Spring Break
Ashes to ashes
Students forego privileges, luxuries during Lent
By: Laura Sanchez
Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: Features
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Today marks Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season.
"Lent is a part of our church year that prepares us 40 days in advance for Easter. The reason we have 40 days is because this is a biblical number that represents preparation. For instance, Jesus, before beginning his ministry, went into the desert to prepare for it for 40 days," said Marcel LeJeune, assistant director of Campus Ministry at St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Sundays are not included in the season, and it ends on Holy Thursday, just before Easter.
"Ash Wednesday shows me that Jesus fasted and withdrew from temptation; so for me, I should follow his ways for not only the 40 days, but for the rest of my life," said Thomas Eureste, a junior agriculture and life sciences major.
"Lent originally developed as a 40 day retreat, preparing converts to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. Lent is a season of conversion. Conversion is the process of turning away from sin and turning to God," said LeJeune.
Today, Ash Wednesday is recognized distinctively as the day to receive ashes on one's forehead.
Anyone is welcome to receive ashes during one of the eight masses given by St. Mary's at either Rudder Theater, Blinn student center or St. Mary's Catholic Church.
"The ashes on the forehead are a sign of sorrow for our sins. All of us as preachers have fallen short of God's glory, we all sin and unfortunately, this is part of life. God knows we are sinners, but the point of it is to remind ourselves that we need God's forgiveness. We do this in an outward way on Ash Wednesday and as a community, to prepare for that which offers us salvation and forgiveness of sins as Christ's resurrection during Easter," said LeJeune.
The ashes do not need to be kept on, but doing so is an opportunity to preach to others.
"They come from burned palm branches when we celebrate Palm Sunday the year before. They are put on the forehead just like in the Old Testament in the Bible. We find that people who would repent would cover their heads in ashes and put on sackcloths as a public sign of repentance for sin.
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