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Ash Wednesday on Saint Valentine s Day. 40 Days of Lent Regis Nicoll writes :
In each case, the period of self-denial and deprivation was the means to a higher end than relief from want and need:
In the early Church, catechumens who had completed a three-year period
of catechesis underwent the forty-day period leading up to Holy week in
preparation for baptism and their new life in Christ.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan concludes his article about Ash Wednesday with the following : The very symbol of St. Valentine’s Day is the heart, the icon of love, especially the romantic love between a man and a woman. We’ll send greetings and boxes of sweets that are both heart-shaped. Ash Wednesday, the first of forty days of prayer, penance, and charity we call Lent, leading us to Holy Week and Easter, is also about the heart: a heart called sacred, wounded by unreturned love, broken by callousness and selfishness: the heart of Jesus. This heart is on fire with love for us, but surrounded by a crown of thorns. It will be pierced by a spear on that Friday weirdly termed “good” on a hill called Calvary, a heart beating in the broken body of a man on a cross. It is the love of this heart from which all true love flows. It is this Sacred Heart we trust this Wednesday; it is this Heart we turn to through our repentance and acts of sacrifice and atonement this Wednesday. St. Valentine willingly bows to this Sacred Heart, for which even he
lovingly gave his life eighteen centuries ago.
First time since 1945 At least a couple of times I have heard that the last time Ash Wednesday was on St. Valentine’s Day was 1946, Obviously, that is wrong since in 1946 February 14 was on a Thursday.
Calendar for
Year 1946 |
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Actually, the last time Ash Wednesday was on St. Valentine’s Day was 1945. There are 46 days from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday. The six Sunday’s during
Lent have never been included in the 40 day fast for preparation for
Easter.
So, counting 46 days after February 14th gives us April 1st as the date for Easter when this occurrence of February 14th falling on Ash Wednesday happens. So, looking at the charts for Easter on April 1st gives us the dates : 1945, 1956, 2018. See Charts below However, 1956 was leap year so February 14th fell on Tuesday in that year. In addition, Ash Wednesday does fall on St. Valentine’s Day when Easter falls on March 31st during leap years in the Gregorian Calendar, but the last time that happened was 1720, However, in 1720 the American Colonies were still using the Julian Calendar. They did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar in America British Colonies until January 1, 1752. So, in 1720 under the Gregorian Calendar Ash Wednesday fell on February 14th, but in Julian Calendar which was the one being used by the British American Colonies, Easter came on April 17th which would have put Ash Wednesday on March 2nd. Under the Julian Calendar Ash Wednesday does fall on February 14th in the years 1716, 1795, 1806, 1879, 1890, 1901, 1963, 1974, 1985, 1996. But, we stopped using the Julian Calendar in 1752. So, Ash Wednesday has not fallen on February 14th, St. Valentine’s Day, since 1945. Every love story ever written points to the greatest, most perfect, love story of all. How, through sin, Man has separated himself from God. And how God responds by seeking all those he loves, all mankind. He wants us to receive His forgiveness and His healing, and His gift of being united with Him in heaven. St. Valentine’s Day has traditionally been associated with love, true love. Jesus is our True Love in heaven. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the preparation to celebrate Easter Sunday, God’s most magnificent victory over Satan and Death. Romans 6:4 So, it is quite appropriate that St. Valentine’s Day be on Ash Wednesday.
Thanks for reading, Easter Date Charts |
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Sources :
https://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/easter/easter_text2b.htm
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