Lent is halfway over; latest radio appearance

You can listen here to my latest interview on Morning Air, starting at 14:29, on that study showing the percentage of Americans identifying as Christian has leveled out, as opposed to dropped, for the first time in a long time. We discussed why that could be, and as always, I point to the life-changing dynamics of the pandemic, a time when people everywhere felt loneliness, isolation, fear, and hopelessness on a mass scale. I believe this may have influenced people to look for God and meaning in their lives. We also discussed how the survey showed Americans as a whole believe in God, which surprised me, but which is of course a sign of hope. Bottom line: lots of room for evangelization!

I will be back with John and the gang tomorrow morning at 8:20 am eastern to discuss something different: the halfway point of Lent! Can you believe it? I’ll be asking the question: how is your Lent going? See how you can listen on the radio, on the app, or online here.

March is the month of St. Joseph: pray his novena

Friends, March is known as the month of St. Joseph and his feast day is March 19. I highly encourage you to befriend dear St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer and Terror of Demons. And, you can do that praying his novena, starting today to end on March 19.

After Mary, St. Joseph is seen by the Church as the most powerful intercessor, which is understandable, given his proximity to Jesus during their lifetimes on earth. He is wonderful for family, work, and home matter.

St. Joseph, pray for us!

Lent as a coming home to your own vocation

It is Ash Wednesday! A note for you, reader: today is not actually a holy day of obligation. So, if you didn’t get to Mass to get ashes, you’ve committed no sin. For those who went, it sure is a fantastic way to immediately, through full immersion of the senses, enter into this season of penance.

I have been reflecting on how Lent serves to bring us back to our own vocation. Vocation is your state in life: married, single, parent, professional, religious, priest, sister. We focus on how Lent is the time to clear out all the noise and get closer to God, but at the same time, aren’t we getting closer to our vocation, as well?

For example: how does giving up gossip help me to love my family more? How does giving up social media make me more responsible and attentive to my job? How does giving to charity remind me to love those close to me more thoroughly, especially those in need? How does spending more time in silence make me a better writer? How does time spent in prayer make me notice and listen better?

Can you think of ways the penances, prayers, and observances bring you closer to your vocation - your calling - in life?

I will next be on Morning Air next Thursday, March 10 at the usual 8:10 am eastern time. I will be discussing that big survey that came out indicating that the American trend away from religion seems to have leveled off.

One other thing: there is a report going around that Protestants are a little concerned with the number of their own converting the Catholicism. Religion is not a competition, but if you believe in the truth of the Church, and believe in its goodness in the world and for mankind, then this is of course a good thing. Of course, always important is ecumenical getting along-ness. But given the news above about how Americans may have leveled off in their distancing themselves from faith, it seems something is going on. Something good!

May your Lent be prayerful, penitential, and fruitful, and may you come out the other side closer to yourself, your family, and God.