Daily Gospel Reflection for February 14, 2024: Ash Wednesday

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Reflection by Colleen O'Dowd

Today's Gospel: Mark 6:1-6, 16-18

It’s totally appropriate when Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day because St. Valentine was not actually about romance, he was about sacraments and sacrifice – unto death. He helped people celebrate the sacrament of marriage underground and in secret – much like the Gospel mentions today, not so they could post about it on Instagram and TikTok, but so they would be able to move forward during those dangerous times in great courage, in growing holiness, and in burning intimacy with God and their spouse.

Sometimes it feels like these are dark and dangerous times. And we associate the word secret with different things than what it means here today. Being with God in secret is not about hiding. It’s not about fear. It is about intimacy. Intimacy is the powerful love that sacrifices and pours out self for the good of the other. It is precious. And we protect what is precious.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are three ways to seek greater intimacy with God through personal relationship with Jesus. All three of those acts bring me closer to God through Jesus.

When I am in love, I am ridiculous. I am single-minded. I want nothing more than to learn more about, spend time with, and encounter my Beloved. I feel like I can never be close enough. There’s a reason why I am nutty – and it’s because God wants me to understand how crazy in love He is with me.

This season of Lent is a time to grow in greater intimacy with Jesus, the great love of my life.

Ponder:

What old ideas about prayer, fasting, almsgiving, or even intimacy itself do I need to surrender to be more fruitful during this season of Lent?

Pray:

Lord God, I desire to grow in intimacy with You over the next forty days. Show me the specific ways You seek me in deeper prayer, intentional fasting, and thoughtful almsgiving.

Click to tweet:
When I am in love, I am ridiculous. I am single-minded. I want nothing more than to encounter my Beloved. This is because God wants me to understand how crazy in love He is with me. #DailyGospel

Copyright 2024 Colleen O'Dowd

Colleen O’Dowd is a parish missionary at Our Lady of Ransom in Niles, IL. She loves being Catholic; her Converse All Stars, Crocs, and socks are always liturgically correct; and she is a super saint-geek! She blogs ultra-occasionally at www.ourheartswereburningwithin.wordpress.com and can also be found as @catholiccolleen on Twitter and Instagram.