You’ll be wondering why you see folks today with black smudges on their foreheads. Therefore I thought I’d go ahead and tell you why….
Source: Bible Info Many people ask, “What is Ash Wednesday?” This primarily Catholic holiday is the first day of Lent and always falls forty-six days before Easter.
What is the meaning of Ash Wednesday?
Roman Catholic churches of the Latin Rite use this service to prepare church members to better appreciate the death and resurrection of Christ through self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, and self-denial. Ashes from the burned palms of the preceding year’s Palm Sunday are blessed. With these ashes, the priest marks a cross on the foreheads of worshipers, saying, “Remember, man, that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return” (Genesis 3:19 KJV). Besides showing sorrow for their sins, those who honor Ash Wednesday add an additional meaning; the need to prepare for a holy death.