And it's also St. Valentine's Day. So as I do every year, I'm sharing this photo I took of St. Valentine's skull, which is now in the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, in Rome. It's hard to tell if there are ashes on his forehead, though.
As we begin our lenten pilgrimage, I'm not going to try to do what a lot of people out there are doing, which is give advice for how to fast, or share what they're giving up. I always feel like that is kind of private (as we keep hearing in the gospels in The Journey, Jesus warned against making a show of your fasting, etc.) and there are pretty clear guidelines for fasting that the Church puts out there for us. But if you want more direction, there are some good YouTube channels out there (and some bad ones, so watch out).
And I'm also not going to do that thing where someone might say something like, try to do more than last year, or do better than last year, or something like this. I guess all I'll say is, don't make it a comparison or a contest - not even one where you are competing with yourself or trying for some personal best. Think of Lent as an extended vigil, and keep the focus on the morning, which is Resurrection Day. It's not about last year, or any year in the past, but make it only about this year, this Lent, and a constant awareness of the reality of our need for salvation, and gratitude for it.
Finally, if you want to practice Lent the way it was in the early Church, also keep in mind that during this time there are people preparing for baptism, and for reception into the Church. Lent originally began (at least in part) as a time of fasting with the catechumens preparing for baptism. Maybe you know someone who will be baptized or received in the Church at the Easter Vigil this year. Maybe there are people going through that at your church. Either way, pray for them this Lent, whoever they are.
I'm sure I'll have more thoughts about Lent, but for now, don't just let it go by, be intentional about how you will observe Lent this year, and put it on your calendar. I know for me, if I don't literally write FAST on my calendar every Friday, that day will come when I forget. So if that's you, take the time today to write it on your calendar so that you can keep up with whatever you decide to do.
Dear friends - Please take 10 minutes to watch this personal update from me:
I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
I hope you like the song!
in this book - I contributed a chapter called Rigorism in the Early Church: The First "Fundamentalists"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTRS5QMM
The title is Faith in Crisis: Critical Dialogues in Catholic Traditionalism, Church Authority, and Reform - it's based on the idea that finding the truth (and indeed the development of correct doctrine) is a navigation of the middle way, and avoiding the extremes - and it covers pretty much the whole history of the Church.
