Today is darling daughter's 8th birthday! It is also Ash Wednesday and after a meat-free birthday dinner, we will all be heading to church. And since it is a day of fasting, I will be less indulgent in what I eat but for the sake of her birthday, I cannot deny her a bit of celebration of her day. And her choice of a meal is plain Jane spaghetti, which is perfectly fine with me. Pasta with a very simple tomato sauce, nothing else. And my serving can be smaller to honor the fast.
But why church and fasting? Tradition (and yes in my mind I heard Topol singing in Fiddler on the Roof and no, he wasn't talking about Ash Wednesday).
But in a nutshell since this is a running, health, and fitness blog with religion on the sidelines, I will keep things short and sweet. But my faith is important enough to me that I won't hide it under the carpet.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent...the 40 days leading up to Easter. It is the start of a time to reflect, pray, fast, sacrifice, repent, and aim to sin no more. This season involves a whole lot more than fasting and sacrificing as there are a ton of acts of kindness, charity, alms giving, etc that is added in for many that truly lets you grow closer to God and stronger in your faith.
On Ash Wednesday, those who attend the mass will receive ashes on the forehead. They are actually the ashes collected from the burned palms from the previous Palm Sunday and signify that we all come from and return to ashes. We will all die and we don't know when. For me that leaves the very strong question, if I met Jesus today, would I be ready? Would I hear those words, well done good and faithful servant?
So if you ever wondered why people have black smudges on their foreheads, now you know and thank you for letting me tell you about my faith. Have a blessed day!
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for time to blog.
Daily Bible Verse: His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your master's happiness" ~ Matthew 25:23
