Today is NOT a holy day of obligation.
That said, many people try to go to Mass on Ash Wednesday. Many, however, cannot.
Therefore, let us know about your good experiences of Holy Mass and the good points in the sermon, if there was on.
Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Sunday Mass of obligation?
I wrote “good”. Let’s make this positive and edifying for the benefit of those who had to work or who were shut in or otherwise not able to go to Mass.
Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass. I hear that it is growing. Of COURSE.
Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?
Here are some of my thoughts for Ash Wednesday from the stream.
Let’s have a poll.
Anyone can vote. Only registered and approved users can comment. And I hope you do!
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In the sermon today (which was delivered before Mass and the distribution of the ashes), Father emphasized about how our sacrifices ought to lead us closer to Christ and unite us to Him in His sufferings.
He preceded to share an example by sharing with us what he was abstaining from. His friend had to give up alcohol due to medical reasons, so Father is giving it up to unite himself to his friend’s suffering, as well as to unit himself closer to Christ.
Also gave an history of various parts of Ash Wednesday.
Overall very good sermon.
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I went to church and received ashes from a priest/deacon: cross on forehead (Ordinariate – like the TLM but in English)
I went after work (1830 hours) to the parish three blocks from my office. Father gave a brief sermon before starting the ashes. I commend Father for highlighting what the ashes mean and he explained where the biblical readings show this.
In short, when we die if we believe we don’t just end up in the ground.
I was also pleased that half the congregation didn’t run for the parking lot after the ashes were distributed. I could of attended yesterday a “service with just ashes” (and as Fr. Z said Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation) which this parish offered a few, but I wanted to go to a “Mass with ashes” which I did.
I went to the NO Mass, the priest put on a morning and evening Mass with distribution of Ashes. There were a good 60 present, well above what would have been expected in the morning. Not sure about the evening Mass attendance. Unfortunately the priest was not well but still gave a simple but good sermon.
I tied it in to St. Valentine’s Day. St. V sacrificed his life out of love for Christ and persecuted Christians. Our Lord suffered His passion and death out of love for us. Our Lenten fasting, abstinence and sacrifices must be done out of love. If not they are a drudgery. But, we are always willing to do or sacrifice anything for the one we love.
Noon Mass at our TLM FSSP apostolate. Absolutely packed (Father did only one Mass for Ash Wednesday).
We got us a sermon alright. Father mentioned the loosened restrictions for Lenten fasting and abstinence. He asked if we thought comprised adequate penance for our sins. Then he mentioned he hears our confessions, so if we think that the reduced penances are enough, we should think again. THEN only somewhat facetiously said ‘you are being lied to’ – we need to take our penance for our sins seriously, and think about what we ought to do this Lent.
As my kids would say, a ‘banger’ sermon. Keep in mind our priest is quirky (in a good way), and this was not delivered with fire and brimstone – but we were clearly being challenged.
So, I said to my wife later: ‘Did you hear it the way I heard it? We are not supposed to eat ANYTHING this Lent’. She laughed, but……
Seriously it was a great sermon for Ash Wednesday – and again, a packed Mass with the usual age bracket being, essentially – much younger than my wife and I, with lots of kids in tow.
We have been tremendously blessed – I pray our bishop allows this apostolate to continue. I was here when it started around 2003, and would very much like to be buried here – black vestments and incense, and death to anyone who even considers ‘On Eagle’s Wings’.
12 noon Novus Ordo, parish not known for its…. Catholicism.
Priest gave a refreshingly traditional homily that basically boiled down to “no excuses. Lent is about Fasting, Almsgiving and Prayer. Do more fasting, especially from social media. Do more almsgiving, never mind the “cost of living crisis” – volunteer your time if you have no money. Do more prayer. There’s Stations of the Cross on Friday and Sunday evenings if you don’t know what to do. Get on with it and prepare for Easter.”
This church, which has had so many problems (and with my tradionally-minded eye, more to solve); was more packed for 12am on a Weekday than at any Sunday Mass there than I’d seen in the last 7 years.
It got me thinking. God bless those priests who are scared to do the right thing. May St John Vianney accompany them. This Lent has the potential to be momentous for the Church.
I am hopeful.
PRAY. FAST. ALMSGIVING. Lent is tough, but it isn’t hard. We, the Church (Militant), can do this.
I am always emotional on Ash Wednesday. 43 years ago, at the age of 31, was the first time I ever stepped foot in a Catholic Church. I was received into the Church that following Easter. This was only a year or so before RCIA was instituted, and I was fortunate to receive all my instruction from an elderly and kind priest who told me it was a fine time to meet the Church, on a day when everyone goes to be touched in some way, even those just putting a toe in the door.
I tied it in to St. Valentine’s Day. St. V sacrificed his life out of love for Christ and persecuted Christians. Our Lord suffered His passion and death out of love for us. Our Lenten fasting, abstinence and sacrifices must be done out of love. If not they are a drudgery. But, we are always willing to do or sacrifice anything for the one we love
This sounds exactly like what our priest preached about.
Since we are SSPX, and our priest drives a 16 hour circuit to say Mass for 4 parishes (it’s Texas so distances are looong), he could not come for Wednesday because he also teaches full time (!). He is doing us the kindness of bringing the ashes to us tomorrow. We will have an Ash Wednesday Sunday, I guess.
What’s amazing here? This young priest’s devotion to and consideration for his flock. May G-d bless him always!
Being that Ash Wednesday was several days ago, I’m not recalling many details from Father’s homily (NO morning school mass); however, he related the story of G.K. Chesterton sending in his submission to a newspaper responding to the prompt: “What is wrong with the world?” with the line “I am what is wrong with the world” in relation to his sin.
Church was fairly full, many older members of the parish in addition to the schoolchildren. There was also an early morning Mass and an evening mass. I found out the next day that about double the expected attendance was achieved at the evening Mass, and that there was an oversight – one of the ciboria was inadvertently left empty in preparation for Mass. Hosts were being split into quarters for distribution toward the end.