ASH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2026

Three Pillars of Lent: Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting!

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” ~ Genesis 3:19

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent, also known as Quadragesima, a time of preparation and reflection as we prepare ourselves well for the upcoming celebrations of Holy Week and Easter, the most important moments in our whole entire liturgical year. This is the time we contemplate our relationship with God and identify the areas in our spiritual life that need work. Season of Lent is 40 days of prayer, fasting, penance and almsgiving in preparation for the celebration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of Lent, on Ash Wednesday, ashes are blessed during Mass, after the homily. The blessed ashes are then “imposed” on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality. The ashes are blessed at least during the first Mass of the day, but they may also be imposed during all the Masses of the day, after the homily, and even outside the time of Mass to meet the needs of the faithful. Priests or deacons normally impart this sacramental, but instituted acolytes, other extraordinary ministers or designated lay people may be delegated to impart ashes, if the bishop judges that this is necessary. The ashes are made from the palms used at the previous Passion Sunday ceremonies.

The ashes received on the head today is a sign of repentance and humility. It reminds us of our dependence on God and our call to turn away from sin. The act of putting on ashes symbolizes fragility and mortality, and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God. It is a symbolic representation of our desire to be forgiven from our sins, and as a sign of our repentance and regret from all the things that we have disobeyed the Lord for, and which therefore brought us into the path of sin and evil, out of which we are seeking the Lord for His help and grace, so that, He may free us from the shackles of our sins and evils. Far from being a merely external act, the Church has retained the use of ashes to symbolize that attitude of internal penance to which all the baptized are called during Lent.

For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the laws regarding abstinence and fasting are as follows: Abstinence from eating meat is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent, including Good Friday. Since Jesus sacrificed His flesh for us on Good Friday, we refrain from eating flesh meat in His honor on Fridays. Abstaining from eating meat is also a form of penance– admitting to any wrongdoings and sins while turning back to belief in God. Abstinence applies to all persons 14 years of age and older. Fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday applies to all Catholics who have completed their eighteenth year to the beginning of their sixtieth year. A person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together don’t equal that regular-sized meal. Fasting should be done out of love for God and of neighbor.

Lent is a Season of Reflection, Renewal and Preparation. As we begin our Lenten journey – the 40 days of preparation for Easter, we are called to make sacrifices and acknowledge our need for a Savior. The sacrifices we practice and the ashes we receive allow us to be a witness to others and a witness to Christ’s sacrifice. However, we are called not simply to choose a sacrifice, practice it for 40 days, and then go back to life as usual. We are called to truly deepen our relationship with Christ. Lent is traditionally a time of penance, when we try to die to ourselves in some way so as to live more fully to the Lord and to others. The traditional practices of Lent put before us the essentials for growth into the image of God’s Son. There are all in the service of love, a greater love of God (prayer), a more generous love of neighbour (almsgiving), and a truer love of ourselves (fasting). We recommit ourselves on Ash Wednesday to build our lives on those three loves, so that we may more fully become all that God is calling us to be.

In his message for Lent 2026, Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to place the mystery of God back at the center of their lives through a journey titled “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion.” He reminds us that every path toward renewal begins with a “docile spirit” that allows the Word of God to touch the heart. He says:

“The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone… Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish.”

The Pope emphasizes the following key aspects of our Lenten journey this year:

• A Fasting of the Tongue: A central theme for 2026 is the “fasting from hurtful words.” The Pope calls on believers to abstain from gossip, slander, and “the violence of digital communication.” He challenges us to replace harsh judgments on social media and in our homes with words of encouragement and peace.
• The Grace of Authentic Listening: Lent is presented as a “school of listening.” By quieting the noise of our busy lives, we are called to hear both the Word of God and the “cry of the poor.” This listening is the first step toward true justice and empathy.
• Franciscan Sobriety and Creation: Marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, the Pope calls for a “sober style of life.” This involves a “fasting from consumerism” to better care for our “Common Home” and to ensure that the earth’s resources are shared more equitably.
• Communitarian Conversion: The Pope stresses that Lent is not a solo mission. He encourages parishes and families to make “collective sacrifices”—small, shared decisions that impact their local communities, such as group service projects or communal prayer for peace.
• Disarming the Heart: He invites us to look inward and “disarm” our hearts of resentment and the desire for revenge. By seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we allow God’s mercy to dissolve the barriers we build against others.

He encourages us to transform our parishes and families into places where “words of hatred give way to words of hope and peace,” ensuring that our Lenten sacrifices lead to a “civilization of love.” Concluding his message, Pope Leo XIV asks for the grace of a heart more attentive to God and to those on the margins, that we may all experience an authentic path to liberation this Easter.

During this season of Lent, in this Jubilee Year of Hope, let us all continue to pray for peace throughout the world, we pray for peace within our own families and across our divided and conflicted world. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, as we embark on this Lenten journey, we humbly pray for the poor and the needy, for persecuted Christians, and for an end to religious and political unrest. We ask for the gift of justice, love, and unity in a world often torn apart by violence, terrorism, and threats against the dignity of human life. May this sacred season lead us to a true conversion of heart, that we may become instruments of Christ’s peace. Amen. 🙏🏽

Ash Wednesday | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/ash-wednesday-february-18-2026/

Daily Saints and Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/