Hello again! Since yesterday was Mardi Gras (”Fat Tuesday”), that can only mean one thing. Today is the celebration of Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday is a holiday in the Catholic Church that starts off the season of Lent. Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Church in Rome explaining how Lent is an opportunity “to rediscover the gift of faith we received at Baptism.” Lent is the liturgical season which lasts from Ash Wednesday until Holy Saturday (the day before Easter).
The imposition of ashes, the Pope said, is an important reminder of man’s weakness– a particularly important message for a society that makes no room for religious belief. “When he proclaims his complete autonomy from God, modern man becomes self-enslaved, and often finds himself tormented and alone,” the Pontiff observed. During Lent, he said, the faithful feel “an encouragement to return to the arms of God the tender and merciful Father.”
Penance and prayer can lead to true and lasting happiness, the Pope continued– unlike “achievement of success, desire for prestige and pursuit of luxury.” He explained that while earthly gains provide only partial and temporary satisfaction, “the only joy that fills the human heart is the joy that comes from God.”
As aforementioned, the priest anoints the members of the Church with blessed ashes on the forehead during the service. The ashes are placed on the forehead in the sign of the cross, but as you can see below, mine kind of got smeared. Oh well.
Other than Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, this week has been fairly calm and quiet thus far. I took the first “major quiz” of the semester in my physics class this morning and I have Chem lab this afternoon. One thing that I forgot to mention earlier was that I decided to switch to the 8 meal plan. This last weekend, Erin and I went to the store and got a bunch of food to last us a while. While we were out-and-about, I also picked up another shelving unit to store the dry food in.
Well, that’s it for now. I have to run off to Chem lab.
