ASH WEDNESDAY AND LENT
This Wednesday, February 22, is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. Please refer to the schedule included with this bulletin for the times when Masses will be celebrated with the imposition of ashes at both churches.
In keeping with what we have done the past several years, due to ongoing concerns about health, we will be imposing ashes on the crown (top) of the head instead of on the forehead of each individual. This eliminates skin to skin contact and allays any health concerns. Please bow when approaching the minister so that the ashes may be imposed properly. Given what Jesus tells us in the Gospel on Ash Wednesday about grooming our hair and washing our face so that no one sees that we are fasting except the Father in heaven, this practice seems much more proper than placing ashes on the forehead and leaving them there all day. Please note that, given the directives of the Church, ashes may be given only within Mass or within the context of a Liturgy of the Word and prayer.
With the approach of Lent, a reminder of the regulations regarding fast and abstinence is in order. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of universal fast and abstinence. The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence. Abstinence, which is required of all Catholics from the age of fourteen onward, means that no meat is consumed. Dairy products and eggs (if you can afford them these days) are allowed. Fasting, which is required of all Catholics between the ages of 14 and 59, means that only one full meal is eaten during the day, with two lighter meals allowed (both of which should not equal a full meal if they were to be taken together). Furthermore, nothing may be taken between meals, except water. Of course, those with serious health concerns are dispensed from these regulations.