Ash Wednesday was observed in all the Churches of Bhopal Archdiocese on Wednesday marking the glorious forty days of fasting and prayer.
Ash Wednesday is an important day in the lives of the Christians. This is the first day of the Lent. On this day the church invites all people to incline towards God through prayer, fasting and alms giving.
On this Wednesday, during the Holy Mass in the cathedral and all other Churches, the ash is marked on the forehead of all the people. But this year due to Covid-19 protocol, the ash will be sprinkled on the head of the faithful. “Repent and believe in the Gospel”, or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” are the words of priests before using the ashes The ashes of this day are made from the branches of date-palms that were used in the last year on the day of Palm Sunday. This day is the first day of the spiritual renewal process to be continued till 40 days as Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness and to end on Easter which falls on 4th April 2021. During this Lenten season there will be Way of the Cross on every Wednesday and Friday in all the catholic Christian churches,
Archbishop Leo Cornelio SVD in his message on the day, said, “On this day I wish all the Christians of the Archdiocese to have a meaningful Lenten season to renew one’s life with true Christian spirit and zeal to bring social changes. Lenten is a holy season given by the Holy Church to reconcile with oneself, others and God."