Passiontide! Wow! It is hard to believe that we are almost at Holy Week. I don’t know about y’all, but it seems to me like Lent has flown by this year. As we enter Holy Week and the Easter season, I pray that my attitude going forward will be one of “How do I continue the work I have begun these past forty days and carry it throughout the remainder of the year?” One of the things about Lent is that it is not just a time for renewal, but also for some spiritual diagnostics. If on Ash Wednesday we recognized all the shortcomings in our spiritual lives and possessed the knowledge of how to correct them, we would not need this season of repentance and purification. Knowledge of our sinful state and the resolve to open ourselves to the healing mercy of Jesus both come through prayer and reflection. As I start doing my personal “diagnostic check” in preparation for Holy Week, several things are jumping out at me as areas still in need of much improvement. Chiefly, I need to spend more time in purely contemplative prayer, and make a concerted effort towards Scriptural study on a daily basis. If this Lenten season has been a time of lifting up my hands and voice to God in a sacrifice of penitence and praise, then with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the aid of Blessed Mother Mary, this Easter season will be a time of keeping still, immersing myself in the Eternal Word, and listening for His voice speaking to my soul.
Ever since last week when white smoke rose over Saint Peter’s Square, I’ve been feeling like something of a Hipster Catholic.
Yeah…when Colleen Carol Campbell on EWTN carefully sounded out “Cardinal Jorge…Bergoglio”, my jaw just about hit the floor.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, I have fallen in love with Pope Francis. That is part of why I didn’t blog last Friday, and why I am not directly writing about him today. How can I find the words, especially in a putative “Quick Take” post, to describe how grateful I am to the Holy Spirit for guiding this sweet, humble, wonderful man into the Throne of Peter. I pretty much spent the entire week after his election with my heart on fire, and I am so excited to see what this pontificate brings. It is utterly thrilling to be a Catholic at this point in the history of the Church and the world! Deo gratias, habemus papam!
If you haven’t seen this video of the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist reacting to the election of Pope Francis, stop what you’re doing and watch it now. It is is beautiful and heart-warming and adorable and overflowing with joy. Religious life is awesome!
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CatholicVote put out several great images on their Facebook page in the wake of the conclave and the election of Pope Francis. Here are two of my favorites.
On a non-pontifical note, I am incredibly proud of my little brother Conor. This past month he started a blog, This Valley of Tears, dedicated to telling the story of his battle with chronic depression for the past six and a half years and to educated and reaching out to others who are going through similar struggles. Go check it out.
We are blessed to have some beautiful religious art and statuary in the churches where I live. This past week I snapped photos of a couple of them.
Here is the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel that flanks the sanctuary at my parish, St. John the Baptist Church in Front Royal, VA.
And here is a statue of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus which stands at the back of my family’s parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Winchester, VA.
Next Friday is Good Friday, and I probably (though not definitely) will be abstaining from blogging that day. In case I do not put a post out, here is a great song by Matt Maher appropriate to the meditation and appreciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Passion and Death.
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For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
