Ash Wednesday
The Ash Wednesday (Latin Feria quarta cinerum, fourth day ( = Wednesday ) the ash ', or This cinerum, day of the ash ' ) is in the Western Church since the pontificate of Gregory the Great to the beginning of the 40 days of Lent dar.
The name Ash Wednesday comes from the custom in worship on Ash Wednesday to bless the ashes from burning the palm branches of the previous year and to call the faithful with a cross made of ashes.
Lent commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert (4.2 Mt EU) and prepare for Easter. Since the Sundays of Lent are not considered as fast days, resulting in a total duration of 46 days, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. The Eastern Church knows no Ash Wednesday because their Lent begins on Sunday evening, the seventh week before Easter.
History
The sprinkling with ashes as a sign of repentance is found in the Old Testament.
"When the news of this reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. "
" I turned my face to the Lord God, to ask him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, in sackcloth and ashes. "
Since late antiquity had in Christianity people for whom a penance was imposed, don sackcloth at the beginning of Lent, and they were sprinkled with ashes. In the Church of Gaul, they were - in allusion to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise (Gen 3 EU ) - expelled from the church. On Maundy Thursday they were re- admitted to receiving Communion. While this tradition was lost around the end of the 10th century, the Aschenbestreuung all believers prevailed after first individual had taken them out of solidarity with the penitents up. The first prayer of blessing ashes dates from the 11th century, the requirement to use the palm branches of the previous year for the collection of ashes, dates from the 12th century. At the Synod of Benevento ( 1091 ) recommended that Pope Urban II the custom of Aschenbestreuung for the whole Church.
The cross of ashes was originally scattered in men on the head and drawn in women on the forehead. Today both shapes are independent of gender usual. With this ritual, the person should be reminded of his impermanence and called to repentance.
The Ash Wednesday also constitutes the end of the carnival time dar. In the Bible, the " carnal " spiritually minded the minded people opposed (eg Rom 8.5 EU). The symbolically accomplished by fasting farewell to meat during Lent will help to reflect on the spiritual life, and thus to God.
Since Ash Wednesday is a public holiday in Germany, employers must allow their employees to attend a church service and therefore exempt for this time of the work according to the majority view. This is to the faithful of the receipt of this sacramental be made possible without the need for an extra day off would have to be introduced. Catholic students may be exempted for participation in the Holy Mass on Ash Wednesday from school.
In the Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is a strict fast and Abstinenztag.
Mass on Ash Wednesday
Roman Catholic
The gift of the Ashes will be held in the Holy Mass on Ash Wednesday in the rule. After the homily ( sermon to the readings), the priest blesses the ashes through prayer and sprinkled with holy water and sends it to all who stand before him. The donor speaks in the name of the cross of ashes to every detail, the words: "Remember man, that thou art dust and to dust zurückkehrst " (Gen 3,19 EU) ( Latin: "Memento homo, quia et pulvis it in pulverem reverteris " higher) or: " Repent and believe the gospel" ( Mk 1,15 EU). While the gift of the Ashes is sung; the liturgy sees this as an antiphon, for example, Joel 2.13 EU in connection with Ps 51 EU or " another suitable song " before; thereby resulting in the France in the 17th century antiphon Domine Attende is often chosen ( Gotteslob 160 Convert us ). After the issuance of the ash close to the intercessions.
The blessing and imposition of ashes may take place outside of the Mass. In this case, one starts with the word worship of the days trade fair: antiphon, opening prayer. Between readings with chants, homily, after the blessing of the ashes and the gift of the Ashes. It concludes with intercessions, the closing prayer and blessing.
The liturgical color of the day is purple.
Protestant
The celebration of worship on Ash Wednesday has been preserved in the Protestant, especially in the Lutheran embossed, churches and wins again increasingly important. In this case, the gift of the Ashes take place. The Evangelical Worship Book proposes to make the Ash Wednesday with a penitential liturgy or the celebration of the church confession.
The liturgical texts of the day address the motives of repentance, fasting, and the Christian life. Thus we read in the Old Testament reading: " Repent to me with all your heart, with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning " ( Joel 2.12 to 18 LUT) In the Gospel, Jesus warns the disciples before a practice of fasting, it is the only, impression stalling with the people (Mt 6:16-21 LUT).
The liturgical color of the day is violet, the sung Alleluia after the Epistle falls away. "Glory to God in the highest " Even that is not sung from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday in all worship services with the exception of worship on Maundy Thursday. The song of the day is "Let us go with Jesus " (EC 384 ).
The texts of worship on Ash Wednesday can be exchanged with the texts of the Sunday Invocavit.
Date
The date of Ash Mittwoches is calculated as with many celebrations of the liturgical year, according to the formula of the movable Easter Easter. After the Ash Wednesday at the 46th day before Easter Sunday. The earliest possible date is February 4, the latest possible is 10 March.
- 2014: March 5
- 2015: February 18
- 2016: February 10
- 2017: March 1
- 2018: February 14
- 2019: March 6,
- 2020: February 26
- 2021: February 17