Unto Ash you return

Today, 1st of March marks the Ash Wednesday for the Catholic calendars worldwide which also initiates the season of Lent.

Before I proceed with further jargons which may confuse you readers out there, I'll just make this simple; Lent season is a 40-days period which is a journey before Easter and its significance also lies in the 40 days in the desert. During this 40 days, it is also a time of fast and abstinence of the Catholic community worldwide to reflect on their sins and the suffering of others around the world.
As we journey towards the glory of Jesus rising again on Easter, we should also bear in mind the sufferings He went through.

That was the brief summary about the Lent season :)
As for today, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lent season and being one of the important days in the Catholic calendar, most of the Catholics will be attending masses all over the world to mark the solemnity of the period. The interesting bit of this occasion is the palms from the previous year(from Palm Sunday...another story...I will cover about that in another entry) are burnt to ashes. These ashes will be collected and then used during the ash marking ceremony in the mass today.

Every parishioner will be receiving the ash where the priest will make a mark with the ash on the forehead of each and every parishioner. Now, the reason behind this marking of the forehead is actually to remind us of our origins; the quote "From ash you come and unto ash you will return" which literally means that we were nothing before and thus we shall return to this state as well.

I will also be attending mass and observe the solemnity of the event.
God bless everyone! :)

P.S.: This is just a sharing article and is not intended to invoke any offensive materials from the religious viewpoint.