This year, thanks to a mischievous convergence of the cultural and liturgical calendars, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day. It’s not the first time (2018 wasn’t that long ago) nor will it be the last (next up is 2029).
Theologically, intertwining the start of Lent with a focus on love really ought to be an annual occurrence. We do not enter Lent hopeless or spurned. Properly understood, Lent is more sober than somber.
Thankfully, blessedly, miraculously we know where the road ends. The journey and the intentionality of Lent are about where and what the road must go through. The main challenges of this cultural and liturgical convergence are emotional and logistical: How does one navigate romantic dining and spiritual fasting, the giving of flowers and the receiving of ashes?
The love angle will (rightfully) be front and center in many Ash Wednesday homilies. But for this first post-pandemic Ash Wednesday/Valentine’s Day mashup, I want to suggest a different angle — not a substitute, but a supplement.
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