Melding of two Relligious holidays tonight with a slight twist.

[VickySGV]

I went out to dinner by myself tonight to a local restaurant that is dedicated to Shrimp and Fish with some great Red Clam Chowder and I had thought they would be pretty light on the patronage at the time I went.  I had not taken into account that I live two blocks from a large Roman Catholic parish church and while as an Episcopalian I knew about the Ash Wednesday customs it had not crossed my mind when I went to the place that the evening service there had just let out.  Nevertheless, when single old me got there, there was a whole line of couples with ash cross marks on their faces  from the church, but also showing signs of "Date Night" for Valentine's day.  OK, but these were NOT young kids. At 76 years old I was one of the YOUNGER customers in the place, and I was tripping over walkers and canes going in and out of the place.  The food is very good seafood and I go there often for that reason.  The parking lot was a real mess and I am breathing a sigh of relief that I did not get any car damage because it was tight and crazy.  Inside though, most of the older couples did look cute as they were celebrating their relationships with each other.  One woman mentioned to me they had been together 60+ years.  Heart warming and scarey together.

 

Happy Valentine's Day to those who do not do the Lent thing.

 

A very Blessed and Uplifting Lent to those friends as well. 

[awkward-yet-sweet]

I think Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday for most at this point, rather than a religious thing.  But I think rather than flowers and chocolates, it is a good time to recognize and affirm the social value of marriage.  For me, I find the message of the original St. Valentine (a Roman priest) to be applicable to my community.  St. Valentine was martyred for performing Christian marriages against the will of the Roman Empire.  In my community, we permit the Biblical practice of plural marriage, which is technically not permitted by the US government...and folks have been persecuted for that in the past.  

 

The combination of Ash Wednesday and Valentines Day seemed fitting to me.  We celebrated at Temple, receiving the penitential sign of the cross in ashes and hearing the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.  Repent of your sin and trust the Lord."  Life on Earth is temporary, and is not the totality of our existence.  Marriage is more than just affection, sex, and childcare.  Marriage is a picture of the process of sin and redemption, with a husband's leadership and sacrifice meant to emulate the sacrifice of Christ for His people, and the Christian family a picture of the universal Church.  

 

Catholics find meaning in Lent, but other groups do as well.  Lutherans, for example.  And my community does Lent, but without the fish.  I think the original point of the fish was from Mediterranean culture, where raising beef or pork cost money (in feeding animals) but fish you could just go get it out of the sea.  In the interior of the USA, fish is the expensive luxury, so perhaps it defeats the point of fasting and self-denial.  My community takes Lent in a different way - to spend 40 days focusing on one's primary sin, and praying and working to reduce its impact on your life.  Just a season of engaging more actively in the sanctification process, and preparing for the joy of Easter. 

[Timi]

I'll post a belated reply to this one and perhaps it should have been posted in "What Are You Wearing Today." Our church went to the beach boardwalk to give out "Ashes to Go" and to sing love songs for Valentine's Day. Somehow one of the singers played Steve Miller's "The Joker" (because of the lyrics "I'm a lover, and I'm a sinner") and ad libbed an Ash Wednesday theme that was really entertaining. I wish I could post the video here! His final lyrics were something like, "We're all going to die someday so we might as well love one another."

 

Here's yours truly: