Ash Wednesday signifies the first day of Lent, which is the 40 day period before
Easter.
I attended the service at California State University, Monterey Bay in
the Student Center to get more of an understanding and the meaning of it. The event was hosted by the Newman Club and Father Manny, a
local priest, who conducted the service.
The room was filled with students
along with Monterey locals who came together embracing their religion.
 |
| http://concordpastor.blogspot.com/2012/02/where-do-ash-wednesdays-ashes-come-from.html |
Songs were sung with lyrics such
as, “Be merciful Oh Lord for we have sinned.”
Along with singing there was a part during the service when students
were marked with crosses on their foreheads. I was unsure about what the crosses meant so I got some answers. According to the President of the Newman Club
Chrissy Depweg, Senior, Mathematics Major said that Father Manny placed ashes in the sign
of a cross on the foreheads with ashes that were blessed and mixed with holy
water. The ashes are made from palms that were blessed from the previous
year on Palm Sunday. Depweg went on to say that the ashes signify
mortality of life and are asked to renew themselves to repentance. The
saying that Father Manny said as he placed ashes on the foreheads was
"Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return". This
signifies the symbol of repentance, sorrow, and humility. The ashes were
made in the sign of the cross to signify the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Students throughout the day who attended the
service continued to wear the marking of the crosses on their heads proudly.
Fasting is also a part of lent and
according to Depweg during Lenten season it is known to also fast and abstain from
meat on Fridays. Catholics are also supposed to refrain from a certain
necessity during the process of the time. During Father Manny’s preaching he
said, “that by fasting we are making ourselves more available to God.”
He continued by saying during lent
we must ‘fast’ from certain things and ‘feast’ on others. He emphasized that a
lot of people during lent fast from sweets or watching TV and are missing the
primary purpose. He said that we should fast from anger and feast on patience,
fast on worry and feast onto hope, fast from bitterness and feast
forgiveness. He pointed out that lent
does not increase Gods love for us because he already loves us. Lent is for
making one more open to God, to become like Christ to one another.
The Newman Club holds a
Roman Catholic Mass every Sunday at 6:30 pm in the Meeting House. Depweg
said that Mass is important to their faith because they are able to receive the
Eucharist, which is the Body and Blood of Christ. Eucharist means
"thanksgiving" as they are giving thanks to God for dying of our
sins. Everyone is welcome to our Mass, Catholic and Non-Catholic.
Dupweg along with the
Newman Club invites everyone to their weekly Sunday mass with Father Manny.
In special news, the Bishop of the Monterey diocese, Bishop Garcia, will
be presiding over Mass on April 1st, which is Palm Sunday! The Newman Club will
also be hosting an Easter mass on Sunday, April 8 in the Student Center again
at 6:30pm.
I feel as though it is important for people who follow a specific religion to learn the methods of others and the reason for it. Understanding multiple religions allows one to gain knowledge that can enhance their certain beliefs and maybe even understand others.
I grew up in a Catholic household and I remember going to mass every Sunday and going to Sunday school. As a kid, I attended mass because my parents required me to do so and I just went along with the routine. Now that I am an adult, I realize that attending mass strengthened my faith and values and I appreciate that my parents gave me a religious upbringing. Even though I grew up Catholic,I also believe it is important to be aware and open to other religions.
ReplyDeleteI feel real bad because I was supposed to give up smoking weed for lent, but I failed. The thing is, I love smoking weed. For the most part, it's a spiritual feeling when I smoke it; my heart is awakened and my pride is drowned. I do a lot of reflecting when I smoke the herb. Still, I failed and every day I ask for forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should've given up something else, like lying, or alcohol. Maybe laziness. There are many things I could've sacrificed to show my devotion and grace for what Jesus did for us. In my weak defense, I sacrificed the wrong thing.
Despite this, I still talk to my Lord every day and offer everything to him, because nothing is mine. Not even my biggest blessing; my son.
I slip and fall, but I'm just a man trying to understand the divine plan handed to me by my Lord. I know it's something special, and it begins with learning, following, education, and music. Most importantly, humility and devotion to God.
This article about Ash Wednesday was very informative. although I knew it existed and i knew that lent was a part of the Catholic Religion I did not know the true guidelines to it. Being a Christian i thought that the suggestions on what Catholics should give up for lent were very powerful because there is always need for improvement in those areas. A lot of my friends that I know who do lent always give up something like Cheetos, or chocolate, things that can be seen as maybe un-healthy for their physical diet and physical body, but what about ones spiritual health and spiritual body? the things that the priest suggested people fast would help them in many ways, because ultimately the goal is to get to become more Christ like and reach the pearly white gates of Heaven.
ReplyDelete