Hey sheep and fishermen!!
…a priest dips his right thumb in the ashes and, making the sign of the Cross on each person’s forehead, says, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”…
This is the scene that will take place in many Catholic churches next Wednesday. The event is called Ash Wednesday and it is celebrated to remind parishioners of their own mortality and calls them to repentance in view of Easter approaching. In the early Church, Ash Wednesday was the day on which those who had sinned, and who wished to be readmitted to the Church, would begin their public penance. The ashes represents the people’s sinfulness, and many will leave the ash Cross sign on their foreheads all day as a sign of humility [1].
As a church, like many other evangelical and protestant churches, MCBC has never celebrated Ash Wednesday but definitely the call to repentance is one that all Christians need to consider seriously, all day and every day. So in light of Easter approaching and the importance of that event we will start a new series on Repentance and Christ (often known as the season of Lent) to help us deepen our walk and commitment with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and prepare to celebrate Him and the good news of Easter.
…in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…
[1] http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/p/Ash_Wednesday.htm