The penitential season of Lent is upon us. Catholics customarily observe the season by giving up something. These sacrifices normally involve forgoing habits, foods and drinks as a way of atoning for our sins. It is a very personal commitment that reflects a desire to reform our lives. However, this year is not normal. We … Read more
To attempt to understand the reason for the existence of sorrow, of this appalling Benefactress, one must go back to man’s beginnings, to Eden, where Sorrow was born the moment Adam became conscious of sin. She was the first-born of man’s work, and, ever since, she has pursued him upon earth, and, beyond the tomb, … Read more
People began to enter the downtown New York City building at 7:30 in the morning, but by 11:30 a massive snake-like-line of people was so large, some got a bit frustrated and wondered if it was worth the wait, yet none left their spot. I overheard one very worldly and irritated looking businesswoman comment to … Read more
Lent is a 40-day preparation for Easter, a period reminiscent of the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, and of the 40 days Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed and fasted in the wilderness. On both accounts, and in view of the Lord’s redemptive passion and death, Lent is a period marked by a … Read more
Catholics proclaim their Faith in the public square as they go about marked with a black cross on their forehead. This is how we begin Lent, starting with the beautiful traditions of Ash Wednesday . As praiseworthy as it is for Catholics to uphold the feast of Ash Wednesday by making a point of receiving … Read more
The Resurrection represents the eternal and definitive triumph of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the complete defeat of his adversaries, and the supreme argument of our faith. Saint Paul said that, if Christ had not resurrected, our faith would be vain. The whole edifice of our beliefs is founded on the supernatural fact of the Resurrection. … Read more
Lent, that time of the liturgical year when Holy Mother Church calls on Catholics to fast and abstain from meat in the spirit of penance and self-denial, also encourages the faithful to meditate on the dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In this penitential exercise, Our Lord Jesus Christ serves as our supreme model- … Read more
First Reflection “Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, went forth, and said to them: ‘Whom do you seek?’ They answered him: ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them: ‘I AM He.’ As soon as He had said to them: ‘I AM He’; they went backward, and fell to the ground. Again, He asked … Read more
Preparatory Remarks Though true piety can produce and stimulate emotion, piety is not, principally, emotion. Piety begins in a well-formed intelligence, that is, an intelligence schooled in catechetical study and an exact knowledge of our Faith. These truths should govern our interior life. Piety resides in the will. We should seriously desire what we know … Read more
