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Journeying through Lent in the light of Valentine’s Day
By 
Bethany Anderson2024-02-14T09:00:00
Today Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day collide. The last time that happened was in 2018, and before that, 1945. Writer Bethany Anderson looks at the significance of Lent landing on the day the world celebrates love.
This year the season of love (Valentine’s Day) and longing (Ash Wednesday) merged. As we celebrate love, we are also entering an “empty jar” season per the Christian calendar.
Lent is a time of personal sacrifice honouring the time Jesus spent in the wilderness before the start of his public ministry.
On Valentine’s Day in 2006, I spent the day in one of the most romantic places on earth - Verona, Italy. As a single female missionary in my 20s, I wasn’t sure why I was torturing myself by traveling to the iconic city of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but alas there I was for a couple days of solo adventure.
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