The day derives its name from the ritualistic rubbing, or anointing, of the faithful’s foreheads with ash.
In his Ash Wednesday message, Pope John Paul II, titular head of the Roman Catholic Church, called attention to what he described as the "appalling" plight of children suffering from sexual abuse, prostitution, AIDS and family breakups.
"What evil have these children done to merit such suffering? From a human standpoint, it is not easy, indeed it may be impossible, to answer this disturbing question. Only faith can make us understand so profound an abyss of suffering," the Pope said.
The statement recalled the childhood of Jesus Christ, founder of Christianity, who at age 12 showed signs of his future calling by discoursing with priests at a Jewish temple.
"Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us set out with trust on our Lenten journey, sustained by fervent prayer, penance and concern for those in need. In particular, may this Lent be a time of ever greater concern for the needs of children, in our own families and in society as a whole: for they are the future of humanity," the Pope said.
Following tradition, the ash to be used in tomorrow’s ritual will be blessed three times with holy water and incense before it is rubbed on forehead of the faithful in the sign of the Cross. The ash itself comes from the burning of the palm leaves (or palaspás, in local religious lore) used in last year’s Palm Sunday celebration.
The ritual serves not only to remind the faithful of their mortality but also to impress upon them the necessity of atoning for their sins as preparation for the renewal of Easter.
The practice began in the early days of the Church when penitents guilty of serious sins wore only sackcloth and ash during the 40 days of Lent. They atoned for their sins in cinere et cilicio (in sackcloth and ash).
But at the Council of Beneventum in 1901, Pope Urban VI extended the anointing with ash, as the practice is now known, to all Catholics, and not just those with serious sins.