Why is Ash Wednesday so Popular?

Who has not noticed how crowded the church is on Ash Wednesday compared to either weekend around it? I have not paid enough attention to compare exact pew density in relation to Christmas and Easter, but it definitely ranks among the best-attended Masses of the liturgical year. Only in recent years did I hear the joke about why so many people arrive on this particular day. Answer: the church is giving out something free, the ashes.  

Jokes aside, however, I just began reading an article at catholicculture.org by Phil Lawler. He opened his article with "Why is Ash Wednesday—not Easter Sunday, not Christmas, not Good Friday or Pentecost—the day when American Catholics spend the most time talking about being Catholic?" This nudged a memory from something I read or heard in the last year or so, I apologize for not knowing the source. Essentially we need symbols to hold us together.

Orthodox Jewish men recognize each other by the yarmulka. Muslim women wear a veil. Catholics ate fish on Friday. But we don't anymore. Fifty and sixty years ago no Catholic ate meat on Friday, the women wore veils in church, we carried our rosaries and holy cards. There were ways we could recognize our common heritage. Even thirty years ago every fast food place had super prices on fish sandwiches all Lent long.  And when we went in we could recognize our brothers ans sisters ordering that fish. My unremembered source mentioned that when the English Catholic bishops discontinued abstinence from meat on Fridays, Mass attendance plummeted. Ideally our faith should be much deeper than the common bond of no burgers or pepperoni pizza on Friday, yet that experience in England shows the importance of having a common heritage with others that we can identify; we can see that we are part of a larger group.

So why are so many Catholics moved to return home for Ash Wednesday and, more curiously as Mr Lawler mentioned, moved to talk about being Catholic? As I am wrapping up here, I can think of many strong reasons, but I propose that one minor reason may be because it gives us a sign, a symbol of our unity. 

No Room at the Inn

I know it is the wrong season, but in the belief that our faith and life are intertwined, it's a cute heading.

WOW! I do not know if I have navigated the internet hotel price wars before. For those who know me, I am rather casual and laid back, not type Z, but definitely not a type A personality. I enjoy the journey. I prefer to find a hotel when I am ready to stop. I do not want the stress of HAVING TO GET THERE when I am tired or there is something really neat along the way I would like to see. Neither do I like having to stop when I'm in a mood to drive a few more hours.

This time is different. I know where I'm going. I know when I need to be there. I know how long I am staying. If there is no room at the inn, I do not just arrive at my destination sooner; I am now moving away from it. And what if I cannot find a room for another 20 miles? A friend is traveling with me as well and I do not want to risk putting her through that.

So today I have visited Priceline and Trivago as well as the hotel I am looking at and their national reservation line. The first reservation I pursued, through the national reservation line, started at $63 per night but taxes added a whopping 29%. (Again for those who do not know me, I live in the budget aisle.) So I went back to comparison. I clicked on one at $54 per night for the same hotel, which immediately opened another window giving the price as $63. OK, back to comparisons. On to $58.38, again for the same location, but it did not say smoking or non-smoking which is a critical issue for me. Fifteen minutes of on-line chat later I was told to just reserve and then call the hotel to get the room I wanted. And if they don't have it? Back to the drawing board. I called the hotel directly. Sometimes you can also get a better deal directly with them or check for available discounts. The receptionist gave me the price, then realized I wasn't checking in tonight and immediately transferred me back to the national reservation line. ARG!

This new reservation line agent, however, did help me and came back with a considerably better price than her coworker had proposed 40 minutes earlier. It was a very acceptable price. And I was afraid it might go up again if I kept looking!

This brings us back to the title. Would Joseph and Mary have had a reservation had they looked online before leaving home? Or is that precisely why they had no reservation; they had given up in frustration and decided to wing it? If they had tried the internet they might have been tempted to just skip the whole census thing entirely, but then we would be in a pickle:

"But from, Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times."          ~Micah 5:1
                                                                       quoted from http://www.usccb.org/bible/micah/5

So maybe it is a good thing there was no internet back then.

Mercy on Ash Wednesday

I did morning chores in the light of late dawn before the sun actually rose today. Each time I looked to the east I saw a pillar of light straight up from the horizon. Interesting. I've never seen the sunrise look quite like that. Twenty minutes later I was praying the morning prayer of the Church. For Ash Wednesday we look at our sinfulness:


"Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. 
In your compassion blot out my offense. 
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin

My offenses truly I know them;
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done."

~Psalm 51

As I finished this first psalm of morning prayer and looked out the window again, I noticed the pillar was still there. And this time it struck me. The pillar is red and white, side by side, just like the picture of Divine Mercy where the red and white light pours forth from Jesus' heart.

image from newjerusalem.com

used with permission

When I went outside to take a photo I discovered the pillar to be one side of a sun dog. Now, an hour after first seeing it, that red and white pillar is still faintly visible. What a beautiful start to Lent, to be reminded of God's mercy right from the beginning.

The last psalm of today's morning prayer ends:


"Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age."

~Psalm 100

Psalms quoted from Christian Prayer, Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1976

To learn more about Divine Mercy visit:http://thedivinemercy.org/message/

Learn about an available app:http://thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=4302.  Link to app is at bottom of the article, before replies.

A Reflection for Lent

We are nearing the great season of Lent, a time to journey with Jesus through His last days. Lent invites us to reflect on our failings, our shortcomings, our contributions to Jesus' death on the cross. This is not popular today as we prefer to look to our comfort and toys, our misery the result of not having what we are owed, the latest iphone and plasma TV. I don't believe most people are actually so shallow, yet our culture encourages getting over giving and doing over being, so it is hard to see that self-reflection in others.

As Catholics we are taught from the time we can walk and talk to give up something for Lent. This is a good practice, learn some self-discipline, learn in one little area for a brief time not to put my every whim first. As children we have limited understanding and are often given the watered down version of life. Unfortunately many things are never brought to the adult level. "Well of course the teens know how to fast; they've been giving up something for Lent since pre-school." Yes, but do we teach a deeper meaning with each year? Do their parents experience the deeper meaning? Somehow I missed it. I learned my child's God, but due to circumstances developed an adult understanding of God on my own. And I need more than just giving up ice cream or Little Debbies for Lent.

So what is Christian fasting? Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (1959) defines fast as "1. To abstain from food. 2. To practice abstinence as a religious exercise or as a token of grief. 3. To eat sparingly or abstain from certain foods." This is consistent with Church regulation for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday fasts. But what makes it Christian? As Christians we fast to separate from some good of this world and make more room for God in our lives. We fast to grow spiritually. An important aspect of Catholic fasting begins with the refrain of Genesis 1: "God saw that it was good." We believe that the world is good, creation is good, humanity is good. Creation reveals the glory of God. We voluntarily put aside, forego, a great good in our lives, something we enjoy, both to share just a smidgen in the agony Jesus suffered for us, but also to reflect on God's presence in our lives.

I struggle with my weight. I simply like food. (And I'm tall enough to hide a lot of extra pounds!) I also believe we all need treats once in awhile. When we have something every day, however, it is no longer a treat. We forget what a blessing it is; we lose the joy of the experience. Whatever we give up for Lent should help us reflect on the blessing that item or activity provides in our life and from there to the bounty of blessings God showers on us every day. With modern technology we simply expect instant communication. We can live across the country, across the world from friends and family and still communicate with them daily. Can you imagine leaving for the New World 150 years ago and never seeing your parents, your cousins, your siblings again? You could send and receive letters but they certainly didn't arrive in three days. Even if you don't want to talk to your family think what a blessing it is to have that option so easily available.

What are the blessings in your life? I would struggle to give up hot water on tap. I could live with an outhouse and hauling water from a nearby well, but to have to heat every ounce of water for my bath? Hot water on demand is an everyday luxury I forget to appreciate. What a blessing to live where I not only have good, clean water, but it is literally available at my fingertips, hot and cold. WOW! How can I be more conscious of this blessing during Lent? Give up relaxation baths? Six weeks of only showers would help me appreciate the luxury of a bath again. Heat and haul the water instead of turning on the faucet? Pray in thanksgiving before each bath and contribute money to building wells in other places without this blessing? Which practice will lead me to a closer relationship with God and my brothers and sisters across the world?

What are the blessings in your life? How can you be more aware of them this Lent and through them grow in your relationship with God?

Hello to the world of blogging! I tend to move into new things slowly. I've had this blog for a couple years so maybe it's time to write my first post. Perhaps I want to blog like I want to play the piano, have it all flow without actually learning how. A wonderful idea moved me to finally get started, but by the time I found my blog, entered the right mystery combination password and found this blank page in front of me, the idea had fled, quite possibly at the speed of a limping bird. So back to what I was doing, retrace my steps and follow the meandering of my responses to life. All I know is that the thought was a response to this beautiful video.

http://en.catholic-link.com/2015/02/05/the-most-beautiful-videos-on-vocations-catholic/