Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and our family will attend Mass. It is the first day of Lent, and is a day of penitence - to clean the soul before the Lent fast.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent for Catholics, and this day is also the practice of some other Christian churches.

The ashes we receive on our forehead in the shape of a cross serve as an outward sign of our sinfulness and need for penance. The ashes also symbolize our mortality, a reminder that one day we will die and our bodies will return to dust. Hence the traditional words, “Remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.”

The tradition of receiving ashes has its origins in the Old Testament, where sinners performed acts of public penance, covered their heads with ashes, wore sackcloth, and fasted. It was Pope Urban II who in the 11th century recommended that all Catholics take part in the practice of receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday. In the 12th century it became customary that the ashes used on Ash Wednesday were made by burning the previous year’s palm branches.

Ash Wednesday is also a day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. And during Lent all of the faithful are called to strive to

develop a spirit of real humility and true sacrifice.