FILIPINO Catholics will flock to churches today, Feb. 18, to have their foreheads smeared with ash in observance of Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the Lenten season.
Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of the 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and repentance leading up to Easter.
In his homily on Tuesday, Fr. Vicente Gabriel Bautista, vice rector of the Manila Cathedral, urged the faithful to approach the season with sincerity and depth.
“Tomorrow, it’s a whole new liturgical season,” Bautista said.
He implored the faithful to begin the Lenten season with sincerity, depth, and faith, reminding them that Ash Wednesday is a time for spiritual renewal rather than “shallow and empty” religious practices.
Bautista warned against approaching Lent with superficial practices, citing Jesus’ teaching about the “leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod,” which he described as symbols of corruption, shallow faith and empty religiosity.
He explained that just as leaven makes bread expand, unhealthy attitudes and insincere beliefs can influence a person’s spiritual life.
“We do not want to begin new things in shallows and emptiness, but we want to begin new seasons, new days, in faith, in depth, and in meaning. Being cosmetic or aesthetic design, that’s the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod,” he said.
Bautista said such attitudes prevent believers from experiencing true conversion and spiritual growth during Lent.
He said Ash Wednesday is not merely about receiving ashes on the forehead but about committing to a renewed life of prayer, repentance, and trust in God.
This year’s Ash Wednesday also coincides with the beginning of Ramadan on the eve of Feb. 17.
In a statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said this rare opportunity is “a grace” that allows Catholics and Muslims to strengthen interfaith solidarity.
“In a world marked by violence and division, this moment calls us not only to pray for peace, but to live it and work for it,” said Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue.
The CBCP also emphasized that fasting goes beyond abstaining from food and includes giving up anything that hinders a deeper relationship with God.
“True fasting, as Jesus teaches, is not an external performance but an interior conversion. Digital media fasting, therefore, invites a rediscovery of silence, prayer, contemplation, and authentic relationships. It is not meant to punish the body but to free the heart,” the CBCP said in a separate statement, urging the faithful to observe digital media fasting.
The CBCP added that limiting digital distractions can help “free the heart,” noting that constant connectivity often leaves little room for silence and reflection.
