- Feb 5, 2002
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The cross of Christ speaks of an unending love story.
Grocery stores are brimming with bright red hearts in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. There are teddy bears holding stuffed hearts, cards embroidered with pink hearts and generously sized heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. In the midst of the gray winter days, Valentine’s Day lifts our spirits and gives us reason to smile.
But wait a minute! This year, two important events will be on a collision course: Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday. Really, could the two days be any more different? One holiday beams with vibrant red hearts, symbolizing life and love, while the other features ashes, a bleak reminder of our deaths. The message couldn’t be any clearer than the moment when the priest draws a cross on our foreheads and intones, “You are dust and to dust you shall return.”
Talk about a downer for Valentine's Day, right? I mean, who wants to think about death, when you’re contemplating clusters of roses, flowery cards and tempting truffles? And for those who give up sweets during the Lenten season, the clash of these two days means the holiday celebrated with roses and sugary treats will lack its usual luster.
However, on closer look, perhaps ashes and hearts bear something in common. The moment a cross is drawn upon our foreheads, we symbolically step through a door leading into a long passageway, which is dark and quiet and somewhat foreboding. That passageway is Lent, when we ponder our lives, especially “what I have done and what I have failed to do.” The joyful tones of the alleluias are silenced at Mass, while at home, tuna fish replaces steak and beer gives way to water.
Continued below.
www.ncregister.com
Grocery stores are brimming with bright red hearts in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. There are teddy bears holding stuffed hearts, cards embroidered with pink hearts and generously sized heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. In the midst of the gray winter days, Valentine’s Day lifts our spirits and gives us reason to smile.
But wait a minute! This year, two important events will be on a collision course: Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday. Really, could the two days be any more different? One holiday beams with vibrant red hearts, symbolizing life and love, while the other features ashes, a bleak reminder of our deaths. The message couldn’t be any clearer than the moment when the priest draws a cross on our foreheads and intones, “You are dust and to dust you shall return.”
Talk about a downer for Valentine's Day, right? I mean, who wants to think about death, when you’re contemplating clusters of roses, flowery cards and tempting truffles? And for those who give up sweets during the Lenten season, the clash of these two days means the holiday celebrated with roses and sugary treats will lack its usual luster.
However, on closer look, perhaps ashes and hearts bear something in common. The moment a cross is drawn upon our foreheads, we symbolically step through a door leading into a long passageway, which is dark and quiet and somewhat foreboding. That passageway is Lent, when we ponder our lives, especially “what I have done and what I have failed to do.” The joyful tones of the alleluias are silenced at Mass, while at home, tuna fish replaces steak and beer gives way to water.
Continued below.
Crossing Our Hearts on Ash Wednesday
The cross of Christ speaks of an unending love story.
