“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” – Revelation 7:3
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“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” – Revelation 7:3
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lenten Season – a period of fasting, purification, and penance. It is derived from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. Part of the said practice is wearing of cross-shaped ashes on the forehead which symbolizes God’s seal. Back then, God’s people even wore sackcloth. Also, these ashes represent the dust from which God made us and it reminds us of our mortality. As the priest applies the ashes to one’s forehead, he says: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This was taken from the book of Genesis. Alternatively, the priest may speak the words, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
Ashes came from the previous year’s blessed palm used in Palm Sunday. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. They are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts.
Fasting, praying, and alms-giving: these are the three pillars of lent. In line with the celebration of Valentine’s day, these are ways to express our love. And for the first time since 1945, Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday will fall on the same day this year.
According to Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), this coincidence is the perfect time to reflect on the true meaning of love. You don’t have to worry if you don’t have a date this Wednesday. You can go to church and attend the mass where you have the time to reflect and repent. As what Fr. Larry said, “The greatest form of love is sacrifice.”
Everyone is encouraged to attend the mass and accept the ashes as a sign of penance. We must remember that it is a day of penitential prayer, fasting and abstinence. Penitential prayer includes confessing you sins. Fasting is abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink in which one meal is allowed while abstinence is refraining from eating meat. Children and elderly are exempted from this observance.
Today, as we start the Lenten season, let us take time to reflect with ourselves as we prepare for Christ’s Resurrection. (Lester de Castro)
Lester de Castro
Writer, Website Team - Media Ministry
To those who know him, no words are required. To those who do not, no words will suffice. Lester R. de Castro is a “scholar ng bayan” at Polytechnic University of the Philippines taking up Accountancy, Business, and Management. Lester belongs to his batches’ "Cream of the Crop" dominating to a remarkable vision of the future. Currently, as a website writer of DSPNSDA’s Media and Public Information Ministry, the talents and skills he received from the Almighty above are being used and shared not only for his own good but for the good of others as well. He believes that in life, God must be the center who guides us towards the right path.
