Learning to be Quick to Listen

This Lenten season, we are invited to heed the powerful warning of Pope Francis: do not let peer pressure, greed, or laziness turn you into a "wildly successful failure." Drawing from the Book of Deuteronomy, the Holy Father reminds us that we are constantly faced with the choice between life and death, between the Lord and the fleeting "what-nots" of this world. In a culture like ours that insists "more is always better," it is dangerously easy to follow the crowd, seeking personal benefit while neglecting our families and our faith. Real success isn't found in the accumulation of things, but in slowing down to choose the path that brings us closer to God and those we love. Embracing the Franciscan model of simplicity is a transformative way to navigate this journey. By detaching ourselves from the habits of consumerism, we create space for the Holy Spirit to grow within us. Whether it is purging closets of items unused for months or re-evaluating our...

Back when I taught religious education, I had one non-negotiable rule: if you’re in class, be fully present. This meant more than just showing up; it meant engaging in the conversation or, at the very least, holding space for others with respect. Lately, I’ve wondered how our liturgy might be transformed if we applied that same conviction to the Mass . A "fully present" congregation creates a more beautiful, vibrant sacrifice, yet we often find ourselves drifting. In exploring this, I stumbled upon David Philippart’s clever "seven habits of highly effective Mass-goers," which mirrors the flow of the liturgy. From entering into the mystery to "singing for our supper," these habits remind us that the Mass is not a spectator sport. It is an active participation that requires us to shake off our silence—especially the men, who often leave the singing to the sopranos—and remember that our voices, however imperfect, are gifts meant to be given back to God in pra...

Lent can sometimes feel like a spiritual marathon where we’re just trying to make it to the finish line, but looking at it through the eyes of St. Augustine and St. Gertrude helps shift the focus from "doing" to "being." Augustine, who famously wrote about his own "restless heart," saw Lent as a period of holy desire . He taught that by fasting and giving to others, we are essentially "stretching" our souls. It’s like clearing out a cluttered room to make space for a guest; the less we fill ourselves with distractions, the more room we have for the joy of the Resurrection to move in. For him, the discipline isn't about the hardship—it’s about the freedom to finally rest in God. Adding to that, St. Gertrude the Great reminds us that this journey is deeply personal and fueled by love. She was one of the first visionaries of the Sacred Heart, and her approach to Lent is all about " loving reparation ." Instead of seeing our Lenten sacr...

Every year when Lent arrives, many Catholics fall into a familiar pattern: we try to think of something meaningful to give up, and when nothing particularly creative comes to mind, we settle—once again—for giving up sweets. Alongside that small sacrifice, we may resolve to pray a bit more, make it to confession more often, or be slightly more attentive to the needs of others. These practices are good and worthwhile, but Lent is far more than a yearly exercise in temporary self-improvement. The Church’s traditional Lenten disciplines —prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—are meant to draw us into a deeper spiritual reality. They correspond to the first stage of the Christian spiritual journey, what classical Catholic spirituality calls the purgative way. The purgative way focuses on turning away from sin, disciplining our passions, and learning the habits of prayer and virtue. Spiritual writers like Thomas Aquinas and John of the Cross often describe the early stages of the spiritual life as...

The " intercession of the saints " is a beautiful cornerstone of Catholic life, rooted in the belief that the blessed in heaven actively advocate for us before the throne of God. Far from being distant figures of history, the saints reign together with Christ and offer up their own prayers for our benefit, whether prompted by God’s own command or in response to our humble requests. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully notes, their intimate union with Christ allows them to fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. Because they dwell in the direct presence of the Father, their "fraternal concern" becomes a powerful remedy for our human weakness (CCC 956). This practice is not merely a suggestion but a fundamental truth of the faith, as upheld by the Council of Trent. The Council infallibly taught that the invocation of saints is agreeable to the usage of the Church since its primitive beginnings and is supported by the consistent "consent of t...

In Mark 6, we see a strikingly human moment in Christ’s ministry: Jesus returns to Nazareth , only to be met not with a warm welcome, but with skepticism and "offense." His neighbors and kinspeople couldn't see the Messiah because they were blinded by his familiarity, dismissing His wisdom because they knew His "ordinary" roots. We often feel this same sting in our own lives when our faith makes us "the odd one out" at the dinner table or in the office. Choosing to fast, prioritizing Sunday Mass over social events, or defending Church teachings can lead to a quiet—or sometimes loud—rejection from a secular society that views religious devotion as a relic of the past or a personal eccentricity. Like Jesus in His hometown, we may find that those closest to us are the least likely to understand the transformative power of the Spirit within us. However, being misunderstood by the world is not a sign of failure; it is a sign of conformity to Christ. When t...

The journey of Lent is often described as a "holy exile," a forty-day trek through the arid landscape of our own hearts. It can feel long and wearying, yet as St. Gertrude the Great’s contemporary and spiritual sister St. Matilda (St Mattie) often experienced in her visions, this time of penance is not a period of abandonment but one of intense preparation. St. Mattie's spirituality was deeply rooted in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and she viewed the trials of life—and by extension, the fasts of Lent—as a way to "bejewel" the soul for the Divine Bridegroom. Just as she was taught to offer every heartbeat and breath in union with Christ’s passion, we are called during these weeks to let the "long" days of sacrifice strip away our attachments, making room for the light of grace to dwell within us more fully. This purposeful endurance finds its ultimate meaning in the glorious dawn of Easter Sunday. The Lenten journey is not an end in itself; it is the nece...