Ash Wednesday and Lenten Traditions

At Holy Rosary, the preparation for Ash Wednesday begins outside, in the cold. Last year's palm crosses are gathered and burnt in a wheelbarrow, and the ashes collected from that small fire are what will be shared with the congregations of both Holy Rosary and St. John's. It's a simple thing to watch, and somehow that simplicity is the point. Burning the old branches directly connects the events of Palm Sunday with the start of our penitential journey through Lent. The same palms, returned to ash.

The roots of this tradition stretch back to the early Catholic Church, though the full history is more complex than any brief summary can do justice to. Originally, Lent was a time of intense preparation for new converts awaiting baptism at Easter. Ashes in those days were reserved for public penitents. Those who had committed grave sins wore sackcloth and received a sprinkling of ashes before being readmitted to the community. It was a harder, more public reckoning than what we practice now. Over the centuries the Church extended this to everyone, and what was once a mark of serious transgression became a shared moment of humility. That shift says something, I think, about how the Church understands mercy.