A woman with the mark of palm ashes on her forehead prays during an early morning Ash Wednesday mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, when many observant Catholics fast
Ash Wednesday is a religious practice in the Roman Catholic faith meant to symbolize repentance and mourning after the persecution and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It also marks the beginning of the Lent season, when the faithful agree to give up
The Word of God, the beginning of the Lenten journey, addressed to the Church and to each of us invitations. The first is that of St. Paul: " Be reconciled to God " ( 2 Cor 5:20). It is not simply a good fatherly advice nor a suggestion only; is a real
But Ash Wednesday reminds us we are dead in our sins and, soon enough, dead in fact. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. There is a strong tendency in American churches to suppose that Christianity condemns other people's corrupt values, but never our own.
The Word of God, the beginning of the Lenten journey, addressed to the Church and to each of us invitations. The first is that of St. Paul: " Be reconciled to God " ( 2 Cor 5:20). It is not simply a good fatherly advice nor a suggestion only; is a real