Can non-Catholics receive ashes on Ash Wednesday?

Many non-Catholics playfully ask Catholics on Ash Wednesday what's on their forehead, frequently commenting that they must have missed a "smudge."

For Catholics, this often seen as an evangelization opportunity, as not all Christians use ashes on Ash Wednesday.

At the same time, what's interesting is that receiving ashes is one tradition in the Catholic Church that does not require any previous sacrament.

In fact, someone who is not even baptized can receive ashes on Ash Wednesday.

Ashes are what's called a "sacramental" in the Catholic Church. Simply put, sacramentals are anything set apart or blessed by the Church for the purpose of sanctifying our lives and leading us to the sacraments. They are sacred signs and provide for us grace (spiritual help) through the intercession of the Church.

Sacramentals are extensions of the sacraments. They are not sacraments in themselves, but are related to the seven sacraments and flow from them, ultimately leading us back to them.

Other common sacramentals are rosaries, crucifixes and holy cards. Ashes follow in line with such sacramentals, being a physical object that is blessed by a priest.

Furthermore, the blessing over the individual who is receiving the ashes is very general: "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" or "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return."

Obviously the intention behind the imposition of ashes is to encourage people to live a life modeled after Jesus Christ and the good news of the Gospel. With that in mind, those who receive the ashes should be properly disposed to follow that intention.

Yet, since it is not one of the seven sacraments, there is no initiation required before someone can receive ashes. This is also one of the reasons why babies can receive ashes on their heads, even if they were not baptized.

Ashes remain a powerful symbol that can be a channel of God's grace to any individual who is willing to receive it.