My friar brother, Fr. Dan Horan OFM, has an interesting article over at America Magazine. It asks the question “Who was the last pope to resign? Was it Celestine V or Gregory XII? | America Magazine. Hopefully it makes you curious about church history
Fr. Thomas Reese SJ has a very interesting post on the many questions that have been raised regarding Pope Benedict’s resignation. To review the list and find if your question is there, see Papal Transition | America Magazine.
“The Holy Father’s resignation is a selfless and noble act done for the good of the church that he has loved and served for decades…..” writes Fr. James Martin SJ. To read more see The Pope’s Legacy | America Magazine.
A Word from Fr. George…
Lent is a time to reflect upon our life with God, and as the Orthodox theologian, Alexander Schmemann, notes all reflections should lead us to the Eucharist. As you consider some of the “Lent 101” links provided below, take a moment and consider how your Lenten journey will lead you to a more full, complete, and holy encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.
And if you would like – read some more musings on Lent, “So…what are you giving up for Lent?” here.
Need to Brush Up on Lenten Traditions?
There are many traditions and observances we as Catholics celebrate during the season of Lent. Over time, we may start to think of them as routine. But every one of them has developed into a tradition with the intent to deepen your reflection upon the Lenten journey. If you need to brush up on why we keep certain rituals or practices, please see the links below for more information.
History of Lent
What are the three pillars of Lent?
When does Lent begin, and when does it end?
When do I fast, and when do I abstain?
Is Lent really 40 days? Or is it longer?
Ash Wednesday
This Wednesday, February 13th, is Ash Wednesday. Why do we celebrate Ash Wednesday? Find out more.
What are the Stations of the Cross? And why do we pray them? Learn more.
St. Clare of Assisi
In the last several articles we have described the brothers who gathered around Francis and committed themselves to his way of following Christ. Two of the earliest arrivals were Leo and Rufino. The first became Francis’ chaplain and confessor, as Leo was an ordained priest already. Rufino, a lifelong confidant and wisdom figure for Francis, was also the first cousin of an aristocratic woman of Assisi, the niece of Monaldo, lord of Coriano. Clare di Favarone di Offredicio was a woman from the very class of landed aristocrats that the young Francis had imitated and longed to join socially. Continue reading
The church’s liturgical calendar marks today as commemorating “St. Paul Miki and Companions.” Paul Miki, a native Japanese convert to Catholicism and a member of the Society of Jesus, was among twenty-six religious and lay missionaries who were sentenced to death by the Emperor of Japan. Miki and two Jesuits were martyred on February 5, 1597, but they were not the only ones martyred that day. There were twenty-three others, all of whom were Franciscans – some members of the First Order (Franciscan friars) and others members of the Third Order (Secular Franciscans). Several of the Franciscans were later canonized as saints: Peter Baptist, Martin of the Ascension, Francis Blanco, Philip of Jesus, Gonsalvo Garzia, and Francis of St. Michael.
“St. Paul Miki and Companions.” Too often we never ask about or remember the “companions.” In this commemoration, the seventeen lay people who gave their lives for Christ and their trust in Him.
So, yes the Jesuits and Franciscans celebrate their brethren, but even more importantly let us give thanks for the lay women and men whose work on behalf of others – schools, and hospitals, and activities in support of the poor and hungry. All were active doing what was theirs to do.
Isn’t that always the question? As if that is the reason for the season. Growing up, everything I remember about Lent circled around the acts of self-denial – what food, entertainment, or habit one would give up and how hard it was to deny oneself of that thing. It was not always made clear that the denial was meant to help one think about God and Christ’s sacrifice.
Of course it’s understandable that the deeper meaning of Lent can be missed. Even elsewhere in this bulletin we mention the religious traditions rituals and “Lenten obligations,” which are easier to promote, understand, and implement than spirituality and faith. We Catholics understand rules. It is far easier to tell kids (and ourselves) to obey rules than to explain to them why we should desire to act rightly. We can end up following the rules simply because… well because that is what we do, that is how we think of religion. In Lent, too often we are denying ourselves for the sake of denial. We give up chocolate or Facebook thinking that act of denial is the purpose of Lent. And we end up missing the point. Continue reading
A fractal is a mathematical set that often appears in self-similar patterns, in other words, they may appear the same at every scale from the grand to the microscopic. Where can you find them? They occur in nature, e.g., in clouds, crystals, certain types of broccoli (perhaps to the dismay of President George W.H. Bush, aka 41), lightning bolts, blood vessels, DNA, oak trees, and its leaves, and all other matter of things. Consider the snowflake. No matter how far one zooms into a snowflake, one finds a repeating pattern. It is like finding a snowflake within a snowflake, within a snowflake, in a never-ending pattern down to the microscopic level. Really quite fascinating. Continue reading
friarmusings 