Catholic Church

By Fr. Mike Schmitz, Ascension Presents - Fr. Mike makes the case that, before you claim a certain “style” in practicing the faith, you have to master the basics. He tells a story about when he was learning guitar. The teacher told his students to hold their guitar on an angle with their left knee higher than their right. This way they could play all kinds of music. Some of the students decided they wanted to hold the guitar their own way. This limited what they could play. Living the Faith is the same way.

By Peter Jesserer Smith, National Catholic Reporter - The COVID-19 pandemic is exacting a heavy toll on families, isolating its victims from loved ones, while medical professionals run the race to save lives, all from a disease medical science cannot yet grasp… The Catholics working in the country’s hospitals are witnesses to both life and death, serving as witnesses to life and hope… “The most difficult day is taking care of a middle-aged man whose spouse has been admitted to the hospital and was also doing quite poorly,” Dr. Timothy Flanigan told the Register… “He’s being overwhelmed with the thought that not only was he ill with pneumonia, but his spouse is even more ill,” he said…

By Father Paul Scalia, EWTN News - Psalm 51 sets the tone. It is the definitive penitential Psalm and zeros our sights on the most important element of the penitential season — contrition: “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn” (Psalm 51:19)… St. Thomas observes that contrition “includes virtually the whole of penance.” It contains in seminal form the other dimensions of the sacrament of penance: confession, reconciliation and satisfaction. This truth emphasizes the need for us to deepen our contrition, especially in preparation for confession.