Norma Gerrell - Dr. G. retuiteado
Q: Why do Christians observe Ash Wednesday?
A: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of repentance and reflection. It reminds us of our mortality and our need for Christ.
Q: Why do people have ashes placed on their foreheads?
A: The ashes, in the shape of a cross, are a visible sign of repentance and a reminder of the words spoken: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Q: Isn’t it strange to have ashes smeared on our heads?
A: It may seem strange, but it is a deeply meaningful act. From baptism onward, we daily practice dying to self, and Ash Wednesday is a public acknowledgment of that truth.
Q: Didn’t Jesus say we shouldn’t disfigure our faces when fasting (Matt. 6:16-18)?
A: Yes, but his warning was against hypocrisy, not visible signs of faith. If applied to Ash Wednesday, it would also forbid outward Christian marks such as cross necklaces or Bible-verse clothing. Wearing a cross—whether on our forehead, our neck, or in our front yard—is a way of proclaiming that we belong to Christ.
Q: What does Ash Wednesday teach us about life and death?
A: We remember that we, mortal creatures, beset by sin, weak and failing and falling apart, will one day join those innumerable others who have gone before us, whose bodies now lie beneath the soil. We live in repentance and faith, knowing that one day, to dust we shall return.
Q: Is Ash Wednesday only about death?
A: No. The ashes also remind us of Christ’s sacrifice. Just as the cross is traced on our foreheads, a crown of thorns was placed on his brow as he bore our sins.
Q: How does baptism relate to Ash Wednesday?
A: The same heads that bear ashes today were once washed in baptism. We are dust, but we are dust that has had water poured upon it, Spirit breathed into it, so that in Jesus we became the ever-living, ever-forgiven, ever-beloved children of our Father.
Q: What makes Ash Wednesday both strange and beautiful?
A: It is a day of contrasts—mourning our sin yet rejoicing in salvation, acknowledging our death yet remembering eternal life in Christ. It is a day to repent, reflect, and rest in the love of God.
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