GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day coincide this year on February 14.
Valentine's originated as a Christian feast day. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the six-week Lenten season leading up to Easter on March 31st. Lent officially concludes on March 28th, which is the evening of Holy Thursday.
This Wednesday, Masses will be celebrated in every church in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. During the Mass, ashes are placed on a person's forehead in the form of a cross. Diocese spokeswoman Annalise Laumeyer said it's a call for all Christians to repent and reflect.
"To take a look at our lives and recognize what's keeping us away from Jesus. And how do we take stock of what is currently going on in our lives. And can we give up something that might be keeping us away from Jesus," Laumeyer said.
She added that Lent provides a chance for Christians to strengthen their relationship with Jesus by abstaining from something.
"So, maybe it's food, maybe it's social media, maybe a drink ... We don't also have to give anything up. Maybe it's looking at that one person in our life who we need to seek forgiveness from, or offer forgiveness to," Laumeyer said.
The diocese says it is also a time for all Christians and people of good will to take a look at their lives.
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WHAT: Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the six-week Lenten season leading up to Easter, March 31. Lent officially concludes on the evening of Holy Thursday (March 28).
WHEN: Wednesday, February 14
Masses will be celebrated in every church in the diocese
WHERE: Cathedral of Saint Andrew
301 Sheldon Blvd. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
WHY: The ashes, a symbol of penance, are made from palm leaves used in last year’s Palm Sunday liturgy. When the ashes are placed on an individual’s forehead in the form of a cross, it is a reminder of several things:
· A call to repentance: a physical sign that we are sinners in need of forgiveness.
· A reminder that God created us from the earth and when we die, our bodies will return to it.
· An assurance that God loves us so much, even when our bodies return to dust, our souls are meant to live forever with him.
(Excerpted from http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/lent/ideas-for-evangelization-during-lent.cfm)
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