Lent offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a Catholic way of life, rooted in our baptism and strengthened by our confirmation. In our busy world, Lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our habits (good and bad), to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we've done and failed to do, and to be generous to those in need. Focusing on the last of these, alms giving, may be one of the easiest ways you can start a new good habit. Numerous restaurants have teamed up with charities. Frequently you enter and notice they have various shapes taped up on their walls with names of all types written across the shape. Usually the shape represents someone giving a designated amount for the charity. So the next time you see one of these opportunities, pray to God and ask if it is the right place for you to give alms. You do want to be conscience of what types of activities the charity is supporting, so do not blindly give. Once you begin to give of yourself in this way, God will open new avenues to your heart and you will begin to see the world as a different place. As we continue to pray lent, I hope that the Holy Spirit is working within you to make the proper preparation for the Easter celebration.
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...