Universalis: Mass & Liturgy of the Hours

The week ahead – from 15 to 21 February

Feb 13, 2026
A look at the Vietnamese New Year and how lunar calendars shape liturgical dates. Exploration of Vietnamese Christian customs like vigils, ancestor veneration, and sanctifying everyday work. A reflection on Ash Wednesday rituals, the paradox of dust and agency, and how prayer, almsgiving, and fasting reclaim human responsibility and self-control.
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ANECDOTE

Vietnamese New Year Adapted To Faith

  • Martin Kohansky describes how Vietnamese Catholics adapt the three-day lunar New Year into Christian worship instead of abandoning it.
  • He highlights their practice of celebrating culturally while reorienting the meaning toward God and virtue.
ADVICE

Hold A New Year Vigil Mass

  • Martin urges Christians to mark New Year transitions with a special vigil Mass instead of ignoring the moment.
  • He says offering the old year to God and accepting the new intentionally should shame us into action.
INSIGHT

Veneration Versus Worship Distinction

  • Venerating ancestors can be fully Christian when distinguished from worship and practiced with gratitude.
  • Martin connects this to the commandment to honour parents and to remembering family merits faithfully.
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