For Christians around the world, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It was the practice among early Roman Christians for penitents to begin their period of public penance on the first day of Lent. They were sprinkled with ashes, dressed in sackcloth, and obliged to remain away from fellowship with other people until they reconciled with fellow Christians on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday and three days before Easter, the day of resurrection.

Ash Wednesday is ultimately about one of the biggest words in the Bible. That word is not a great big word in terms of its length for there are many longer words both in English and in New Testament Greek. This word is big in terms of its depth of meaning. It was the theme John the Baptist preached and we read: "In those days John th…