When does Lent begin in 2024?

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.

Lent lasts for 40 days because Christ suffered in the desert for 40 days.

Ash Wednesday always falls six and a half weeks before Easter.

Fat Tuesday is the final day before Lent. In 2024, it takes place on February 13.

Easter is a moveable feast as opposed to a fixed date each year. Easter being celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon of spring (March 21 or later) dates back to the Council of Nicea in 325.

Lent lasts 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, excluding Sundays. Sundays are an important part of Lent, but we do not include them in the “40 days” because on every Sunday we remember and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ in the Mass.

Technically, the Church does not obligate us to fast on Sundays. However, the Sundays during Lent are still part of the Lenten season. Choosing to continue your Lenten sacrifice on Sunday is a personal choice.

Palm Sunday, the last Sunday during Lent, takes place on April 2 in 2023. It signifies Jesus’s triumphant return to Jerusalem after spending 40 days and nights in the desert. At Mass, we celebrate his return and our desire to follow him.

Lent ends with the start of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. This year, Lent ends on April 6, 2023.

Good Friday takes place between Palm Sunday and Easter, as part of the Easter Triduum. It will occur on April 7, 2023, one day after Holy Thursday (or Maundy Thursday in some traditions.)

Easter falls on Sunday, April 9, 2023.

 

What is Ash Wednesday?

In 2023, like in every year, Ash Wednesday is the first day of the liturgical season of Lent. It always falls six and half weeks before Easter, beginning the Lenten season of preparation for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Is Ash Wednesday a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation in 2023?

Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics, yet receiving ashes is a universal practice among Christians to begin their Lenten journeys. Most Catholic parishes offer Ash Wednesday Mass, and in some places, it is possible to receive ashes without attending Mass.

Do I need to be Catholic to receive ashes?

You do not need to be Catholic to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. Several other traditions within Christianity also share this act of repentance.

When is Ash Wednesday in 2023?

This year, Ash Wednesday falls on February 22, 2023.

Why is Ash Wednesday important?

As the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday awakens us to Jesus’ entry into the desert preceding his death. Before Easter, however, we must prepare our hearts for his Resurrection.

We begin our season of preparing our hearts for Easter by recognizing our brokenness and need for conversion, a turning of our hearts to God.

Where do the ashes come from?

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter. It symbolizes Christ’s return to Jerusalem after spending 40 days in the desert. In the Catholic tradition, we receive palm leaves, which have been blessed, to hold onto during Mass and bring home. The leftover palms from Palm Sunday are then burned and saved for the next Lenten season. So, this year’s ashes are from the palms of Palm Sunday of 2022.

Where do the ashes go?

It is typical to receive ashes on your forehead in the Sign of the Cross. Similar to taking communion at Mass, you usually process toward the altar to get ashes. The priest will make the Sign of the Cross and say one of two things:

• “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.”
• “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

What do the ashes symbolize?

The ashes symbolize our mortality. They are a physical reminder that our bodies will decay, but our souls will live on in eternal life.

Fasting on Ash Wednesday

There are only two obligatory days of fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Catholics are also instructed to abstain from meat on each Friday during Lent.

SEE ALSO: What to Give Up for Lent

Why do Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday?

Fasting is a sign of repentance and helps us embody our spiritual hunger for Christ, who himself fasted in the desert for forty days preceding his death and Resurrection.

Age requirement

The Catholic Church requires able members from age 18 to 59 to fast on Ash Wednesday. The obligation to abstain from meat applies to those 14 and older.

Meals

Fasting allows for one full meal and two smaller meals (that combined do not equal a full meal), with an expectation to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday. Exemptions are available for those with special physical needs.