Father Mark-Mary Ames, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, discusses how he said Ash Wednesday Mass for actors Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie and reflects on seeking a real encounter with God this Lent.
In an age when even one's most intimate thoughts and feelings can become fodder for social media, Lent is a time to cast aside appearances and to find God at work in the depths of the heart, Pope Francis said.
Without realizing it,
This year, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine's Day. In a strange way, this is extremely beautiful. (When this happened a few years back, one friar joyfully declared "Lent is for lovers"!) Although this somber day of penance -- second only to Good
It’s easy to feel penitential on Ash Wednesday. Most of us Catholics are quite good at it. We’re happy to forgo a meal or two and eat fish. The church is packed with fellow delinquents, all there to grovel before mercy’s throne.
When they speak about love, the saints and popes point, first and foremost, to the cross. Love, they agree, means self-sacrifice for the good of another. They echo Jesus Christ’s own words in John: “This is my commandment: love one another as
Catholic couples and liturgical experts are advising how to observe Ash Wednesday -- the beginning of the Latin Church's penitential season of Lent leading up to Easter -- which falls on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, this year.
The former is a day of
Kansas City Chiefs fans are looking forward to a Super Bowl victory parade Feb. 14 -- but for Catholics, who mark Ash Wednesday that same day, "first place always goes to the Lord Jesus and what he's done," said Bishop James V.
From the standpoint of an unsympathetic Protestant or non-Christian observer, Mardi Gras partying one day and Ash Wednesday penance the next are a sign of contradiction, if not even hypocrisy. How can we reconcile raucous revelry Tuesday night and humble repentance Wednesday
God knows we bring what we can of love within the scope of our lives, our roles, our circumstances.
And that’s a wonderful thing to remember as we ponder this collision of a commercial holiday, Valentine's Day, with coming of Lent, for the
This February, we celebrate Valentine's Day, the day of love and friendship. February 14 is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. At first glance, many will think that we will not be able to celebrate with our partners, but there are