Ash and Love

02-10-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Gabriel Terrill

Dear Friends,

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

When we hear these words, the first thing that comes to mind likely is not, “Wow, what a great pick up line!” In fact, these words may cause anxiety or melancholy in our hearts. However, these words appear as we begin this Lenten Season and encounter a fascinating intersection between what has become a somewhat kitschy, secular celebration wherein romantically involved couples exchange chocolates and love notes and go out for an expensive meal in the name of an early church martyr who was beheaded for bringing the Eucharist to imprisoned Christians, Saint Valentine, and the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday.

Some may be disappointed that Ash Wednesday lands on the same date as Valentine's Day this year, but it offers a unique perspective for us to dwell on and consider as we prepare to enter into Lent.

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

These words are spoken by ministers on Ash Wednesday as they mark men, women, and children with ash in the sign of the cross on their foreheads. This action and these words literally mark the beginning of Lent; a season of repentance, fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. It is a time for us to enter into the desert with our Lord; to strip away those things that distract us from God and create more space for him in our lives. We begin this season with the tradition of marking our foreheads with ash, usually taken from burnt palm leaves from last year’s Palm Sunday celebration. The ash has a double significance. In allowing ourselves to be marked by ash we recognize that firstly we are sinners in need of continual repentance and secondly we are mortal and that one day we will die. This dual significance encapsulates the entire meaning of Lent; to not forget our mortality and to intentionally recenter our lives on Christ and the hope He offers us through His passion, death, and resurrection.

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

Yet again, these words, and even the sentiment of Ash Wednesday seem to clash with the lovey dovey celebration of Valentines day. But, what is at the center of Valentine’s Day? Love! Love, or more formally, charity is at the center of Valentine’s Day. Although this love has been romanticized on Valentine’s Day, the tradition of exchanging love notes has its roots in Saint Valentine visiting imprisoned Christians and bringing them words of encouragement and even the Blessed Sacrament. In the witness of Saint Valentine we can connect the themes of Ash Wednesday with the need for charity.

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

I remember approaching Lent with a sour disposition as a child since it meant giving something up and fasting from food. I did not recognize Lent as an opportunity for a greater relationship with the Lord and in turn an opportunity to cultivate the virtue of charity; both in recognizing God’s love for me and in sharing that love with others. Beginning on Ash Wednesday and continuing through the 40 days of Lent we are invited to the practices of fasting, alms giving, and prayer. These practices allow us to refocus on the Lord in the context of our weakness and mortality, and to rely on Him even more as our Savior. However, we may struggle to take on these Lenten devotions of self-denial, acts of charity, and conversation with God with all our heart. In fact, we may feel forced or coerced to give something up or to give something out. We may resent the way in which Lent disturbs our status quo like a kid shaking a beehive. As a result there is a temptation to minimize our Lenten practices, but if we approach this season of repentance with a passive or resentful attitude, we are ignoring the point of Lent and missing out on its fruits. If you feel this way I would like to propose a different approach; that we take on these practices of Lent with our whole being and most especially with a spirit of charity.

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

Saint Francis De Sales, whose Feast we just celebrated, suggests that we do all things in charity. We may apply this to our Lenten practices and even look to the unlikely model of Saint Valentine who risked his life to bring Christ to others, revealing the power of love over the sentiment of fear or selfishness of comfort. By approaching Lent with an open and willing heart we may realize again or perhaps for the first time the great love of God revealed to us on the Cross, and the power of that love which won for us the victory over sin and death. In this season of Lent we have the opportunity then to relinquish those things we tend to rely on most and instead cling to Christ in His love, to respond to that love by loving Him in acts of prayer and fasting, and, like Saint Valentine, to go beyond ourselves to love those in need. Therefore, as we reflect on our own mortality and prepare to enter these 40 Lenten desert days, I invite you to prayerfully ask the Lord how He is calling you to grow closer to Him in acts of fasting, alms-giving, and prayer.

Saint Valentine, pray for us.