So you gave up dessert for Lent? Good for you, you wimp! Once upon a time, German monks ate nothing for the entirety of the Lenten fast. No bread, no salad, no fruit—nothing. Beat that. How did they survive, you ask? By imbibing large quantities of heavy, calorie rich beer, of course! Around 700 years ago, German monks in the town […]

Want to drop a V6 engine into your Volkswagen Bug prayer life? Would you like to battle sin and Satan and sabotage like the mighty saints of yore? Then gird your loins, get on your knees, and prepare yourself for Marian Consecration. Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary… Today, Friday, February 20th, is not only […]

St. Peter was riding high. Jesus had just asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” While the rest of the disciples stumbled around in confusion, Peter hit a home run. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then, moments later, Jesus blesses him and entrusts him with the keys of his […]

Lent is a season of penance and ascetical warfare. The enemy is concupiscence, the world, and the devil. The goal is pure hearts so that we can joyfully celebrate the resurrection of our Lord at Easter, the greatest feast of the liturgical year. In a way, Lent should be a microcosm of our entire struggle on […]

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Our Lord Jesus Christ As a rule, I don’t promote giving to specific causes, but I recently wrote about the importance of almsgiving during Lent, and now, I’ve become aware of an opportunity to do just that. Allow me to break my own rule and share a little about […]

In the English language, the special season before Easter is called “Lent.” The word comes from the “lengthening” of daylight hours as we progress from the darkness of winter to the new light of spring. But other languages, such as Spanish, have a name for this season that is derived from the word for forty. […]

“We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.” – Saint Vincent de Paul Believe it or not, tomorrow is already Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Today, we […]

“How beautiful, how necessary is penance.” – St. Francis of Assisi Penance is an unpopular topic these days. Perhaps it is because we have become soft, even wimpy, valuing comfort over anything else. Maybe it’s due to a misguided attempt to seem less rigid and legalistic. Then again, maybe it’s really because we don’t think we have any sins over […]