By
Emmanuel Gandu
WHY OBSERVE ASH WEDNESDAY
• Ash Wednesday marks the commencement of the 40 days fasting period otherwise called lent in the Christian calendar.
• The day prepares Christians for the 40 days journey of self denial, obedience to God’s will, repentance of our sins, and the benefits of God’s transforming power from dust into human.
• The use of ashes to mark the cross sign on the people’s forehead by the priest is a reminder of the suffering and death of Jesus, and that as “we are dust and to dust we shall return.”
• As the Priest marks our forehead with ashes using the sign of the cross, we begin the journey of lent with the guidance of the blessed trinity.
• Ash Wednesday gives us the hope that God’s love and mercy is upon us during the lent and always.
• In Ash Wednesday and lent, we are reminded of our death, nothingness, our immortality.
• Ash Wednesday is observed by Catholics, and other Christian denominations including Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran, and etc.
According to the Catholic liturgical calendar, the Lenten period is actually a 46 day period beginning from Ash Wednesday to Easter Saturday but without counting the Sundays, thereby making it a total of 40 days.
Lent is a period of spiritual exercise of repentance, cleansing, and atonement with fasting, prayers, and almsgiving.
This is following in the tradition, remembrance, practice, example, and teachings of Jesus’ 40 days fast leading up to, and culminating in his passion and crucifixion on Good Friday.
IS ASH WEDNESDAY IN THE BIBLE ?
Yes, the use of ashes and fasting for atonement of sin is biblical.
Instances of the use of Ashes abound in the Bible.
In these situations, there is the expression of grief, sorrow, repentance, supplication, cleansing, preparation, and for atonement :
(1) When Tamar was raped by her half brother, “she sprinkled ashes on her head.” – 2 Samuel 13:19
(2) “I have of thee ….. therefore I abhore myself and repent in dust and ashes.” – Job 42:5-6
(3) The prophet Jeremiah calls for repentance by saying – “O daughter of my people, gird on sakcloth, roll in the ashes” – Jeremiah 6:26
(4) The prophet Daniel pleaded to God – “I turned to the Lord God….in prayer, fasting, sakcloth, and ashes.” – Daniel 9:3
(5) The Maccabees prepared for battle using ashes – “That day they fasted and wore sakcloth, sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their cloths.” – Maccabees 3:47, and 4:39
Other biblical references include :
(6) Numbers 19:9, 17
(7) Jonah 3:6
(8) Esther 4:1
(9) Hebrews 9:13
(10) Matthew 11:21
(11) Luke 10:13
IMPLICATION OF ASH WEDNESDAY TO THE LEADERSHIP AND SUFFERING MASSES OF NIGERIA :
1. Do you as a citizen of Nigeria create a space in your heart for fellow human beings ?
2. Are our political leaders aware that they are mere mortals, from dust and unto dust they shall return ?
3. Nigerians have been wallowing in abject poverty, hunger, want and deprivation. Do you realise that the fasting observance during this lent may not come to them as a fresh new obligation? Afterall, they have been fasting from food and every thing else all day long, all year round. To them there is nothing anymore left to fast from.
4. Given the Nigerian economic situation of abject poverty ravaging homes, families and individuals, the fulfilment of the almsgiving obligation is becoming a mirage. The have – nots are astronomically higher than the haves, thereby making the vulnarable unable to understand a Lenten period where no body comes to the aid of no body – a situation that negates the spirit of Lent. A situation that God did not envisage for Nigeria.
5. Are our religious leaders going to be doers and not mere rhetorical in their pulpit presentations ?
6. Will those of them who preach prosperity gospel give us a break during this lenten period ?
7. Will our religious leaders hold the Bible on one hand and take the weapons of emancipation on the other hand during this lent and beyond ?
8. Can the masses of Nigeria witness more of a liberation theology rather than a parliative and interventionist theology ?
9. If Jesus Christ comes back today, will he be pleased with the kind of fasting, prayer and almsgiving exhibited by His Church in the midst of the level of suffering and degradation that has engulfed his people ?
If yes, how ?
If not, why not ?
Peace 🙏
5/3/2025
