Could this be why Lent is forty days?
Putting aside that the numbering is not exact, we generally talk about Lent being forty days. Like me, you have probably wondered “why forty?” What’s so special about forty?? The obvious answer is...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — Into New Life
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — Blessed of My Father
“Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was...
View ArticleMeat: To Eat or Not To Eat
In many dioceses next week, the bishops have chosen the waive the Friday requirement to abstain from meat in light of St. Patrick’s Day. Since St. Patrick’s Day is not a solemnity in the United States,...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — God, Our Refuge
“O Lord, you have been our refuge, from generation to generation; from age to age, you are.” (Entrance Antiphon, Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, Cf. Psalm 89:1-2). The times in which we live are...
View ArticleIn a Fallen World, Suffering is Transfigured through Love
Reflection on the Mass readings for the Second Sunday of Lent (Year A) — Genesis 12:1-4; Psalms 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22; Second Timothy 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9. The love in which God embraces each of us...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — Made for a Purpose
“O God, who have taught us to chasten our bodies for the healing of our souls, enable us, we pray, to abstain from all sins, and to strengthen our hearts to carry out your loving commands…” (Collect,...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — God’s Visitation
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — Out of the Depths
“Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord! Lord, hear my voice! Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — From the Heart
“This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances; you shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 26:16) God has loved...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — A Generous Heart
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together,...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — Christ Shows us How to be Humble
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) Jesus is not just humble, he is humility. Jesus is not transcended by his qualities or attributes,...
View ArticleFour Ways to Finish Lent Well
As we near the end of Lent, it’s a good time to stop and assess how we have done thus far. Before the revision of the Roman Missal in 1970, this coming Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, was referred...
View ArticleWhat a flooded creek reminded me about the Church
We had steady rainfall here last week, resulting in our little creeks and streams flooding their banks. I took advantage of one warm afternoon, despite the rain, to head to my favorite walking path...
View ArticleWhy Do Catholics Abstain from Meat on Fridays and Fast?
Would you like to know the secret to a better, deeper, more joyful life in Christ? Of course you would. We all would. Our bookstores are filled with books written to help us advance in prayer and the...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — God is Our Refuge
“O Lord, you have been our refuge, from generation to generation; from age to age, you are.” (Entrance Antiphon, Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, Cf. Psalm 89:1-2). The times in which we live are...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — God’s Visitation
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the...
View ArticleThe Biblical Truth About Fasting
Last week, I asked the question, “Are you looking for the secret to a better, deeper, more joyful life in Christ?” and responded by exploring the reasons for the Catholic practice of self-denial. We...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — Made for a Purpose
“O God, who have taught us to chasten our bodies for the healing of our souls, enable us, we pray, to abstain from all sins, and to strengthen our hearts to carry out your loving commands…” (Collect,...
View ArticleDaily Reflection — Out of the Depths
“Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord! Lord, hear my voice! Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is...
View Article