These ashes, blessed by the priest, become a sacramental that we wear today as a sign of our attempts to repent and reform, to do penance for our sins. The black, powdery ashes are the burned remains of last year’s holy palms from Palm Sunday. They are a symbol from old times of repentance and mourning. We recall Old Testament figures putting on sackcloth and covering themselves with ashes. We hear the priest or designated minister say, as he presses the ash on our forehead, "Remember, man you are dust and to dust you shall return," or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."