Today’s post was first printed in the Catholic Voice of Omaha. I think it’s particularly relevant as we begin Lent this week. As a reminder, enrollment for the course Nothing Shall I Want: Peace Through Detachment ends Sunday, with the first lesson available on Monday. Now that we have established the fact that prayer, as …
Are you ready to begin the season of Lent? What does Lent have to do with St. Teresa of Avila’s teaching about the third mansions in the interior castle? Teresa offers us many images to aid our understanding of the interior life. First, she asks us to imagine the soul as a castle, with …
What’s your favorite book of the Bible? Do you have one? Do you read it often enough to choose? Or do you find yourself being the stereotypical Catholic who never reads the Bible on his own? I love the book of Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus. It’s my favorite book of the Old Testament. Not …
Lent is a good time to clear the clutter out of our spiritual lives so we can focus on Christ. We are in the desert like Jesus, like Israel in the Old Testament. The desert is barren, yet full of spiritual fruit. Elijah the prophet is the father of all Carmelites. He made his home …
Oh, we have such high expectations for ourselves for Lent! Then they come tumbling down so quickly. Lent is only three days old, and I’ve already forgotten to avoid complaining several times. Are you fairing as badly? Take heart! If you weren’t following me last year, you probably haven’t read this post on not giving …
Lent is the perfect time for growing in detachment. Since I am focusing on detachment all this year, Lent provides the opportunity to take a further step. Since January 1, I have been practicing lifting my thoughts to God as soon as I experience any pleasure. You can read more about that here. I …