Ash Wednesday 2026

Ash Wednesday - A History                                         Written by Doug Archer, Catholic Register  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the period of penance, prayer and sacrifice that precedes the celebration of the resurrection of Christ.  Since the earliest days of the church there is evidence of some form of Lenten preparation for Easter; but the duration and nature of this preparation took countless centuries to evolve and is still changing even today.   As early as the second century, St. Irenaeus, an influential bishop and missionary, wrote to Pope Victor I complaining of controversy around the dating of Easter and the observance of a period of fasting leading up to this feast day. Some regional churches fasted for one day, others for several days and still others for 40 hours (most likely based on the traditional belief that Christ lay for 40 hours in the tomb). It was another two centuries before the Council of Nicea tackled St. Irenaeus’ issues head-on. Assembled by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 325, bishops at Nicea developed a complex formula that placed the date for Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the first day of spring. The canons emerging from that council also referenced a 40-day Lenten season of fasting.  The word Lent is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words, lencten, meaning “spring,” and lenctentid, which was the word for “March,” the month in which the major part of this season of sacrifice falls.  Why the period of 40 days was chosen is not entirely understood, but scholars believe it was influenced by biblical references to 40-day fasts by Moses on Mount Sinai and by Christ in the desert before He began His public ministry. Nonetheless, by the time of Pope Gregory the Great in the last decade of the sixth century, Christians in Rome and the West were generally observing six weeks of fasting prior to Easter. But the math wasn’t quite right. Given that no fasting was to occur on Sundays — as Sunday was viewed as a weekly memorial of the Resurrection and therefore a day of celebration, not fasting — six weeks of fasting added up to 36 days, not 40. To correct this, Pope Gregory moved the start of Lent to a Wednesday. Gregory is also credited with initiating the practice that gave the first day of Lent its name, Day of Ashes or simply, Ash Wednesday. To begin the season of fasting and repentance, Gregory marked the foreheads of his congregation with ashes, a biblical symbol for penance. It was also a reminder to early Christians of their mortality (“For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” Genesis 3:19) and the need to prepare for the afterlife. A millennium and a half after Pope Gregory, the duration of the Lenten observance is still not immediately clear to many Catholics. Confusion stems from the fact that liturgically, Lent lasts 44 days.  The traditional 40-day Lenten fast begins on Ash Wednesday, excludes Sundays and carries through to the night before Easter. But the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar, promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969, established slightly different parametres for the season of Lent.  Returning to a long-held custom within the church, the Second Vatican Council re-established the three days before Easter as a separate holy time apart from Lent proper. Known as the Easter or Sacred Triduum, this three-day period begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and concludes at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, which is when the Easter season begins. So, from a liturgical perspective, Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends just before the Mass on Holy Thursday, the start of the Sacred Triduum. And it includes Sundays, making it 44 days in duration. The nature of the Lenten observance has changed significantly over the millennia. While fasting seems always to have been part of the paschal preparation, there was significant latitude around abstention in the early centuries of the church. Some Christians fasted every day during Lent; others, every other week only. The more austere fasters subsisted on one or two meals a week; but many found that cutting back to one repast a day was a sufficient sacrifice. And while many abstained from meat and wine, some ate nothing but dry bread.  Pope Gregory weighed in on this issue as well. He established the Lenten rule that Christians were to abstain from meat and all things that come from “flesh” such as milk, fat and eggs. And fasting meant one meal a day, normally taken in the mid-afternoon. The prohibition around milk and eggs gave rise to the tradition of Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday), which is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. On this day Christians would feast on the foods they were required to abstain from during Lent — gorging before the fast as it were — and pancakes became a popular meal for using up all the eggs and milk.  Over time, concessions were made to the rules around fasting. In the 12th and 13th centuries, church authorities such as St. Thomas Aquinas accepted that a certain amount of “snacking,” in addition to one meal a day, should be allowed, particularly for those employed in manual labour. Eating fish was eventually allowed and even the consumption of meat and dairy products as long as a pious act was performed to compensate for the indulgence.  Today the Catholic Code of Canon Law requires those 18 to 59 years of age to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. And fasting means partaking of only one full meal, with snacks or smaller meals allowed at two other times through the day. It is also recommended that those 14 and over abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during Lent. Lent is not just about fasting, however. Prayer, almsgiving and works of charity have always been encouraged by the church. And walking the Stations of the Cross (also called the Way of the Cross or Via Crucis) is a Lenten devotion that dates back to the fourth century. Pilgrims to Jerusalem would retrace the steps that Christ walked on His way to Calvary, stopping at specific points to pray. When the Crusades in the Middle Ages prevented such sacred journeys to the Holy Land, the Via Crucis was reproduced in different parts of Europe. Chapels and markers (first referred to as Stations of the Cross around 1460) decorated with scenes of the Passion were erected in monasteries and in numerous cities to allow for miniature pilgrimages. Now images of the Stations of the Cross appear in almost all Catholic churches and are an integral part of many Lenten worship services. The traditions and practices surrounding Lent are varied, but they have a common focus:  preparation for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. Some would argue that at the start of this new Lenten season, that should be the focus of every Catholic.

Sixth Sunday of the Year - 2026

Traditionally Lent has three main components, or disciplines that make up our Lenten observance:   PRAYER <> FASTING <> WORKS OF CHARITY Our experience of life may be thought of in the context of the passage of time. Psalm 90:2 describes it in this way: Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. But the gospel reveals a different vision of our life. Yes, life is a passage through time, and trouble and sorrows do accompany it, and we do fly away in the end, but not into nothingness as the atheists would have it. Our brief few years spent in this tiny corner of the universe are a beginning not the end. "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" -- the things God has prepared for those who love him-- 1 Cor. 2:9 Self denial and Works of Charity are the outward manifestation of the true character of our religious life, but it is Prayer that is the source and inspiration for our actions. The power we need to live a fruitful Christian life is channeled into our minds and hearts through Prayer. The gospel text for the First Sunday of Lent is the account of Jesus' forty days of prayer in the wilderness. The Spirit takes Jesus into the wilderness, apart from everyone, into an intense experience of prayer, to prepare him for work the Father has sent him to accomplish. Different translation describe it as; Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness <> Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness <> the Spirit impelled Him into the wilderness. Jesus' praying is a dynamic experience, a communion in the Spirit, a dialogue with the heavenly realm - and in this wilderness experience, a personal confrontation with Satan himself. It is in and through this "communion in prayer" that the will - the plan of the Father, is revealed to Jesus. This way of prayer is the model for our own prayer. The Spirit desires to take us into this same dynamic experience and dialogue with the heavenly realm, where we too learn the will of the Father for us. The following are some suggestions in preparation for prayer in Lent

Calendar for Lent	A calendar showing the days of Lent, including the scripture text references for each day, can be a helpful organizer. It helps keep track of any missed days, as well as highlighting days of special insight.
When and Where	Appointing a time and place for prayer protects prayer time from the danger of being swept aside by our many other demands and interests.
Journal	“What just happened?” Prayer is an experience. This means we should be able to describe it as if telling another about our experience. Over time a more coherent understanding of the progress of my spiritual life begins to emerge.
Scriptures	Our primary scripture source will be the daily Lenten texts. Praying scripture is not the same as studying scripture. When someone is speaking to us we want to listen to what they are saying. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”. The principal place for hearing scripture is in the Liturgy of the Word. Another source of both written text and audio can be found on the USCCB web site, on the “Daily Mass Readings” page, which has both audio and written rendering of the scripture for each day. xxx

Fourth Sunday of the Year - 2026

The Beatitudes are seen as a summery of the Jesus' teaching; an outline or index of the gospel. In anticipation of what is to come, this Sunday's gospel invites us to spend some time reflecting on the Beatitudes.      Often you will here it said that if God is loving, kind, and merciful why is there so much suffering in the world? In the Beatitudes Jesus does not deny the presence of problems in the world rather he shows how believers will triumph in the midst them.       To understand how our daily challenges can be called blessings we need to enter into the school of the Holy Gospels where the Holy Spirit unveils this mystery for us.      The following is an example of taking a Beatitude deeper into the gospel.  .

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. Mtt. 16:24-27

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask Him.” “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. Martha replied, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land."

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:14

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied."

Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus replied, “This is the work of God: to believe in the One He has sent.” So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.” Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. John. 6:28

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned. Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him. >>> But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me.’ >>> So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. >>> The master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ In his anger, his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed. That is how My Heavenly Father will treat each of you, unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Matt. 18:21

"Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God."

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus called a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Mtt. 18:1

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you . . . . . if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them . . . . . love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:27

"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues. On My account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. Mtt. 10:16

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Third Sunday of the Year - 2026

By Papal decree, this third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 25, is to be observed as a special day devoted to “the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God.” Its formal title is “Sunday of the Word of God” and is an invitation to Catholics across the world to deepen their appreciation, love and faithful witness to God and his word.  Pope Francis describes it as a day dedicated to the Bible to help the Church (quoting) “to experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world,” Many Catholic homes have bibles, often rather large books, beautifully produced. They may have a special place in the home like on the self under the coffee table in the living room. However, it's purpose there is not for prayer, reading and study, rather a place where the family records are kept. Thankfully in recent years the place and importance of the bible in Catholic homes is changing. On Nov. 18th 1965, Pope Paul VI promulgated the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation entitled Dei verbum. Its purpose is to spell out the Church’s understanding of the nature of Divine Revelation, that is, the process whereby God communicates with human beings. Let me highlight a couple of its key teachings. The document touches on key questions, especially about Scripture and tradition, and how the scriptures come under the teaching authority of the Church. We learn that the bible is not a book that stands alone, complete unto itself – rather it is a collection of writings brought together by a living body of believers, the Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The document states: “Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church. #10” The document also teaches that to have a correct understanding of the sacred text it is important to take into account the various forms the writers of the scriptures have chosen to communicate God’s Word – such as historical, or poetic, or prophetic, etc. And of course the role of scripture in the Mass is highlighted by the document: “The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body. #21” Pope John Paul II used the expression of the Table of the Word and the Table of the Eucharist. The document concludes with this exhortation: “The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading. Click here to link to the document online

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