2 Ash Wednesday Quotes

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"/day=-46/format=F j}}"

/date = /day=-46/format=F j}}

/date = /day=-46/format=F j}}

/duration = 1 day

/frequency = annual

/observances = Holy Mass, Service of worship, Divine Service, Divine LiturgyPlacing of ashes on the head

/relatedto = Shrove Tuesday/Mardi GrasCarnivalLentEaster

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"Ash Wednesday", a day of fasting, is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity. It occurs 46 days before Easter and can fall as early as 4 February or as late as 10 March. Ash Wednesday is Ash Wednesday#Observing denominations/observed by many Western Christianity/Western Christians, including Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans, and Presbyterians.

According to the canonical gospels of Gospel of Matthew/Matthew, Gospel of Mark/Mark and Gospel of Luke/Luke, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he Temptation of Christ/endured temptation by Satan. Lent originated as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter. Every Sunday was seen as a commemoration of the Sunday of Christ's resurrection and so as a feast day on which fasting was inappropriate. Accordingly, Christians fasted from Monday to Saturday (6 days) during 6 weeks and from Wednesday to Saturday (4 days) in the preceding week, thus making up the number of 40 days.