What is is about Ash Wednesday that makes it the most popular mass of the year? It's not a Sunday or holy day of obligation or Easter. What compels people who ordinarily wouldn't go to mass to turn up today? Is it because they give ashes away?
I was never much for Ash Wednesday. I don't remember ever going as a kid. I guess I'm not much of a joiner. But I like Lent and I like Easter. And since I'm blogging away, I thought I would check something out tonight. The Shrine of St Jude is a big church made of red bricks. There is geometric stained glass and a pitched roof in the middle. It was crowded. I reached another milestone on this journey: The first mass in Spanglish.
Senora Gonce is laughing at me from heaven right now. This is what you get for changing the title of your workbook to Spanish is Not Fun. Actually, they alternated the readings and songs in English and Spanish. The priest translated his own homily as he went. That was helpful because all I picked up at first was something about heads and hearts and doors and the celebration of Easter. It was rather fire and brimstone tonight. Don't take the ashes if you aren't planning on 40 days of fasting, prayer, and alms giving.
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