March 1 is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of 2017’s Lent season, a 40-day period dedicated to reflection, prayer and fasting ahead of Easter.
In Uganda, Christians have converged at several places of worship to have ashes applied to their foreheads in the shape of a cross. Many generally wear the ashes — which symbolize penance, mourning and mortality — throughout the day to publicly express their faith and penance.
The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are often made from the burning of palms blessed in the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration, when Christians carry palms to recognize the Gospels’ reference to Jesus’s path being covered in palm fronds on the day he entered Jerusalem.
Lent commemorates the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the desert prior to beginning his public ministry. While in the desert, Jesus endured temptation by Satan. The story is told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
“It does not matter what religion one belongs to since at the end of the day, we are all aiming to see to it that everyone is living a dignified life and is respecting one another. The focus should be on living holy and spiritual lives.” Rev Canon Steven Gelenga of St John’s Church, Kamwokya has noted.
Lent is viewed as a time of introspection and prayer to bring oneself nearer to God. Many Christians choose to “give up” a vice they struggle with as a symbol of sacrifice.
This season will end Thursday, April 13 2017.
marvin@ugchristiannews.com
