On Wednesday, faithful Christians worldwide will receive a simple cross of ashes smudged on their foreheads, a centuries-old symbol marking the beginning of Lent. While the ritual symbol of sacrifice and reflection is nearly as old as Christianity itself, faith leaders and houses of worship have adapted it to modern times.
Some churches will have services timed for workers on morning and evening commutes. Others are offering carside “ashes-to-go” for busy motorists seeking spiritual cleansing. Technophiles can choose from a plethora of online Ash Wednesday prayer services.
Others, however, will skip the prayer services and ash crosses. Instead, they will use the holy season of Christ’s journey from sacrifice to resurrection to demand protection for vulnerable people around the world — and justice for marginalized people in the U.S.
The National Council of Churches sent a Lenten letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, himself an evangelical Christian, urging him to remember Christ’s teachings and use his power to protect innocents in Gaza. Repairers Of The Breach, a faith organization led by activist Bishop William J. Barber II, will lead an Ash Wednesday protest march to the Capitol and the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. At the same time, Sojourners, another faith-based nonprofit in Washington, will begin a series of vigils at the Capitol for peace and justice.
And last weekend, Rev. Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, called on Christians to take a Lenten “Target Fast” — a commitment to avoid shopping in the retail giant’s stores until Easter Sunday. The fast is to protest Target Corp.’s decision to roll back corporate policies centered on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Still, “Ash Wednesday is full of joy,” according to Father Thomas Merton, an American monk, theologian and scholar. “The source of all sorrow is the illusion that of ourselves we are anything but dust.”
While Lent is often associated with abstaining from certain foods, drinks or creature comforts for just over a month, the spiritual goal is to meaningfully reflect Christ’s example through the cleansing process of fasting and prayer.
But Christ’s selfless example seems more relevant than ever at a time when the Trump administration is making draconian cuts to government — hacking away at global and domestic programs intended to help the sick, the poor and people of color. Meanwhile, women, children and civilians are dying in Gaza with bombs and bullets made in America.
“God never tires of forgiving us,” Pope Francis has said. “We are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.”
On Monday, the National Council of Churches held an ecumenical prayer webinar to focus on lament, repentance, and renewal. But it also reached out to Rubio, the nation’s top diplomat, calling on him to heed the Bible’s call for justice and compassion — even for the least of these.
“The Christian faith teaches, ‘From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded,’” the letter stated. As Christians, “our shared values compel us to help and not hurt the most vulnerable in our midst, which includes our global neighbors.”
It is “astounding and shameful” for the U.S. to abandon its responsibilities and commitments as a protector around the world, according to the letter. Instead, it states, the government is complicit in harming “the most vulnerable in the world, withholding life-saving food and medicine from children.”
The letter is referring to Israel’s decision to block humanitarian aid to Palestinians as a negotiating tactic in its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Repentance and seeking God’s mercy are the Ash Wednesday themes adopted by Repairers Of The Breach, Bishop Barber’s organization. Together with other activists, Barber and ROTB who will lead a march to the Capitol and the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The bishop will deliver a letter calling on the nation to “address the negative effects of the Trump administration’s executive orders, the budget plans in Congress and efforts to obtain personal information of the public, which directly impacts the poor and working people,” according to a statement from Barber.
Not far away, Sojourners, along with the Washington Interfaith Staff Community and dozens of partners, will launch weekly multi-faith vigils, called Faithful Wednesday Witness. The meeting will take place at noon at the Capitol.
Sojourners President Adam Russell Taylor said in a recent email that the U.S. “faces an escalating constitutional crisis fueled by the Trump administration’s overreach and unconstitutional actions.”
Failing leadership in the Republican-controlled Congress “has allowed this crisis to grow, as it cedes its role as a co-equal branch of government,” he said. “The faith community has a unique opportunity to raise a prophetic and pastoral call, urging Congressional leaders to act.”
The vigils are planned through March and will continue indefinitely.
