By Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine – Prejean is being held up to universal opprobrium. Maybe she was wrong in these interventions. Maybe she was wrong in her assertions. But does she deserve these two minutes of hate?… Lest anyone accuse me of Jew hatred, let me make it abundantly clear that I would welcome with open arms all 15 million Jews in the world to move into my state of Virginia, most especially the orthodox; maybe not the Soros types, but sure, bring them, too… I have always loved my Jewish brothers and sisters. I fondly remember Deborah Calabrese bringing in the Menorah to our goyishe third-grade class in Columbia, Missouri. ….

By Peter Wolfgang, Catholic Culture – In the eighteen months I have been writing a near-weekly column for Catholic Culture, I have not been shy on the topic of Catholic-Jewish relations in the shadow of the Israel-Gaza War… My emphasis has been that Catholics must firmly oppose antisemitism while carefully navigating the political and moral complexities of the conflict. While criticism of Israeli government policy is not inherently antisemitic, much contemporary discourse has crossed the line into outright hostility toward Jews—something Catholics have a particular duty to reject. ….

By The Catholic Apostolate Center – St. Peter Damian was born in 1007 in Ravenna, Italy. He lost his parents at a very young age and one brother was left in charge of him. This brother treated him poorly and had him tend swine. Once Peter was old enough, a different brother, who was the archpriest of Ravenna, noticed the neglected Peter and took him in to be educated. Peter added Damian to his name in honor of this brother. In school, Peter proved to be an apt student, and later became a professor. While a professor, Peter constantly engaged in fasts and prayer. He then resolved to leave the world to enter monastic life.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Luke 5:27-32 – 7 After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And he left everything, and rose and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” …

By Victoria Cardiel, EWTN News, (Catholic World Report) – The Priestly Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) says it will proceed with plans to consecrate new bishops on July 1 without a pontifical mandate, despite a Vatican warning that the move would represent a “decisive rupture” of communion and bring “grave consequences” for the group… In a letter dated Feb. 18 — Ash Wednesday — Father Davide Pagliarani, the SSPX superior general, told Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, that the traditionalist group could not accept either the Vatican’s proposed framework for renewed dialogue or a delay of the announced consecration date… The SSPX, which exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass, maintains doctrinal differences with certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, particularly with regard to religious freedom and the Church’s approach to other faiths. …

By Brianna Lyman, The Federalist – ‘As they interpret the statute, the President could, for example, block all imports from China but cannot order even a $1 tariff on goods imported from China. That approach does not make much sense’… The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that President Donald Trump’s tariffs under an emergency act are unlawful, a conclusion Justice Brett Kavanaugh said “does not make much sense” in his dissent… Trump declared two national emergencies in early 2025, one addressing drug trafficking and the other trade imbalances with other countries — like China — that have harmed Americans. As a result, Trump imposed tariffs on several nations, including China, Canada and Mexico.

By Eduard Habsburg, The Catholic Thing – When it comes to the joys of large families, there’s more than just an ocean between Europe and the United States. This is what I discovered when I began to regularly travel between the two continents and give talks on the topic of the family… A full disclaimer first: I believe family is the greatest thing, and by family, I mean a large family. My wife and I were blessed with six children, and that experience has been life-changing, the greatest thing that ever happened to me (besides my faith, of course). So, naturally, I enjoy speaking about having many children.

By T. S. Flanders, OnePeterFive – I usually take Wednesdays to unplug from Vatican News for a second while I take my breath and plug back into reality – my wife and family. Yesterday was no different, and especially important for me to unplug, for my own sanity and spiritual health, at the beginning of the Great Fast of Lent.
I finished some other work this morning and then finally looked at the news. I was saddened to find out that a break in sacramental communion among brothers appears inevitable now. The SSPX has officially confirmed that it will proceed with the consecrations of bishops on July 1st of this year.

By Msgr. Roger Landry, National Catholic Register – To live Lent well begins with a desire to go with Jesus into the desert and return profoundly changed… It’s hard for Catholics to ignore the summons to conversion we hear on Ash Wednesday… As the priest smudges our foreheads with ashes in the shape of the cross with the words, “Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return,” he similarly brings us back to the words with which Jesus began his public ministry: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” …

By Mary Rose, Zeale – As Lent begins, 40 Days for Life has launched its annual spring campaign, urging the faithful nationwide to volunteer for 40 days of prayer, fasting, and peaceful witness outside abortion facilities… Described on its website as “the world’s largest grassroots movement to end abortion,” the effort is designed around three pillars: prayer and fasting, a continuous 40-day peaceful vigil outside abortion facilities, and community outreach through churches, media engagement, and local education efforts. …

GOSPEL READING: Matthew 9:14-15 – 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

By Kate Quiñones, EWTN News – The five Spanish Franciscan friars collectively known as the “Georgia Martyrs” will be beatified in Savannah, Georgia, on Oct. 31, according to a recent Vatican announcement… Cardinal Francis Leo of the Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, will celebrate the beatification, according to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
In September 1597, the five Franciscans were killed for defending the sanctity of marriage at a mission in present-day Georgia. …

By Virginia Grace McKinnon, Daily Signal – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, a Republican, received over 650 consumer complaints in December about advertisements across the state that read, “Pregnant? Don’t want to be?” directing consumers to Mayday Health… Jackley filed a cease and desist order in state court against Mayday Health, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides education about the abortion pill. The attorney general claimed that the advertisement was in violation of South Dakota’s laws on abortion.

By Mark Bauerlein, Chronicles – In 2008, after I’d written a book with the subtitle “How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future,” I was labeled a “Luddite” more than 50 times in various lectures, panels, and radio interviews. I argued that social media, multitasking, and computers in the classroom were threats to knowledge, taste, and bookish habits, and so came off as a clueless Boomer. The same thing happened when other tech skeptics of that era spoke out against the spreading digital zeal in those heady days of Web 2.0… Back then, all the momentum was with the digital breakthrough, particularly in K-12 education.

By Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer, OP, Catholic Exchange – As we begin Lent, Christ’s three temptations in the desert give us the pattern by which we too are tested. Hence this Gospel is paired with the First Reading about the testing of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Where they fail, Jesus is victorious. Jesus’ temptations, like our own, are a testing of our trust… In this article, we will uncover the core of each temptation by focusing on the Scripture verse that Jesus responds with. As we consider the inner core of each temptation, you might ponder what this can look like in your own life and ask the Lord Jesus to meet you there. In each of these three tests, we will discover the possibility of a blessing hidden within.