Second Week of Lent, Monday
Second Week of Lent, Monday: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers.
Second Week of Lent, Sunday, March 16
Second Week of Lent, Sunday: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers.
Hermas, The Shepherd, Similitude V
Introduction
Fasting can be easy, but sticking your neck out in solidarity and taking time away from other things are definitely the proving grounds.
First Week of Lent, Saturday, March 15
First Week of Lent, Saturday, March 15: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers.
St.
First Week of Lent, Friday, March 14
First Week of Lent, Friday, March 14: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers.
St.
Canada’s government is shut down but the Trudeau Liberals continue to spend millions of tax dollars
The arrogant PM Justin Trudeau has resigned, and the new leader Mark Carney is yet to become the new prime minister. Trudeau has shut down Parliament for over 2 months, but this has not stopped the Liberals from spending (wasting) tax dollars Canada doesn’t have.
Will the real Mark Carney please stand up?
Mark Carney is the new Liberal Party leader to replace Justin Trudeau. He will be sworn in as PM tomorrow. Carney made it clear in his victory speech that the enemy of Canada is Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and President Donald Trump.
First Week of Lent, Thursday, March 13
First Week of Lent, Thursday, March 13: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers.
Theophilus of Alexandra, Easter Letter
Introduction
Preparing for Easter means preparing for a great feast, the most important one of the liturgical year.
"Won't Get Fooled Again"
The Liberal Party has elected Mark Carney as their new leader to replace PM Justin Trudeau who resigned. In his speech after his victory, Carney had all good things to say about the Liberal party and the outgoing prime minister. It was all Liberal cheers, smiles and applause.
First Week of Lent, Wednesday, March 12
First Week of Lent, Wednesday, March 12: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers.
St. Leo the Great, Sermon, 21, 3
Introduction
It's nice to feel loved in spite of ourselves and in spite of everything. God loves us above all things, and his embrace is all-encompassing.
First Week of Lent Tuesday, March 11
First Week of Lent, Tuesday, March 11: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers.
St.
Biography exposes globalist Mark Carney: Canadians beware
A telling biography came out in January just days after Canada's Liberal government shut down parliament for six weeks. Justin Trudeau had resigned as prime minister only days earlier. The book unintentionally exposes Carney as a globalist and elitist.
First Week of Lent, Monday, March 10
First Week of Lent, Monday, March 10: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers.
St. Augustine, Sermons 311
Introduction
We don't know what to ask, and we fumble about looking for what really makes us happy. Oftentimes, we also pray poorly, distractedly, and without meditating.
The Temptation of Christ
In the March edition of the Magnificat, we get a great explanation about the painting by Simon Bening called, The Temptation of Christ. The work is in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The piece is written by Fr. Innocent Smith a Dominican friar of the Province of Saint Joseph.
First Week of Lent Sunday, March 9
First Week of Lent Sunday: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers
St. Jerome, (to Eustachius),1, 22, 37
Introduction
There is a risk that fasting can turn into a sort of tightening noose that has nothing to do with Lent, which instead requires us to be free and willing.
Saturday of Ash Wednesday, March 8
Saturday of Ash Wednesday: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers
John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis, 10
Introduction
When we talk about fasting or abstinence, we risk falling into an exaggerated and unfruitful pietism linked to abstaining from meat on Fridays and fasting on Ash Wednesday and
Church attendance in decline across Canada: No surprise
This past week the diocesan paper The Catholic Register published an article, "Mass numbers hover below pre-pandemic level." It reports that Church attendance has gone down since the "pandemic." It's the same story right across Canada.
1Friday of Ash Wednesdy, March 7
Friday of Ash Wednesday: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers
Origen, Prayer, 33, 1
Introduction: Praying is stretching a hand toward the infinite. It is a loving dialogue between our own impoverishment and the greatness of God.
Thursday of Ash Wednesday, March 5
Thursday of Ash Wednesday: Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers
St. Gregory the Great, Commentary of Job, 21, 30
Introduction: Humility helps us to recognize our need for the help of God and neighbour.
City of Vancouver: Over 21,000 deaths from drug abuse in the last decade: why isn't this a national crisis?
Those governing the City of Vancouver have come to the conclusion that the city is experiencing an ongoing drug overdose crisis. Action teams and safe supply sites have not stopped the number of people dying daily from these deadly chemicals. Close to 6 people die everyday.
Stamped on a library book: "Withdrawn: Old Testament"
From the Old Testament, chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel recounts the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Here's a summary:
King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image in the plain of Dura and commanded that all his officials bow before it.
Lent with the Church Fathers: Ash Wednesday
It was Pope Benedict XVI who said, “Let us dedicate our attention to the Church Fathers.... they are teachers of the faith for us still today, and witnesses to the perpetual relevance of the Christian faith." So, we will do that during the Lenten season of 2025.
Let there be peace in the world: Christ the Redeemer of the Andes
Post-modern society rejects the idea that faith can play a role in establishing peace among nations. We live in a secular culture. However, faith was used in the early 1900s to resolve a border dispute between Chile and Argentina. The two sides came close to fighting a huge war over that issue.
"Non Abbiamo Bisogno" once again: we have no need
Non Abbiamo Bisogno is an encyclical released on June 29, 1931 by Pope Pius XI.
The antidote to the New World Order
In writing about patriotism St. John Paul II gives an answer to counter the present push in the west for a New World Order. The antidote is God, family and patriotism. It stems from the Catholic principle of subsidiarity to govern from the local level.
"The Supernatural Standard for Our Love"
God's love is too much for us. God's laws are too much for us. God's will is too much of us. Today's Gospel from Mark 10:1-12 teaches that God created us male and female. That children leave their parents to join together as man and wife and become one flesh.
"Assist me by the wings of your prayers"
Today, the liturgy celebrates the optional memorial of St. Gregory of Narek. His birth and death were around (945-1003). In 2015, he was declared Doctor of the Church. He studied at the Monastery of Narek, in southwestern Turkey. He was a theologian and mystic.
Canada: charitable status must not be based on belief
In the last entry, we shared Toronto Cardinal Francis Leo's letter to the minister of health. We now post the letter he sent to the minister of finance. There is a need to point out that Canada’s Liberal government has discriminated against Christians and pro-life organizations.
70 Christians beheaded in a church in DRC
Open Doors is an organization that reports on Christian persecution around the world to provide support and other resources. A recent very sad story is the beheading of 70 Christians in a church.
Regent College has made a mistake in capitulating to cancel culture
Canada's Regent College was supposed to have an event called, Colonialism Revisited: Did the British Empire Promote Human Welfare? It was scheduled for March 6, 2025. It’s been cancelled. Why? Because the speaker was Oxford Moral Theology Professor Nigel Biggar.
Toronto's Cardinal Francis Leo warns about the dangers of normalizing euthanasia
Recently, Toronto Cardinal Frank Cardinal Leo has sent two letters to cabinet ministers in the federal government to warn and raise concern about two important issues. One to the minister of health and the other to the minister of finance.
Jesus is the way and the truth and the life
Yesterday, we quoted from the Pontifical Council for Culture and Inter-religious Dialogue document titled, Jesus Christ: the Bearer of the Water of Life. It's a great resource in dealing with New Age practices, the new world order and the current "religion" of man.
Jesus is the answer to evil
Today's Gospel covers what many people are afflicted with: evil spirits or enslavement to self and sin. Too many try to deal with the sickness by occult practices: a Ouija Board, a crystal ball for fortune-telling, New Age beliefs and other methods of clairvoyance.
"We all want to know what is true and to do what is right"
We post a great reflection by Fr. Paul Scalia about the true source of freedom and grace that saves souls. The meditation comes from the Magnificat and taken from Scalia's book, From That Nothing May Be Lost: Reflections on Catholic Doctrine and Devotion. He's pastor of St.
"The Entire Bible in 58 minutes"
Author Johannes Hartl gives an insightful one hour You Tube talk about the Bible. Here's what he writes about himself on his website:
My name is Johannes and as a speaker and author I deal with the topics of meaning, connectedness and faith.
"Why We Rejoice to Carry the Cross"
The Gospel reading for today comes from St. Mark 8: 34-38:
Jesus called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.