Annunciation, consecration, and a new article

It is the Feast of the Annunciation! If you have never seen it, the movie Jesus of Nazareth has an excellent interpretation of this scene, which you can watch here. My favorite painting of the annunciation is that by Henry Ossawa Tanner.

You may have also seen that today was the day Pope Francis, and many other clergy around the world (re)consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. You can read about it here. Here is the prayer itself (very long).

I attended Mass this afternoon, and the whole congregation read the prayer at the end, along with the priest. It feels a little surreal, because didn’t Pope St. John Paul II take care of all of this back in the 80s? I don’t mean just the consecration, but the end of Communism and the threat of nuclear war. Evidently, not.

Side note on the bright side: this may be a Friday in Lent, but it’s a feast, which means you can eat meat! And whatever you gave up for Lent. I had a Klondike bar earlier.

Last thing: with all of the world’s tragedies swirling around us, I wrote an article about how critical it is now to make the effort to find peace right here where we are. You can read that here: Creating Peace in Your Corner of the World.

I mean it - it’s time we start with our own lives, and what needs peace-making and peace-keeping. More importantly, just evaluate your life. How much time do you spend on social media vs. cooking for yourself? Or social media vs. your favorite hobby? Or gossiping vs. gardening? You know. Reject what the world tells you is peace, or the claim that only politicians with fancy degrees can do anything about peace. Really, it starts with you. It starts with each of us. God grant us the courage and vision to look for, and create, peace in our corner of the world.

May your (now halfway over!) Lent be a blessing!

Lent is here + new article on the seasons of life

Hello everyone, and happy second day of the Lenten season! Did you get ashes yesterday?

I did find it odd to be back there, again, another Ash Wednesday in pandemic, but also another Ash Wednesday, generally. As I have written before, the day holds meaning for me, because it was at the Mass in 2013 at a church in downtown DC where the priest challenged everyone there to go to daily Mass once a week during Lent. I did, and became a fully practicing Catholic and, well, you know the rest.

On that topic, I have a new article up at Catholic Stand, called Living the Spiritual Seasons of Our Lives. I wrote it after reflecting on how probably most of us are in a different season of life now, than when the pandemic began, for better or worse. And how God always finds us there, and even in the times when you have not been as faithful to your prayer practice or, in some cases, church attendance, God is still with us.

As the wonderful prayer of the L’Arche Greater Washington, DC community goes:

Liturgist: God is with us when we are happy.

All: God is with us.

Liturgist: When we feel good.

All: God is with us.

Liturgist: When we feel bad.

All: God is with us.

Liturgist: No matter what.

All: God is with us.

Liturgist: No matter where.

All: God is with us.

Liturgist: God is with us. Why is God with us?

All: Because God loves us.

Liturgist: God wants us to love ourselves and to love each other. Sometimes we hurt each other and ourselves. Let us tell God what we have done wrong.

Liturgist: God forgives us.

All: We are God’s loved ones.

Have a blessed and peaceful Lent.

See you at the March for Life

I am excited to share that this Friday at the March for Life, I will be joining a team from Relevant Radio to host some on-the-ground interviews with attendees and pro-life advocates. Huzzah! If you’re near the media tent, come say hi.

We’ll probably do a mix of audio and Facebook live, and I’ll share what we come up with here.

For all those marching, and also for those staying home and praying or fasting, thank you for what you do for the ultimate cause of life. The breath of life was the first gift God gave us, and we must protect the right to life for every human being, especially those who cannot stand up on their own.

Looking forward to a memorable and joyful March.