Monday, February 8, 2021027Last year, on Ash Wednesday, we had no idea that Lent would last for a year…at least that is how it seems to me. And given the choice, I would not have given up the things I have been asked to do without in the past year. I love to travel, and to eat a nice meal with friends at a restaurant, and to attend sporting events (Go...
Friday, April 3, 2020082On the Friday before Holy Week, Pope Francis asked people to keep a long tradition of Catholic piety by focusing on "the suffering and sorrows of Our Lady."
Saturday, March 21, 20200201We’re a few weeks into Lent, and since we’ve had some time now to try our Lenten disciplines of praying, fasting and almsgiving, let’s take a moment to reevaluate them in light of some ancient wisdom. Here are three tips about fasting from the Rule of St. Benedict.
Thursday, March 19, 2020098This Lent is one for the record books. Parish fish fries, prayer services, Stations of the Cross, and daily and Sunday Masses are all canceled, and some dioceses have already announced they will not have services during Holy Week or Easter on April 12.
Monday, February 24, 2020019Lent is a time for deeper dialogue with God through prayer, for renewed gratitude for God's mercy and for increased compassion for people whose lives are under attack, Pope Francis said.
Monday, March 18, 2019076The season of Lent is a time for Christians to reflect on and practice the mercy of God toward others and not waste away sitting in judgment of others, Pope Francis said.
Thursday, March 14, 20190357When I was serving as parochial vicar at St. Joseph parish in Richardson, I observed something about the trees in the courtyard that amazed me. If you’re familiar with the layout at St. Joseph, you know that between the church and the rectory is a courtyard. From my room I could look through the window and enjoy the beauty of the...
Wednesday, March 13, 20190216One of the actions that most reminds us of the great dignity we have after being created in the image and likeness of God is forgiveness.
Sunday, March 10, 20190117When Pope Francis asked 50-year-old Benedictine Abbot Bernardo Gianni to lead his Lenten retreat, the abbot said he told the pope he felt "very inadequate."
Friday, March 8, 2019043Lent is a time to ask for God's grace to chip away at hypocrisy, which is seen in the natural human attempt to appear "worthier than we are," Pope Francis said.