Lent is now upon us and it will soon be time for fasting and abstaining from meat. Why do we do these things and why is it necessary to fast in our spiritual life? A few days ago I was in line for confession and ended up staring at and thinking about the cross on… [Read More]
The Promise
photo credit: St. Thomas Aquinas parish, College Station, Tx I tuck my arm into my husband’s as we kneel during the consecration at Mass. I watch the communion line through eyes blurred by tears and listen to his steady voice blending with the rich harmonies of Ave Verum Corpus, while beside him I shake like… [Read More]
Agony & Chalice, Freedom & Love
Christ’s words in Gethsemane have been echoing in my heart for months now. And today, this most solemn Holy Thursday, Maundy Thursday, is the day when we are called to be with Christ in His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. We have begun the Triduum; we walk towards the Resurrection. These are the… [Read More]
Beauty of Truth Podcast Ep 23 – What is the Purpose of Penance?
Ep 23 – What is the Purpose of Penance? Questions 1. How can prayer remedy sin? Penance: Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving Disordered relationships (attachment to creatures) 2. Didn’t Jesus pay for all of our sins on the cross? 3. How can giving up something we need be good for us? Catechetical Moment CCC #1459 … [Read More]
Keep Holy Week Holy! 3 Tips to Focus on Holy Week
Where did Lent go? It feels like we just got started, yet here we are, about to celebrate Holy Week! Yes, Easter will be here before you know it. So as Lent comes to a close with us celebrating Holy Week, the holiest week of all weeks for us in the Catholic Church, it’s time… [Read More]
Falling Away With You
“[I] promise to hold you close and pray, watching the fantasies decay, nothing will ever stay the same. All of the love we threw away… making the same mistakes again making the same mistakes again I can feel my world crumbling I can feel my life crumbling… and falling away, falling away with you.” –… [Read More]
Meat Always Looks Tasty on Friday
If you’re like me, you find meat tasty. Here in Texas, we love our steaks, burgers, and BBQ. If you haven’t seen the popular HEB commercial, it shows that most Texans would have a cookout every meal if we could. It isn’t far from the truth. Let’s talk a little more about this thing we… [Read More]
Be still: Finding God amidst the mayhem.
As I write this, the wind outside howls and spins, causing the trees to throw up their branches in helplessness, and the walls of my apartment to tremble. It’s disconcerting, this wind. It came out of nowhere this morning, gaining intensity and speed throughout the afternoon, until it began to blow cars off the road,… [Read More]
Do You Count Sundays in Lent?
I’ve been very amazed to see the amount of Catholics that haven’t been to mass in years yet still feel the need to give something up for Lent. I haven’t seen any official polls, but it seems that this group is even larger than the ones that go to mass on Ash Wednesday. It seems… [Read More]
Lent: Walking in the wilderness
Unfortunately I didn’t take the time with God to work out the post I was planning this week. After Ash Wednesday, God and I became busy working on many other issues I needed to address. Finally last night God smacked me and said “hey dummy… since you are busy with your Lenten discipline why not… [Read More]
Prayer and Temperament
This week has reminded me of Ecclesiastes 3:8. There has been a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Many of us are still processing the resignation of our Holy Father Pope Benedict the XVI… and with Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s day and the… [Read More]
Pope Benedict XVI – Words you might’ve missed
Last weekend as I planned my post, I was thinking of sharing some words from Pope Benedict that didn’t get much social media/blog attention, words that most people weren’t talking about – his homily on February 2nd at mass for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, and the 17th year of celebrating the… [Read More]
5 Common Misconceptions About Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday not only marks the beginning of the season of Lent, it is also a time when Catholic new media takes center stage, albeit not in the most obvious ways. This is because Ash Wednesday masses are some of the most attended all year, and most of those mass goers rely upon church websites… [Read More]
40 Days of Awesome: Giving Up More Than Beer, Cokes & Candy
Be reckless this Lent. Oh, I mean it. I’m talking about the kind of reckless that’s make you seek, without abandon, God’s will. If St. Paul can do it, so can you. For far too many Lents, I’ve done the traditional “give up beer, Cokes and candy.” But, you know what? I think that makes… [Read More]
5 Tips For An Intentional Lent
It is a week or so before the beginning of Lent, and I find myself cringing a bit. We just finished Christmas, for goodness sake! I still have a plastic box of Christmas snow globes on the top of the piano that I haven’t yet put away. And now, we’re edging up on to Lent… [Read More]
Report Card: How I Did This Lent
Now that we are more than halfway through the Easter octave and thoroughly enjoying that He is risen and paid the price for our sins and regained entrance to heaven, I have to ask myself “how did I fare this Lent?” I admit, I did better than most years, handling those spiritual curve balls with… [Read More]
The Last Seven Words of Christ
The Seven Last Words of Christ refer to the final seven phrases that Our Lord spoke as he hung on the Cross. These phrases were not recorded in a single Gospel but are taken from all four Gospels. Greatly revered, these last words of Jesus have been the subject of many books, sermons, and musical… [Read More]
The Rosary, Inc
The Rosary, Incorporated – a crazy new business venture? Nope! I’m talking about the Rosary, incorporated in to our LIFE! During this time of Lent, as we revamp our prayer lives, let us give some attention to the rosary! How we can incorporate the rosary into our lives so that praying it is more practical,… [Read More]
Fish Fry Fridays
This Lenten season is filled with extra efforts. You choose to give something up or you choose to add some activity to enrich your spiritual life whether it be making an effort to go to Daily Mass, going to Stations of the Cross or celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation. While I’ve tried to incorporate more… [Read More]
Light at the End of the Lenten Tunnel
If I said Lent this year was easy, I’d be lying. Lent this year has been ridiculously difficult. Despair, acedia, and doubt have all flooded my Lenten journey. I won’t go into the detail of what exactly my plight has been, but rather, where it’s brought me and what I hope the next 27 days will… [Read More]
Have You Cheated Yet?
Alright folks. One week down. How is everyone doing? Been perfect so far? I admit, I already had a Lenten slip-up. This year, for better or worse, I didn’t mention what I was offering up for Lent on my personal site. In retrospect, I usually fail at it, which not only means I’m unintentionally bragging… [Read More]
Repent, but don’t forget to Rejoice
The season of Lent is here! And with Lent comes prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Note that pouting, grumbling, and complaining are not part of our Lenten trio. In fact in yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, fast,and give alms in private so that only our Heavenly Father will see. During this time of… [Read More]
I Kinda <3 Lent
“Remember, man you are dust and to dust you will return.” –Roman Missal, Imposition of Ashes So, I’m a little bit crazy. My favorite “Catholic holiday” is the Easter Triduum, but most especially within that, Good Friday. Yeah, the day Jesus Christ died. Most people think that it’s just a little bit crazy that my… [Read More]
Giving Something Up? Or Giving Something Freely?
Ash Wednesday is only two weeks away! Unlike last year, I’m trying to figure out what to “give up” ahead of time. The only requirements for Lent is fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence on Fridays throughout Lent. The practice of giving something up is what I grew up with though, so… [Read More]
