How Local Catholics Can Prepare for the Beginning of Lent 2024

For many, February evokes strong images of romantic love. After all, Saint Valentine’s Day, February 14, has become a cultural touchstone. It’s a day for sweethearts, young and old, to give special expression to their love for one another. This year, February 14 is also Ash Wednesday, one of the most sacred days of the year for all Christians. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, a 40-day season of prayer and penance meant to help convert our minds and hearts back to God, who is the source of all love.

“The observance of Lent, and its beginnings on Ash Wednesday, should always be of primary importance for Catholics. For that reason, although some might look for dispensation from the practices of fasting and abstinence from meat to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day, Ash Wednesday is too important, too sacred to make such a concession. With that in mind, no dispensations from fasting and abstinence will be granted on February 14 in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. We should also remember that Saint Valentine was exactly that – a Catholic Saint! He would agree that the celebration that bears his name should take a back seat to Ash Wednesday!” said Bishop David Zubik.

The fact that Saint Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday fall on the same date this year is an opportunity for reflection. Saint Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, and real love always finds its source in God. “God is love,” the bible tells us, and Jesus commanded us to “Love one another” as He first loved us. The love that is shared by couples seeking to celebrate with one another only comes to fruition and perfection when it becomes a mirror reflecting Divine Love.

Catholic couples in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are therefore encouraged to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day a little differently this year. Perhaps by making plans for a romantic evening the night before on the 13th, or the weekend before or after Valentine’s Day, as many already do, so that Ash Wednesday can receive undivided attention. Or even better, couples could intentionally observe Ash Wednesday together. Couples might make a point of going to Mass and receiving ashes together. Instead of a lavish dinner, couples could share a meager meal together, recognizing that true love isn’t found in material things and fine dining, but in one another and ultimately in God.

Couples looking to enliven their love for each other this Lent by turning together to the source of all love are encouraged to take advantage of the many opportunities to deepen their faith throughout the diocese this Lent:

• “The Light is On for You” on March 6 provides the opportunity encounter the merciful love of God in the sacrament of confession in every parish at the suggested time of 6 to 9 p.m.
• Parish Fish Frys are a great opportunity for a date night or even just a way to meet new people and build up loving community in a world that desperately needs it. More information can be found in our Fish Fry Guide here: https://diopitt.org/fish-fry-guide.
• Go to Mass or Eucharistic Adoration together with your loved one and see what true love really looks like! Resources on Eucharistic Adoration, the Eucharistic Revival, and Mass times, including information on Easter Masses can be found here: https://diopitt.org/lent.