"Bright Sadness"

Today is Ash Wednesday. A day when the priest takes the ashes of the burned palms from last years Palm Sunday, and makes a cross on our foreheads, saying something to the effect of "you are dust and unto dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19). This helps to remind us of our own mortality and calls us to repent.


And if you're between 18-59 years old, you must fast and abstain from meat today. Which means we'll be having spaghetti for dinner tonight. A lot of spaghetti. With garlic bread. A lot of garlic bread. Okay, enough about food.


Ash Wednesday kicks off the season of Lent--the 40 days (minus Sundays) preceding Easter. It is a time of fasting, abstinence, prayer, repentance, sacrifice, good deeds, and spiritual discipline.


It's been said that it takes 21 days to form a habit, so let's dust off our rosaries and try to forget about those M&M's in the cabinet, shall we?