Lent

Lenten regulations for fasting and abstinence

Here are the Church regulations for fasting and abstinence during Lent:

Hope in the cross: A Lenten experience

Lent gets its name from a word meaning "springtime," the time of year when the hours of daylight are lengthening and the sun is bringing back its warmth and light.

5 pearls of saintly wisdom on kicking sin to the curb

You can't accuse Satan of being timid. He even went after Jesus. Yes, sir, that fallen angel has a lot of chutzpah.

What are the 14 traditional Stations of the Cross?

Permanently affixed, the 14 stations adorn parishes around the world. They are visible reminders of the last hours of Christ on earth, but, moreover, the Way of the Cross is symbolic of our lifelong journey filled with difficulties and marked with personal crosses. Unlike the followers of Christ on that Good Friday, we know that the 14th station is not the end, that death does not win; rather, in his sacrifice, we find the sure knowledge of eternal life.

Smile — it’s Lent!

Smear on some ashes, come on get happy, "Gonna chase all those sins away. "Shout hallelujah, put on your sackcloth, "We're heading for that Easter Day!"

10 tips for a Christ-centered Lent

We sell our faith short, and so we sell our Lent short. At least I do. I have spent most of my life thinking of the faith as a series of rules I have to live in conformity with. Don't get me wrong: I knew that the rules themselves were not the goal -- they were a path to God's will, and therefore to God's love, and therefore to happiness.

The Way of the Cross: Not only for Lent

The Way of the Cross is one of the most personal, meditative and graphic of any Catholic devotion. We spiritually join Jesus on the "via dolorosa" (sorrowful way) leading to the place of the skull, suffering with him as he struggles to carry the cross on that first Good Friday.

Mary: The perfect Lenten companion

The season of Lent directs us to recall our own baptism and prepare for the celebration of the paschal mystery of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. It is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and it helps us grow closer to Jesus.

The Stations of the Cross help us make sense of suffering

Christians know the life of a disciple will not be easy. Christ did not mince words about this -- telling his disciples they must take on life's sufferings as in the form of capital punishment that would later be used to take his life: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Lk 9:23).

Give alms and financially fast this Lent

In word and deed, Pope Francis continues to encourage Catholics to reach out to the poor and not succumb to a consumerist mentality where what we have is deemed more important than who we are. The season of Lent provides a special opportunity to take the Holy Father's words to heart and live them out more fully.

Fully entering into the Triduum

During the Sacred Triduum -- the days of Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday -- the strangest thing will occur. Millions of Christians throughout the world will gather to honor the humiliation, torture and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
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