Ash Wednesday - What does it mean to Non-Catholics?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JoeyWarren
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JoeyWarren

Guest
Ash Wednesday - What does it mean to Non-Catholics?

As a child growing up a protestant, I always saw Ash Wednesday on the Calendar and had knowledge of the existence of the movie “Ash Wednesday” but never watched it.

Don’t laugh, but I had always thought (during my youth) the Calendar was marking the day for remembrance of the Movie for some reason or another that I could not fathom.

I never had an understanding of Ash Wednesday until I met my wife to be, a cradle catholic.

So you non-Catholics out there, what were your thoughts about Ash Wednesday as a child and now as an adult?

Thanks for any thoughts you might provide.
 
You should not be afraid to take the course as there is nothing in that “course” that God cannot overcome for you. However, you may not have the religious formation to aruge with the information presented. It may just cause you frustration or it may cause you to do the research. If you are not going to spend the time to find the true answers, I would suggest skipping a semester of frustration.
 
40.png
dawnlewis:
You should not be afraid to take the course as there is nothing in that “course” that God cannot overcome for you. However, you may not have the religious formation to aruge with the information presented. It may just cause you frustration or it may cause you to do the research. If you are not going to spend the time to find the true answers, I would suggest skipping a semester of frustration.
Click to expand...
I think you posted to the wrong thread?
 
When I attended evangleical type churches I had no knowledge of Ash Wednesday at all. I had heard of it… didn’t know what it meant. When my son was in kindergarden, we sent him to a Lutheran School. Imagine my horror when I picked him up from school one day, only to see a GIANT black bruise on his forehead.

Opps… turns out the “bruise” was actually the ashes he received at the chapel service that day. Unfortunatly, I didn’t know how to explain why the Pastor put “dirt” on his face.
 
It depends on if it;s warm and sunny or cold and snowy
allischalmers
 
JoeyWarren said:
**
So you non-Catholics out there, what were your thoughts about Ash Wednesday as a child and now as an adult?
**

I was raised semi (dropped off to church by my parents) “Anglican” Catholic, a very HIGH Episcopal Church and we always celebrated, that is went to a service and received ashes on our forhead in the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday from the Reverand.

I am Roman Catholic, and see the fullness of Truth in the Catholic Church.
I don’t want you to think that ONLY R.C.s hold this day as important.
Click to expand...
 
40.png
Tonyagrace:
I am Roman Catholic, and see the fullness of Truth in the Catholic Church.
I don’t want you to think that ONLY R.C.s hold this day as important.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the enlightenment? :cool:
 
40.png
JoeyWarren:
So you non-Catholics out there, what were your thoughts about Ash Wednesday as a child and now as an adult?

Thanks for any thoughts you might provide.
Click to expand...
I grew up Protestant, but I am now Catholic, so you know.

My church celebrated Ash Wed when I was a child. Many mainline groups do this. They observe a calendar as does the Catholic Church. I didn’t think much of it, though. It was just one of those churchy things I did, like getting super dressed up for Easter Sunday. I understood church to be one of those things you do, and didn’t quite connect it with worship (how odd, as it was called “worship”). I understood Jesus and God, but I didn’t quite see what church was about, although I liked it well enough.
 
“Adh Wednesday” was printed on various calendars, but neither I nor my Baptist-turned-Evangelical/Charismatic family knew what on earth it meant. (Being raised in the South, one doesn’t run across many Catholics, Lutherans, or other High Churchmen who can enlighten you, either.) Someone finally told me that it was a sort of pre-twentieth century Catholic/pagan feast, much like Bartholomew Fair or the Maypole. I was an adult before I learned that anyone actually observed it.

Of course, I was nearly an adult before I learned the Lord’s Prayer, and I had to do the research myself on how it ran. Since it’s in the Bible, Charismatics couldn’t actually object to it, but they seemed to find something suspicious about a prayer that could be recited by rote. Just call me the theological wolf-boy…
 
Most evangelical traditions (like the one I grew up in) do not observe Lent, so they don’t observe Ash Wednesday either. I suppose having Easter without Lent is like having dessert without eating dinner first. 😃
 
Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent for the Latin (Roman) Catholic Church. For us Byzantine Catholics Ash Wednesday is just the first Wednesday in Lent as Lent starts for us the Sunday before.

We do not celebrate Ash Wednesday. Instead this will be the first Presanctified Liturgy of Lent. It is no different than any other Wednesday during Lent.
 
The Evangelical Church I was in before my “reversion” all did *A Purpose Driven Life *by Rick Warren. They all started it on or around Ash wednesday to finish it by Easter.

For any non-Catholics out there, I would recommend the book as your own personal Lenten journey if your Church does nothing. I do not recommend the book for Catholic Christians since it is a very protestant book. But it is a useful study that could definitely help a Christian prepare their heart to celebrate Easter.

God Bless,
Maria
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top