Catholics around the world today, Wednesday, February 18, 2026, have begun the 40-day Lenten season as they prepare for Easter celebrations marking the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Lent is a solemn period of repentance, prayer and almsgiving. It begins with Ash Wednesday, which falls 46 days before Good Friday and marks the start of the spiritual journey toward Holy Week. This year, the Lenten season will conclude on April 2, 2026.
The tradition of Lent has ancient roots in early Christianity. According to fourth-century Church historian Eusebius, early Christians observed fasting in preparation for Easter, initially for a few days before it gradually developed into the 40-day period observed today.
On Ash Wednesday, the faithful receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross as a sign of repentance. The ashes are accompanied by the words, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” The day is observed as one of fasting and abstinence.
Traditionally, the ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made by burning palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, symbolically linking Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem with the call to repentance that begins the Lenten season.
In the Roman Catholic Church, ashes are distributed by a priest or deacon, with assistance from nuns, catechists or designated lay ministers when necessary. Unlike Holy Communion, receiving ashes is not restricted to Catholics alone; catechumens, candidates, other Christians and even non-Christians in many parishes may receive them, as ashes are a sacramental, not a sacrament.
Throughout Scripture, ashes symbolize mourning, repentance and human frailty. In the Old Testament, people wore sackcloth and ashes as a sign of sorrow for sin and a plea for God’s mercy. Today, the practice serves as a reminder of mortality and the call to spiritual renewal.
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