During the weeks of Lent, the Scripture readings and Mass prayers at our weekday Masses invite us to seriously respond to the call to conversion of heart that we heard on Ash Wednesday and to continue in our efforts to enter into the season as best we can. We are called to turn away from our sinfulness and to turn towards God. The traditional Lenten penances of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are held up before us as excellent ways of responding to this challenge to faithfully live the Lenten season. (Read more…)

During the Season of Lent we have the tradition of Walking with Jesus on the way to Calvary. It is a beautiful way to walk with Jesus and to pray in the company of fellow parishioners.

Since Lent is a penitential season of preparation for Easter, the Stations of the Cross, have become a popular devotion in parishes.

The Stations originated in medieval Europe when wars prevented Christian pilgrims from visiting the Holy Land. In the 12th century, St Francis of Assisi devised the list of stations and started the tradition of reciting it as a type of devotional service. (Read more…)

Today we celebrate the second Sunday of Lent. Lent is the time, approximating forty days, of reflection and penance leading up to Easter. Pope Francis stated, “Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.” He said that Lent is meant to wake up Christians and to help them see that God can give them strength to change their lives and their surroundings.

One of our leading Catholic scholars has described Lent as the desert time in the Church year. (Read more…)

During the Lenten season we are called to enter more fully into the spirit of sacrifice, renewal, and repentance. We can embrace this call in various ways, including by praying the “Stations of the Cross.” 

The publication “Catholic Online” stated, “The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ’s last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ’s last day.”

As we reflect on these words, we may note that each Friday during Lent we are invited to come together as a faith community at 7:00 PM to pray the “Stations of the Cross.” 

Praying the “Stations” can provide us with an opportunity to avail ourselves of abundant spiritual graces. (Read more…)

February 14th is Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of Lent, a period of fasting and reflection leading up to Easter. The day gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on one’s head as a celebration and reminder of human mortality and as a sign of repentance. Through the placing of ashes on our heads, we are reminded of the frailty of life, God’s call to follow, and the good news that comes at Easter — that good conquers evil, that life triumphs death. (Read more…)

On February 2nd we celebrated the Feast of the Lord’s Presentation, commemorating the time when the infant Jesus was brought to the Temple in Jerusalem by Mary and Joseph 40 days after His birth.

This feast is often referred to as “Candlemas Day,” for part of its celebration includes the blessing of candles used in worship throughout the year. We remember the words of Simeon, who took the Holy Child in his arms and praised God for revealing in Him “a light to the Gentiles, and the glory of Israel.” (Luke 2: 22-32). (Read more…)