WILTON – The 40-day period of Lent leading to Easter begins today, Ash Wednesday. Some local churches will observe the day by holding special services.

This period before Easter, Lent, recalls the 40 days that Jesus went into the desert where he experienced and resisted temptation and contemplated the call of his ministry, said Doug Dunlap, pastor of Wilton Congregational Church. The 40 days start on Ash Wednesday and, not counting Sundays, lead up to Easter, he said.

“Lent is a time when Christians seek to be thankful and prayerful about their relationship to God. It’s a time to prepare our heart, mind and spirit for Holy Week and Easter,” he said Monday.

Historically, Lent has been a time for denial of usual pleasures in order to focus attention on God, he said. In recent years, some churches have observed it as a time for believers to simplify their lives and deepen their faith rather than a time to deny oneself.

In most services on Ash Wednesday, ashes burnt from previous years’ palms are used to create a cross on the forehead of those attending. The ashes are a symbol or sign of one’s humbleness, he said, and will be included in his church service at 7 p.m. today at the church on Main Street.

“In older days, ashes were used as a public penance,” said the Rev. Roger Chabot from St. Joseph’s Church in Farmington and St. Rose Church in Jay. “Now, they are used as a symbol to remind us that we are all sinners and need God’s help.”

While Lent, in the past, has been a time for denial in the Catholic faith, now parishioners observe two days of fasting and abstinence including Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, he said. Catholics also abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent.

“Lent’s a time for looking over our life and trying to get back to basics … in whatever form is most meaningful to each person,” he said.

Chabot will lead special services at 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at St. Joseph’s and at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. at St. Rose’s.

A time of quiet reflection, guided prayer and a short meditation will be featured at the 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday service at Henderson Memorial Baptist Church in Farmington.

“Visitors and students who want that time of prayer, quiet and reflection have come before and are welcome to join us Wednesday,” said Pastor Susan Crane.

The church is focusing on Lent as a journey from death to new life, she said. The time of guided prayer will help reflect the broken things in people’s lives that need to die in order for them to take up their crosses and follow Christ, she said.

“The ash-drawn cross on the forehead is a reminder of the fact that we are mortal. We will die but death doesn’t have to be the end. It’s important to repent and get back on the way that leads to life,” she said.

The church doesn’t require sacrifices but Jesus tells followers to deny themselves, pick up their cross and to follow Him, she said.

“They have to decide what it is in their lives that they need to deny. It could be television or anything that keeps them from being closer to God. To devote 40-days to deeper prayer, reading the Bible and getting closer to God should benefit all of us,” she said.