Lenten services

Deepa Bharath

For Lilian Carrillo, who came to church for the noon service

Wednesday, the ash on her forehead was a symbol of her obligation to her

faith in God.

At least 100 people came to St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church

in Costa Mesa to pray on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, a 40-day

period that culminates in Easter.

It is believed that Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days while

resisting temptation. Christians view this as a time for contemplation

and change.

“I think I -- and we all -- need to be more giving,” said Carrillo,

whose child goes to school in Costa Mesa. “Especially after Sept. 11, I

feel like we need to give even more.”

Lent is also a time for austerity and sacrifice, she said.

“I try just not to indulge,” Carrillo said, “like not eat red meat or

chocolates, things like that.”

Lisa Gray of Newport Beach, who came with her 1-year-old daughter,

Marisa, said Ash Wednesday has been important to her and her family since

she was a child.

“We just pray, repent and think about what we want to change in

ourselves,” she said.

Church administrator John Paul Hopping, who conducted the service and

distributed the ashes, urged his parishioners to make a resolution to

give more of their time to get closer to God.

“As you come up to receive the ashes, come with tears in your eyes,”

he said. “Say ‘Lord, have mercy on me. Help me get over my selfishness.”’

The ashes are a reminder of one’s mortality, said Msgr. Daniel Murray,

pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church in Newport

Beach.

He said the belief has its origins in the Old Testament: “Dust to

dust, ashes to ashes.”

“It is a penitential symbol to remind us that we’re all going to die

and need to prepare for that,” Murray said.

The ashes are made from palms blessed on Palm Sunday the previous

year.

For Greg Hernandez of Costa Mesa, Ash Wednesday is about sacrifice.

“We need to make sacrifices in life,” he said. “It could be a personal

habit or a bad habit, something you take pleasure in doing. I’m still

deciding what I want to give up.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .