Ash Wednesday

I have attended church my whole life... I woke up this morning and realized it was Ash Wednesday. Other than being the start of Lent and ending up with a big smudge on your forehead, I had no idea what the significance of Ash Wednesday is. So, I googled it and the best site explaining Ash Wednesday is http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/Christianity/holidays/ashwednesday.shtml. Yeah for the BBC! So, here's the summary:

The beginning of Lent.
Day of pentinence to cleanse the soul before Lent.
Draws from ancient Biblical tradition of wearing a sack-cloth, covering your head with ashes, and fasting.
Sign of recognizing our own mortality.
Traditionally, the ashes are the blessed ashes of the palms used in the prior Palm Sunday.
The ashes are very symbolic - "Remember from dust you were made and to dust you will return." - From Genesis 3:16
In some churches the worshipers keep the sign of the cross on their forehead to carry it out into the world.
Other churches, the service ends with the washing off of the cross symbolizing their sins being forgiven.
The marking of their forehead with a cross made of ashes reminds each churchgoer that:
* Death comes to everyone
* They should be sad for their sins
* They must change themselves for the better
* God made the first human being by breathing life into dust, and without God, human beings are nothing more than dust and ashes

The shape of the mark and the words used are symbolic in other ways:
* The cross is a reminder of the mark of the cross made at baptism
* The phrase often used when the ashes are administered reminds Christians of the doctrine of original sin
* The cross of ashes may symbolism the way Christ's sacrifice on the cross as atonement for sin replaces the Old Testament tradition of making burnt offerings to atone for sin

SO... there's your education of the day to learn the symbolism of Ash Wednesday. :)



In regard to my pediatric experience... Today I saw my first Caucasian child in 2 1/2 weeks. She looks so pale in regard to the rest of the babies I've been taking care of!