
"In the early church, ashes were not offered to everyone but were only used to mark the forehead of worshippers who had made public confession of sin and sought to be restored to the fellowship of the community at the Easter celebration. However, over the years others began to show their humility and identification with the penitents by asking that they, too, be marked as sinners. Finally, the imposition of ashes was extended to the whole congregation in services similar to those that are now observed in many Christian churches on Ash Wednesday. Ashes became symbolic of that attitude of penitence reflected in the Lord’s prayer: “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us” (Luke 11:4, NRSV)."
*Once again, thanks to Dennis Bratcher, the same source I turned to at Advent.
1 comment:
Thanks much for sharing this. I am a Christian, and yet I shamefully must admit that I did not know the whole meaning or reason behind Lent & Ash Wednesday. This was great to read and learn about.
Post a Comment