You receive ashes on your forehead “to remember that life is short…you come from dust and will return to dust,” says Julie Bringman, director of Sunday night ministries at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC.

The dean of Yale Divinity School reflects on Lent, poverty, public policy debates, and the moral obligations of people of faith.

"Part of what calls people to public service, part of what calls people to be engaged in helping others both here and around the world is their faith."

The Catholic peace movement Pax Christi USA met outside the White House for prayers of repentance for war.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent for many Christians, and the imposition of ashes can serve as a reminder of human frailty, a public sign of religious faith, and an expression of pastoral care.

The seriousness of Ash Wednesday was preceded by the frivolity of Shrove Tuesday and the traditional pancake race at Washington National Cathedral.

The burning of palms and imposition of ashes at the beginning of Lent reminds us of our human frailty, says Pastor Steve Buechler of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.