Ash Wednesday

Last Wednesday, like Catholics all over the world, the College marked Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and our journey to Easter.

Ash Wednesday is a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for reconciliation with God and marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season. It is commonly observed with the distribution of ashes and with fasting.

In the early Christian church, the length of the Lenten celebration varied, but eventually it began 6 weeks (42 days) before Easter. This provided only 36 days of fasting (excluding Sundays). In the 7th century, 4 days were added before the first Sunday in Lent in order to establish 40 fasting days, in imitation of Jesus Christ’s fast in the desert.

Together with Good Friday (which marks the Crucifixion of Jesus on the Friday before Easter Sunday), Ash Wednesday is an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence, where only one full meal and no meat are to be consumed. Although Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation, mass on this day is traditionally one of the most heavily attended non-Sunday masses of the liturgical year. Worship services are also held on Ash Wednesday in Anglican, Lutheran, and some other Protestant churches.

In the early centuries, fasting rules were strict, as they still are in Eastern churches. One meal a day was allowed in the evening, and meat, fish, eggs, and butter were forbidden. The Eastern church also restricts the use of wine, oil, and dairy products. In the West these fasting rules have gradually been relaxed. The strict law of fasting among Roman Catholics was dispensed during World War II, and only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are now kept as Lenten fast days. However, the emphasis on penitential practice and almsgiving remains, and many Catholics also observe a meatless fast on Fridays during Lent. In addition, Catholics and other Christians often choose to give up specific pleasures, such as sweets, alcohol, or social media, during Lent as a way to foster simplicity and self-control; many use their cravings or desires for these items as a reminder to pray and to refocus on spiritual matters.

Today, in the Roman Catholic Church, the ashes are applied in the shape of a cross on the forehead of each worshipper on Ash Wednesday. These ashes are obtained by burning the palms used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday service. Receiving ashes is not one of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church; therefore, anyone who wishes to receive ashes may do so, regardless of age, religion, or personal standing in the church. The ashes serve as a memento mori and are often accompanied with some variation of the words, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.”

At the College we had two year groups attend the 9:15am Ash Wednesday Mass at Our Lady of Fatima parish. There they were joined by Years 4, 5 and 6 from Our Lady of Fatima Primary School and the parish members. It was a full house for Fr Emmanuel. Our newly commissioned EMHC assisted in the distribution of ashes in the Church and our Year 7 and Year 12 students were a credit to their College at the Mass.

At school we held a liturgy for Years 8 – 11 including listening to the word of God, a reflection on the readings, a story about Ubuntu and working together, and the launch of Project Compassion. Again our newly commissioned ministers gladly distributed the ashes which were blessed in the parish. Thank you to all our readers and Mrs Nader for her help on the day.

We pray that all our community will deepen their connection to God this Lent, through prayer, fasting and good works or charity and make preparations for the great feast of our Church, Easter.

Prayer for Ash Wednesday
On this special day, Ash Wednesday,
may my small sacrifices in fasting be a way to clear away
the clutter in my life to see you more clearly.
May my longing for meat and other food,
help me to focus my life today more outside myself.
Let me be aware of those who are in so much more suffering than I am
and may I be aware of them as the brothers and sisters you have placed in my life.
And most of all Lord,
help me to honour this day with the ashes
on my forehead.
They help me remember where I have come from
and where I am going.
May I acknowledge to you my sins
and my deep need for your
loving forgiveness and grace.
I pray that this Lenten season
will make me so much more aware
of how much I need your healing in my life.
Amen.

Julie Monk
Religious Education Coordinator