UNDERSTANDING FASTING THRU ASH WEDNESDAY BIBLICAL PASSAGES
Ever wonder why the Church publicly displays ash on the foreheads of her people on Ash Wednesday, making it an outward and visible sign of fasting and yet, the Gospel reading on the day tells us to conduct our pious acts of fasting, alms-giving and prayer in secret? Is this a direct contradiction? Dr Brant Pitre's talk helped me understand Christian fasting through a deep dive into the Ash Wednesday Scripture Readings: The first reading every year is taken from the Book of Joel, and speaks about a day of public fast , The Gospel passage from Matthew speaks about conducting the spiritual disciplines of fasting, prayer and alms-giving in private during the season of Lent
