Illuminated By Joy

Tomorrow begins the season of Lent: a time to reflect on the Passion of our Lord and turn back to Him through fasting and penance. It is a time to walk with Jesus and strengthen our relationship with Him. However, I know that many people, including me, might not look forward to this season very much. I admit, it is a very hard thing to reflect on the passion of our Lord. We don't want to suffer. We just want to keep life as it is and not think about it. But if we truly wish to follow Jesus, we must be loyal. Even contemplating His passion can show how truly loyal we are. We can be like Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene, who stayed at the foot of the Cross. Even that simple act took tremendous courage. They could have been killed or walked away at any time, but they were so loyal that they stood by until Jesus took His last breath. Are we as loyal as them? Usually not. But even if we haven't been loyal, there is still hope and a call to repent. That was the case with Peter, Dismas,

Hey everyone! So sorry none of us have been posting lately! I'm going to be talking about a difficult subject today -- telling the truth. Now, to be clear, that doesn't just mean owning up when you do something wrong. It also means correcting other people's errors when it's your job to do it, and even, at times, correcting yourself when you fall into error. This can be very hard. We don't want to acknowledge those areas, so we just stick them in the back of our minds and pretend they aren't there. However, that in itself is a lie. We must be cautious about being kind, but we must admit the truth. If it's in ourselves, we must admit it and work on improving ourselves. If it's in someone else, we must pray for them and, if necessary, tell them. We must find a balance between being too harsh and too soft. This can only be done through the grace of God and much prayer and examination. But when we do find that balance, it is very rewarding. St. Paul tells us: