Christians marked the holy season of Lent on Wednesday, Feb.14, with the annual ritual of receiving ashes on their foreheads.
For those of the Christian faith — including Catholics, evangelicals and other Christian denominations — Ash Wednesday heralds the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of spiritual introspection leading up to Easter, which honors the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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Many attend Mass or other service where, traditionally, a priest or pastor applies ashes in the shape of a cross to the foreheads of worshippers to “remind them of mortality and the call to repentance,” said Jarryd Gonzales, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Orange.
The words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” accompany the act, said Gonzales.
Orange resident Mary Renald said she finds Ash Wednesday to be an “important and beautiful day.”
“Ash Wednesday is a day where people like me can stay a bit more grounded,” said Renald. “It is a reminder that we are just human.”
Aside from the ashes, those who observe the day may also spend extra time in pray, abstain from meat or fast. The day, said Father Martin Hiep Nguyen of La Purisima Catholic Church in Orange, is “a season of renewal and a season of growing your relationship with God.”
Renald is not a regular member of La Purisima, where she received ashes on Wednesday, but she said that she appreciates the opportunity to visit a church and know that “no matter where I am at in life, I am welcomed.”
“The world is scary right now, and a lot of major events like the election are right around the corner,” Renald said. “But today is a nice reminder that wherever you are, you have community and that community wants you to grow.”
Typically, at the start of Lent, it is customary for many people to “give something up” until Easter, which falls this year on…
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