By Charly SHELTON

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and, for many, it was a day of repentance, reflection and humility. For those who don’t observe the tradition, it’s the day when many coworkers come in with ashen crosses on their foreheads. To better understand the holy day, its history should be examined.
The observance of Feria Quarta Cinerum (Ash Wednesday) dates back to the 10th century when it was common practice for the faithful to receive ashes on the first day of Lent, the 40-day period of fasting and self-reflection before Easter. From the Biblical Age and lasting well into the Middle Age, wearing sackcloth and covering oneself in ashes was a way to show grief or humility. It is even mentioned in the Bible repeatedly: in 2 Samuel 13:19, Job 42:3-6, Jer 6:26, Daniel 9:3, 1 Maccabees 3:47 and 4:39, Numbers 19:9 and 19:17, among other places. Notably, Jesus mentions this repentant behavior in two versions of the same story, Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13, “For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”
Beggars, sinners and those who are ashamed or grieving would tear their clothes and cover their faces in ash as a sign of their state. This translates to ashes on the forehead and sprinkled over the crown of the head in church to show the shame of sinning against God and the grief for Jesus’ impending crucifixion.
By 1091, Pope Urban II made it an official practice across all Christendom and it remained widely in practice until sometime in the early 17th century. After that, it was still practiced, but only in certain places and sporadically.
The practice was revived in a big way in the renaissance of the 1970s when churches turned to scholars who discovered ancient practices and made them new again for a modern congregant. This is when Ash Wednesday was rediscovered and put back in as a holy day.
The ceremony is rather simple: congregants kneel and receive ashes in the shape of a cross on the forehead and, thankfully, usually not over the top of the head. The ashes are sourced from the blessed palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. The fronds are burnt up and mixed with water or oil to adhere to the forehead better than dry ash. The priest or vicar approaches the kneeling parishioner and, as the cross is drawn on, say either “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19), or Catholic priests say, “Repent and Believe in the Gospel!” Then the congregants are sent out into the world and told to share the message with any who need it, thus the conversations at work.
For those who celebrate Ash Wednesday, the next 40 days will be a time of sacrifice, self-denial, inward reflection and reconnection with God.