earliest evidence of imposition of ashes catholic

He sings in the choir at Sacred Heart Parish. Scott Cooper is Vice President of Mission for Catholic Charities Eastern Washington, Diocese of Spokane. In our Lenten practices, be present to ourselves and to one another. But in our time together, let’s try to really be here. Remember: none of is getting out of here alive. It was our privilege to provide a dignified home for Jake’s battered physical frame in his final weeks.

Jake’s illnesses caught up to him a few weeks ago and he passed away in his room. As with most of our residents, he brought with him many illnesses and physical challenges, compounded by years of deferred medical care and shelter-less existence.

I think of “Jake,” a young man who moved a few months ago from our area’s largest homeless encampment into a transitional shelter we operate. We know this from the people we all serve. Our God is an incarnational God, a God of bodies. Don’t brush off or move on from that feeling. Pause and notice any momentary discomfort or pang if you fast. Pray with your body, however that looks for you. May we pray, fast and give our way through Lent in and from our physical selves. So let us start there, brought to this focus in our own bodies. I was reminded once that Ash Wednesday is the only day in the whole Church year when everyone is touched. We begin Lent today with imposition of ashes.

So how can we take this to a different level and follow these three practices in meaningful ways during Lent? Many of us already have disciplines of prayer and charitable giving, and we may even train ourselves to abstain from certain foods regularly. “Repent” means “to turn away from” or “turn back to the original.” Just how we go about that may look a little different for each of us.įor hundreds of years, we have found guidance in the three ancient pillars of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Today we begin the holy season of Lent, the 40 days of preparation for the great feast of Easter, when death is conquered and heaven and earth are reconciled. “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned,” says the psalmist.

Earliest evidence of imposition of ashes catholic