ASH WEDNESDAY
This day marks the beginning of Lent and is 46 days before Easter.
What is Ash Wednesday?
Unlike Advent, which prepares Christians in hopeful anticipation for Christ’s birth, this liturgical season prepares believers through repentance, fasting, and reflection for Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.
What is Lent?
Shrove Tuesday occurs on this day in relation to Ash Wednesday.
What is the day before Ash Wednesday?
On Ash Wednesday, Catholics traditionally abstain from this type of food.
What is meat?
If a Christian gives up chocolate for Lent but makes no effort to pray, reflect, or grow spiritually, this essential purpose of Lent is being missed.
What is spiritual conversion (or repentance / inner transformation)?
The ashes used on this day are placed on the forehead in the shape of this.
What is the sign of the Cross?
The 40 days of Lent represent this event in Jesus’ life.
What is Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness?
The word “Shrove” comes from this verb meaning to confess sins.
What is “shrive”?
Shrove Tuesday became a time to use up these restricted Lenten foods.
What are eggs, sugar, and dairy?
When Mardi Gras becomes purely about excess and celebration without spiritual preparation, it contradicts this original purpose of Shrove Tuesday.
What is preparing for confession and the penitential season of Lent?
This spiritual focus defines Ash Wednesday: turning back to God through prayer and being remorseful.
What is repentance?
Lent is traditionally marked by these three spiritual practices.
What are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving?
This popular British food gave Shrove Tuesday its nickname
What are pancakes?
Sundays are not counted in the 40 days of Lent because they always celebrate this.
What is the Resurrection?
student chooses to limit social media during Lent in order to spend more time in prayer and helping others. This demonstrates-
fasting should lead to this deeper outcome- spiritual growth.
The ashes are traditionally made from these burned items from the previous year.
What are Palm Sunday palms?
Lent ends with this major event
What is Easter Sunday?
he French term for Shrove Tuesday meaning “Fat Tuesday.”
What is Mardi Gras?
Fasting during Lent is meant to help believers focus more intentionally on this.
Who is Christ?
The ashes placed on a believer’s forehead publicly remind others of human mortality and dependence on God. This challenges modern society’s emphasis on this opposite value.
What is self-sufficiency / pride / denial of mortality?
Christians may hear these words as ashes are imposed:
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”?
This is the ultimate focus of Lent: reflecting on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and this.
What is the Resurrection?
Originally, Shrove Tuesday encouraged Christians to do this before Lent began.
What is go to confession?
Although it has Christian origins, Mardi Gras today is often described as this.
What is secular?
If Lent prepares Christians for Easter, then without repentance and reflection, the celebration of Easter risks becoming merely this.
What is a cultural holiday without spiritual meaning?