Should I stay or should I go? The importance of going to Church on Ash Wednesday

Many people wonder about the importance of going to church and getting ashes on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday, as it is not a Holy Day of Obligation and no actual Mass is celebrated. To these people, I point to the seventh century writtings of Aelfric the Grammarian. Al tells the story of a man who refused to go to church for the ashes on Ash Wednesday and who a few days after was accidentally killed in a boar hunt.

So, there you have it: Go to church and get your ashes, or be killed in a boar hunt. Its your choice.