What do the ashes we recieve on Ash Wednesday symbolize?
The ashes are symbolic of our own mortality and the fact that we will someday die and return to ‘dust.’ Scripture says that God created Adam from the dust of the earth, and we return to the earth after we die. If you’ve ever seen an unembalmed body after a number of years, what you usually find are the bones and a substance that resembles ashes or dust in the bottom of the casket. So the symbolism of imposing ashes is particularly appropriate to remind us that we are mortal.
