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Make time this Lent to love the excluded, defenseless, despised, pope says
… suffer from war, violence, exclusion, material and spiritual poverty," he said in his address. Lent is also an opportune time for responding to this call because the season "calls us to …
Fasting and feasting
… 58:1-9a ; Mt 9:14-15 The question of fasting in the Lectionary readings is raised because of Lent. When the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus why they and the Pharisees were … of his body. But we have tasted the glory to come, and it fills us with hope and joy. Lent repeats the ancient pilgrimage in the desert that defines God’s Pilgrim People. As a church, …
Suspect in shooting death of LA Bishop O'Connell charged with murder
… said in a statement. "As Catholics around Los Angeles and the nation start the holy season of Lent, let us reflect on Bishop O'Connell's life of service and dedication to those in greatest …
Is the Holy Spirit leading you — or driving you — into synodality?
… The Gospel reading this Sunday ought to be familiar to most churchgoers. Every First Sunday of Lent, we hear proclaimed a version of Jesus' time in the desert following his baptism in the … which will pave the way for his execution and resurrection. As we begin another season of Lent this week and continue to reflect on the Holy Spirit in this series of columns, I believe … by the Holy Spirit. While most of us are not being led or driven into a literal desert this Lent, I do see something of a parallel for the whole church as we continue to engage in the …
Losing and finding
… choices in new circumstances and challenges. Discipleship frames and guides our progress. Lent is the perfect time to give this our attention. As long as we are following and imitating …
Pope says Lent is time to let go of the frivolous, to choose truth, love
… superficial, showy and self-centered, Pope Francis said during a Mass to mark the beginning of Lent. Lent is the time, he said, "to proclaim that God alone is Lord, to drop the pretense of being … of the matter, and fail to embrace the true meaning of our lives in this world!" he said. "Lent is a time of truth, a time to drop the masks we put on each day to appear perfect in the …
Let's make the Beatitudes our guide for Lent
… Antonio Remedios … Lent, that time of somber reflection, has begun. Many of us, after years of warmed-over helpings … the church has something critically important to offer in all of this, especially during Lent. A lot of the issues listed above can aggravate the divisions and polarization so evident in … the street or for earthquake victims in Syria or Turkey. So what's left for the Catholic in Lent? Perhaps the answer lies at the heart of our Gospel. Maybe this Lent, as we step away from …
Why Catholics need Ash Wednesday
… I was growing up, our CCD teacher one year told us that instead of giving something up for Lent, we were going to do something positive. How thoroughly American. Even though I couldn't … and death, that he has in fact already conquered sin and death. We Catholic Christians love Lent because we need it. …
Welcome to Lent 2023
… (Joel 2:12). … Ash Wednesday … Joel 2:12-18 ; 2 Cor 5:20—6:2 ; Matt 6:1-6, 16-18 The start of Lent today has me thinking of specifics I can do, or do without, for the next six weeks to get my … heart-wrenching images each day to remind us of life’s uncertainties. The world has felt like Lent for a long time. How do we make sense of so much suffering? Today's Scripture readings draw … activities that tend to fragment and distract us from what is most important. I imagine a Lent during which I constantly remind myself that God “sees” me. This is more than just …
March 26, 2023: Fifth Sunday of Lent
Let's do mercy for Lent this year
… you do ..." Ash Wednesday is on Feb. 22, and as is often the case, I'm not prepared for Lent. Like many folks, I found it difficult to embrace fasting and other acts of sacrifice during … life has returned to some semblance of normalcy, that hardly seems like an excuse to avoid Lent's disciplines. Yet I think "giving up for Lent" sometimes overshadows the other two Lenten …