March 5th, 2014
9.15AM Mass – St. Dominic & Queen of Heaven Schools
1.00PM Mass St. Paul School
7.30PM Mass
Ashes will be distributed at all the Masses. You are invited to celebrate all or any of the Masses
In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is
the first day of Lent, the season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus
Christ on Easter Sunday.
The distribution of ashes reminds us of our
own mortality and calls us to repentance. In the early Church, Ash Wednesday
was the day on which those who had sinned, and who wished to be readmitted to
the Church, would begin their public penance. The ashes that we receive are a
reminder of our own sinfulness, and many Catholics leave them on their
foreheads all day as a sign of humility. The Church emphasizes the penitential
nature of Ash Wednesday by calling us to fast and abstain from meat. Catholics
who are over the age of 18 and under the age of 60 are required to fast, which
means that they can eat only one complete meal and two smaller ones during the
day, with no food in between. Catholics who are over the age of 14 are required
to refrain from eating any meat, or any food made with meat, on Ash Wednesday.
This fasting and abstinence is not simply a form of penance, however; it is
also a call for us to take stock of our spiritual lives. As Lent begins, we
should set specific spiritual goals we would like to reach before Easter and
decide how we will pursue them.
