Faithful Explain How They're Dealing With Ash Wednesday, Valentine's Day Dichotomy
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- On this Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday, the faithful spoke about how they were handling the dichotomy of observances.
As WCBS 880s' Marla Diamond reported, Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, when many Christians abstain from things like steak and chocolate. But Valentine's Day is often all about that steak and chocolate.
Outside St. Patrick's Cathedral, Valentina McLoud said love requires sacrifice. Wednesday was also her birthday.
"It's going to be a birthday celebration, but at the same token, since it's Ash Wednesday, it will be a day of peace and a day of calm and a day of giving back.
That is also exactly what Timothy Cardinal Dolan recommends.
"Why don't we say a prayer for one another?" he said. "Why don't we do an act of charity for somebody else?"
This was the first time since 1945 that Ash Wednesday fell on Valentine's Day. As it happens, Easter Sunday also falls on April Fool's Day this year.
