Lent is a time to examine our lives carefully and to root out those things that keep us from loving God and each other fully. Today we enter into the desert for forty days on our journey to the Resurrection.
On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are encouraged to approach the altar there the priest dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed marks the forehead of the communicant and saying, “Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return", or "Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel."
The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year.
Sister Maria Pierina di Michaeli a nun who died in 1945, was urged in many visions by the Blessed Mother and Jesus Himself to spread the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus, in reparation for the many insults that Jesus suffered in His Passion, such as to be slapped, spit upon and kissed by Judas, as well as now being dishonored in many ways in the Blessed Sacrament by neglect, sacrileges and profanations.
She was given a medal, which on one side, bore a replica of the Holy Shroud of Turin and the inscription, "Illumina, Domine, vultum tuum super nos." (Psalm 66: "May, O Lord, the light of Thy countenance shine upon us"). On the reverse, was a radiant host with the words, "Mane nobiscum, Domine." ("Stay with us, O Lord").
On April 17th , 1958, His Holiness Pope Pius XII confirmed the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday (Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
The term Mardi Gras or Carnivale may conjure up images of wild parties, over indulgence or raucous abandon, but this was not the intent of this pre-Lenten period also referred to as Fastnächt (eve of the fast) in Germany, or Shrovetide in England. In fact the word “Carnivale” was derived from the Latin “carne levare” which means “taking away of flesh.” Basically referring to both the literal act of not consuming meat during all of Lent, which was the custom in the Catholic Church in the past. But also the symbolic shedding or casting off of the flesh in the penitential fasting and sacrifices made during Lent.
The Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday known as Shrovetide, has been a tradition among Catholics since the middle Ages. The term is derived from the Middle English word, “Shrive” meaning “to confess”. Shrovetide was also a time of “spring cleaning” consequently just as we might clean our houses in preparation of an occasion, we should also clean our souls by making a good Confession before the beginning of Lent, so as to enter this liturgical season in a spiritually clean state.
The Beatitudes
Happy are you when you are drawn to the
One who alone can fulfill your happiness.
The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus’ preaching. They take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of Heaven:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.
The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement – however beneficial it may be – such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love, a fitting Gospel message for February 14.
In other words we should not view our day to day situations from worldly perspective, but from that of God, our Creator, the One who breathed life into us, the One who gave us our talents and treasures. All that we have is not ours but His. Use our gifts for His good, and our life will not be perfect, but it truly will be easier and more F U N. Once we acknowledge that every breath we take is at the Mercy of God, we find it easier to ask Him for guidance daily. Live the beatitudes – Let Go and let God.
“The only thing I think you need to ask for is fortitude,
interior strength and outward determination,
so that you may be wholly convinced
of the words that you speak
and be a Christian not only in name and words,
but also in deed." St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Romanos 5,2
There are three different Saint Valentines, all martyred. The one most noted was a priest in Rome arrested during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, for marrying young couples and helping Christians at a time when Christianity was highly unpopular. Asked to renounce his faith or be tortured, Saint Valentine refused to reject Jesus, was beaten with clubs and beheaded February 14th around 270.
His remains were buried on the Flaminian Way a principal Roman road just outside the Gate of Saint Valentine, now known as Porta del Popolo. After his burial, his body was exhumed, and a relic of his skull placed in the high altar in the Church at Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Every year on the 14th of February the relic is brought out and crowned with roses.
How Valentine’s Day went from being about a martyr who would rather die then renounce his faith to hearts, flowers, chocolates and Hallmark Cards is not completely clear. Here are three possibilities.
Alban Butler and Francis Douce suggest that Valentine’s Day might have been an attempt to replace the ancient Pagan holiday, Lupercalia, a Roman festival where two male youths dressed in animal skin ran through the city slapping people with goat skin to secure fertility and ward off evil, celebrated February 15, with a Christian holiday. Interesting idea for a Hallmark Card.
Or maybe it was Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem "Parliament of Fowls," written in 1383, this was the first recorded account referring to Valentine's Day. The poem, written in Old English, was quite foreign to me. But I did find a short synopsis that goes something like this, the narrator dreams that he is passing through a beautiful scene in the “dark temple of Venus” when a large flock of birds gatherers to choose mates. The birds have a “Parliamentary,” hence the title, debate while three male eagles try and seduce a female bird. In the end the eagles win the female and the dream ends welcoming spring. A bit of a leap, but Hallmark might make that into a card.
A third possibility brings us back to the martyr, Saint Valentine. Tradition holds that during his captivity he befriended the jailers daughter, Julia who had been blind since birth. He taught her arithmetic, about God, and how to pray. From Saint Valentine's witness, Julia converts to Christianity and is immediately cured of her blindness. The day before Saint Valentine was beheaded, he wrote a note to Julia urging her to stay close to God and signed it, “From your Valentine.” Now that example would make a touching Hallmark card.
Apostleship of Prayer
Fr. James Kubicki, S.J.
A Love Greater Than Death
For devotional gifts related to the Catholic Faith
