Repent and Believe in the Gospel

Applying the axiom lex orandi, lex credendi, this article examines the imposition of ashes in the Ash Wednesday liturgy and the theology it expresses. Tracing the biblical roots of ashes as signs of mourning, repentance, mortality, and penance, the author analyzes the two liturgical formulas—"Remember that you are dust" and "Repent, and believe in the Gospel"—and their accompanying blessing prayers to show how the rite unites an acknowledgment of human frailty and death with the consoling hope of God's mercy and eternal life. The article concludes that the coherence between the Church's liturgical words and gestures and her teaching offers the faithful a formative, catechetical experience during Lent.