Love, Lent, Ashes, Valentine And 40 Days -By Adeleke Oluwaseyi James

The season of Lent prepares us for Easter, the greatest feast of the Liturgical Year. It is the season when we prepare for the moment where the Johannine assertion “For God so loved the world and gave his only begotten son” became the most manifest. (John 3:16) In fact, the early Christian communities organised all the celebrations around the main feast of Easter. (This indicates how much they cherished this epitome of God’s Show of Love and Mercy). Slowly, over the years, it was felt that the celebration of Easter had to be organised in a very special manner, by setting aside a few days of prayer and fasting as immediate preparation for such an important feast.

Lent in February and February in Lent

The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum, which means “purification”, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. Since other months, like January, are named after Roman gods, you’d be forgiven for thinking February was named after the Roman god Februus. But, the word February comes from the Roman festival of purification called Februa, during which people were ritually washed. In this case, the god was named after the festival, not the other way around. Consequently, it boasts the lovely meaning of “purification,” and reflects both a pagan and Christian tradition of purification during this month.

Lent in the Roman Catholic Church calendar is a Forty days, typically indicative of a time of testing, trial, penance, purification, and renewal. It was Pope Gregory I (590 – 604) who finally regularised the period of the fast church wide, to begin on a Wednesday 46 days before Easter with a ceremony of ash, and not to include Sundays, which were perennial days of celebration. This symbolic “40 days,” recalls the 40 days in the desert of Jesus. Lent has always begun in the month of February ever since, a month symbolic in itself for purification.

Love is the Primordial Inner Attitude in This Season

Today, Lent prepares the catechumens for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery by the various stages of Christian Initiation culminating at the Easter Vigil. Lent also prepares the faithful, who are already baptised, by leading them to a deeper understanding of their baptismal identity and by doing penance. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes and ends on Holy Thursday afternoon.

The Ashes is made from the palm trees of the past year. Precisely, the remains utilized in proclaiming Christ, “the Son of David, save us” Matt. 21:9.It is significant because it bears the love of those who truly acclaim Christ, Hosanna Filio Davidi – save us, we pray or deliver us, saviour we beg. It is a testimony of ever faithful to the son of David and much more a pledge of Love to him that whether in good, abundance, poverty, difficulties, death, dryness of whatever sort, our Love will remain and we are aware that he will still save or deliver us. Consequently, this Love of God, the Love of his Son, Filio Davidi is equal to the Love of our neighbour – Jesus affirms. And it is by this very love that we are purified, our sins washed away on the cross of Calvary.

Our listening to the Word of God leads us to develop some inner attitudes during the season of Lent. I have simply summarized all these attitude in a word, LOVE. Though the Lenten journey is marked in a special way by the three “traditional’ dimensions of Lent, namely: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I can say it a million times that only those who will make room for God in their life and express desires to enter into a deeper friendship with the Lord and can make concrete deliberate efforts to love others as Christ did that we can truly say “are ready for the purification Lent offers. It is not just a mere purification, it is the one that leads us first to making genuine sacrifices for the love of others and even a lifelong purification that prepares us to see God as he really is.

February 14: “Love’s Day ‘Ashesified’.”

On Ash Wednesday, the minister reminds us that we are dust and onto dust we shall return. To tell us more about the significance of the blessing of ashes is to immediately present that, it replaces the usual Penitential Rite of the mass because the opening prayer is said just after the Entrance Song. Also, here is its far reaching effect – God is your first love – and remember by the sign of this Ash that you must prepare to meet him on the last day when he will be all in all.

Now, this year as the modern celebration of February is most often associated with Valentine’s Day, the ancient world viewed it as a month of purification as earlier elucidated. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Ash Wednesday begins on Love’s day – Valentine’s Day. We must indeed ask ourselves what we desire to do with the fire of God’s love in us; to purify or contaminate; to renew or waste; set ablaze or quench or to defile our First Love’s temple(Body) or really make it holy and fit for his dwelling. In fact, Love’s Day is with a difference this year… If February 14 is an Ash Wednesday then let me think out loud… What are we preparing to do for the sake of Love this year? What Love Commitment do we desire to make for these 40 Days of purification and preparation for our triumphant Lord? Our Love must indeed be more than that which the world call ‘Love’ if we truly desire God. Our Love must therefore transcend self-satisfaction and mere sensuality to real and pure love of our neighbours, partners and Friends – for it is only through this and in this our world would know lasting peace. And if it currently knows no peace, it’s simply because it has forgotten how to love as the eternal love, Love himself, our First Love has taught us.

Lord, May your love be ready to console us and purify us this season and beyond. Amen.

Adeleke Oluwaseyi James