We begin that journey towards Easter with receiving the ashes at the Ash Wednesday Service on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m.
Receiving the ashes is a sign that we want to be serious about the upcoming season of renewal and conversion. And all this in view of Easter, when we will have the ashes of Lent replaced by the water of Baptism. We do not observe Lent for it’s own sake. It is meant to get us in shape to celebrate the central mystery of our faith: the Death And Resurrection of Jesus Christ. That central mystery of our faith is prepared in the 40 days of Lent; it is celebrated in the Three Great Days (3) of Holy Thursday evening, Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday. And then we take 50 days to digest it all: the Easter Season concluding with the feast of Pentecost.
That is what the 40 – 3 – 50 on the top of page is all about. It is not some secret code; it is just an indication of where we are with our celebration of the central mystery of our faith.