But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Matthew 15:9
"Many people looking at their February calendars are doing a double-take with Ash Wednesday falling on February 14, Valentine’s Day.
Ash Wednesday also is one of two days, along with Good Friday, that are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholic adults — meaning no eating meat and eating only one full meal and two smaller meals. In other words, not a day for consuming candy hearts, chocolate cakes or fancy steak dinners.
And for those who wonder if Catholic bishops might grant a dispensation from the day’s fasting requirements, as they sometimes have with the no meat rule when St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday in Lent, they should probably think again.
Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Alabama, told Catholics in his diocese that “some have wondered whether a dispensation for the standard laws of fast and abstinence would be granted” on February 14.
“A dispensation will not be given,” he wrote, stressing that this decision was “out of respect for the importance of Ash Wednesday in the lives of so many – including our non-Catholic brethren – and the way this custom underlines the importance of the Lenten season at its outset.”
He suggested Catholics celebrate Valentine’s Day on another “non-penitential day,” maybe even February 13 – which is Mardi Gras.
The Archdiocese of Chicago similarly suggested celebrating Valentine’s Day on Mardi Gras: “A traditionally festive time before beginning our Lenten observance.”
“Catholics throughout the world recognize Ash Wednesday as the solemn beginning of a period of prayerful reflection and penance, as is evident by the large number of churchgoers on this day,” the archdiocese said, stressing that the day’s “obligation of fast and abstinence must naturally be the priority in the Catholic community.”
Similarly, the Archdiocese of Detroit was not giving a pass. Ned McGrath, archdiocesan director of communications, told the Detroit Free Press: “I have no reason to doubt the ability of my fellow Catholics to multi-task, honoring their commitment to the church’s liturgical calendar and, if they so choose, to observe Valentine’s Day and April Fools’ Day,” (which coincidentally falls on Easter Sunday this year).
He also noted that the last time Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day overlapped, in 1945, the Detroit Tigers won the World Series." ...blah, blah, blah...and so their "holydays" go...
CatholicHerald
