create the ashes. (iStock)
Shannon Bream, anchor of Fox News Channel's "FOX News @ Night with Shannon Bream," notes in her latest book, "Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak" (Fox News Books), "So much of what we read in the Scriptures magnifies [the] same lesson over and over again: the journey is part of the process. What looks like a delay in getting to ‘the good stuff’ is an inescapable, necessary leg of the trip."
This perfectly describes the season of Lent.
The season of Lent is observed in different ways by different denominations. (Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
"Jesus Himself modeled that for us in Matthew 3:13–4:25," Bream writes.
"At the beginning of the passage we see John the Baptist baptizing Jesus," she says.
"As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment, heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’ (Matthew 3:16–17)," Bream adds.
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"Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry" (Matthew 4:1-2).
"God Himself spoke from heaven, making clear to everyone that Jesus was indeed His son. Could there be a more perfect time for Jesus to launch into His public ministry?"
Bream goes on, "That wasn’t the plan." Instead, right after Jesus was baptized, he "was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry' (Matthew 4:1–2)."
What is Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday occurs on the first day of Lent, about six and a half weeks before the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. The day is a time for Christians to reflect on their own mortality and strengthen their relationship with God through Christ's resurrection.
In the Catholic denomination, worshipers typically have a priest mark their foreheads with ash in the form of a cross. This year, Ash Wednesday is on Feb. 22.
How is Lent observed by Christians?
The season of Lent is observed differently by different denominations.
On Ash Wednesday – the beginning of Lent – Roman Catholic, Anglican and other churches hold services in which churchgoers are marked with a cross of ashes as a symbol of death and sorrow for sin.
The Lenten season either ends on the evening of Maundy Thursday or on Holy Saturday during Holy Week.
The term Lent comes from an old English word meaning "lengthen." It's observed in the spring as the days begin to get longer.
