Ash Wednesday!

Baltimore City- Many of our neighbors are in Lent starting today. The practice of Lent traces all the way back to the 11th Century in Ancient Rome! Ash Wednesday is a Christian Holiday celebrated by many religions including Catholics, Lutherans, Methodist and many more. Ash Wednesday is a day of prayer and fasting for many local residents. It is also called the Day of Ashes for many.  Lent occurs forty-days before Easter. It is a period of preparation and fasting. What is Lent? Many members of our community participate in the solemn ceremony of blessing burnt palms from the previous year. Those ashes will be marked on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance! During Lent, many residents give up something that they really love! For most of our neighbors that would be sweets! Devotional  Believers around the world observe these days for special prayer and acts of prayer to name a few! Residents in Lent wholeheartedly practice good deeds and acts of charity from the goodness of their hearts. Especially towards the needy and the suffering! The ritual of repentance  and prayer takes place through communal confession at their church’s special Ash Wednesday service! What is taking place exactly? During Mass or worship service, a priest or pastor will begin with a sermon that’s both  penitential and reflective. The members will also silently confess their sins and pray. After prayer, residents are invited to receive their ashes on their foreheads in a cross pattern.