In what has become, for me, an annual post, I present….
The Marks of Ash Wednesday
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Tag Archives: Ash Wednesday
The Joy of Anticipation
There were two dieticians who lived very strict lives of diet and exercise. They would eat a healthy diet, watch blood pressure and cholesterol, get exercise and absolutely eat incredibly intentionally and purposefully. Perhaps the great symbol of all of this was the omnipresence of oat bran: cereal, muffins, the ever imaginative addition to more recipes than can be remembered; Oat bran every day. They lived to the late nineties. Both died and went to heaven. One day while walking around and seeing all the wonders one said to the other, “Gee, I never imagined it would be like this.” The other said, “Just think we could have been here years ago if it wasn’t for all that oat bran.” … and isn’t heaven the ultimate end we hope for? And Lent is the liturgical season when we consider our spiritual practices, our spiritual exercises, and spiritual diets. And it begins here on Ash Wednesday.
Continue readingValentine’s Day + Ash Wednesday
Someone sent me a funny meme this morning. Someone asked a priest: “So what are your Valentine’s Day plans?” The priest responded: “I have to work and remind everyone of their inevitable deaths.” I thought it was funny. My oldest sibling asked if that was from “The Book of Morbid Priest Jokes.”
Three A’s
In today’s readings for Ash Wednesday, we encounter Jesus in the midst of the “Sermon on the Mount” from the Gospel of Matthew. As my friend, Fr. Bill points out, the entire context of these verses is that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are a “given.” Jesus is operating out of the understanding that faithful people already are doing those things. In other words, Jesus doesn’t recommend a new set of practices, rather he addresses the underlying attitude about those practices. Continue reading
Ash Wednesday and Sundays in Lent 2024
Ash Wednesday, the first day of the penitential season of Lent in the Catholic Church, is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. It is a “movable” feast that is assigned a date in the calendar only after the date of Easter Sunday is calculated. How is it calculated? I’m glad you asked.
According to the norms established by the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and later adopted for Western Christianity at the Synod of Whitby, Easter Sunday falls each year on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This year the vernal equinox falls on March 19, 2024 and the first full moon after that occurs on Monday, March 25th. Therefore, Easter Sunday is celebrated this year on March 31st. If you want to know the date of Ash Wednesday, just count backwards 46 days and you get February 14th. Continue reading
Ashes on Valentine’s Day
Thinking about making Valentine’s Day reservations soon? If you are Catholic and under the age of 60 you might want to look for seafood or vegetarian fare. This year, Valentine’s Day shares the calendar with Ash Wednesday. This hasn’t happened since 2018, before that in 1945 but it will happen again in 2029. That means it is an obligatory day of fasting (one full meal plus two smaller meals that together are not larger than the full meal) and abstinence (no meat). Also, expect some non-Catholics in the restaurant to think you and your date have dirt on your heads. Continue reading
Oat bran and ashes
There was a couple who lived very strict lives of practices, diets and exercise. They would eat a healthy diet, watch blood pressure and cholesterol, get exercise and absolutely eat incredibly intentionally and purposefully. Perhaps the great symbol of all of this was the omnipresence of oat bran: cereal, muffins, the ever-imaginative addition to more recipes than can be remembered; Oat bran every day. They lived to the late nineties. Both died and went to heaven. One day while walking around and seeing all the wonders one said to the other, “Gee, I never imagined it would be like this.” The other said, “Just think we could have been here years ago if it wasn’t for all that oat bran.” Continue reading
The Marks of Ash Wednesday
Image
In what has become, for me, an annual post, I present….
Ash Wednesday and Sundays in Lent 2023
Ash Wednesday, the first day of the penitential season of Lent in the Catholic Church, is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. It is a “movable” feast that is assigned a date in the calendar only after the date of Easter Sunday is calculated. How is it calculated? I’m glad you asked.
According to the norms established by the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and later adopted for Western Christianity at the Synod of Whitby, Easter Sunday falls each year on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This year the vernal equinox falls on March 20, 2023 and the first full moon after that occurs on Thursday, April 6th. Therefore, Easter Sunday is celebrated this year on April 9th. If you want to know the date of Ash Wednesday, just count backwards 46 days and you get February 22nd. Continue reading
Ash Wednesday and Sundays in Lent 2022
Ash Wednesday, the first day of the penitential season of Lent in the Catholic Church, is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. It is a “movable” feast that is assigned a date in the calendar only after the date of Easter Sunday is calculated. How is it calculated? I’m glad you asked.
According to the norms established by the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and later adopted for Western Christianity at the Synod of Whitby, Easter Sunday falls each year on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This year the vernal equinox falls on Sunday, March 20, 2021 and the first full moon after that occurs on Saturday, April 16th. Therefore, Easter Sunday is celebrated this year on April 17th. If you want to know the date of Ash Wednesday, just count backwards 46 days and you get March 2nd. Continue reading
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