In Defense of Lenten Sacrifice
If you’re up on all those Catholic trends, this scenario has probably played out during the last couple Lents: You turn down a beer or…
lenten sacrifices
Lent: It’s That Time of Year Again
For many of us who profess to be Christians (a dangerous journey), Lent looms in midwinter before anything green has sprung above the ice and…
“Make Room for Jesus”
You might have heard the phrase during a typical Catholic high school dance. The chaperone would diligently separate hormonal teenagers on the dance floor by…
Circling Up To Protect the Poor
As Congress struggles with how to create a national budget, and with hundreds of billions of dollars of cuts to the military, federal agencies, and social service programs looming, a group of religious leaders released a letter this week reminding elected officials of their duty to the poor and marginalized.
That Time of Year Again
It’s that time of the year again. Most Christians have to face an important decision in their lives — what to “give up” for Lent.…
Losing Mayorships During Lent
I spent last weekend in Philadelphia at a friend’s house, where a group of my old friends and I convened to catch up on each others’ lives. It was a very 21st century sort of gathering: eight of us live across four states, and the weekend was organized through a combination of text messaging, emails, and Facebook. Somehow, despite confusion of train times and places, we all arrived at my friend’s apartment with enough spare blankets and more than enough food to go around.
The subject of Lent came up when, after a friendly reminder that it was Saturday, there was a sigh of relief that we could all eat chicken and pasta with prosciutto. A few of us in the group are Catholic, to varying degrees, and everyone tries to be adaptable.
