Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the holy season of Lent.

Although it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, Catholics are encouraged to attend Mass today and receive the imposition of ashes as a visible sign of repentance and our desire to turn back to the Lord.

Ash Wednesday is also a day of fast and abstinence. We are required to abstain from meat, and those aged 18–59 who are in good health are obliged to fast, taking one main meal and two snacks.

As we begin these forty days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, may this season be a time of renewal for us all.