Wishing You A

Today is one of those days when the Secular World and that of Faith clash. Couples are celebrating the romantic notion of Valentine’s Day. Fancy dinners, decadent desserts, flowers, candies and expensive jewelry all mark this day.

Easter, excluding Sundays, is but 40 days from today. That would make Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday one and the same. Hubby and I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day the way most couples do. He might send me flowers. I like to make a special meal at home. When we were newly weds, there was all that fuss over Valentine’s Day. Flowers, jewelry, dining out at a nice restaurant, all the secular trappings of the day. It wasn’t long before we realized that a date on the calendar for romantic gestures was silly. Being genuinely loving to one another every day is a better way to celebrate life together. My romantic dinner is simply an excuse to try a new recipe or break out the good china for a change. I’d rather hold Hubby’s hand while curled up in front of the TV than have him shower me with bling.

Ash Wednesday – also known as the Day of Ashes – is a day of repentance, when Catholics confess our sins and profess our devotion to God leading up to Easter. Interestingly enough, Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. While the Church strongly encourages the faithful to attend Mass on Ash Wednesday, to receive the mark of ashes on the forehead and begin Lent in the correct frame of mind, it isn’t required. Why is that? Holy Days of Obligation center on the Resurrected Lord. They are a celebration of our salvation. Ash Wednesday is a day of sorrow, a reminder that we are but ashes and to ashes we shall return. That is not to say that we will not join God in heaven, but that we must endure a physical death first. The body will die. Ash Wednesday is a day of mourning. Holy Days of Obligation are celebrations. Within the Lenten Season, there are two other days in which the faithful are encouraged to attend Mass but not obligated to do so. Holy Thursday, the day our Lord established what we have come to know as Holy Communion, and Good Friday, the day He died for the forgiveness of our sins.

So why do we attend Mass? Lent is a time of reflection, an opportunity to repent, to make changes in the way we live our lives that will serve to bring us closer to God. What better way to start this long journey then by accepting His Holy Invitation.

There is but one obligation for Ash Wednesday, and that is of fasting and abstinence. Fasting today is far easier to manage than the fasting of old. No between meal snacks, a single meal or two smaller meals and one larger meal that together equal one meal. Example would be toast and a cup of tea for breakfast, a vegetable broth for lunch, and perhaps a piece of fish for dinner. Small, simple, even humble meals. Hubby and I fast differently. We will not eat during the day, and have a small meatless supper after sundown. Tonight we will dine on Vegetable Soup. For Valentine’s Day, I might break out the good china as we dine by candle light. Who knows.

Vegetable Soup
1 White Onion
2 large Carrots
3 Celery Ribs
1 (28 oz) can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
3 tablespoons Butter
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Paprika
4 cups Beef Stock
Parsley for garnish
Pita Bread for serving

Peel and dice the onion and carrots. Trim celery ribs, dice. Drain whole tomatoes, reserve juices. Chop the tomatoes into bite-size pieces.

In a large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onions, carrots and celery until the onions are translucent. Stir in tomatoes with their juices. Flavor with salt, pepper, Worcestershire Sauce and paprika. Add beef stock.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 45 minutes for the vegetables to become tender and the flavors to develop. While the soup simmers, snip fresh parsley for garnish.

Ladle into small bowls or cups, garnish with parsley. Serve with warm pita bread.

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Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.