On February 14, 2024, the La Sierra SDA church posted, “Day 1 – Love and Ashes… This Valentine’s Day is also Ash Wednesday. It’s a day when many Christians from different traditions around the world will attend a service and receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. The person administering the ashes may say, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel… Over the next 40 days, during Lent, leading us through to four days with Jesus, community members will be sharing personal stories of when a word from God helped them go on… The Church landed on fasting for 40 days before Easter because of the 40 days and 40 nights Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism. ”
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“On CNN’s 
Jesus was born rejected by some and regarded by many others with indifference,” he added in his Christmas Eve message. “Today also the same indifference can exist, when Christmas becomes a feast where the protagonists are ourselves, rather than Jesus. When the lights of commerce cast the light of God into the shadows; when we are concerned for gifts, but cold toward those who are marginalized. …The pope addressed children who are living in poverty and war, and also appeared to reference the Syrian refugee crisis that has created political upheaval in Europe.” –