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Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the Christian’s 40-day journey with the Lord to the cross and tomb, preparing for the proclamation of Easter. The 40 days are reminiscent of several biblical events: Jesus’ 40-day fast at the beginning of his ministry, Moses’ stay on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law, Elijah’s fast on his way to the mountain of God. Ash Wednesday begins the Christian’s Lenten journey with a reminder of our mortality and a call to repentance (Genesis 18:27, Job 42:6, Jeremiah 6:26, Matthew 11:21). The ancient practice of imposing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful gives Ash Wednesday its name. The church father Tertullian (c. A.D. 160-215) writes of the practice as a public expression of repentance and of our human frailty that stands in need of Christ. The ashes remind us forcefully of our need for redeeming grace as they recall words from the rite for Christian burial “...earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust...,” words that will someday be spoken over us all. Traditionally the ashes come from the palms of the previous year’s Palm Sunday procession. The palms are gathered from the homes of the congregation and burned. The ashes are sifted, mixed with a small amount of olive oil to permit them to adhere to the forehead, and placed in a shallow dish for the imposition. The minister marks a cross of ashes on each person’s forehead using his thumb or forefinger.