March 2026

Jubilee Year of Saint Francis on the 800th Anniversary of His Death 

March is the month dedicated to Saint Joseph

March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day 

First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Well done, good and faithful servant.

Come, share your master's joy.

JOSEPH MOST STRONG,

MARY, MOTHER MOST ADMIRABLE,

SAINT FRANCIS,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

HEART OF JESUS, TABERNACLE OF THE MOST HIGH,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

Dear faithful readers, hold on to your hat it is already March. However, March is a glorious month dedicated to Saint Joseph. O dear Joseph, mirror of patience, pray for us. Before we commemorate faithful and prudent Saint Joseph on the 19th, we warm up with Saint Patrick on the 17th, the day when everybody is Irish. Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord is set for March 29, with Holy Week to follow. 

The weather in these parts has been here, there, and everywhere. If I recall correctly, we were hit by 10 inches of rain in a 24-hour period not so many days ago. And there was some snow not so many days ago too. Then there were some days of sun. Raining now as I write, it is humid and the daffodils have risen. Did I mention my banana slug sighting, and a little lizard sighting too? 

We find ourselves continuing on the Lenten journey. How is it going so far? Sometimes, with all our worthwhile intentions, we stumble early, ready to give up. Thanks be to God, our merciful Lord is ready. He holds out His hand to keep us from falling or pick us up if we have fallen. Just ask Our Lord for help. And while you are at it, ask His Mother too. She will wrap you in her protective veil. 

Now is the time to make an effort to be kind and compassionate to our neighbors, to those with whom we live, and work, and play, and bump into when we might prefer not to. We never know what people are coming from or going to. In fact, we never know the whole story about someone else. Ever. One of the best classes I ever had the privilege of taking was Pastoral Counseling, still taught by the same highly respected priest and psychologist. These words, as well as many others, remain: "You can try to walk in someone else's shoes, but remember, you will never walk in someone else's shoes." I just opened my copy of Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, renderings by Daniel Ladinsky. Here is a rendition of words attributed to Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380).

VULNERABLE

Vulnerable we are, like an infant.

We need each other's care

or we will

suffer.

Somehow, I think that is enough of an offering from my end. Or at least, there is plenty for me to reflect on this month. As far as our voices, they will come from here and there. After we hear a word or two, there is another long list of powerful saints to invoke, including Saint Vignal and Saint Duthac. 

To enter eternal life requires listening to Jesus, following Him on the way to the cross, carrying in our heart like Him the hope of the Resurrection.

(Pope Benedict XVI, 1927-2022)

I want nothing more than for my own will to be completely immersed in God's will. There is no greater pain than that of having offended Him , and thereby having wasted the time that He gave me to love and serve Him ... I am well aware that everything is for God, and that I can please Him with everything I do.

(Saint Maria Maravillas of Jesus, 1891-1974)

I will hear what the Lord God will speak within me, says a devout soul. Blessed is that soul who hears the Lord speaking within, and from His lips receives the words of comfort.

(Thomas a Kempis, 1380-1471, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 2)

It is useless to spend much time in talking; only a holy life and good conscience will ease your mind and satisfy your soul, enabling you to face God with confidence.

(Thomas a Kempis, 1380-1471, The Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 1)

In the preaching of the Gospel all should receive a strengthening of their faith. No one should be ashamed of the cross of Christ, through which the world has been redeemed.

(From a sermon by Pope Saint Leo the Great, d. 461)

You were made in the image of God. If then you wish to resemble Him, follow His example. Since the very name you bear as Christians is a profession of love for men, imitate the love of Christ.

(From a homily by Saint Asterius of Amasea, bishop, d. 410)

I know you don't command the impossible. You know very well that never would I be able to love others as you love them, unless you, O my Jesus, loved them in me. Your will is to love in me all those you command me to love.

(Saint Therese of Lisieux, 1873-1897)

Our pilgrimage on earth cannot be exempt from trial. We progress by means of trial. No one knows himself except through trial, or receives a crown except after victory, or strives except against an enemy or temptations.

(From a commentary on the psalms by Saint Augustine, bishop, 354-430)

I ask you, my Lord, to feed me with your sweet grace, strengthen me with your pure love, surround me with your boundless mercy, and embrace me with your pure truth.

(Blessed Margaret Ebner, 1291-1351)

Yes, life is a treasure-each moment an eternity, an eternity of joy in heaven, an eternity of seeing God face to face, of being one with Him! There is only Jesus who is; all the rest is not. Let us love Him, then, unto folly; let us save souls for Him.

(Saint Therese of Lisieux)

You, Lady, are my all. In your hands has been stored for me the fulness of all good. With you have been hidden the unfailing treasures of truth and grace, of peace and pity, of salvation and wisdom, of glory and honor. You are my anchor amid the billows, comfort in grief. You are, for those who are yours, aid in oppression, help in time of crisis, temperance in prosperity, joy in time of waiting, refreshment in toil. Whatsoever I can stammer in your praise is less than your praise, for you are worthy of all praise. Yet am I bound to praise you.

(Adam of Perseigne, 1145-1221)

The lover of God never knows the words "too much." Those who accuse others of loving God or religion too much really do not love God at all, nor do they know the meaning of love.

(Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, 1895-1975)

SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL,

SAINT VIGNAL,

SAINT CASIMIR,

SAINT KIERAN,

POPE SAINT LUCIUS I, MARTYR,

SAINT JOHN JOSEPH OF THE CROSS,

SAINT COLETTE,

SAINT PERPETUA AND FELICITY,

SAINT DAVID,

SAINT CHAD,

BLESSED CHARLES THE GOOD, COUNT OF FLANDERS,

SAINT JOHN OF GOD,

SAINT SENAN, BISHOP,

SAINT DUTHAC,

SAINT FELIX,

SAINT FRANCES OF ROME,

SAINT JOHN OGILVIE,

SAINT THEOPHANES THE CHRONICLER,

SAINT SOPHRONIUS,

SAINT AENGUS,

SAINT CONSTANTINE,

SAINT RODERICK,

SAINT MATILDA, QUEEN OF GERMANY,

BLESSED JOHN ANNE,

VENERABLE JAN TYRANOWSKI,

SAINT JULIAN OF ANTIOCH,

SAINT PATRICK, BISHOP, MISSIONARY,

SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SAINT EDWARD THE MARTYR,

SAINT HERBERT,

SAINT CUTHBERT,

SAINT ENDA,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLUE "BRUDER KLAUS",

SAINT DEOGRATIAS,

BLESSED CLEMENS AUGUST GALEN,

SAINT NICHOLAS OWEN,

SAINT TURIBIUS OF MONGROVEJO,

SAINT CATHERINE OF SWEDEN,

SAINT MACARTAN,

SAINT MARGARET CLITEROW,

SAINT JOHN OF EGYPT,

SAINT RUPERT,

SAINT JOHN CLIMACUS,

BLESSED JANE OF TOULOUSE,

PRAY FOR US.

This month's photo: Joseph, being a just man ... 

© Gertrude Feick 2026

February 2026

Jubilee Year of Saint Francis on the 800th Anniversary of His Death 

February is the month dedicated to the Holy Family

February 7-14, National Marriage Week

February 11, World Day of the Sick. "The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing one another's pain”

Let your face shine on your servant. 

JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH, SON, MOTHER, AND HEAD OF THE HOLY FAMILY,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Dear faithful readers, just when you thought it was safe to go outside in the new calendar year, it's time to turn another page on the calendar. At the same time, we are privileged to see that we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on the 2nd. 

Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.

(Luke 2:29-32)

May we, too, go in peace these days. Jesus is the Peace the world does not give. 

As usual, it's another busy month. This month is dedicated to the Holy Family, and not only can we invoke Jesus, Mary, and Joseph each and every day, we can also invoke beloved Saint Francis of Assisi, especially as the Holy Father proclaimed a Jubilee Year of Saint Francis to commemorate the 800th anniversary of il Poverello's death. Have you ever been to Assisi? If not, you might add it to your list of travel destinations. You will not be disappointed. And get ready for Ash Wednesday and the holy season of Lent, coming soon to a theatre near you. Mark your calendar for February 18, that would be Ash Wednesday. Then comes the first Sunday of Lent on the 22nd, a day to also commemorate Saint Peter's Chair. Have you ever been to Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome to see the golden chair of the rock on which the Church is built? While there you can also see the bones of Saint Peter, the Scavi, if you book in advance. If not, you can certainly see that on your Italian pilgrimage. You are going to be busy. Don't be too busy, however, to skip out on a gelato, or three or more. Yum.

Some other notables are February 10 to commemorate Saint Scholastica, whose twin brother is Saint Benedict. If you are keeping up with the daily reading of the Holy Rule, you will find yourself still in Chapter 7, Humility, the fourth step, all the way to Chapter 23, on Excommunication. The same day, the 10th, that is, sees the Shipwreck of Saint Paul, the birth of the Maltese Church. Up for the 11th is the ever-popular 6th-century Irish Saint Gobnait, the patron saint of bees, beekeepers, and the sick. "Least is the bee among winged things, but she reaps the choices of harvests" (Sirach 11:3). On the 26th we have Saint Alexander of Alexandria who hopefully was never confused about his name and where he was from. One never knows, though. 

What is one way to prepare for Lent? First, go to Chapter 49 of the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict, where our holy father exhorts us, among other things, "to add to the usual measure of our service something by way of private prayer and abstinence from food and drink, so that each of us will have something above the assigned measure to offer God of his own will with the joy of the Holy Spirit" (RB 49:5-6). Keep reading because we can also deny ourselves needless talking and idle jesting and still look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual long (RB 49:7). How will you make this Lent one of joy? And don't forget to look to Chapter 48 on The Daily Manual Labor. It is there that we find that we are to read the whole of a book straight through (RB 48:15). What spiritual reading will you tackle this season? 

Last and not least, kind of, what follows is the customary Ash Wednesday offering by Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Fast of judging others; feast on the Christ indwelling in them.

Fast on emphasis on differences; feast on unity of life.

Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.

Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.

Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger; feast on patience.

Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

Fast from worry; feast on trust.

Fast from compliance; feast on appreciation.

Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.

Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.

Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.

Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.

Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.

Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.

Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.

Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.

Gentle God, during this season of fasting and feasting, gift us with Your presence, so that we can be a gift to others in carrying out Your work. Amen.

Since we will move into the Lenten desert this month, how about we hear from the Desert Mothers and Fathers. We go to them, then, for a word or two ....*

Abba Gregory said, "These three things God requires of all the baptized: right faith in the heart, truth on the tongue, temperance in the body.

Abba Poemen said, "Teach your heart to guard that which your tongue teaches."

Another of the old men questioned Amma Theodora saying, "At the resurrection of the dead, how shall we rise?" She said, "As pledge, example, and prototype we have Him who died for us, and is risen, Christ our God.

Abba Pambo said, "If you have a heart, you can be saved."

Abba Paul said, "Keep close to Jesus."

Amma Syncletica said, "There are many who live in the mountains and behave as if they were in town, and they are wasting their time. It is possible to be a solitary in one's mind while living in a crowd, and it is possible for one who is a solitary to live in the crowd of his own thoughts. 

Amma Sarah said, "If I prayed God that all men approve of my conduct, I shall find myself a penitent at the door of each one, but I shall rather pray that my heart be pure towards all.

Abba Sisoes said, "Seek God, and do not seek where He dwells."

Abba Arsenius said, 

"If we seek God, He will shew Himself to us, and if we keep Him, He will remain close to us.

Abba Anthony said, "Our life and our death is with our neighbor. If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ.

Abba Or also said, "If you have spoken evil of your brother, and you are stricken with remorse, go and kneel before him and say: "I have spoken badly of you, let this be my surety that I will not spread this slander further." For detraction is death to the soul.

Thankfully, we have more than a few saints to commemorate this month. May they intercede for us as we begin our Lenten journey. All saints, please pray for us.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI,

SAINT BRIGID,

SAINT HENRY MORSE,

BLESSED BENEDICT DASWA,

BLESSED CANDELARIA OF SAINT JOSEPH,

SAINT ANSGAR, BISHOP,

SAINT BLAISE,

SAINT LAURENCE OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT THEODORE OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT WERBURG,

SAINT ANNE LINE, NEE HEIGHAM,

BLESSED ANTHONY OF PAVONIO OP,

BLESSED BARTHOLOMEW OF CERVERIO OP,

BLESSED PETER OF RUFFIA OP,

SAINT GILBERT OF SEMPRINGHAM,

SAINT JOHN DE BRITTO,

BLESSED MARIE-EUGENE GRIALOU,

SAINT CATHERINE DE RICCI,

SAINT JOHN OF LEONISSA,

SAINT AGATHA, VIRGIN, MARTYR,

SAINT PAUL MIKI AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS,

SAINT MEL,

SAINT JEROME EMILIANI,

SAINT JOSEPHINE BAKHITA,

SAINT CUTHMAN OF STEYNING,

SAINT TEILO,

SAINT APOLLONIA,

SAINT SCHOLASTICA, VIRGIN,

SAINT PAUL,

OUR LADY OF LOURDES,

SAINT GOBNAIT,

BLESSED REGINALD OF ORLEANS OP,

SAINT JULIAN THE HOSPITALLER,

SAINT HUMBELINE, 

SAINT CATHERINE DE RICCI,

BLESSED JORDAN OF SAXONY OP,

BLESSED JAMES MILLER,

SAINTS CYRIL, MONK, AND METHODIUS, BISHOP,

SAINT CLAUDE LA COLOMBIERE,

BLESSED NICHOLAS OF PAGLIA OP,

SAINT ONESIMUS,

THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS OF THE SERVITE ORDER,

SAINT FINTAN OF CLONENAGH,

BLESSED WILLIAM RICHARDSON,

BLESSED JOHN OF FIESOLE OP,

SAINT JACINTA AND FRANCISCO MARTO,

SAINT CONRAD OF PIACENZA,

BLESSED ALVAREZ OF CORDOBA OP,

BLESSED CHRISTOPHER OF MILAN OP,

SAINT PETER DAMIAN, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SERVANT OF GOD BLANDINA SEGALE,

SAINT ROBERT SOUTHWELL,

SAINT PETER,

SAINT POLYCARP, BISHOP, MARTYR,

BLESSED JOSEPHA GIRBES,

BLESSED THOMAS MARIA FUSCO,

BLESSED CONSTANTIUS OF FABRIANO OP,

SAINT ETHELBERT,

BLESSED MARIA ADEODATA PISANI,

SAINT WALBURGA,

SAINT ALEXANDER OF ALEXANDRIA,

SAINT GREGORY OF NAREK, ABBOT AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH,

SAINT OSWALD,

BLESSED VILLANA DE BOTTI,

PRAY FOR US.

*All quotations come from The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection, translated by Benedicta Ward (Cistercian Publications, 1984).

This month's photo: Welcome to a full moon on February 1, 2026. When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you set in place.

© Gertrude Feick 2026

Ash Wednesday/Lent

Jubilee Holy Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

March is the month dedicated to Saint Joseph

April is the month dedicated to the Divine Mercy

Thoroughly wash me from my guilt.

MARY, VIRGIN MOST POWERFUL,

MARY, MOTHER OF HOPE,

SAINT JOSEPH, SUPPORT IN DIFFICULTIES,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

DIVINE MERCY, SWEET RELIEF FROM ANGUISHED HEARTS,

I TRUST IN YOU.

Welcome to Ash Wednesday and the days following up to the First Sunday of Lent, now in March dedicated to Saint Joseph, the month that leads us to the month of April, the month dedicated to the Divine Mercy. 

Often, we enter the holy season of Lent with vigor and enthusiasm. We pray to cleanse ourselves of all that keeps us from growing closer to the Lord. We repent and ask our Lord for forgiveness for our faults and failings, to seek reconciliation with our neighbors, especially those with whom we live and work. And with that we add to the usual measure of our service something by way of private prayer and abstinence from food and drink, or in other words, we deny ourselves some food, drink, sleep, needless talking and idle jesting, as Saint Benedict teaches in Chapter 49 of the Holy Rule, "The Observance of Lent." As laudatory as all this is, it came to me this morning, tired already, that perhaps it might help to enter these holy days gently. It can happen that our initial vigor wanes as the days go on. The daily happens and we experience setbacks and just do not seem to be following our initial Lenten program so to speak. So, why not enter these days fully engaged, with a certain vigor, but simultaneously remember the God of mercy who loves us tenderly, with compassion and love. Remember, as Venerable Fulton Sheen said, "You are infinitely precious because you are loved by God." Infinitely precious; no matter what. Together, united in faith and prayer, whatever we offer to God these days, we want to offer it with the joy of the Holy Spirit so as to look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing (See RB 49).  We are in the Jubilee Holy Year of Hope. And, as Saint Paul writes, "Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). Be full of the love of God that has been given to you. His Love will sustain you. And remember with me: "I have the strength for everything through Him who empowers me" (Philippians 4:13). 

Hope is knowing that I have

been forgiven, my guilt removed.

Hope is knowing that there is a future,

a life after death.

Hope is knowing that there is love,

that there is a God,

and I am loved by Him.

Whatever happens He does care.

Hope is knowing that He has plans,

even if I do not understand them.

(Cardinal Basil Hume, The Mystery of Love)

As it has become an annual Lenten practice, I offer the following passed along to me some years ago by a friend of Cardinal Basil Hume, Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments. 

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ indwelling in them.

Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on unity of life.

Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.

Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.

Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger; feast on patience.

Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

Fast from worry; feast on trust.

Fast from compliance; feast on appreciation.

Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.

Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.

Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.

Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.

Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.

Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.

Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.

Fast from idle gossip; feast of purposeful silence.

Gentle God, during this season of fasting and feasting, gift us with Your presence, so that we can be a gift to others in carrying out Your work. Amen.

Some other voices for this holy season ...

In this Holy Lent, let us lift up our hearts and always go forward to the triumph of the reign of Christ in society.

(Blessed, soon to be Saint, Pier Giorgio Frassati, 1901-1925)

Preparation for Lent begins with desire. We exist to desire God. As Saint Augustine says, "My heart is restless until it rests in Thee." In this is the preparation for Lent; touching a desire for God that is deep down in the heart. Desire is like a flame, it starts small and it grows. Lent should fan our desire for God into a bonfire ...

(Servant of God Catherine de Heuck Doherty, 1896-1985)

No sound ought to be heard in the Church but the healing voice of Christian charity.

(Edmund Burke, 1729-1797, in Taylor Caldwell, No One Hears But Him)

Lord, Jesus, open our hearts that we may hear, so that when we open our lips, our utterances may build up your Church.

(Father Richard Veras, in Magnificat, "The Sacred Act of Listening," February 2, 2025, p. 34)

Charity is a right attitude of mind which prefers nothing to the knowledge of God.

(From the chapters On Charity by Saint Maximus the Confessor, abbot, in Office of Readings, 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

I gradually gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered an extremist. Was not Jesus an extremist in love? - "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you" ... Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ? - "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" ... Was not Thomas Jefferson and extremist? - "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." So the question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremists will we be. Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love ...

(Martin Luther King Jr., 1929-1968, Letter from Birmingham Jail)

You must be in right earnest, or you will do little or nothing for God.

(Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774-1821)

And parting words from a fellow American, enough to keep us busy for the days which make up a life that, as Saint Benedict says, should be a continuous Lent ...

To a great extent the world is what we make of it. We get back what we give. If we sow hate, we reap hate; if we scatter love and gentleness we harvest love and happiness. Other people are like a mirror which reflects back on us the kind of image we cast. The kind person bears with the infirmities of others, never magnifies trifles, and avoids a spirit of fault finding.

(Venerable Fulton Sheen, 1895-1979)

SAINT CHAD,

SAINT DAVID,

BLESSED CHARLES THE GOOD, COUNT OF FLANDERS,

SAINT KATHERINE DREXEL,

SAINT VIGNAL,

SAINT CASIMIR,

SAINT KIERAN, 

SAINT KYNEBURGHA,

POPE SAINT LUCIUS I, MARTYR,

SAINT JOHN JOSEPH OF THE CROSS,

SAINTS PERPETUA AND FELICITY,

SAINT STEPHEN OF OBAZINE, CISTERCIAN ABBOT,

SAINT JOHN OF GOD,

SAINT SENAN, BISHOP,

SAINT DUTHAC,

SAINT FELIX,

SAINT AENGUS,

SAINT CONSTANTINE, 

SAINT AUREA,

SAINT JOHN OGILVIE,

SAINT RODERICK,

SAINT THEOPHANUS,

BLESSED JOHN ANNE,

SAINT MATILDA,

SAINT LOUIS DE MARILLAC,

SAINT PATRICK, BISHOP, MISSIONARY,

SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SAINT EDWARD THE MARTYR, 

BLESSED JAN TYRANOWSKI,

SAINT JOSEPH,

SERVANT OF GOD BLANDINA SEGALE,

SAINT HERBERT,

SAINT CUTHBERT,

SAINT BENEDICT,

SAINT ENDA,

SAINT DEOGRATIUS, 

SAINT NICHOLAS OWEN, 

SAINT LEA OF ROME,

BLESSED CLEMENS AUGUST VAN GALEN,

SAINT JOHN OF EGYPT,

SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON,

POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II,

SAINT FRANCIS OF PAOLA, HERMIT,

SAINT ISIDORE OF SEVILLE, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SAINT VINCENT FERRER, PRIEST,

SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE,

SAINT STANISLAUS, BISHOP, MARTYR,

SAINT PETER CHANEL, PRIEST, MARTYR,

SAINT LOUIS MARIE GRIGNION DE MONTFORT,

SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA, VIRGIN, DOCTOR,

POPE SAINT PIUS V,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: And of my sin cleanse me.

© Gertrude Feick 2025

First Sunday of Lent

February is the month dedicated to the Holy Family

February 19th: Presidents' Day

Readings for the Rule of Saint Benedict for the Week: Ch 15 The Times for Saying Alleluia - Ch 18 The Order of the Psalmody

He teaches the humble His way.

HOLY FAMILY, HIDDEN AND UNKNOWN IN NAZARETH,

MARY, QUEEN OF ANGELS,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US. 

Christ suffered once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that He might lead you to God.

(1 Peter 3:18)

Welcome to the First Sunday of Lent. Here we go, dear faithful readers, united as we are in faith and prayer. And we bring with us those preparing to enter the Church at Easter who will come forward today for the Rite of Election. May the grace of God be with us during this holy season of Lent, the forty days that run from Ash Wednesday up to but excluding the Mass of the Lord's Supper. During these days, the Alleluia is not said, so it no wonder that Saint Benedict has Ch. 15 "The Times for Saying Alleluia," in the Holy Rule. And it is the reading for February 18! Among other things, our holy father Benedict instructs us that "the alleluia is never added to the responsories except from Easter Pentecost" (RB 15:4). Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!

Voices this week all come from one voice, namely, C.S. Lewis. In addition to reading The Screwtape Letters, I stumbled across a little gem when working in the library the other day, A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C.S. Lewis, ed. C. S. Kilby (Harvest/HBJ, 1980). In one way or another, each quotation is fitting for this holy season of Lent. And as in today's Gospel, where Jesus is tempted in the desert, we are reminded to be on guard. The tempter is prowling; he is waiting to pounce. Repent, and believe in the Gospel (Mk 1:15). Kyrie eleison. 

The tempter always works on some real weakness in our own system of values: 

offers food to some need which we have starved.

(C.S. Lewis, "Equality," in The Spectator, August 27, 1943)

No good work is done anywhere without the aid from the Father of Lights.

(C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, Ch. 11)

How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing ... it is irresistible. If even ten percent of the world's population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before a year's end?

(C.S. Lewis, unpublished letter, August 1, 1953)

Virtue-even attempted virtue-brings light; indulgence brings fog.

(C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book 3, Ch. 5)

There is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes.

(C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle, Ch. 15)

 

It is not enough to want to get rid of one's sins. We also need to believe in the One who saves us from our sins ... Because we know that we are sinners, it does not follow that we are saved.

(C.S. Lewis, "I was Decided Upon," Decision, 1963)

If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, 

and I hope you may always do so. 

(Unpublished letter to a little girl, October 26, 1963)

BLESSED JOHN OF FIESOLE OP, Fra Angelico

SAINT FLAVIAN,

SAINT SIMON,

SAINT CONRAD OF PIECENZA,

SAINT FRANCISCO AND JACINTA MARTO,

OUR LADY OF FATIMA,

BLESSED ALVAREZ OF CORDOBA,

SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON,

BLESSED CHRISTOPHER OF MILAN OP,

SAINT ROBERT SOUTHWELL,

BLESSED JOSEPHA GIRBES,

BLESSED CONSTANTIUS OF FABRIANO, OP,

BLESSED THOMAS MARIA FUSCO,

SAINT VICTORINUS,

SAINT PETER DAMIAN, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SAINT PETER THE APOSTLE, 

SAINT POLYCARP,

PRAY FOR US.

NB. A little bit about one of the saints we commemorate this week, namely, Fra Angelico. I have not only seen in person, along with my beloved sisters Kathy and Vicki, his fresco, The Annuciation, that hangs at the convent of San Marco in Florence, I visited his tomb several times at Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. And one time, my beloved sisters were with me. For this and for my beloved sisters, I give God the praise. 

Today's photo: This little flower follows in the footsteps of the Holy Family, hidden and unknown on 7th Street in Eureka, a bit hidden and no longer unknown if it ever was in the first place. ☺ In Your kindness remember me. 

© Gertrude Feick 2024

Sixth Week in Ordinary Time/Ash Wednesday and the days following

February is the month dedicated to the Holy Family

World Day of the Sick

Readings for the Rule of Saint Benedict for the Week: Ch 9 The Number of Psalms at the Night Office - Ch 14 The Celebration of Vigils on the Anniversary of Saints 

In whose spirit is no guile.

HOLY FAMILY, OUR SUPPORT IN LIFE AND OUR HOPE IN DEATH,

MARY, MOTHER OF GOOD COUNSEL,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God ...

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

(1 Cor 10:31, 11:1)

Welcome, faithful readers, to the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time that takes us to Ash Wednesday and the days following, all leading to the First Sunday of Lent, still in the month of February dedicated to the Holy Family. The words from Saint Paul above are simply awesome. As Saint Benedict tells us too, in Chapter 57 of the Holy Rule, "The Artisans of the Monastery," whatever we do, we do "so that in all things God may be glorified" (1 Pet 4:11/RB 57:9). Folks, let's give it up for the Lord now, and during the upcoming holy season of Lent. So that in all things God may be glorified, let us refuse to indulge evil habits, devote ourselves to prayer with tears, read one book from cover to cover, look inside our heart with honesty and seek forgiveness, and deny ourselves some food, drink, needless talking and idle jesting. Just say "no" to idle chit-chat. We do these things and look forward to holy Easter with joy (see RB 49. The Observance of Lent). If you are going to boast, then boast in the Lord. All other boasting just might make us look ridiculous. Do everything in word and deed, then, for the glory of God alone. For this, we give God the praise.

And as I write on Super Bowl Sunday, our voices for the week begin with a member of the faithful who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mr. Butler certainly has his priorities in order. By the way, do any of you remember the All-Pro fullback Christian Emeka Okoye, "the Nigerian Nightmare," who played for the Chiefs in the late 80s and early 90s? He was awesome too; he barreled through just about everyone, like a juggernaut. Go Chiefs. 😎. I could go on now forever on the glory days of the 70s too, with Fran Tarkenton and Alan Page of the Vikings, Kenny Stabler and Fred Biletnikoff of the Oakland Raiders, "Sweetness" Walter Payton and the Chicago Bears, Ken Anderson and the Bengals ... 

Dear Lord, guide all of us as we respond to the universal call to holiness and give You the glory.

I want to be a saint. And that's the most important thing. And that's why I'm here on earth.

(Mr. Harrison Butler, Kansas City Chiefs field goal kicker)

Blessed Pier also had his priorities in order. And he was no slouch when it came to athletics. In fact, Pier was all-around awesome. May he intercede for us. 

Learn to be stronger in spirit than in your muscles. 

If you are, you will be real apostles of faith in the Lord.

(Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, 1901-1925)

Preparation for Lent begins with desire. We exist to desire God. As Saint Augustine says, 'My heart is restless until it rests in Thee.' In this is the preparation for Lent: touching a desire for God that is deep down in the heart. Desire is like a flame, it starts small and it grows. Lent should fan our desire for God into a bonfire ...

(Servant of God Catherine de Heuck Doherty, 1896-1985)

Jesus is in the fire in the very center of our souls ever burning. Yet we are cold because we do not stay by it. Our look of love at Him draws back a look of love on us, and His divine love enkindles that fire of love in us which makes us remember Him continually.

(Mother Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774-1821)

Lord, here are my hands.

Place in them what you will,

Take from them what you will,

Lead me where'er you will,

In everything-your will be done.

(Blessed Eduard Mueller, 1911-1943)

Prayer of Generosity

Lord teach me to be generous.

Teach me to serve you as You deserve.

To give and not count the cost.

To fight and not to heed the wounds.

To toil and not to seek to rest.

To labor and not to seek reward,

Except that of knowing I do Your will.

(Saint Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556)

From another excellent novel with inspiration to keep going, no matter what ...

You know, when I was a kid back in Jamaica, my great-gramma used to say she was 'old but not cold.' She lived to her late nineties. To her last days, she was in the kitchen, baking raisin buns for us kids. She liked to keep busy, too.

(Terry to Tova in S. van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel, Ecco 2022, p. 316)

OUR LADY OF LOURDES,

SAINT GOBNAIT, 

SAINT JULIAN THE HOSPITALLER,

SAINT CATHERINE DE RICCI,

BLESSED REGINALD OF ORLEANS, OP,

SAINT METHODIUS,

SAINT CYRIL,

SAINT VALENTINE,

21 COPTIC MARTYRS OF LIBYA,

SAINT CLAUDE LA COLOMBIERE,

BLESSED NICHOLAS OF PAGLIA, OP,

SAINT ONESIMUS,

BLESSED JORDAN OF SAXONY,

THE SEVEN HOLY PROPHETS OF THE SERVITE ORDER,

SAINT FINTAN OF CLONENAGH,

BLESSED WILLIAM RICHARDSON,

PRAY FOR US.

NB. In other years, we would commemorate Our Lady of Lourdes. When was the last time you took a look at Pope Saint John II and his Apostolic Letter Salvifici doloris Salvific suffering, given February 11, 1984, the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. One paragraph at a time. Our Lady of Lourdes, please cover us in your protective veil.   

Today's photo: Exult, all you upright of heart.

© Gertrude Feick 2024

Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

January is the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus

January 28: World Leprosy Day

Catholic Schools Week: January 28-February 3, 3024 "Catholic Schools: United in faith and community"

February is the month dedicated to the Holy Family 

Readings for the Rule of Saint Benedict for the Week: Ch 7:19-50 Humility

Come, let us bow down in worship.

JESUS, THE MIGHTY GOD,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

MARY, ARK OF THE COVENANT,

JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH, 

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

I should like you to be free of anxieties.

(1Cor 7:32)

Hi dear faithful readers, welcome to the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time. Even though we are still in anything but Ordinary Time, it is not too early to anticipate Ash Wednesday (February 14) and the holy season of Lent, coming soon to a theatre near you. Have you given any thought to how you might refuse to indulge in at least one evil habit and deny yourself of some food, drink, sleep, needless talking, also known as idle chit-chat, and so on (See Rule of Saint Benedict 49 The Observance of Lent)? Hmm.

Now by way of anecdote, I had the privilege of serving as hebdomadarian last week. Put simply, the sister who is assigned that "function" intones the Call to Worship at the Liturgy of the Hours, proclaims the proclamation, sings the Collect, leads the prayer before dinner, and so on. She also proclaims the reading at the midday prayer. It happens that on the day we commemorated the great Saint Francis de Sales (he was the oldest of 13 children how cool is that!), this was the reading:

Let us practice those ordinary virtues ... patience, forbearance toward our neighbor, service of others, humility, gentleness of heart, affability, tolerance of our own imperfections, and similar little virtues. I do not say that we are not to ascend by prayer, but that we do so one step at a time.

(Saint Francis de Sales, 1567-1622, Letters of Spiritual Direction)

So, as I boldly proclaimed, "slowly, clearly, and distinctly" as my dear dad of happy memory taught me, I stumbled over the phrase, "tolerance of our own imperfections." I thought I read "imperfection," so read the phrase again as "imperfections." As you might imagine, or not, there were a few glances thrown, as well as stirring about. A few days later, I learned that I did not read "imperfection" or even "imperfections," but rather "perfection" and "perfections"! Now how fitting is that? This true to life story caused me to think the last few days that, if a person has no tolerance for her own imperfections, she has even more intolerance for the imperfections of others. Or perhaps a person conveniently forgets her own imperfections and shortcomings and prefers to focus on everyone else's. Why on earth would Saint Francis de Sales include this call to action if it were not the case? I sometimes think of the business of perfectionism and imperfections as a plague of religious life, especially since a kind sister told me when I first entered the monastery some 24 years ago, "Welcome to the human race." However, since Saint Francis de Sales wrote primarily to the lay faithful, the plague must not be in containment. The business of perfectionism and imperfections must also be a plague of the married life, and surely the single life as I can attest. Otherwise, why would Pope Saint Gregory the Great have bothered to write this in the 7th century?

The married should not ... worry themselves so much about what they must endure from their spouse but consider what their spouse must endure on account of them. For if one really considers what must be endured on his account, it is all the easier to bear the things of others.

(Pope Saint Gregory the Great, d. 604)

And why would Grace, in the novel Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (Random House, 2011), have bothered to say this to Major Pettigrew?  "Oh, I deserved it completely," said Grace. "It's so much easier to tell other people how to do their job than fix one's own shortcomings, isn't it?" Hmmm. In any case, these are some things to reflect upon and pray about, or not, as we anticipate the holy season of Lent, coming soon, as I say, to a theatre near you.

Along the same line of thought, the Holy Father was on the business of evil and the devil at today's Sunday Angelus Address. He re-emphasized something he said at his November 27, 2023, General Audience catechesis. Pope Francis reminded us that, "There is no dialogue with the devil, because if you enter into dialogue with him, he wins, always. Be careful." When tempted then, to conveniently forget my own imperfections and shortcomings, and when I feel the chains of evil amid the devil's relentless attacks, it is best to call on the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. That is what we do, folks, and that is our definition as Pope Benedict XVI tells us: "This is our definition: we belong among those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."* Invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, come to my aid; help me! Then be silent and listen. "Quiet! Come out of her!" (See Mark 1:25). And it certainly doesn't hurt to call on Saint Michael the Archangel as well, to defend us in the battle. It's not a coincidence either, that I just started to re-read C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters. Be careful. Wormwood, mentored by his Uncle Screwtape, is on the prowl. 

As we go forth this week, united in faith and prayer, here are a few other voices to consider. One step at a time. One step at a time. "For Scripture has it: 'Anyone who perseveres to the end will be saved,' and again, 'Be brave of heart and rely on the on the Lord'" (Rule of Saint Benedict 7:36-37). 

Do not be anxious. Rouse yourself to serve the Lord with steadfastness, attentiveness, and meekness. That is the true way to serve Him. If you can refrain from trying to do all things, but instead attempt to do only some one thing, then you will do much.

(Saint Francis de Sales, 1567-1622)

The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day by day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as "good news" to the people of every age and culture ... It is therefore a service of love which we are all committed to ensure our neighbor, that his or her life may always be defended and promoted, especially when it is weak or threatened.

(Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium vitae Gospel of Life, 1, 77). 

And a couple of lengthy quotations, well worth it though. Dear Jesus, thank you for the gift of faith and the tradition of the Church, the Body of Christ. 

All things have value if they are inspired and carried out by love, while without love nothing has value, at least not in life's final analysis. If this is our focus, we will be able to say of each of our actions, "this will remain." This holds true for our work, as it does for our relaxation, for educating our children, for our conversations with others, our travels, our way of dressing, our manner of eating, and for any other smallest of actions. It holds true for all the unexpected things that each day brings, the surprises God has in store for us. It even holds true-and this is very consoling-if any illness forces us to inactivity and confines us to bed with no apparent end in sights.

(Servant of God Chiara Lubich, 1920-2008)

My last word to you, by which I implore you even with my blood, is that you live in harmony, united together, all of one heart and one will. Be bound to one another by the bond of charity, esteeming each other, helping each other, bearing with each other in Jesus Christ. For if you strive to be like this, without any doubt the Lord God will be in your midst. You will have in your favor Our Lady, the apostles, all the saints, the angels, and finally all heaven and all the universe. God has so ordained from all eternity that for those who for His honor are united in doing good enjoy every prosperity, and what they do turns out well, because they have God Himself and every one of His creatures in their favor.

(Saint Angela Merici, 1474-1540)

And as always, there is one more thing before we invoke the glorious saints. I was surprised to learn that there may be more faithful readers out there than I thought. Give God the praise. Yes, I know that not everyone reads everything, or even a bit, but a world record of over 200 people have at least opened this reflection each of the last four weeks. Maybe there was one word, or a phrase, or the name of a saint, or a quotation, or anything else that might have served as an inspiration. After all, we are about spreading the Good News, in word and deed. I believe, help my unbelief. Mary, please cover all of us in your protective veil. Keep going!

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS,

SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT,

SAINT DAMIAN OF MOLOKAI,

SAINT MARIANNE COPE,

SAINT GILDAS THE WISE,

SAINT CONSTANTINUS,

SAINT PAPIAS AND MAURUS,

SAINT SULPITIUS SEVERUS,

BLESSED ARCHANGELA GIRLANI,

BLESSED VILLANA DE' BOTTI,

SAINT AEDAN OF FERNS,

SAINT HYACINTHA OF MARISCOTTI,

SAINT BRIGID OF IRELAND,

SAINT HENRY MORSE,

SAINT THOMAS GREEN,

BLESSED BENEDICT DASWA,

BLESSED CANDELARIA OF SAINT JOSEPH,

SAINT ANSGAR, BISHOP, THE APOSTLE OF THE NORTH,

SAINT BLAISE, BISHOP, MARTYR,

PRAY FOR US.

* Pope Benedict XVI, 1927-2002, General Audience, November 22, 2006.

Today's photo: This sweet little one and its companions (forthcoming) are some of the first in each year to appear. Oh, that today you would hear His voice.

© Gertrude Feick 2024

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

The Month of March Devoted to Saint Joseph

Saints: Saint Balbina, Roman Matron, Foundress of the Roman Church Bearing Her Name (3rd century); Saint Benjamin, Deacon and Martyr (4th-5th century); Blessed Jane of Toulouse (13th century)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 49 The Observance of Lent

Mass: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Resp Ps 18; Jn 10:31-42 

I cried out to my God.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

SAINT JOSEPH, 

SUPPORT IN DIFFICULTIES,

TERROR OF DEMONS,

GUARDIAN OF THE REDEEMER,

PATRON OF THE DYING,

PRAY FOR US.

Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, 

For He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!

(Jer 20:13)

During these last days of the Fifth Week of Lent as we prepare to enter Holy Week, we pray to the Lord to protect us and guide us so that we do what is needed to "look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing" (Rule of Saint Benedict, 49:7). Yesterday, Jesus hid from those who wanted to stone Him (see Jn 8:59). Today, he escapes from the power of those who try to arrest Him (see Jn 10:39). Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

On this last day of March 2023, the month devoted to Saint Joseph, we turn to Pope Pius IX (1792-1878) who, on December 8, 1870, in the document Quemadmodum Deus, declared Saint Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church. We continue to pray to Saint Joseph during these still most troublesome times, when the Church is beset by enemies on every side. Saint Joseph, protector of Holy Church, pray for us.

When in these most troublesome times the Church is beset by enemies on every side ... Pope Pius IX, in order to entrust himself and all the faithful to the Patriarch Saint Joseph's most powerful patronage ... has solemnly declared him Patron of the Catholic Church.

And from Pope Saint Paul VI, in a March 27, 1969, homily on the Feast of Saint Joseph:

The Church invokes [Saint Joseph] as her Patron and Protector through her unshakeable trust that he to whom Christ willed to confide the care and protection of His own frail human childhood, will continue from heaven to perform his protective task in order to guide and defend the mystical Body of Christ Himself, which is always weak, always under attack, always in a state of peril. Finally, we call upon Saint Joseph for the world, trusting that the heart of the humble working man of Nazareth, now overflowing with immeasurable wisdom and power, still harbors and will always harbor a singular and precious fellow-feeling for the whole of mankind. So may it be.

SAINT BALBINA,

SAINT BENJAMIN,

BLESSED JANE OF TOULOUSE,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: My cry to Him reached His ears.

© Gertrude Feick 2023