‘Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s reminds us that God is love’

Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day reminds us that God is love, a bishop said yesterday.

As the Catholic faithful begins the observance of the 40-day season of Lent today, Balanga Bishop Ruperto C.

Santos said God’s enormous love for mankind is the highlight of Ash Wednesday as coincides with Hearts Day.

“It is very significant and so meaningful that our Ash Wednesday this year falls on Valentine’s Day, the day of hearts, the occasion to express love. Ash Wednesday starts the season of Lent, the commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus, that is, His sacrifices, services and sufferings for our redemption as an expression of His enormous love for mankind,” he said.

“Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross are the most truthful and greatest manifestation of His love for us. Lent is love. Love is to serve rather than to be served. Love is to suffer for sake of our loved ones rather than to be the cause of their suffering.

Love is to sacrifice our personal interests and personal agenda for the betterment of those whom we love. And this was how Jesus loved us and continue to love us,” added the chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People.

The prelate said Ash Wednesday invites the faithful to show his love for Jesus in return for His enormous and unwavering love.

“Ash Wednesday invites us to show our love for Jesus. We do sacrifices as we abstain from full meals and observe fasting. We serve by our almsgivings, charity work, and constant prayers. Ash Wednesday highlights Jesus’ enormous and unwavering love for us. We are created good but we turn from good to bad because of our sins and selfishness as the ash signifies, yet Jesus did not abandon nor neglect us. Even if our failures and faults dirtied our souls, with the retracing of the cross on our foreheads, Jesus reminds us we can rebuild our lives, be reconciled with the Father, and be redeemed by Jesus Himself,” Santos said.

“Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day highlights that God is love. He loves us truly and faithfully. And in return, we must love our country and our fellow Filipinos with the love of God, that is faithful and true, willing to serve and suffer,” Santos said.

The 40-day Lenten Season, a time of reflection and repentance, begins today – Ash Wednesday. In all masses across the country, priests in purple vestments – the color of penance – will mark the foreheads of the faithful with a cross from blessed ashes with the reminder: “Thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return” (Genesis 3:19) and to “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” (Mark 1:15).