Happy Ash Wednesday-March 2, 2022!
What is Ash Wednesday and what is the symbolic history behind it?
Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season for Roman Catholics and Christians around the world. It lasts for forty-six days before Easter. According to Bibleinfo.com the Roman Catholic church uses Ash Wednesday to teach parishioners "to better appreciate the death and resurrection of Christ through self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, and self-denial." The palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned for ashes and are blessed afterwards. It is these ashes that the Parish Priest will mark a cross on the person's forehead on Ash Wednesday. He will say this blessing to the parishioner while administering the ashes "Remember, man, that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return" (Genesis 3:19 KJV). Catholics do this to show forgiveness for their sins and "the need to prepare for a holy death," from Bibleinfo.com
In 325 AD the Council of Nicaea agreed to the 40-day time period to fast and celebrate Lent according to Bibleinfo.com. The Roman Emperor Constantine goal for these 40 days was "to combine pagans and Christians into a peaceable unit within the Roman kingdom," from Bibleinfo.com. In 601 AD, Pope Gregory instituted a couple more changes such as moving the start of Lent from the "fourth Sunday of the year to Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter. This change allowed for 40 days of fasting with six Sundays counted as feast days, for a total of 46 days for Lent, also from the same article. Pope Gregory also began the custom of marking the faithful's foreheads in the shape of a cross as reported in Bibleinfo.com
During this year’s Lenten Season and due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine Pope Francis is asking everyone beginning on Ash Wednesday, March 2, 2022 and he stated “to everyone, believers and nonbelievers alike” to make March 2—Ash Wednesday—“a day of prayer and fasting for peace,” from an article by Gerard O’Connell on the America Magazine.org website.” Pope Francis further stated, “Jesus taught us that the diabolical senselessness of violence is answered with God’s weapons, prayer & fasting.” He ended his prayer with this “May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war,” from the same article and website.
In Pope Francis 2022 Lenten message he urges everyone to heed Saint Paul’s message to the Galatians: “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity (kairós), let us do good to all” (Gal 6:9-10).” During Lent Pope Francis wrote “… let us not grow tired of doing good. The soil is prepared by fasting, watered by prayer and enriched by charity. Also, he wrote “By cultivating fraternal love towards everyone, we are united to Christ, who gave his life for our sake (cf. 2 Cor 5:14-15), and we are granted a foretaste of the joy of the kingdom of heaven, when God will be “all in all” (1 Cor 15:28).
On this Lenten message of kindness to all by Pope Francis it would be very appropriate to quote the lyrics from Glenn Campbell’s song “Try A Little Kindness.” “You got to try a little kindness. Yes, show a little kindness. Just shine your light for everyone to see. And the kindness that you show every day. Will help someone along their way.” To quote Aesop, “No Act of Kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
For more information about Ash Wednesday please see the following websites:
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/02/23/pope-francis-ukraine-russia-fasting-peace-242445
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/20211111-messaggio-quaresima2022.html
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/ash-wednesday-bible
https://nationaltoday.com/ash-wednesday/
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/was-constantine-christian
I would like to wish everyone a Happy Ash Wednesday and a Happy Lenten season.
Enjoy the videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RHeY4meo90
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkymxMTePUk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqGLlU-AVMI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNerk3_hdlE
"Try a little Kindness" song attribution should be Bobby Austin and Curt Sapaugh. Glen Campbell just recorded it. I was raised Catholic and never wished anyone "Happy Ash Wednesday". That's not what the observance is all about.
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