There is some evidence that Ash Wednesday started in the 6th century in ancient Gaul, in what is now France, and that it was a day to mark the most egregious sinners in the church. Only the people who had messed up BIG TIME had to wear ashes—as a sign of public shame and humiliation. Now, surprise, surprise, this set up a dynamic where some people felt they were superior to others (the inferior ones, obviously, were the ones with the ashes; the superior ones had clean heads.) So, to counter this developing arrogance, priests began putting ashes on their own heads on Ash Wednesday as well, as a sign of solidarity with the sinners.
A Prayer: O God, on this first day of Lent, help us to remember that we are all human; we all make mistakes; we all need forgiveness; we are all in this together. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Lenten Devotions
February 17, 2021