"Lent is a long time of preparation—preparation not just for Easter Sunday, not just for the Great Three Days (the Triduum) of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Holy Saturday Vigil. I would say that Lent is a preparation for the whole of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday."...
"It was Tertullian, an early Christian author, who stated that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Relatively few of us will experience physical martyrdom because of our faith. But anyone who calls him or herself Christian is called to die to self."...
"Spring is the season of plans and projects. It’s God’s way of reminding us of what can be done with what looked so bleak and barren in winter. We can finally move beyond daydreams to action."...
"This Fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Laetare Sunday, a day for rejoicing. This comes from the Entrance Antiphon, from Isaiah 66:10-11. Rejoice Jerusalem! Let’s name reasons to rejoice!"...
"A good Lenten exercise can be to ponder the foolishness-wisdom dynamic in our lives, or the crooked lines of our lives."...
" . . . God often uses how humans perceive the physical world to impart something spiritual. He uses the seasons of the year to ingrain divine lessons. One such season is Lent."...
"We are not usually asked to sacrifice a child. This freedom of Abraham is usually seen as remarkable – to give up one’s only son. But, how can we freely face the death of our children?"...
"It is not lost on me that we start the Season of Lent with love and end up on April 1 [Easter Sunday] Holy fools.”"...
"Scholars point out connections to old lore that clear weather on Candlemas (i.e., the Feast of Jesus at the temple) forebodes a prolonged winter." What will our groundhog predict for us today? ...
"Let’s pray, on this Feast of the Holy Family, for all families – that they may continue to serve as educators for all women and men who play a role in public life."...
