Catholic Church

By Trent Beattie, Catholic Digest - Have you ever been so distracted or stressed out that you were looking to find, not complete serenity, but a mere semblance of it? While total peace of mind may have been out of the question, finding a “piece” of mind was a possibility. It is in that modest spirit characteristic of Lent that the following list of books and one album are offered for incremental improvement.

By Sue Ellen Browder, EWTN News - In all spheres of our lives — economic, commercial, medical, global relations, etc. — we have reached amazing peaks of power. And yet, as a wise priest in Nazareth observed on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, in a few days, “everything changed,” and “all our perceptions changed dramatically. ... We felt powerful; now we feel powerless. We [trusted in] ourselves; now we cannot trust anything. ... In the past we were under the dominion of ourselves, our human power. Now we are under the dominion of fear,” and we feel powerless… The coronavirus is teaching us a valuable lesson: We are not in charge here. But will we listen?

By Fr. Mike Schmitz, Ascension Presents - When we pray “lead us not into temptation”, it may seem like God has the capacity to tempt us. But that’s not the case. God does not tempt us, but he can and sometimes must put us through tests. Here are a four helpful ways to look at this part of the Our Father: Tests reveal things to us. When God tests us, it reveals how much faith, hope, and love we have in God and for God.

By Mary Farrow, CNA - Bishops across the United States have suspended public liturgies and closed church buildings in the past few weeks in response to state-issued public safety policies, and Catholic leaders have warned of an immediate revenue shortfall. Consequences of that shortfall include staff reductions, furloughs, and decreased hours.