In order to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday, the palm fronds from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned and mixed with a little oil. And in this lies perhaps the most meaningful subtext of Ash Wednesday. If Palm Sunday represents our praise and adulation for God, Ash Wednesday represents the knowledge that that adulation has turned to dust—in a year's time we've forgotten Him, we've sinned against Him and fellow humans and most of all, we've made something great (our love for God) into something dirty. It's a powerful reminder to us of how quickly our hearts can turn from God—shouting "Hosanna" and worshiping Him as our Lord and King—to basically ignoring His existence.

- via relevantmagazine