Why is the church so full on Ash Wednesday, yet so empty on Good Friday?

[LindaSK]

I’ve noticed in my parish actually that more people seem to come to the Ash Wednesday service than even the Easter or Christmas Masses. I don’t know why, but it might have something to do with “getting” something. Same with Palm Sunday. You get your palms, and you get your ashes which are the kind of tangible, visible things that cultural Catholics need to validate their “Catholicism”…

I don’t ever attend Ash Wednesday Masses or services because it’s wayyy too crowded, and crowded with a lot of people who don’t go to church regularly and frankly don’t know how to behave in Church. So I haven’t had ashes in years.

As a former Protestant, I still find it uncomfortable to receive ashes because I have nagging images of Catholics wearing ashes who don’t act very Christian outside of church either. Guilt by association, I guess?? I saw many who were good witnesses to their Faith, but, those who were not really have left their impression.

I grew up in churches that did not distribute ashes, though we did have services on Ash Wednesday to begin the season of Lent. I remember Matthew 6 being read every year. I think we used it to justify not wearing ashes. I was surprised to learn several years ago that the Catholic Church reads the same Gospel passage, then proceeds to distribute ashes. I have heard and read a number of explanations, but, honestly, I’m still working on it. I did not receive ashes this year.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

As a former Protestant, I still find it uncomfortable to receive ashes because I have nagging images of Catholics wearing ashes who don’t act very Christian outside of church either. Guilt by association, I guess?? I saw many who were good witnesses to their Faith, but, those who were not really have left their impression.

I grew up in churches that did not distribute ashes, though we did have services on Ash Wednesday to begin the season of Lent. I remember Matthew 6 being read every year. I think we used it to justify not wearing ashes. I was surprised to learn several years ago that the Catholic Church reads the same Gospel passage, then proceeds to distribute ashes. I have heard and read a number of explanations, but, honestly, I’m still working on it. I did not receive ashes this year.

I remember a priest who we all like very much actually severely reprimanding the daily congregation one weekday for unchristian behavior. He actually had gotten complaints that certain daily Mass attendees were giving the whole Church a bad name.

He especially wanted people not only to be Christian at work [yes, it is necessary to do the work and to supervise people but to do so in a Christian manner] but also to WELCOME the people who only went to church on Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Easter and Christmas. To take advantage of that fleeting opportunity to greet and welcome and invite them back.

 

[StillWondering]

Several of you have referred to Ash Wednesday, and the Triduum as Holy Days. It just seems to me that ‘of Obligation’ shouldn’t be necessary to make Catholics understand the sacredness and significance of these days in the liturgical year. The Last Supper? No Easter without Good Friday? just seems so obvious.

Dear Linda,

The Church is our mother and with so many kids, she has to set some “ground rules” for the ones that aren’t paying attention enough to take care of themselves. This is like how my mother has a standing rule that we wash our hands before dinner and each time we enter the house. Even now as an adult when I come back to visit, she would command me “[StillWondering], hands, bathroom, now!” What can I do but be obedient =).

 

[daeve]

It may be b/c Ash Wed services are held at multiple times including before and after usual work times (at least in my parish) and Good Friday services are only at 3pm when it is difficult for many b/c of work schedules.

Having said that, I always do my best to be off work on Good Friday but can’t always make Ash Wed services (although I do my best there too!)

This is pretty much what I was going to say. I take off on Good Friday but a lot of people have to work that day. The services at my church are at 2pm. I had to trade hours with a co-worker on Ash Wednesday to get to Mass on time. Last year I was at a funeral, but the year before it rained and my 30 mile commute is miserable in the rain or snow. People don’t always have those options.

There’s no church close enough to where I work that I could run out during my lunch hour for Mass on a holy day, but my parish has Mass that evening, and others around where I live have them on the vigil when that’s appropriate. None of them have Mass early enough in the morning for me to go first then get to work on time.

We weren’t exactly packed on Ash Wednesday, or any holy day or even most Sundays. Sometimes I wonder why they haven’t shut us down yet and merged us into another parish. The only day we’re “standing room only” is on Easter morning at the 9am Mass. Christmas Eve was crowded, but you could still find a seat if you got there right before Mass started.

The other thing I’ve noticed is how few of the Catholics I know go to Mass at all. I mean ones I know from somewhere other than church, like from work, friends from school. I still get together with 4 other friends from grade school. I’m the only one who still attends Mass, and yes, we all went to Catholic grade school and high school.

 

[StillWondering]

As a former Protestant, I still find it uncomfortable to receive ashes because I have nagging images of Catholics wearing ashes who don’t act very Christian outside of church either. Guilt by association, I guess?? I saw many who were good witnesses to their Faith, but, those who were not really have left their impression.

I grew up in churches that did not distribute ashes, though we did have services on Ash Wednesday to begin the season of Lent. I remember Matthew 6 being read every year. I think we used it to justify not wearing ashes. I was surprised to learn several years ago that the Catholic Church reads the same Gospel passage, then proceeds to distribute ashes. I have heard and read a number of explanations, but, honestly, I’m still working on it. I did not receive ashes this year.

The ashes reminds me of how Christ often uses diametric images to teach us. He is our Lord, the Lord of all. And yet He serves us unto death. Many times in the Gospels, Jesus leaves the disciples and goes off alone to pray in the mountains, the valleys, and the garden. And at the same time, His whole entire life is a living prayer to God the Father in His *public *ministry. The child part of me can’t help but exhort, He is just too cool!

 

[daeve]

We’ll only assume that all the EC Catholics went to confession before they all received communion on those days.

This is something that distresses me. We’ve had several family funerals in the last few years. Of my siblings and cousins, I’m the only one who actually attends Mass (my sister comes on Christmas Eve to hear me sing), but everyone is lining up for Communion. Last year, my aunt was buried on Ash Wednesday. We all went to lunch afterwards at her favorite restaurant, but only two people didn’t eat meat, my aunt’s sister-in-law and me. We all went to Catholic schools, including high school for most of us, but people think these things aren’t really important. They talk themselves into thinking that the things that are inconvenient or hard don’t really matter. One of my sisters goes to her husband’s United Church of Christ now, and she’s convinced herself that fasting or abstaining from meat and a whole lot of other things are “man made rules”.

 

[nsper7]

I came into the Church Easter Vigil 2007, and am so glad to be here! I have no problem with Holy Days of Obligation (except for calling them an ‘obligation’ rather than a ‘privilege’!). I am also aware that Ash Wednesday is NOT one of them. But, I have seen, without fail, that there are more people at Mass Ash Wednesday than there are for Mary, Mother of God, January 1 or the Immaculate Conception, December 8, and these **are ** Holy Days of Obligation. Good Friday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, though I have yet to understand why, but, I can’t imagine not going to church Good Friday. Even as a Protestant, I honestly never missed going to church somewhere Good Friday. It is a priority for me. Yet, the Catholic churches I have been in are embarrassingly empty. How can Catholics place more importance on Ash Wednesday than on Good Friday??? The crucifix is so important to Catholics, why not Good Friday? I really can make no sense of this. If you can, I would appreciate the enlightenment! Thank you.

Ash Wednesday is not more important than Good Friday, but Ash Wednesday seems much more publicized for lack of a better word. Neither one is a Holy Day of Obligation, although they are both days of fasting and abstinence. How many Catholics go to Easter Vigil or the Christmas Eve Mass as compared to Ash Wednesday?

What I find saddening is that so many Catholics go to Mass on Ash Wednesday (not an HDO), but the Church is never so full on Sundays (which are an HDO).

 

[lovemyboys]

I noticed this phenomenon too… this year on Ash Wednesday, there was no place to park for 4 blocks around the church. I couldn’t figure out why this day was attracting more people than Holy Days or Sundays. Do people love ashes that much???

 

[ProVobis]

This is something that distresses me. We’ve had several family funerals in the last few years. Of my siblings and cousins, I’m the only one who actually attends Mass (my sister comes on Christmas Eve to hear me sing), but everyone is lining up for Communion.

Unfortunately this is probably not going to change. Where basically very few received at around the time of Trent to having the fast reduced to 3 hours and then 1 hour and, of course, as God doesn’t have any laws anymore, only practices, and you can’t sin against man-made laws , and you’re being “encouraged” (as if you really need to be encouraged) to receive, and the secular press keeps reporting abortion politicians receiving, etc., the trend is to having more and more people receiving without regard to their disposition to receive. The trend isn’t looking very rosy in the worthy-to-receive department.

 

[ProVobis]

I noticed this phenomenon too… this year on Ash Wednesday, there was no place to park for 4 blocks around the church. I couldn’t figure out why this day was attracting more people than Holy Days or Sundays. Do people love ashes that much???

The pastor last Sunday, noticing the much smaller attendance that day than Ash Wednesday, theorized that many are now looking at Ash Wednesday superstitiously, or phrasing to that effect. Perhaps he has a point but you have to be sick to go out of your way like that in order to worship false gods. This isn’t like baseball players stepping on every base running back to the dugout.