Today is Ash Wednesday

Before I entered the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), I always felt a tug at my heart, pulling me into a Catholic Church. When I entered through the front doors of any parish, I felt at home, at peace, as if that was where I belonged. Yet, it was years before I acted on those feelings.

While working as a reporter, I wrote about faith and religion. I would speak to pastors, priests, rabbis, and imams to learn about their faith and beliefs. One aspect of Christianity I always wondered about was why I would see people with ashes on their foreheads. So, while working at the El Paso Herald-Post, I met with Lutheran Pastor Brian Bestian and Father Jesus Mena.

Since becoming Catholic and finding the truth of Jesus Christ, I’ve learned much about Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent.

Ash Wednesday reminds me of my mortality and the need for reconciliation with God, the need for repentance, an acknowledgment of my sins, and a desire to turn back to God.

Growing up, there was no concrete way to atone for my sins or seek forgiveness. On Yom Kippur, there was teshuvah, which involved reflecting on my past actions, confessing my sins to God through prayer, and seeking forgiveness from those I’ve wronged. You would then commit to changing your behavior going forward.

During Rosh Hashanah, there is tashlich. Tashlich is a ceremony where bread or other items are tossed into a river. The bread symbolizes the casting off of your sins. Tashlich, like teshuvah, felt empty.

On my first Ash Wednesday, after baptism, I remember what the priest told us:

“Today [Ash Wednesday] is a powerful day for reflection and repentance, where the placement of ashes on your forehead serves as a reminder of our mortality and a call to turn back to God.”

He then read the following verse from the Bible.

“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Ecclesiastes 3:20

In Numbers 19:5, we learn that the ashes of a red heifer were burned and sprinkled on the unclean to make them ceremonially clean.

For people, when the Temple was standing, we were cleansed of sin through animal sacrifices offered by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), where the blood of the sacrifices was symbolically transferred to the Holy of Holies, representing the removal of the people’s sins. This was the primary way that we achieved atonement before Christ.

During the Temple in Jerusalem, a “scapegoat” was needed for the sacrifice. I’ve learned that the lamb used prefigured Jesus Christ, who would become the Lamb slain for us, taking our sins upon Himself.

During Lent, starting on Ash Wednesday, I recall the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” I ponder my own mortality. If I were to die this very day, would I have confessed and repented of all my sins? I take stock of my life to see if Jesus would be pleased with how I’ve lived.

Viviane, on X (Twitter), says the same: “[Ash Wednesday is] the beginning of a season of reflection. Am I doing what God wants me to do? How can I do more or do better?”

Tomorrow, while attending Mass at the Basilica of San Albino, I will ponder my thoughts, words, and deeds. Through the Holy Spirit, I will seek God’s guidance to help clarify what I need to repent of, what I need to correct, and what I can do better. Lent is a time to take stock of your life and ensure you do all you can.

The folloing are photos I took of Father Mena, formerly of All Saint’s Church in El Paso, Texas, on Ash Wednesday. Click any image to see it full size.