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What does the start of Lent mean for Valentine's Day plans? Catholics must abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday. But it isn't just Ash Wednesday. Cultural observances of Valentine’s Day might clash with Lent services, but the true essence of February 14 is closer to the meaning of Lent than many recognize. The greatest expression of love occurred when Jesus laid down His life for our sake. Feb. 14 is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It is also St. Valentine’s Day. Ash Wednesday is one of the two days in the Church calendar requiring fast and abstinence. Valentine’s Day has become a day to celebrate your ‘one’ – your significant other and the commitment you share. It’s a celebration of the love that can be enjoyed between two people. Lent is a time to remember The One – the significant other of the human race; the God who came in the person of Jesus to display to the world the Lent — the 40-day holy period of fasting and praying observed by Christians — starts on St. Valentine’s Day this year. This year, couples may want to consider celebrating Valentine’s Day on Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday — the day before Ash Wednesday, the last hurrah before Lent begins. Everybody knows that Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrating the joys of romantic love, but the whole of the liturgical season of Lent is dedicated to celebrating the greatest of all loves: “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” — words spoken by Jesus as he entered into his Passion (John 15:13). Lent starts with Ash Wednesday; this year, it’s on February 14th. That’s right, St. Valentine’s Day kicks off our Lenten season. It seems contrary when we think of the secular celebration of Valentine’s Day. Candy, date nights, romantic treats but that’s not something St. Valentine specialized in. This year, couples may want to consider celebrating Valentine’s Day on Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday — the day before Ash Wednesday, the last hurrah before Lent begins. Ash Wednesday involves not only fasting and abstaining from meat but also almsgiving. Ash Wednesday, one of the most popular and important days in the liturgical year, begins the season of Lent. On this day, Catholics are marked with ashes, in the form of a cross, on their heads during special Masses worldwide. The ashes and the whole season of Lent are a time to refocus on our relationship with God. This Valentine’s Day will be made up of no extravagant gifts; my wife and I have decided to make Lent an extended Valentine’s Day of sacrifices for each other. RELATED: In Defense of the Lenten Sacrifice. Just like making time to sacrifice for my wife, this Lent I want to make the sacrifice of waking up 15 minutes earlier each day to pray. For some, this will be an inconvenient Lent. St. Valentine's Day, typically celebrated with sweets, falls a day after Lent begins.However, for Irish Americans who like corned beef and suds on St Patrick's Day, that holiday which often falls on a Friday, which is a day of abstinence, the get a reprieve this year. The focus of our hearts during Valentine’s Day, Lent, and every other day of the year should be found in Christ, yet so many of us are trying to fill the void with other things. People, partners, friends, careers, money, vacations, or hobbies cannot fill the void we have for Christ. Sarah Pedrozo explains how, with the right perspective, St. Valentine’s Day can help us learn to love and even prepare us for Lent. Each year, sometimes even before the Christmas decorations have been packed away, we start to see flashes of bright red and pink showing up in store windows. This year, Valentine's Day coincides with Ash Wednesday, which for Christians is the start of the Lenten season of prayer, sacrifice and penance. During Lent, Catholics between the ages of 18 It’s almost that favorite feast day, when love is in the air, red heart-shaped boxes line the shelves from grocery stores to gas stations, and Catholics remember the great devotion of St. Valentine as we shower our spouses or significant others with heartfelt cards and flowers, hoping to score a seat at a romantic restaurant. “Valentine’s Day is not, as you may be pardoned for thinking, a Hallmark holiday aimed at consumers with disposable incomes and romantic hearts. feasts to the following Sunday during Lent John Girone, 22, and Jenna Vogeler, 25, center, dance as they join other young adults during a Valentine’s Day Talk and Dancing event for young adults at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on One is that St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday during Lent far more frequently (14 times a century since 1600) than Ash Wednesday falls on St. Valentine’s Day (three times a century). No, the Catholic Church has not canceled Valentine’s Day, a holiday it started nearly 1,500 years ago to honor St. Valentine, an early Christian martyr.
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