Spirituality
It’s Friday during Lent. What’s for dinner?
Fussy kids in Kelly Bothum's home make dinner a nightly debate, except during Lent when it's an easy choice: cheese pizza. But there are deeper lessons than meatless meals for kids to consider.
Going on a fast for atonement and preparation
Fasting has biblical roots from the early days of Israel. It was practiced by Jesus, picked up by the early Christians and is still practiced by Christians today, mostly during the season of Lent.
Why fasting is a paradox
Fasting is not a passive action for Christians, something simply to undergo or suffer through. It is meant to set the wheels of the mind and spirit into motion, and to reawaken us to the unresolved challenges in our lives.
Rite for reconciliation of individual penitents
If it has been some time since your last confession, you can return to the sacrament with confidence using this guide from the archdiocesan Office for Divine Worship.
As Lent begins, so does our walk in the interior desert
In the Philadelphia area, it's more mud than dusty desert, writes Matthew Gambino. But Ash Wednesday invites us to take a hard walk for 40 days with Jesus into our hearts. It's not easy, but we have helpful aids.
Leading off for Lent: Adam and Eve in the garden
Msgr. Joseph Prior unpacks the readings for the First Sunday of Lent. From the fall of man in the Book of Genesis to the temptation of Jesus in the desert, the Scriptures urge us to turn away from sin and seek forgiveness.
Readings of the holy Mass – First Sunday of Lent
Read or listen to the readings before Mass with the resources below from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, using the New American Bible, Revised Edition.
Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent
One way to prepare ourselves for Lent is to better understand the day that starts it all: Ash Wednesday, March 1. See our package of resources before receiving the ashes that launch our pilgrimage throughout these 40 days.
The rallying cry of seeming contradictions
On Ash Wednesday we are told to blow a trumpet, and not to; to wash our face while showing our ashes; to gather in great numbers yet also to pray in secret. A pastor unpacks the readings for the day and the course ahead for Lent.
Lent as a pilgrimage on which we are not alone
On Ash Wednesday, the person at the desk next to yours or the clerk in the supermarket line each bear the sign of camaraderie that announces each as a fellow pilgrim taking those first steps on a journey we share.