Sunday, February 15, 2015

Ash Wednesday

Masses for Ash Wednesday:

St. Stephen
   7am Low Mass

Immaculate Conception Church, Cleveland
   7am Low Mass. Ashes will be distributed before mass and after mass.

   6:30pm High Mass. Ashes will be distributed after the homily and after mass.



The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, spiritual growth, conversion, and simplicity. Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him. Thus it is fitting that the season of Lent begin with a symbol of repentance: placing ashes mixed with oil on one's head or forehead. However, we must remember that our Lenten disciplines are supposed to ultimately transform our entire person: body, soul, and spirit, and help us become more like Christ. Eastern Christians call this process theosis, which St. Athanasius describes as "becoming by grace what God is by nature."
 http://www.churchyear.net/lent.html


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