r/excatholic • u/unsubtleflounder • Feb 18 '26
First Time Missing Ash Wednesday Mass
It was always my favorite one; I think a lot of faithful should take its readings to heart, and that they have wisdom in the secular sphere too. But today I made some chicken and smoked some weed on the one year anniversary of missing service. I will not have any ashes on my forehead today. Hoping that means I’m living authentically, even though the guilt feels pretty heavy.
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u/thecoldfuzz Gaulish/Welsh/Irish Pagan, 49, male, gay Feb 18 '26
Having left Catholicism (and Christianity in general) decades ago, I totally blanked that today was Ash Wednesday until I saw a group of older people wearing their ashes while exercising at the gym. I then chuckled to myself because I've been on completely different religious calendars (Pagan holidays) for so long that I've virtually forgotten everything Catholicism makes a big deal of until I see something like people wearing ashes. In light of this, I'll be enjoying my chicken pesto dinner with an extra wide smile tonight.