Today, Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten season, a season of fasting and prayer. It is done at the start of the so called “quaresma” or forty days before the resurrection of Jesus on Glorious Sunday.
Ash Wednesday, is that time of the liturgical year, where Christians attend the mass and have their foreheads marked by the priest with the blessed ash.
Just a while ago at 5:00 p.m. we Catholic employees at the office, attended the Ash Wednesday mass and had our foreheads crossed with ash by the priest as he says “ Repent and believe that you will enter heaven”.
Lenten season is that time of the year when Christians observe fasting and abstinence, repentance for their sins, moderation, self denial and spiritual activities such as praying .
It is the season, where Christians will have time to meditate and reflect the sufferings and sacrifices of Jesus, his death on the cross, burial and his resurrection.
On Holy week, the church will be having their mass confessions at the church on Holy Tuesday, wherein many priests will be hearing confessions, by being seated and the people will one by one do their confessions.
Then, there are many church activities that will be observed such as the procession on Holy Friday.
Families who have those big images of the saints and statues depicting those that participated and events that happened before and after Jesus was crucified, will adorn their carriages and place their statues and participate in the procession from the church and around the town or city.
Fasting are encouraged for those persons who aren’t sick and are 16 year old to 59 year old during the Lenten season. It is one way wherein the person will not eat one full meal at his chosen meal of the day.
Abstinence is also another way of observing Lent. It is refraining from eating meat every Friday until the Holy Saturday of the so called Holy week.
This year the Holy week will be from April 3-9.
The culmination of the spiritual activities will be on Glorious Sunday , where people will attend a mass in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus.
In your place, do you have a month like this too, observed and practiced by the people of your religion?
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Very nice blog my friend, but sad this day, i was not able to go to church for my class starts at 7 and ends 12, then in the afternoon at 1 to 6 in the evening. I felt so very tired, plus so heavy traffic here due to mass goers of Ash Wednesday. I pray to father our dear Lord to forgive me for my body cannot anymore handle extra hours and go home very late.
I am so happy for you.At least we are the same RC and let us not be affected with negative feedback against priests and priests against the people and government.Let us just do our job for it is God we glorify not priests.
Thank you @Cely. :)
I think if the mall we manage has no chapel, I will not have the patience too, to go to a church teeming with people. I experience vertigo that's why when I am in the midst of so many people.
Luckily, for 10 years now, I always get to attend the Ash Wednesday mass, because our company would always have a mass said on the chapel and before when we are not in this mall yet for our office, we hire a priest to do the mass in our office.
As for you, don't worry. You can just pray in the confines of your room with a contrite heart. :)
Filipinos have a deep sense of religiosity which they show by attending Sunday Masses or observing religious activities like the Lenten Season.
God has been the center of their lives as expressed in the way they express their religiosity. The God-fearing attitude prevents them from committing negative acts towards other people. Though there are so many religions in our country (Philippines), majority of them are Roman Catholics.
@acelawrites
I agree. Filipinos have a deep sense of religiosity really, as it is evidenced by the millions of people who would flock to their church or even to a prayer meeting of their religion.
They will really sacrifice the heat and the bad smell they encounter, just so they can be at the church to attend the mass.
Just imagine the many , many people who would go with the procession of the Black Nazarene. We can already call them fanatic, but they don't care as long as they do the vow to attend this every year in exchange for their requests that were granted by their devotion to the Black Nazarene,
Are you a Roman Catholic too, @acelawrites?
Nice article!
Lately, I have not been as religious as I should have been. Coincidentally, I just submitted a similar topic but more of my not being active than the celebration itself.
It is so nice to know that there are still many Catholics who stick with their beliefs. There maybe flaws in our religion but it will all boil down to one: that we will all return to our Creator, no matter what religion you believe in. Even sinners, like San Dimas, was forgiven by Jesus for he repented and he believed that Jesus is his savior.