Prayer is one of the three pillars of Lenten practice. Through prayer, we raise our hearts and minds to God in thanksgiving and praise. Prayer is our “vital and personal relationship with the true and living God.”

We can begin to embrace this call by fasting from or “giving up” material things, including certain foods, that are superfluous to our basic needs; “taking up” habits that our directed to helping others; and “lifting up” our brothers and sisters through prayer and devotion. By taking an active approach to the three traditional pillars of Lenten observance, prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we recognize that to be evangelists, we must be evangelized ourselves.

The foundational call of Christians to charity is a frequent theme of the Gospels. During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on “almsgiving,” which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity.

In the early Church and, to a lesser extent still today, there were two fasts. There was the “total fast” that preceded all major feasts or sacramental events. The ancient name for this fast was “statio” from the verb “sto, stare” to stand watch, on guard or in vigil. The second fast was a fast of abstinence from certain foods, e.g., meats or fats. This was more an act of self-discipline and self-control.

As Lent draws near, I would like to offer some helpful thoughts on our path of conversion as individuals and as a community.

The Lenten Season begins on Ash Wednesday March 5. While many look forward to this time for opportunities for spiritual growth and renewal, quite often many people see it as a liturgical season to dread focusing on “What am I going to give up?” “How long can I live without whatever it is I am going to give up?” “How many more days before I don’t have to give up whatever it is that I am giving up?”

When looking for family role models, we cannot find a better one than the Holy Family, and with good reason. It provides Christian families everywhere a glance into family life. By reflecting on their persons and unity as a family, we can gain a great appreciation for their importance as role models and see God’s plan for the family revealed in them.

One of the banes of modern life is the plethora of bad books, bad both in the sense of poorly written and bad in the sense of poisonous content. It’s an observation that can be applied to movies, music, TV and other forms of human activity as well.

Mark’s Gospel is the earliest of the three Gospels known as the Synoptic Gospels—those written by Matthew, Mark and Luke. In them, we see an emphasis on activity as well as on prayer, all for the sake of the Lord.

Jan. 3 is the liturgical feast day of the Holy Name of Jesus, an important devotion that comes to us from Pope Gregory X at the Council of Lyon in 1274 as a weapon against the heresy of the Cathars (Albigensians).

Making New Year’s resolutions can be a tricky business.

When one moves toward a time of prayer, normally they look forward to it as a time that will be one of peace and joy. Sometimes, however, for one reason or another, they may be surprised to find that this is not so on this particular day and that it is very difficult for them to settle down to celebrate such a relationship with God.

While you may have never heard of the Blessed Mother Mary with that title, it may be due to the fact it is a rather new one even though theologically it dates back to the second century.

The Babe of Bethlehem – the Son of God, born into what seems to be the direst poverty, yet full of the appreciation of God and the things of God.

The Catholic Church’s annual celebration of All Souls Day affords us the opportunity to meditate upon the doctrine of purgatory, a doctrine that often confuses and befuddles Catholics who consider this teaching of the Church “outdated” or “mythological.” Perhaps, the root cause might be our attempt to reconcile two attributes of God, both mercy and justice.

In 2012, a woman named Nadine Schweigert married herself in a commitment ceremony where she exchanged rings with her “inner groom.” There was an actual gathering of family and friends who were encouraged to “blow kisses to the world.” One can imagine the theme song of her wedding with a slight variation: “Nobody Loves Me Like I Do.”

Between the processes of “saying our prayers” using many words, and of prayer without words, there are other possibilities.

Between the processes of “saying our prayers” using many words, and of prayer without words, there are other possibilities.

We live in a wilderness, a wilderness of noise. Noise is not just about sound. It has to do with the constant barrage of stimulation to our senses, emotions and even our intellect, (read information overload.)

A very basic definition of prayer is, “Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God.”