Lent

1. Read the Bible daily. Make time every day to read a passage from Scripture. By daily immersing yourself in the stories and lessons of Scripture, you will better prepare yourself for Easter. If you go to the United States Conference of…

Attend Easter Vigil Mass The Easter Vigil is the perfect celebration of Easter, starting with the beauty and silent meditation as the church is lit solely with candles. This celebration of Jesus’ resurrection is beautiful and emotional,…

At the very heart of the Catholic Mass, the priest turns to the people and lifts up the chalice and consecrated bread that has become the body and blood of Christ. He repeats the words of St. John the Baptist when he saw Jesus coming to him…

Beginning with Sunday Mass, there are countless ways to get in touch with the Church’s spirit of Lent. There are plenty of opportunities to engage in prayer, fasting, and charity. Here are some activities you can use to enter into the…

Let’s face it, there are plenty of us who could stand to go to confession more often. And we have a duty to receive the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. According to the Church’s command, “after having attained the age of…

At a recent meeting with young Catholic men this past Mardi Gras, we talked about the upcoming Lent season, why it is so important to us as Catholics, and why we should try to give something up in preparation for Easter. We then went around…

For someone like myself who lives in the Northeast, Lent can be a rather dreary time of year. The weather is miserable, the motivation for work is nowhere to be found, we’re past the charm of winter and well before the beauty of spring. It…

Since we are on the subject of “breathing with both lungs lately,” let’s talk about how Eastern rite Catholics practice Lent. Easterners don’t do Lent cold turkey. Maybe because it’s too hard (read on) or maybe because the Slavs are just…

BY LORI HADACEK CHAPLIN Years ago, I heard Catholic psychologist Ray Guarendi on his radio show, The Doctor Is In, encouraging listeners to do something substantial for Lent. His words reminded me that I had felt God nudging me to attend…

Lent this year comes at the end of a long winter. The gray skies and lack of sunshine can be taxing on our spiritual and psychological health, and we may not feel motivated to enter into this holy season. But Lent can be forty days of…