PRINCETON: Lenten season marked by Ash Wednesday services

By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
   The Lenten season began on Wednesday with Ash Wednesday services at many local congregations.
   ”Ash Wednesday is just a beginning of our season of Lent,” said Monsignor Joseph Rosie of St. Paul’s Church, a Roman Catholic Church located on Nassau Street in Princeton. “It is 40 days of special prayer and charity Catholics enter into to prepare for the Lord’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.”
   Lent, the 40 days before Easter has its roots in the preparation of the elect to receive the sacraments and baptism at the Easter vigil, he said.
   ”Adults who wish to enter into the Catholic Church, Lent becomes a special time for them as they prepare to receive the sacraments,” he said. “Adults who are members, who have been baptized, it’s a special time for us to reflect and appreciate the life we have received in our baptism and to celebrate Easter with great joy.”
   Easter marks the day Christ rose from the dead after he was put to death on the cross on Good Friday. Christians believe Jesus died for the sins of humanity.
   ”Ashes are a biblical sign of seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness in our lives,” said Monsignor Rosie. “Within the Old Testament there are numerous stories of people who, intent to repent, would mark themselves with ashes and put on sackcloth.”
   The ashes are made from burned palm leaves from the last year’s Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, and palms are part of the celebration at that day’s service. The fronds recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, where the scripture says he was welcomed with his followers waving palms as he entered the ancient city.
   During Lent, most Catholics perform an act of self-denial and sacrifice, such as giving up a favorite food or performing acts of charity.
   ”It’s not always giving up,” he said. “It’s also doing something (charitable).”
   Catholics are asked to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and the following Fridays until Easter as a sign of self-denial.
   ”We believe part of what happens is we rise again and suffer a bit of the dying experience through these things,” he said.
   The entire Lenten season is the focus for parishioners at Mt. Pisgah on Witherspoon Street, an African Methodist Episcopal Church. Repentance and sacrifice are the themes for the weeks leading to Easter.
   ”Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Easter season, it’s the beginning of when we start our repentance,” said the Rev. Dr. Deborah Brooks, pastor. “We give up something and we call for fasting and praying during certain times of the day.”
   Fasting is giving up one meal a day, for others it is giving up one meal a week, she explained. This practice is in addition to giving up something else as a sacrifice for the 40 days.
   The AME followers do not make a practice of wearing ashes; the church will provided ashes for parishioners who request it.
   ”We have Bible study on Wednesdays and we will talk about Ash Wednesday and the significance of what it means that from ashes we come to ashes we will return.”
   The church will offer extra services during Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter.
   In other faiths, Ash Wednesday and Lent have little meaning.
   At Princeton Seventh Day Adventist, Pastor Art Randall does not place emphasis on Ash Wednesday or the Lenten season with his congregation.
   ”That has traditionally been in the Catholic denomination or others close to that,” he said. “What we do is have a particular emphasis close to Easter. On that weekend we will have a special service.”
   Pastor Randall’s describes his congregation as a mainstream Protestant denomination.
   Most Protestants believe that Ash Wednesday and Lent are not events that are written about in the Bible, and therefore do not believe in those events.
   ”There was nothing in scripture that told us we should (give emphasis to Ash Wednesday and Lent),” he said. Even though the celebration of the resurrection is not spelled out in the Bible, it is recognized for its significance as a cornerstone of faith.
   Unique to the Seventh Day Adventists, Saturday is the day of observance with church services and family gatherings to celebrate Easter and other holidays.
   ”That puts a different spin on Easter weekend,” he said. “We don’t ignore Easter Sunday, but on our Sabbath, which is the day before (Easter Sunday), we will have a special emphasis on the resurrection and we will celebrate the resurrection event within our liturgy and church service.”