Ash Wednesday



Jesus began his public ministry by withdrawing for 40 days to the wilderness- the reason why the season of Lent lasts for 40 days. The gospels record how he met the devil there, and was tempted to achieve his purpose by unholy means. Making space to examine our lives and our motives, to face our temptations, may not be a pleasant or easy task, but it is a necessary one.

Socrates said 'The unexamined life is not worth living', and the current interest in Mindfulness seems to be saying the same thing. So Lent begins with time for self-examination.

Traditionally, both Catholic and Protestant churches have held services today where those present are signed with ash. This imagery of fire burning up all that is impure to leave behind what is holy is an symbol of hope, of something beautiful rising from the ashes.





The crucible for silver, and the furnace for gold,
but the LORD tests the heart.    Proverbs 17:3



An Ash Wednesday prayer from the Church of England:

"Dear friends in Christ, I invite you to receive these ashes as a sign of the spirit of penitence with which we shall keep this season of Lent. God our Father, you create us from the dust of the earth: grant that these ashes may be for us a sign of our penitence and a symbol of our mortality; for it is by your grace alone that we receive eternal life in Jesus Christ our Saviour."

https://www.churchofengland.org/media/41155/tslent.pdf

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