Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the formal beginning of the observance of Lent, a 40-day season focused on repentance and self-examination. Ash Wednesday in particular calls us to remember our mortality, and the most distinguishing hallmark of this service is, as the name suggests, the imposition of ashes. The ashes are traditionally those of the palm fronds and crosses carried at the previous year's Palm Sunday service. The celebrant smudges these ashes on the forehead in the shape of a small cross while saying the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." In this moment we humble our hearts before God and acknowledge our need for God's goodness and mercy, and we seek forgiveness for all the ways we fail to place God's love at the center of our lives. This spirit of contrition guides us through Lent and helps us walk more closely in grace as we await Christ's triumphant conquest of death at Easter.