Several years ago, not knowing at all what it would entail, I Googled a question: How do you keep Ramadan? In the spring of 2019, after a series of high profile attacks on Muslim people in New York City and a reported rise in Islamophobia, I felt compelled to act in tangible solidarity with this Read more
A Catholic archdiocese’s Lenten prayer campaign has succeeded so far in attracting over 1.5 million people. Launched on Facebook and other social media on Ash Wednesday, the Archdiocese of Southwark has been uploading videos of Catholic prayers each day during Lent. The Lenten prayer campaign aims to encourage people to connect with Jesus Christ through Read more
Are you wondering what to fast from this Lent – sweets. alcohol, or just simply eating less? This kind of fasting has its place. However, if you want to discover what fasting is especially meant to achieve, fast in a way that will bring about a holy change; change for the better for you, change Read more
An effective teaching tool of Jesus’ were the parables. When the people He was engaged with couldn’t figure out the meaning of what was being taught, He would use parables to bring the Gospel truth into everyday life circumstances. All 47 parables provoke us to look at our attitudes towards each other. Do we behave Read more
The moral of this story? If someone asks you what you’re giving up for Lent, run away! Or, an even better moral: When you’re deciding what to do for Lent, be childlike, not childish. Read more
We are now in the early days of Lent and the great Paschal feast is still weeks away. The Lenten season is spent in different ways by different people. Some give up something, while others take on a new challenge. And others of us might try to read a little more or set aside greater Read more
As we enter Lent, we reflect on the role of sin in our lives. But we often — maybe generally — look too narrowly at what constitutes sin. After Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1873, the country abandoned the lunar calendar altogether by 1910. So, though the rest of Asia welcomed this year of Read more
Catholics from Australia and New Zealand are invited to join a virtual Lenten Gospel enquiry programme. Participants spend forty days listening to the Word of God, reflecting on its application to our lives and to the society in which we live, and then looking for ways of bringing others to Christ through all that we Read more
A New Zealand religious leader is calling on members of his congregation to focus on what is necessary for life rather than being caught up with pious denials; particularly during Lent. He says he was cheered by a recent reading at Mass where a group is bewailing the fact that their “good deeds” go unnoticed Read more
Mrs Jones sat in the lobby of the nursing home, 92 years old, poised and handsomely dressed, even though legally blind, waiting to be moved to another single room. Her husband of 70 years had passed away, making the move more necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently, she smiled sweetly when told that her Read more