Rodney Stark's new book Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History comes out in May of this year and I am very excited to read it. Stark is a sociologist who focuses on religion and is co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Here is just one of the issues he addresses in the book. "Instead of the Dark Ages being understood as a millennium of ignorance and backwardness inspired by the Catholic Church’s power, Stark argues that the whole notion of the “Dark Ages” was an act of pride perpetuated by anti-religious intellectuals who were determined to claim that theirs was the era of “Enlightenment.” The blurb describing the upcoming book says, "In the end, readers will not only have a more accurate history of the Catholic Church, they will come to understand why it became unfairly maligned for so long. Bearing False Witness is a compelling and sobering account of how egotism and ideology often work together to give us a false truth." Logic fallacies have been used throughout the history of the world to draw people away from the truth. I am thankful for honest scholars like Dr. Stark and I recommend you put this on your wish list and purchase the book when it arrives in May.

So it's Friday and it's Lent and that means no meat today. But what does that mean? What are we really giving up by eating delicious seafood dishes instead of meat? I choose to focus on the act itself. What we are supposed to be trying to do is emulate Jesus and the suffering that he endured for us. We are reminded of his suffering by participating in another Friday Lenten tradition, the Way of the Cross. Jesus suffered at the hands of his captors repeatedly during his passion and he still suffers because of the things we continue to do on earth. The different now is that we have his saving grace, which he gives freely and without cost. So the act of refraining from eating meat (or anything else we decided to give up for Lent) is to help us remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us. What a loving gift. It reminds us that God is love and everything Jesus did for us was for love. It reminds us that Jesus asks us to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Very simply stated but sometimes hard to accomplish. So maybe not eating meat on Friday is so that you can focus on praying for those you consider your enemy. Maybe the abstinence is for someone who continues to bully you. Maybe it is to remind us that God is sharpening us with these trials. Whatever you are thinking about during your Lenten journey, remember to ask God for guidance. Ask God to keep your focus on the promise of eternal life. The abstinence you practice on Fridays during Lent may lead you to change your lifestyle or give up a bad habit. Now isn't that worth eating seafood on Fridays during Lent?

Are you living for the now or for eternal happiness and joy? If you answered the former, it is time for a U-turn. If you answered the latter, keep on heading down that path. Our lives are supposed to be centered on joy in the Lord. Pursuing a life that revels in the world and its empty promises may bring you pleasure but the joy you are seeking is from our Father. When you are walking with the Spirit, people are attracted to you and what you have. It is the perfect opportunity to talk about Jesus and his promise of eternal life in Heaven. There are so many stories of the rich and powerful never finding fulfillment. How many film stars have veered into a life of calamity and ended up alone and sad. Once their god of choice (money, fame, notoriety, etc.) has abandoned them, they find themselves bound by what others think of them. On the other hand, look at the people who chose to do great things, not for themselves, but for others. Through them, Jesus worked to spread his message of love. People like Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, Therese of Lisieux, Margaret Mary Alacoque, Elizabeth Ann Seton, among others. Many of them turned away from the riches that the world offered to a life of simplicity focused on building God's church on earth. So the next time you find yourself chasing after transitory things or getting impatient when things don't go your way, refocus your attention on Jesus and his abundant love. Pray for peace in your life and you will soon be bringing that peace to others. I pray that your Lenten journey is allowing you to improve your spiritual life.

Early reviews suggest a new biblical epic hitting theaters this week is picking up where "The Passion of the Christ" left off. "Risen" tells the story of Jesus' crucifixion through the eyes of Clavius, a Roman military officer who is on a mission to prove the resurrection did not happen. Actor Joseph Fiennes stars as Clavius. "A big attraction for me was the way his mind worked, but to get to his mind I found I had to take a physical route. I went to gladiator school in Rome. I stayed long enough to never want to go back," he told CBN News. "I spent the good part of a week working with a brilliant set of guys, and what I learned from a military standpoint was a way into the man was conditioned and the way that he thought," he said. Clavius is an ambitious Roman soldier who first tries to keep Christ's body from being stolen after his crucifixion. He then sets out on an angry journey to find the body after it disappears from the sealed and guarded tomb. He's a bit of a detective. Director Kevin Reynolds shot the film in Spain and Malta, where Fiennes had no contact with the actor who played Christ until their first scenes together. "We had a wonderful team of actors, and they were all very present and dedicated to the narrative. Like any great narrative in any great movie, it's about relationships," Fiennes shared. "I think your average good actor gets that and knows it and preps accordingly." "So, the disciples as a group of actors were incredibly bonded. They were a unit and a family. And I was very much polarized and outside of that, but when I got invited into the group, it was kind of like the arc of the film was the arc of my existence with them," he continued. "I wouldn't have contact with them until we had made those scenes where we had contact. So that became quite emotional that journey," he said. "I think a big component in the movie for me and what I connect to with Clavius is the sense of the second chance, even if it is in the subconscious, which hasn't quite bubbled to the surface or he has worked out, so I love that component." That second chance is exactly why Christ suffered, died and was "Risen." "Risen" opens in theaters February 19.

If you are planning a trip to Rome to see Pope Francis anytime soon, you should grab a copy of Joan Lewis's book A Holy Year in Rome. Joan gives you the inside scoop on all things Catholic. Listening to her on EWTN radio this morning, she shared that when the Pope comes and goes from Rome, he stops at a specific church and prays. Insider tips like that can make all the difference in a trip to Rome. Also wanted to clarify that some of the media distributed a story saying that Pope Francis said that bishops do not have to report allegations of child abuse. That is actually the complete opposite of what he said. Cardinal O'Malley, head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which Pope Francis set up in 2014, said "Our obligations under civil law must certainly be followed, but even beyond these civil requirements, we all have a moral and ethical responsibility to report suspected abuse to the civil authorities who are charged with protecting our society. Every year at our November meeting, at a training session for new bishops, this obligation is reaffirmed," he said, adding: "And every other February the conference runs a second training program for new bishops, which also clearly and explicitly includes this obligation."

What are you looking for? Jesus asks Andrew and another disciple that very question (John 1:36). Now John had just explained that Jesus is the promised Lamb of God but all of this was very new to the disciples and even more so for the crowds beginning to gather anytime Jesus preached. He is still asking us this foundational question. Who are you looking for? Very often that who is replaced by a what in our society. What drug will make you feel better? What porn will satisfy you? What amount of money will provide you with all of the things you desire? What food, car, clothes, house, star or idol will bring you what you need? Well the easy answer is none of the above. It might be why so many of us are aimlessly searching. We search for a painless life, free of trouble, hurt, and obligation. As you work your way through the Lenten journey, spend some time thinking about the question that Jesus is asking. Who are you looking for? If it is Jesus, the path is also simple. Kneel and pray right where you are are. Spend some time in His presence. Share your worries, problems, and desires with Jesus. Remember that God will never be outdone in charity. Spend some time talking with Jesus about filling your heart with mercy and love. Look for the joy in life. Set aside time in your schedule to reflect and relax. Don't allow excuses to keep you from what you truly need. A relationship with God. If you do that, your need for created things will become indifferent. The importance of God in your life will replace it and with that will come peace. I pray that you continue to use the examination method of St. Ignatius as we look anxiously to Easter Sunday.

As we begin our Lenten journey towards the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is a good time to be silent. The beauty of the Ash Wednesday Mass helps us to enjoy some quiet from our noisy days. Our church usually gives us a stripped down version of Mass with very little or no music. I love music and consider it prayer in another form but the simplicity of the Ash Wednesday Mass is enhanced, for me, by the quiet. Once you begin your Lenten journey, I encourage you to use St. Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises. There are others as well but I find the Jesuit experience to be the best for me. The exercises are meant to be spent in silence. St. Ignatius used the silence and solitude of recovering from injuries to open himself fully to the Lord. It was in this time, that Ignatius developed the exercises which are still being used today. But just reading about the exercises is not going to do that much for you. Take the time to do the self examens each say. Review the things that occurred throughout your day and discern what was helpful and what was not. Focusing on eternal life during this examen can really help. Something that appears to be catastrophic during our day is quickly cut down to size when we focus on the eternal. Once you have examined your day in the context of what God is trying to use you for, you should then open your Bible. Now we Christians are not a people merely of the book but of the word. And that word is a living, breathing word that is opened to us by the Holy Spirit. Taking into account the times that the people of the Bible lived in helps us to understand the stories more clearly. If the word is incarnate and living, we must hear it in our times and apply it to our world. So I pray that your Lenten journey bring you closer to our God. I will close with a traditional Celtic prayer. I weave a silence on my lips. I weave a silence into my mind. I weave a silence within my heart. I close my ears to distractions. I close my eyes to attentions. I close my heart to temptations. Calm me, O Lord, as you calmed the storm. Still me, O Lord, and keep me from harm. Let all the tumult within me cease. Enfold me, O Lord, in your peace.

Thousands of people waited hours outside a Rome church to glimpse the mortal remains of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold Mandic, two Capuchins popular as miracle workers and known particularly for the long hours they would spend hearing confessions. Pope Francis asked the Capuchins to bring the relics of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold to Rome for the Year of Mercy, particularly the Feb. 10 celebration of Ash Wednesday and the commissioning of the official "missionaries of mercy." The hearse carrying Padre Pio's crystal coffin was about 90 minutes late getting to Rome's Basilica of St. Lawrence Feb. 3 because pockets and clusters of faithful repeatedly forced it to slow down as it drove from San Giovanni Rotondo, 235 miles to the southeast. Posters pasted up all over the center of Rome giving the detailed schedule for Masses, prayer services and other devotions feature a large photo of Padre Pio and a smaller photo of St. Leopold. In the celebrations, St. Leopold "is given the backseat, but that's been his life," said Capuchin Father Clayton Fernandes, secretary-general of the order. St. Leopold was a Croatian-born friar who ministered in Padua, Italy, and died in 1942. Father Fernandes said, "He was 4-feet-5-inches tall," and was known to prophesy and to levitate. While St. Leopold is well known in Croatia and around Padua, his fame pales in comparison to that of Padre Pio, who was born in 1887 and died in 1968. From 1918 to the very end of his life, Padre Pio bore the stigmata, wounds similar to those inflicted on Christ when he was crucified. "For 50 years, he bore the marks of Christ," Father Fernandes said, yet the marks disappeared as soon as he died. There were accusations that they were self-inflicted, but the Capuchin said doctors examined them when he was operated on for appendicitis and said they did not believe they were self-inflicted. "People realized that this was not just an ordinary guy; he had special gifts," Father Fernandes said. His primary gift was the ability "to read hearts, he could tell you what you were going through before you told him." He also was said to bilocate. "Padre Pio is special for all these reasons and more," Father Fernandes said. "Padre Pio has won the hearts of the people because he spoke to their reality, the reality of a family that struggles because of economic difficulties, because they have someone who is sick." "We need more Padre Pios today: priests, confessors, even laypeople who just take the time to listen to another and say, 'I'm interested in what you are going through. Maybe I can't do much, but remember, I think about you and pray for you.' This is precisely what Padre Pio did and continues to do," Father Fernandes said. At the same time, there are stories of Padre Pio yelling at people and being harsh with penitents. While Padre Pio was not always gentle, Father Fernandes said, he seemed to know what was needed to bring each individual to conversion. "He was tough," Father Fernandes said. People would flock to him, expecting him to work a miracle, "but they didn't want to change." "Conversion is a process that starts with me," he said. Padre Pio or any good confessor, spiritual guide or friend can help people on the path, but it takes a personal decision. "This is the secret to his success, you could say: He was able to look deep into people and say, 'Look, what you are asking for is not really what you need. You need something more' or 'you need something different,'" Father Fernandes said. He was like any good father, who knew that sometimes what a child asks for is not what the child really needs. The Capuchin also insists that Padre Pio "was not a one-man show." The other friars in his community and in his province supported his work and assisted him, especially in replying to the thousands of letters that would arrive each week. "They believed that he had a special gift from God, not that he was perfect." "There is one precise reason why Pope Francis wants Padre Pio and St. Leopold (at the Vatican for the jubilee)," he said: "It's because they are missionaries of mercy. And mercy as encountered in confession. These are two friars who spent the big part of their life in the confessional."