I work at a Catholic Hospital and everyone is getting Ashes on their foreheads. I refuse to do such a thing but is it mostly a catholic Tradition or do other religions do it?
2007-02-21 01:05:05 · 21 answers · asked by Sarah D 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Thats weird everyone I know is walking around with some brown stuff right under their noses...hmmmm
2007-02-21 01:09:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
As far as I know it is a mostly catholic thing. I was brought up catholic and we did that every year right after Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday then Ash Wednesday. Now that I am part of a different church we don't do that. I never understood it anyway. Here in Louisiana, people deliberately party their way to ash Wednesday and then get ashes on their heads as a sign of repentance. It is something that I am thoroughly against, here's more if you want to know about it.
http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/mardigras/history.htm
2007-02-21 09:15:46 · answer #2 · answered by t2ensie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are seeing Catholics participate in Lent. It is a Catholic tradition, but is biblical in the fact that the Jews used to wear ashes as a sign of mourning. If someone was to die, or if something terrible was happening in their lives, the jews would wear saccloth and ashes. It was a form of penance that let everyone else know what was going on, and that the person was unclean.
2007-02-21 09:13:19 · answer #3 · answered by ɹɐǝɟsuɐs Blessed Cheese Maker 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is indeed a Catholic tradition. The ashes are from the burnt palms from the previous Palm Sunday. Lent is the beginning of the 40 days before Easter (a lot like Passover in the Jewish faith) in which you give up something near and dear to your heart until Easter sunrise when Christ rose from the dead.
2007-02-21 09:10:31 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are correct - it is a Catholic practice.
It is funny that the God of the Bible does not teach such a tradition and letting the good times roll basically means that you should enjoy yourself in sin - here is a new flash - NO man on earth can forgive sins - you cannot work them off - your sin is only forgiven by God - and even then He will only forgive your sins if you repent of you old ways - this sinning and getting forgiveness on Sunday does not work for God - know this now and not when your time is up.
2007-02-21 09:08:59 · answer #5 · answered by Gladiator 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Anglicans in England and Episcopalians in the US do it too. Yes, it's a mostly Catholic tradition, done to mark Ash Wednesday. You won't be left out of Heaven if you arrive without ashes on your head.
2007-02-21 09:09:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As far as I know it is a Catholic thing, which doesn't mean to much considering it was given to the catholics through their dogma. I don't believe we will be condemned because we did not get ashes. You can love God and all he stands for without the silly nonsense.
2007-02-21 09:10:54 · answer #7 · answered by Icey 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ashes that are used on Ash Wednesday are made from the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday (also called Passion Sunday), which is the Sunday just before Easter.
Palm Sunday is the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem with people waving palm fronds to celebrate his arrival. On Palm Sunday today, the priest or bishop blesses palm fronds which are given to the people. After Mass, the people take the blessed palm fronds home and keep them in their houses all year.
The next year, just before Ash Wednesday, the people bring the palm fronds to church and give them to the priest, who burns them to make ashes, which he then blesses. On Ash Wednesday these are used to make the sign of the cross on people's foreheads to symbolize that they belong to Christ and that they are sorry for their sins.
The palm fronds, which symbolized joy on Palm Sunday, now become symbols of the fact we are sorry for our sins. This reflects the joy of the people when Jesus first rode into Jerusalem, which turned to sorrow when he died on the Cross to save them from their sins.
All are welcome to participate you do not have to be catholic as it is not a sacrament
2007-02-21 09:10:43 · answer #8 · answered by Gods child 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. I attend a United Methodist church and we do. And i think Episcopalians also.
Ashes are symbolic of sacrifice. Jesus, as the sacrificial lamb, took on the sins of the world. The ashes in the shape of the cross symbolize His sacrifice.
2007-02-21 09:17:12 · answer #9 · answered by mikey 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yep, it's the ashes from the palms we burn from last years palm Sunday and it's a big time Catholic thing. Magicial Catholic thing, whatever You do don't get any on You!!!!
2007-02-21 09:11:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Catholics place ashes on their foreheads on ash Wednesday( that is the first Wednesday in lent)to remind themselves of their mortality ,as the bible says--remember man that thou art dust and into dust thou shall return.
2007-02-21 09:14:39 · answer #11 · answered by michael c 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋