Ash Wednesday is maybe the most unusual day of the year for the Church. It is not a Holy Day of Obligation, but the place is normally packed. Some who are often lax about Mass attendance are there. It is a time to try again. A time to bring ourselves closer to God. A time to return.

This is the time of year that the Christmas decorations are almost gone (except those decorations which are frozen to your lawn), and Lent has not yet begun. Those of us who are oriented toward the Church, know that Lent is coming soon. This year the gap between the Christmas season and Lent is the shortest since 2008. Ash Wednesday is February 10, 2016.