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Let them have Lent…
(Image: CNS photo/Carlo Allegri, Reuters) The title — “Don’t use Lent to try to impress God” — headlined the newsletter from a good Catholic site. The article was as dispiritingly earnest as you’d guess, and a bit passive-aggressive too. Like so many of its companions in the genre, the article rolled out the clichés as if they were revelations. You can’t impress God, can’t bribe him, can’t make him like you by working harder, can’t earn grace, he wants your heart, he wants your love more than he wants your sacrifices, it’s not about giving things up but taking things on, and don’t think you’re a better Catholic for doing it. These articles appear every year before Lent. Still, undaunted, as also happens every year, people will share what they’re giving up. They’re serious, but many are als...
Finding Jesus in Lent — and the Vanier scandal…
For anyone who had paid attention to his writing and ministry with people with intellectual disabilities, the recent revelations that well-respected philosopher and founder of the L’Arche movement Jean Vanier had used his position to manipulate and abuse women who went to him for spiritual direction is heart-piercing. I, for one, felt an immediate guilt. I had written about him, even encouraged that he be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And I was not alone. People called him a living saint and one of the great lay Catholics of the 20th century. It’s clear now that we weren’t seeing the whole picture. It’s a devastating news story for so many who lived with him and followed him, who were inspired by him. There’s a point after taking in so much of this kind of scandal and betrayal, that...
Non-verbal autistic child denied Holy Communion: Some lessons…..
St. Aloysius in Jackson, NJ where the incident happened (Google Maps) Earlier this week a non-verbal autistic child was denied registration for First Communion at a parish in New Jersey. Now the story has exploded in the media. I saw the post early & decided to post a general prayer petition on my page, while messaging the family offering to be a kind of mediator. At that point, the post only had a few hundred shares compared to 10,000+ now, and I hoped we could work through a solution. Now that opportunity is lost and media attention has made the Church look bad. I want to go over the situation briefly then draw two sets of lessons. The first lesson relates to the actual norms. The second lesson how this case gives both the Church and the media pause regarding our relationship. T...
A cure for coronavirus: Pray to two saints who miraculously defeated plagues…
How can we end the world’s coronavirus outbreak? These two saints might be the answer. Two saints miraculously cured plagues: St. Roch and St. Rosalie. Below are their incredible stories, as well as prayers invoking their powerful intercession. St. Roch Born of a noble family, tradition says St. Roch was miraculously born with a red cross on his breast. St. Roch gave all of his fortune to the poor at age 20 after his parents died. In 1315, he assisted plague victims in several Italian cities, miraculously curing people with the sign of the cross. While helping the sick, he also contracted the disease. However, the saint survived after a dog helped him in the forest. The dog brought him food and licked his wounds. He was later mistaken for a spy and spent the rest of his life in prison. Acc...
Terese Piccola describes what it’s like to be possessed and experience exorcism…
“I don’t know why, as time went on, God allowed me to hear and witness things more than the average person might during an exorcism,” said Terese Piccola. “And through that, was able to have these interactions with saints, too.” Listen to view more
How to do the math magic trick that will impress everyone you know…
Math is magic, according to a new YouTube video depicting the Kruskal count. Brain teasers and magic tricks help bring math to relatable real life even for the mathphobic. The Kruskal count is a probability for a deck of cards and a certainty for a clockface done in English. YouTuber Michael Stevens (who hosts the popular Vsauce series) has brought a classic math magic trick back from its ‘90s heyday. In the video, Stevens walks viewers through a magic trick where they choose a number on a clock face, then trace around the clock by spelling out their numbers. With your finger beginning at 12, you spell “five” or “eight” or “twelve” (or whatever number you’ve chosen!) and take one step for each letter, ending up at 4, 5, or 6, respectively. Now, you...
What to do if you think you have COVID-19…
With the news that the coronavirus is spreading, it’s only a matter of time before people start to think—wait, do I have the coronavirus? At this point it’s still extremely rare, and your cough is far more likely to be a cold or flu. Still, here’s what you should do. Check if your symptoms actually match While the coronavirus is a respiratory disease similar to a cold or flu, there’s a notable symptom that’s missing in nearly all cases: a runny nose. Advertisement If you’re sniffling and sneezing up a storm, it’s very unlikely you caught COVID-19. As the World Health Organization points out, so far 90% of patients had a fever and 70% had a dry cough; these are the typical symptoms. Even if you have a fever and a cough, please don’t panic. Colds and flu circulate year round and increase eve...
Q&A: Denver Deacon Rob Lanciotti, former CDC virologist, shares coronavirus tips…
Deacon Rob Lanciotti of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Fort Collins holds a doctoral degree in Microbiology and was employed as a virologist for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for 29 years. Deacon Lanciotti was kind enough to put together this Q&A with more information about coronavirus and how Catholics can keep themselves healthy. Visit archden.org/coronavirus for the most up-to-date information. Note: The information in the Q&A is current as of Feb. 28, 2020. Should I be concerned about the new (COVID-19) coronavirus? The virus is not yet causing an epidemic in the USA (19 total cases, all but two from returning travelers), however, we need to be prepared for a potential epidemic. Some proven good prevention practices are what all of us should be ...
Are these 3 temptations among the worst of our times?
The great English Dominican friar, Bede Jarrett, once gave a series of Lenten conferences based on the theme “Here we have no abiding city” (Hebrews 13:14). Jarrett explained, “If you are traveling, the whole secret of a happy journey is to remember always that you are a traveler.” The temptation, of course, is to try to settle down in this life, to pretend like the here-and-now is all that there is or will be. But there’s no permanent rest to be had in this life. We are called to further our progress, to pursue Christ above all. And yet, the temptations remain: to linger, to dally, to be stagnant. Among the many pernicious temptations which haunt the darkened corridors of our souls, three are, at the present time, especially nefarious. The first is the perennial temptation to doubt ...
Listen: The sound of the Hagia Sophia, more than 500 years ago…
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Pope Francis forms Child Protection Task Force…
By Vatican News Pope Francis has established a task force “in order to assist the Episcopal Conferences in the preparation and updating of guidelines for the protection of minors”. The intention to form such a group had already been announced by the Pope at last year’s Meeting for the Protection of Minors in the Church, which ran from 21-24 February 2019. One year later, after the details of the project had been worked out, Pope Francis has made the plan a reality. Supervising committee In a statement released on Friday, the Holy See Press Office explained that the task force will be supervised by Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, together with the members of the organizing Committee for last year’s Meeting: Cardinal Oswald G...
70 meat-free fast food meals for Lent…
Lent is upon us! For Catholics, that means 40 days of self-reflection, prayer, and abstaining from meat on Fridays. Now before you get all depressed thinking of all the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches you’ll be eating on Fridays, let me share some good news: THERE IS A BETTER WAY! That’s right, you no longer have to suffer through greasy, fried fish sandwiches slathered in tartar sauce to make it through Lent! In the last few years, fast food restaurants have upped their game when it comes to vegetarian and seafood options, making it easier than ever for you to observe Lent without giving up the convenience of fast food. These new meat-less menu options go beyond the traditional fried fish sandwich, giving Catholics Lent-friendly options that are tastier than ever. Arb...
