West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-02-10
BEGIN ASH WEDNESDAY
Catholics Rigidly Observe
Lent.
Observe
Services Cathedral During Lenf----Na-
fure and Origin OF the Period.

rigidly observed by Catholics and
Episcopalians In devotion and alb
stemiousness. Especially by those
of the former faith Is the period
observed, At mass next Wednes-
day morning the ashes will be
blessed and the faithful will be
anointed. On Friday evenings the
Stations of the Cross will be said.
The fast OF Lent begins on Ash
Wednesday and lasts until Easter
Sunday. During this time there are
forty.six days, but as the faithful
do not fast on the six Sundays fall
ing In this time, the fast lasts fol
forty days. For that reason 1t is
called the forty days of Lent. The
forty days of Lent was instituted
by st. Peter, the first pope. Du-
ring the forty.six days from Ash
Wednesday to Easter, the time Is
to be spent In fasting and In pen
ance for sins. The Jews, having
been delivered from their captivity
In Babylon, spent forty-six years
In building their temple In place
of the grand edifce raised by Solo
mon and destroyed by the Babylo-
mans, and thus the Catholics re-
build the temple of the Holy Ghost,
built by God at the moment of bap-
tism, but destroyed by the sins of
the past year. In the Old Tesla
ment the tenth part of the sub
stance of the Jews was given to the
Lord and thus must the tenth part
of the time of the faithful be given
to Him.
The fast of Lent is begun on
Wednesday, for the most ancient
traditions of the church explain
that while the Lord was born on
Sunday he was baptized on Tues
day and began his fast in the desert
on Wednesday. The term Ash
Wednesday comes from the custom
of putting ashes on the heads of the
clergy and people on this day. By
this ceremony the church brings
before the minds of the faithful the
dust and corruption of the grave.
The great men of old did penance
In sackcloth and ashes. In the be-.
ginning of the church the ceremony
of putting the ashes on the heads
of the people was only for those
who were guilty of sin, and who
were to spend the season of Lent In
public penance. Before mass they
came to the chuach, confessed their
sins and received from the hands of
the clergy the ashes on their heads.
Then the clergy and ali the people
Frustrated themselves upon the
earth and there recited the seven
penitential psalms. Rising. they
formed into a procession with the
penitents walking barefoo ed, At
ter the eleventh century the public
penance began to be laid aside, but
the custom of putting ashes on the
heads of the clergy became more
and more common, until at length
1t became part of the Latin rite.
Formerly they use to come up to
the altar railing In their bare feet
to receive their ashes, and that
solemn notice of their death and of
the nothingness of man.
The word "lent" in the ancient
languages of northern Europe,
means spring, to distinguish 1t from
advent, the tall or winter fast. The
Latin and Greek names of Lent
mean forty days, and from these
come the names of Lent in French,
Italian and the tongues of southern
Europe, which are formed from the
Latin and Greek. The history of
Lent is traced through every gener-
alton and age up to the times of
the apostles.
Three things were forbidden to
the Christians In the different ages
of the church during Lent; wine,
meat and food. Meat Is forbidden
because 1t Is the food nearest like
our flesh, and we can easier do
without 1t. Fasting from food
means that the faithful are to prac-
tice self-denial by notifying them
selves. To the church was left the
power of imposing and arranging
the fasts each year. For that rea-
son, as the people, customs and
ways of the world change, to them
the church accommodates the law
OF HASTINGS. In the early ages the
Christians tasted vigorously. Then
man was stronger physically than
now and could Withstand more
austerities than today. The con-
stitution of man has weakened.