WEARING THE ASHES; ROMAN CATHOLICS TO MARK OPENING OF LENTEN SEASON.Byline: Holly Andres Daily News Staff Writer The black smudge in the shape of a cross you'll see on some people's foreheads Wednesday will visually proclaim the start of Lent for faithful Catholics. Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday, in the Western Church, the first day of Lent, being the seventh Wednesday before Easter. On this day ashes are placed on the foreheads of the faithful to remind them of death, of the sorrow they should feel for their sins, and of the necessity of marks the beginning of 40 days of penance penance (pĕn`əns), sacrament of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Eastern churches. By it the penitent (the person receiving the sacrament) is absolved of his or her sins by a confessor (the person hearing the confession and conferring the and reflection before the celebration of Easter on April 12. ``Penance for Lent for the 40 days prepares Catholics for the joy of Easter,'' said the Rev. Jim Gehl, pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Canoga Park. ``The custom of bestowing the ash grabs your attention. It is universal around the world in Catholic churches.'' St. Joseph the Worker is a multicultural church, serving Latino, Filipino, white and Vietnamese families within its parish boundaries. There are about 3,000 registered families and an additional 1,000 regular congregants at the 42-year-old church. ``We are one family. That's what we strive to be. Some of us just speak other languages,'' said Gehl, pastor for 24 years. Even though Ash Wednesday is not considered by the Catholic Church to be a holy day of obligation, Gehl expects to see thousands of people come to Masses to receive the ash mark. The ash for the coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. mark comes from burning the palms that were blessed and used at Masses the previous year on Palm Sunday Palm Sunday, in the Christian calendar, the Sunday before Easter, sixth and last Sunday in Lent, and the first day of Holy Week. It recalls the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem riding upon an ass, when his followers shouted "Hosanna" and scattered palms in his path. , the Sunday before Easter. This practice is common around the world. ``The congregation - from infants to the elderly - comes forward to receive the ash as the sign of the cross is made. I like to use the traditional bestowal remark: `Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.' It is a very powerful statement to make to someone,'' said Gehl, who has lived in the Valley for 40 years. The ash mark, Gehl explained, should be seen as a symbol that the receiver is serious about saying extra prayers, fasting and giving money or help to the needy during the days leading up to Easter. All Catholic churches follow set Scripture readings for Ash Wednesday, but parish leaders have some latitude in their homily homily (hŏm`əlē), type of oral religious instruction delivered to a church congregation. In the patristic period through the Middle Ages the focus of the homily was on the explanation and application of texts read or sung during the for the day. ``I'll be stressing the passages from Matthew 6:1-6 and Matthew 6:16-18 that concern alms-giving, prayer and fasting. I'm going to ask that the congregation be committed to spending the next 40 days thinking about and doing these three traditional penitential pen·i·ten·tial adj. 1. Of, relating to, or expressing penitence. 2. Of or relating to penance. n. 1. A book or set of church rules concerning the sacrament of penance. 2. A penitent. acts,'' Gehl said. The date of Ash Wednesday depends on when Easter occurs. Easter is the first Sunday in spring after the full moon, on or after the vernal equinox vernal equinox: see equinox. . Pope Gregory I “Saint Gregory” redirects here. For other uses, see Saint Gregory (disambiguation). Pope Saint Gregory I or Gregory the Great (c. 540 – March 12, 604) was pope from September 3, 590 until his death. is credited with establishing Ash Wednesday in the fourth century as the day to begin penance and introspection introspection /in·tro·spec·tion/ (in?trah-spek´shun) contemplation or observation of one's own thoughts and feelings; self-analysis.introspec´tive in·tro·spec·tion n. before Easter. Another widely known hallmark of Ash Wednesday is ``giving up'' something for Lent, particularly favorite foods. ``It's up to the individual, but it's customary to not eat meat - no eating between meals and generally just take light meals.'' Six Ash Wednesday Masses will be said from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph the Worker, 19855 Sherman Way, Canoga Park. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO The Rev. Jim Gehl explains the Catholic traditions of Ash Wednesday. David Sprague/Daily News |
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