Ash Wednesday meditation 2018
Dear Friends in Christ,
This year Ash Wednesday falls on *Valentine’s Day, a day that was originally a commemoration of a 3rd-century priest and martyr during the reign of
As I prepare for this Ash Wednesday, I am aware that for many it will be overshadowed by Valentine’s Day, if they are aware of it at all.
However, I am struck this year that Ash Wednesday is also a celebration of love, albeit a countercultural one. My generation grew up with the cultural narrative that “love means you never have to say you’re sorry” an axiom from what is the most famous line in the book and screenplay Love Story by Erich Segal. In the early
While I know this references dates me, I believe this is one of the false narratives that
Ash Wednesday reminds us that part of our love for God is saying we are sorry — sorry for the pride and hypocrisy in our lives, sorry for our participation in the unjust structures of this world, sorry for past actions and past inactions. This sorrow is the result of our reminder that we are creatures and not the creator. That realization causes us to examine our actions and leads us to sorrow for how we have acted and behaved. We say we are sorry because of our love for God and God’s ways and because we know that our confession and sorrow will be met with a word of grace. God pardons and absolves those who truly repent.
Repentance is the beginning of being renewed in our love for God and the things of God. It is the prerequisite for being
I invite you, as you see
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Steven Andrew Miller
Bishop of Milwaukee
*It should be noted that Valentine does not appear on the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer rather February 14 is the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius missionaries and evangelists to the Slavic people.)