02/18/2026
Today, February 18th is Ash Wednesday, representing the start of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and reflection for Christians leading to Easter, symbolizing mortality, repentance, and spiritual renewal through the imposition of ashes in the shape of a cross on the forehead.
The ashes, often made from the previous year's Palm Sunday palms, remind believers of their human frailty and call them to turn back to God, mirroring Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness