Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, and this year it falls on Feb. 25. The Most Reverend Raymundo J. Pena, Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, will celebrate the opening of the Lenten Season with a noon Mass at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg (Student Union Theater).

Lent, which means "spring," is the 40-day period of fasting and prayer that Christians observe in preparation for the celebration of Easter. It goes back to the early Church when the new Christiansto be were preparing to be baptized on Easter. They were called catechumens and during the 40 days prior to Easter they repented, studied, and sacrificed. When infant Baptism became common, Lent became a time of repentance and renewal for all Christians.

The 40-day period of Lent cautious with serves as a time for spiritual renewal in preparation for Easter. It is a time when we can grow in our faith. The number of days represents the 40 days Jesus spent alone praying in the desert before He began His public ministry.

As the start of the Lenten season, Ash Wednesday is the day Christians choose what they will do in preparation for Easter. These include prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Ash Wednesday gets its name from the ancient Catholic custom of receiving a dab of blessed ashes on the forehead. The blessed ashes, symbolic of penance, are used to mark the forehead with the Sign of the Cross, with the reminder: "Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return," or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."