From time to time, I am asked “if the parish could use…” and what follows is a litany of things old and beloved, unusual and familiar, new and used, useful and whimsical, and the occasional, “I don’t know what it is, but it seems like it is holy.” The conversation is hardly ever (perhaps never?) with a person from the millennial or Gen Z demographic. At this point in their lives, they live unburdened by too much stuff and do not yet have the same emotional connection to things as did the generations before. They are a mobile group and thus don’t want a lot of stuff when moving house or moving to a new city. IKEA will do just fine until things settle. Continue reading
Right Sizing for Lent
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Some things are indeed complicated, deserving of our time, energy, and perseverance. Today’s 
Today is my one day off and I am normally not given to posting…or doing much of anything beyond reading a book, taking a walk, and thinking about lunch. Such are the occupations on my days off. Did I mention a nap? Anyway…. I was struck by two Lenten reflections on the gospel for the day that came my way this morning: one from Bishop Barron and the other from Deacon Connor Penn, a seminarian and transitional deacons for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida. Today’s 
The gospel from 
Lots of people share that they have failed to put God first in their lives. I inevitably ask them “What do you mean?” What follows is often akin to the deer in the proverbial headlights. I often follow up with something like, “What does it look like to put God first in your life?” Not easy questions to answer off the cuff, on the fly, but then this is Lent. Probably a pretty good question to ponder during this season.
We celebrate lots of weddings here at Sacred Heart. It is a young vibrant parish with young professionals forming about 1/4 of the households. Add to that a beautiful church and you will have lots of weddings!
Why do we fast? Because somewhere in the stack of hungers and desires of our life we have a hunger for God. The hunger for God is the most intrinsic – hardwired as it were. It is the deepest hunger. The question is where in the stack is it? There are quotidian hungers – the ordinary ones of everyday. There are episodic hungers. There are the ones that are baseline – safety, security, companionship, knowing why we are here. And there is the hunger for God, the deepest bedrock hunger of existence. 
Ash Wednesday, the first day of the penitential season of Lent in the Catholic Church, is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. It is a “movable” feast that is assigned a date in the calendar only after the date of Easter Sunday is calculated. How is it calculated? I’m glad you asked.
There was a married couple that upon reaching retirement age, the wife announced that they were going to make some changes in their life. They were going to lose weight, get in shape, and start living right so that they could enjoy their well-earned rest with a new quality of life. In no uncertain terms she announced that her husband’s standard diet of bacon, bratwursts, and beer would be replaced by diet based on bran! He was to discover the plethora of recipes based on bran. But, besides becoming quite regular, he was making a new life. In the ensuring months and years, they lost a lot of weight, became more active in life and in the parish, and had a great quality of life. 
Our gospel highlights the three spiritual practices of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The readings all warn of not being gloomy about it all, not being ostentatious so that you’re sure to be noticed, and not to announce your generosity so that all might acknowledge your faithful giving. It calls into question not the tradition of the Lenten practices, but the meaning, intention, and purpose you assign to your practice. 
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