March 25
“We do not become perfect by the multiplication of exercises, penances, and austerities, but rather by the purity of love with which we do them.”
-St. Francis de Sales
March 25
“We do not become perfect by the multiplication of exercises, penances, and austerities, but rather by the purity of love with which we do them.”
-St. Francis de Sales
As the universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation on March 25, we are liturgically led to ponder the gift, beauty, and mission of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her yes to God’s plan for the Incarnation was intimately personal to Mary and infinitely universal to the Church.
March 24
“Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.”
-St. Ignatius Loyola
March 23
“One cannot desire freedom from the cross when one is especially chosen for the cross.”
-St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
March 22
“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”
-St. Catherine of Siena
March 21
“To do penance is to bewail the evil we have done, and to do no evil to bewail.”
-Pope St. Gregory I
As the feast of Saint Joseph arrives, several weeks of Lent have passed. At this point, our Lenten efforts toward prayer, fasting, and almsgiving may be beginning to pale. Now could be the perfect time to focus on some sterling qualities of Jesus’ earthly father as they relate to these traditional Lenten practices. We may find therein some fresh ideas to carry us spiritually through the remainder of Lent.