Lent

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of the liturgical season of Lent, which precedes the joyous season of Easter, and is a time of seriousness, a time of fasting and abstinence, a time of remembering the darkness of our sin, and of cleansing it, before the bright glory of the Easter celebrations.

Ash Wednesday is one of my favourite holy days. Here in Olds, we've always had evening Masses for as long as I can remember, in order to accomodate those who have to work during the daylight hours. This gives the Mass a special feeling of culmination after a long day of fasting (I was doing fine until supper, when I had my only proper meal of the day, then after eating a good-sized meal I was STARVING). Mind, I tend to favour evening Masses in the first place. I like starting my day with Mass, but a day that builds up to Mass as the final major action of the day has a certain attraction as well.

The ceremony of being marked with ashes is one I like, if only because the choir, every year, sings "Ashes" during it. It is possibly morbid of me, but I think "Ashes" is a song I want played at my funeral. It's not exactly a classical song of comfort and hope, but it's not bereft of the latter.

And now it's Lent.... I go home (to Seminary) tomorrow sometime, in order to be around of the Rite of Election at the Basilica on Sunday, the rehearsal being Saturday morning. I get to be thurifer (incenser), which is my favourite job as a server, but one which (in this case) I didn't even ask for. It'll be good to be home.

Yes, I think I'm writing a little disjointedly, but we can put it down to lack of practice. Reading Break has been blissfully free of anything resembling school work.