Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent - the forty days of preparation for the celebration of Easter. Ash Wednesday is a particular time for new beginnings in faith, a time for returning to the Lord. On this day we recall our own mortality and wait upon the Lord for a renewing Spirit.
But why the ashes? It is because ashes are symbolic of who and what we are: mortal. We are reminded of Abraham who, while bargaining with God in Genesis 18:27 said, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes." This and other passages (Genesis 3:19; Job 30:19) use ashes to remind us that we aren't God, but that we are creatures of God, and, therefore, subject to God.
But ashes are also a symbol of repentance and sorrow. In Job 42:6, Job realizes his limitations compared to God's infinite power and uses dust and ashes to symbolize the intensity of his repentance. And in the New Testament, aware of the power of the symbolism, Jesus says, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! 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" (Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13).
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Last updated: December 16, 2001