Ash Wednesday Opens Lent With Prayer, Fasting and Enduring Parish Traditions
Ash Wednesday this week marks the beginning of Lent, the Church’s principal penitential season, inviting Catholics and many other Christians into forty days of prayer, fasting and spiritual renewal ahead of Easter.
On this solemn day, worshippers gather for liturgies centered on repentance and conversion. During the service, ashes are placed on the forehead, often in the shape of a cross, as ministers pronounce words drawn from Scripture such as Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return or Repent and believe in the Gospel. The ritual serves as a stark reminder of human mortality and the call to refocus life on faith and reconciliation.
For Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59, Ash Wednesday is a mandatory day of fasting. The discipline typically permits one full meal and two smaller meals that together do not equal a second full portion. The day sets the tone for the broader Lenten journey, which emphasizes self denial, charity and deeper reflection on Christ’s passion and resurrection.
Many Protestant communities, particularly Episcopalians and Lutherans, observe Ash Wednesday with similar liturgical practices. In recent years, some churches in the United States have expanded access to the ritual through initiatives such as Ashes to Go, offering the imposition of ashes in public spaces including train stations, parking lots and airports. The effort seeks to reach people whose schedules may prevent them from attending a traditional church service while preserving the meaning of the symbol.
Lent lasts forty days, excluding Sundays, and is calculated by counting backward from Easter. This year, Easter in Western churches will be celebrated on April 5. The number forty carries biblical significance, recalling the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness after his baptism. The season culminates in Holy Week, which commemorates Christ’s death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Throughout Lent, Catholics often take on additional devotions such as the Stations of the Cross, reflecting on events surrounding the crucifixion. Many choose to give up certain comforts as a form of spiritual discipline, ranging from sweets to reduced screen time. Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence from meat, a practice that has given rise in many American parishes to the longstanding tradition of Friday fish fries. These gatherings combine community fellowship with fundraising and serve as a lighter communal expression within a solemn season.
Eastern Orthodox Christians observe Great Lent according to a different calendar, beginning this year on February 23. While they do not impose ashes, they also undertake a period of intensified prayer and fasting leading to their celebration of Pascha. As Lent begins, Christians worldwide are invited to examine their lives, renew their commitment to faith and prepare spiritually for the celebration of Easter.
