Ash Wednesday Archives - Amazing Catechists

Ash Wednesday Information for OCIA Candidates and Adult Formation

Two Practical Points for Ash Wednesday

Candidates are Encouraged to Receive Ashes on Ash Wednesday

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. Each Candidate preparing for Sacraments is able and encouraged to receive ashes on that day.

Fasting Guidelines

The USCCB provides you with the fasting guidelines for Ash Wednesday.

We will follow these guidelines again on Good Friday. Additionally, we will abstain from meat on each Friday before Easter.

Lent: A Powerful Time for Catholics in the Church

This is the most powerful time period in the Church year for Catholics. It is during these days and weeks leading up to Easter that we make an especially concerted effort to turn our lives, our hearts, and our will over to Christ. By joining our crosses to His, we make the climb to Mount Calvary together. In striving to embrace our personal crosses with love and acceptance, our humility brings great graces into our lives and in the lives of all those both living on earth or suffering in Purgatory until they attain Heaven. We must strive to allow the Lord, our God, to accomplish whatever good He has to accomplish in us. It is through this good that He transforms the world.

Lent starts on Ash Wednesday

We begin Lent by receiving ashes on our foreheads. We can attend a Mass or service set up for this purpose. Ashes signify our humility before God. It is constant reminder that without Him, we are nothing. It is He who holds our existence in place. And all that we have, we will not take with us, only our souls. So count all (all possessions; all trials; all things….) as nothing and God as everything. We would do well to realize that we exist because we are in God’s mind. Were He to stop thinking of us, but for a single instant, we would cease to exist.

We owe Him everything and He knows what’s best for us. We should never base our decisions in life on what we think is right or true. We must make every effort to seek Him who IS the Way…who IS the Truth…who IS the Life . How do we determine what He meant by what He said? He left a blueprint. He left a Church. He protected the Truth from error. He gave the keys of the Kingdom to Peter and He told his apostles:

“What you bind on earth, will be bound in Heaven. What you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.”

We Believe in Scripture and Church Tradition

We cannot simply open Scripture alone and determine what He meant and what is expected in our best interest. There are over 40,000 Christian denominations today who claim that the Bible is their only source of truth about Christ. Yet each and every one of them believes something different. That is because each time there is disagreement on interpretation, a new denomination is started. Many understandings of what individuals think Christ meant are diametrically opposed to one another. Truth cannot have completely contrary meanings.

Help those around you discover why the Church is critical for the protection of
their ability to know and understand Truth. When you receive ashes, the priest will say one of two things:

“Remember man, you are dust, and to dust shall return”

“Repent and live the Gospel”

You will respond “Amen,” which means “I believe it to be so.”

The mark of ashes in the form of a cross is a sign and reminder to the world that we need to be humble before our God. It is not a sign of ‘what wonderful Catholics we are.’

Pit in for Later

Prepare for Lent with Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

By Alex Resch

As we make our way through this period of Ordinary Time after Christmas you may already be thinking about Lent (Ash Wednesday is on February 18 in 2026). I have always found that my most fruitful Lents have been after some careful and prayerful preparation before the season begins. Here is our round up of posts to help you prepare for Lent with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in mind.

Are you helping children prepare for their First Reconciliation in your home or parish? Or, maybe you have older kids who need a refresher on the Sacrament of Penance. I have also included some helpful resources for teaching kids about the Sacrament of Confession. Enjoy!

Ash Wednesday

The Night Before Ash Wednesday

Regina Hiney shares this creative poem about the night before Ash Wednesday. Maybe you could share this poem with your students on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) to remind them what the season of Lent is all about.

Ash Wednesday and Being Thankful for the Changing of Seasons

Christopher Smith, OP has some excellent points to consider for your prayer and fasting this Lent.

How to Pray and Fast with Children on Ash Wednesday

Want to keep Ash Wednesday simple and prayerful? In this article, I share how to so just that!

Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving to Prepare for Lent

6 Ways to Pray Your Way Through Lent

“Lent has begun! If you are in need of some inspiration, take a look at these ideas to help you keep your resolutions. No resolution can succeed without prayer, however, so here are six ways to improve your prayer life this Lent.”

Strengthen Your Lenten Journey Through Fasting

“When you hear the word ‘fasting,’ do you automatically cringe? Do you dread Ash Wednesday or Good Friday? Or do you embrace the self-denial of fasting on those days? If you’re like most people, you might not look forward to Ash Wednesday or Good Friday, the Church’s compulsory days of fasting. However, when you become accustomed to the regular practice of fasting throughout the year, these “compulsory” days are opportunities for abundant graces and spiritual growth.”

An Alphabetical Lenten List

Prepare for Lent with this clever method from Deanna Bartalini. Make a list for Lent using each letter of the alphabet to inspire you prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Lenten Ideas

A post full of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving ideas for individuals, families, and the classroom. The fasting ideas are great since they will give you some ideas that aren’t just fasting from food.

9 Questions for Lent

Use this post to check-in on yourself during your Lenten journey. Read and reflect on 1 or 2 each day, or review the entire list at the end of each week. It will also be helpful in examining your conscience throughout Lent!

We Call This Friday Good

Amanda Woodiel reflects on her experience praying the Sorrowful Mysteries every day of Lent (except Sundays). Read this post and discern if you would like to try the same thing for your Lenten prayer journey.

A Lenten Tea

Read about this meaningful Lenten Tea idea from Alice Gunther. She also includes ideas for scripture and themed snacks.

40 Meatless Lent Recipes and Meal Plan

Here are 40 of our family’s favorite meatless recipes for you to pick and choose from. I also included a sample Lent meal plan that you can easily edit, as well as instructions for praying and fasting for Ember Days during Lent.

Lent Bible Lesson Plans

The Sword of February

Explain the liturgical season of Lent using the bible. Where does the word “Lent” come from? Why is Lent 40 days? Find the answers and more in this detailed Bible Lesson from Christian LeBlanc.

First Reconciliation Preparation

Sin Dims the Candle: An Object Lesson for Confession

Try out this simple and effective object lesson for teaching kids about Confession! Teach them about sin and how healing the Sacrament of Reconciliation truly is using only a jar and a candle.

Examination of Conscience for Kids

Here is a straightforward and simple Examination of Conscience for kids. Be sure to share this with your kids who are preparing for First Penance – or, any kids who you would like to encourage to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation!

What’s so Temporal About This Punishment? | The Importance of Penance

After teaching kids about Reconciliation, be sure to follow up with a lesson on Penance. What is Penance and we do we need it? Marc Cardaronella breaks it all down for us in this post.

How to Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in 7 Steps

Your child may be preparing to receive his or her First Reconciliation, or you may be looking for a refresher on how to receive the Sacrament yourself! Today, I am sharing 7 steps for receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Lent Podcasts from Homeschooling Saints

If you haven’t checked out the Homeschooling Saints podcast, you really should! Even if you don’t homeschool, I know you will find lots of great ideas in these Lent posts:

1. Choose a Transformative Lent with Christ Stefanick

2. Keeping Lent with Littles

3. Family Lenten Traditions

4. The Lenten Cookbook

How to Pray and Fast with Children on Ash Wednesday

By Alex Resch

What is required of Catholics on Ash Wednesday?

Before we get caught up in lots of activities and Ash Wednesday-related crafts, what does the Church actually require? What does the Church suggest as the most crucial elements for us to help us grow in virtue and holiness? The crafts and activities can certainly help catechize our children and make it tangible, but I know that I, myself, have been guilty of overdoing it and, ultimately, stressing myself out. It helped me to reflect and be reminded of what is required of us versus what is considered “extra.”

According to the USCCB:

“Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.”

You can find the official requirements for fasting and abstinence on the USCCB website.

Aside from this obligatory fasting (which applies to ages 18-59) and abstinence from meat (which applies to ages 14 and older), we are not formally required to do anything else. To make this a priority in our home, I find that it helps to plan some simple meals that can be easily adjusted according to preferences, states of life (i.e.. pregnancy or illness), and ages in your household. You can read about my Lent and Ash Wednesday meal ideas here.

Other Ideas for Ash Wednesday

It surprised me when I learned that Ash Wednesday is not even a Holy Day of Obligation, even though it is one of the most highly attended days in the Church (after Christmas and Easter). Of course, it is spiritually beneficial to attend Mass and receive ashes on this day. We should also remember the three pillars of Lent (prayer, fasting, and almsgiving), and we should keep these at the front of our minds throughout Lent.

Attend Mass on Ash Wednesday and Receive Ashes

Any time you can attend Mass besides Sunday is wonderful! It’s definitely on our agenda to attend Mass on Ash Wednesday and receive ashes as a family. Receiving blessed ashes reminds us of the following verse from Genesis 3:19:

“By the sweat of your brow
you shall eat bread,
Until you return to the ground,
from which you were taken;
For you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”

Here is a nice coloring page for children to enjoy on Ash Wednesday.

The Liturgy of the Hours

This past year, I have discovered the liturgical depth, richness, and beauty of the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office). Consider praying one or more of the specific hours of the day on Ash Wednesday. This would also be a great prayer practice (see below) to carry through Lent. You can read and/or listen to the Divine Office for free here.

Focus on Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

Before Ash Wednesday, be sure to discuss ideas for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving based on the ages of your family members. You can each decide on some personal and family goals for each. Rosemary Bogdan wrote this awesome post with ideas for busy moms during Lent. Here is a great video from The Religion Teacher with more ideas for adults and kids.

Bury the Alleluia – An Easy “Extra” Activity for Littles on the Eve of Ash Wednesday

During Lent, we do not sing or say the Alleluia during Mass. “Alleluia” is an exclamation of worship that comes from a Hebrew expression meaning “praise the Lord!” We omit this joyful expression during Lent to remind us of the penitential time as we prepare for Easter.

To teach this to your children, you can simply write the word “Alleluia” on a piece of paper and put it inside a zip-top bag. On the day before Ash Wednesday, find a spot in your yard to physically bury the bag. While you process to the burial location, you can sing “Alleluia” one last time. You may want to mark the spot with a rock or other obvious, weatherproof marker.

After attending the Easter Vigil or Easter Mass on Easter Sunday, be sure to joyfully “resurrect” your Alleluia baggie by digging it up!

Be Peaceful and Prayerful – not stressed!

If your Ash Wednesday or Lent devotions and activities are stressing you out and stealing your peace, then take a step back. Consider what exactly Holy Mother Church is asking of us, and consider what you can scale back on to restore that peace.

This article also appeared on CatholicMom.com.

Lent Should Be a Moving Experience

By Gabe Garnica

I find it powerful and transcendent that Lent is a moving journey toward the Cross and beyond. This “moving” however, comes in three distinct contexts. Each context has its place in the Lenten message.

Powerful Emotion

The first context of moving evoked by Lent may certainly be the strong, somber emotion of following a friend through great suffering. The closer that friend, of course, the more intimate and proximate to ourselves that suffering should be. While we may be moved by attending the funeral of a friend’s relative we never met, we would expect to be even more moved in attending the actual friend’s funeral. In the first instance, our love for our friend moves us to feel compassion and sympathy for that friend’s suffering. In the second instance, that same love moves us to suffer at the loss of a loved one. The more something touches us, the more it moves our emotions.

As followers of Christ, therefore, we should be moved by Our Lord’s great suffering leading up to and through his ultimate loving sacrifice for us. We should be moved by being so loved while falling so short loving in return. We should be moved by the way we have contributed and continue to contribute to the suffering of a such a loving Lord every time we offend him.

The Crucifix as the Proactive Cross

Our image of the cross is as static and fixed as to be a mirage. We barely discern a difference between a cross and a crucifix. The cross is love promised and the crucifix is love proven. Christ accepted his cross out of love for us and proved his love by turning that cross into the ultimate sacrificial altar. As Catholics, we should see the cross as the setting for love and the crucifix as that love actualized.

The cross sets the table and the crucifix provides us with the meal of Our Lord’s body and blood. Without the corpus on the crucifix, the cross remains a passive symbol. It may evoke our reaction in some way, but that reaction pales in the face of what happens when we add the corpus of Christ.

The crucifix, on the other hand, turns the passivity of the cross into the action of loving sacrifice opening our path to salvation. Through the cross, our reactive passivity is transformed into proactive love. The symbol becomes the signpost. Our Savior on the cross redefines love from simply emotion or reaction into action. It is fine and good to love, but true love demands we act on that love. If we truly love Christ, then we will want to authentically follow him in actions and not merely words.

In this second context, then, Lent implies moving out of our comfort zones and acting on the love we have for Christ and others. Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are made of dust but Lent calls on us to turn that dust into a windstorm of love and sacrifice.

Calendar Dates

A friend recently lamented that this year Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day, as do Easter and April Fool’s Day. His concern was that people might forget to receive ashes in their haste to buy flowers and candy. In fact, his teenage daughter who usually proudly wears her ashes to school was going to get them after school because she did not want to “mess up” her Valentine’s celebration in school !

Likewise, many may fear that Easter will receive a greater dose of secular mockery since it falls on the day when fools are celebrated. The irony is that Lent truly should begin with love and call us to be fools for Christ in the eyes of this world. In a way, this year’s odd coincidences merely parallel how we should view Lent when confronting this world’s values and priorities.

It is fitting that Lent varies from year to year because following Christ is not about comfortable and predictable routines. The true follower of Christ is like a bride or groom promising love in the face of an uncertain path to a treasured goal. While Christ should be our fixed target, the world around us often provides a moving context which we must overcome. The ultimate message is that Christ is our fixed GPS through the changing contexts of this world.

As we move through Lent this year, let us be moved to move out of our comfort zones and help move others toward Christ.

2018 Gabriel Garnica

To Fast or Not To Fast

By Maureen Smith

Last Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, I sat in the back of the Chapel after work. I was asking Jesus if it was all right that I ate that extra protein bar at lunch. I thought I should have gone without it.

You see, I am not allowed to fast. Why? Because for over half my life I have struggled with an eating disorder, and since I have been in recovery I have been told not to fast. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not that disappointed that I don’t have to be perpetually hungry, but there is a part of me that feels guilty alongside those who fast. So I sat in the pew trying to sort out which thoughts were of God and which were of the evil one.

The next morning, as I went for a swim before work, I was praying my Rosary to help me meditate on the Life of Jesus. It was Thursday, so I prayed with the Luminous Mysteries, the first being the Baptism in the Jordan. I thought about Jesus, how he willingly took on our humanity and our sins. I am not alone in my Lenten journey, in my eating disorder, in my recovery, in anything at all! This frames Lent as well as anything I do – I am not alone and neither are any of you!

The second mystery, the Wedding Feast of Cana. The Lord doesn’t ask us to make up for our failings on our own. Following the example of Mary, we come to Jesus as beggars, and ask for His help and His mercy, in whatever way He sees fit. I am not doing this Lent thing by myself or for myself, nor am I trying to overcome an addiction by myself or for myself. It is all through Him, in Him, with Him, and for Him. He makes all things new. By my own strength I could never change water into wine or perform any miracle, let alone heal my own addiction, but I can do all things with Christ.

The third mystery, the Proclamation of the Kingdom. The words that came to me as I was swimming back and forth were, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” I worry constantly that I don’t do “enough.” What is this “enough” stuff? I am comparing myself to others, to where I thought I should be, to where I was before, etc. etc. But what does Jesus ask of me? Is it the same as what I am asking of myself?

A few years ago I spent two years as a sister in Religious Life. In my second year, it became clear that I was struggling with eating, and so my Superior forbid me to fast during Lent. My Lenten “fast” was to eat snacks between meals, which were prepared by another sister so that I wouldn’t cheat. This was the greatest poverty I had ever experienced. I saw sisters fasting intensely as I was angrily smothering butter on my toast. And I felt nothing but shame when it was time for my mid-morning snack, which was hidden in the pantry. Hot tears rolled down my face when another confused sister found my hidden snack one day.

My point is not to make you feel bad for me, but to proclaim the truth that this “fast” is what Jesus asked of me. I wanted to choose my own Cross and fast like everyone else was doing, but that wouldn’t have helped me grow closer to Him–which is the point of Lent, right? If I had fasted as most did, I would have gained pride and a feeling of power. I would not have felt that poverty, that truth that I was totally dependent on the Lord and His Love and Mercy. I knew then the humiliation He felt during His Passion, and by knowing Him, He knew me.

As I was finishing my last few laps I prayed with the Transfiguration. I often ask Jesus if He’s sure He still loves me this way, wounded and far from perfect. Sometimes I delay in coming to Him because I want to be perfect first. But wait…perfectionism…that’s what got me into this mess! Jesus takes fallen humanity and glorifies it. He even gives us glimpses of this light and glory in our own lives, in order to give us strength for the times when we can see only darkness. Foreshadowing the Resurrection, Jesus shows us that in our humanity, in our woundedness, even in our sin He comes to us and gives us Himself so that we can be transformed by His mercy and forgiveness. This is the goal of the Lenten pilgrimage – to be transformed. To experience greater intimacy with Him, as did Peter, James, and John on the mountain, and to let His light penetrate our fearful hearts.

As I got out of the pool and got ready for work I thought of the last mystery, the Institution of the Eucharist. Hmmm…probably the Lord wants me to think about this whole fasting thing. I thought back to my time in the Chapel last evening. The soft flickering of the sanctuary candle made the shadow of the Cross bob up and down. Even though the light was coming from the right side of the Chapel where the Tabernacle kept vigil in silence, it seemed to cast its rays onto the center of the sanctuary where the Jesus hung on the Cross on the back wall. This was the answer to my question last night. Jesus already suffered for my sins. Was I trying to do it on my own? Was I denying that Jesus’ Passion and Death was enough for me? Was I telling Jesus that I had to suffer in a prescribed manner in order to be worthy?

This morning I welcomed again the graces I received yesterday, when He spoke truth to my heart. I was angry at myself for not suffering enough, especially compared to others. Underneath that was another question: am I enough Lord?…am I doing enough and suffering enough for you? If I had given up that power bar, it would have made me feel a little better about myself, as if I had “done” something for Him, and maybe even prevented the body image thoughts that were penetrating my time of prayer. But this was not of God! Jesus was asking me to sacrifice in another way; I was poor in spirit by obediently following my doctor’s orders and by nourishing my body that I have in the past denied–not out of a call to fast but out of fear of not being enough. This gave me the peace my heart desired; I knew this thought was from the Lord.

I begin this Lent with another kind of fasting. Yes, I am fasting, but not in the way most people are fasting. I am fasting from my will, from my passions, from my securities. I am becoming poor in spirit and accepting the Will of God. Yes, I will probably face feelings of guilt and shame about my body, especially around others who are fasting “more.” But what a perfect time to bring these lies to the Lord. I journey with Him in the desert this Lent and I choose Him over the lies and temptations of the evil one. I am not alone. He is with me, He is in my poverty, He comes to me in my brokenness, and He suffered and died for me.

My prayer is that all of you who read this are able to pray about your Lenten journey, that despite what others are doing for Lent, you recognize the places where the Lord is and is not calling you to focus. May our Lenten pilgrimage lead us to the Pierced Heart of Christ, the source of our salvation.

The Night Before Ash Wednesday

By Regina Hiney

Twas the night before Ash Wednesday
And all through the rooms
Every cushion was overturned
Every piece of old candy consumed

The children were negotiating their Lenten promises in bed
Trying to find loopholes in saintly feast days ahead
With wine and Facebook and chocolate on tap
I was trying to reconcile myself to the long Lenten slap

When all through the house there arose such a clatter
I ignored all their noise for I cared not for their chatter.
And up to the window, I did indeed look about
Annoyed with 40 days to kvetch and to pout.

The moon on the breast on the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of loathing to my crestfallen low.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a cross in a shadow and the grace to persevere

With little old prayer beads, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment this flesh must be licked.
More rapid than eagles, His angels they came,
And He whispered, I answered, He called me by name;

“Now, Sons! Now, Daughters! Now, Children! Now, come!
On command: “Love one another as I have loved every one.
From the mountain of beatitude to the hill of the cross,
If you value your life, don’t be afraid of the loss.
As snowflakes that before a Nor’Easter do fly,
Ice crystals that melt and spring is soon nigh.
So up to the altars your sacrifices anew,
and with heart full of prayers, you have better things to pursue.”

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in my heart
The cloud of great witnesses cheering my part
The race we are running, that Lent helps us to win
That heavenly banquet once clouded by sin.

He was dressed all in white, from His head to His foot,
And my clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of sins He had born on His back,
And He looked like a thief, just come from the rack.
His eyes, how they wept! His hands bore the holes.
His back had the scars, His heart knew every last soul.
His side was the fount of love and mercy itself
And immediately I knew the guilt of myself.

He spoke no more words, but went straight to His work,
And paid all my debt, not a sin did He shirk.
And giving a nod, up to the Father He rose
Sending another to come and grace overflows.

So as we begin this sojourn, as they days grow long,
We pray. We fast. And to the needy give alms.
We look to the cross and we fight that good fight.
No Easter is had but with a Good Friday’s long night

Happy Lent to all and keep the Cross in thy sight!