Confront sin with Jesus

Essentially [Lent] is a matter of following Jesus who is walking with determination towards the Cross, the culmination of his mission of salvation. If we ask ourselves: “Why Lent? Why the Cross?”, the answer in radical terms is this: because evil exists, indeed sin, which according to the Scriptures is the profound cause of all evil. However this affirmation is far from being taken for granted and the very word “sin” is not accepted by many because it implies a religious vision of the world and of the human being.

In fact it is true: if God is eliminated from the world’s horizon, one cannot speak of sin. As when the sun is hidden, shadows disappear. Shadows only appear if the sun is out; hence the eclipse of God necessarily entails the eclipse of sin. Therefore the sense of sin — which is something different from the “sense of guilt” as psychology understands it — is acquired by rediscovering the sense of God. This is expressed by the Miserere Psalm, attributed to King David on the occasion of his double sin of adultery and homicide: “Against you”, David says, addressing God, “against you only have I sinned” (Ps 51(50):6).

In the face of moral evil God’s attitude is to oppose sin and to save the sinner. God does not tolerate evil because he is Love, Justice and Fidelity; and for this very reason he does not desire the death of the sinner but wants the sinner to convert and to live. To save humanity God intervenes: we see him throughout the history of the Jewish people, beginning with the liberation from Egypt. God is determined to deliver his children from slavery in order to lead them to freedom. And the most serious and profound slavery is precisely that of sin. 

For this reason God sent his Son into the world: to set men and women free from the domination of Satan, “the origin and cause of every sin”. God sent him in our mortal flesh so that he might become a victim of expiation, dying for us on the Cross. The Devil opposed this definitive and universal plan of salvation with all his might, as is shown in particular in the Gospel of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness which is proclaimed every year on the First Sunday of Lent. In fact, entering this liturgical season means continuously taking Christ’s side against sin, facing — both as individuals and as Church — the spiritual fight against the spirit of evil each time.



- Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, First Sunday of Lent, 13 March 2011

Have you gone beyond self-denial?

You ask: “What has happened to Lent?”. Going to some small extent without food does not, you think, mean much, at a time when so many of our brothers and sisters are victims of war of disasters and are undergoing such suffering, both physically and morally.

Fasting concerns personal asceticism, which is always necessary; but the Church asks the baptized to mark this liturgical season in yet another way.

For us, in fact, Lent must mean something: it must show the world that the whole People of God, because it is made up of sinners, is preparing in Penance to re-live liturgically Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. This public collective witness derives from the spirit of Penance of each individual, and it also leads us to deepen this inward attitude and to strengthen our motivation for it.

Going without things does not consist only of giving away what we do not need; sometimes it also consists of giving away what we do need, like the widow in the Gospel who knew that what she was giving away was already a gift to her from God. Going without things is to free oneself from the slaveries of a civilization that is always urging people on to greater comfort and consumption, without a thought even for the preservation of our environment, which is the common heritage of humanity.

Are you perhaps still standing idle in the market place because no one has called you to work? The vineyard of Christian Charity is short of workers; the Church is calling you to it. Do not wait until it is too late to help Christ in prison or without clothing, Christ persecuted or a refugee, Christ who is hungry or without a roof. Help our brothers and sisters who lack the bare necessities to escape from inhuman conditions and to reach true human advancement.



- Pope John Paul II, Message for Lent 1979

Combatting temptations with fasting, prayer, and almsgiving

According to an ancient tradition, on the first Sunday of Lent we listen to the story about the temptation of Jesus in the desert (Mt 4:1-11), just as we heard today. But we can ask ourselves, why do we begin Lent this way with the story of the temptations? According to the Curé of Ars, the reason for this is to show us that one of the purposes of Lent is to give us a time to combat evil more than we usually do. In a similar way, St. Benedict, in his Rule for monasteries, says that the entire life of the monk should be a sort of Lent, but because we don’t have the strength to do it [all year], then it’s necessary to compensate for our carelessness during the rest of the year during the actual season of Lent.

But now, let’s analyze the Gospel passage in a more detailed way. Three temptations are presented. The Gospel describes the first temptation: “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry. And the tempter coming said to Him: ‘If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread’” (Mt 4:2-3). This temptation is easily understood. Jesus was hungry, and the devil wanted him to work a miracle to satisfy his hunger. In fact, in another place, Jesus performs the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and of the fish, apparently to satisfy the crowd’s hunger. Thus, it might seem that there would be nothing wrong if he performed such a miracle for himself. But the devil wanted to lead Christ by his natural desire of food to abuse his power of performing miracles, that is, by performing a wonder without a proportionate reason.

The second temptation seems less understandable, and the thing which the devil suggests is worse. “If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down” (Mt 4:6). The idea is that he will be miraculously saved, and this will show more clearly that He is the Son of God. It’s obvious, however, that there isn’t a true reason to do such a thing, and therefore the temptation makes even less sense.

The third temptation is even worse, even if the devil promises the greatest result. “All these”, that is all the kingdoms in the world, “will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me” (Mt 4:9). The devil knows that there is no reason to adore him, and therefore he must offer everything in order to convince a person to do so.

We can compare these temptations with the traditional good works of Lent, that is, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. With fasting, we are able to curb the appetite for food, working against the first temptation. With prayer, we recognize our dependence on God, but without presumption, working against the second temptation. The relationship between almsgiving and the third temptation is perhaps less evident, but looking at almsgiving as a result of charity, which is the love of God, then we see that the thing which is most contrary to charity, and in this sense, to almsgiving, is precisely adoring the devil. In this way, from the temptations themselves we can understand the means to combat them, that is, with the works of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

And in conclusion, in today’s text we find another suggestion on how to live a fruitful Lent. Jesus responds to every temptation with a citation from Sacred Scripture. From this we can understand the importance that Sacred Scripture assumes in our personal conflict against temptation. We monks have Lectio Divina, and during Lent, we are called to dedicate ourselves even more fully to this practice. For other people, for example, for those who are not used to reading Sacred Scripture regularly, it would be a great idea to begin doing this during this season of Lent this year, maybe even reading for fifteen minutes a day, and thus find a way to help in the practice of virtue and in the struggle against temptation. At any rate, in all of our Lenten practices, let us ask for God’s help to persevere and bring them to completion.



Thanks to Fr Thomas Bolin, OSB, The Monks of Norcia

Contemplating the Dust and Ashes of Life and Lent

Our Lent has begun with the injunctions to "Turn away from sin and believe in the Good News" and to "remember that we are dust."

We don't expect children to think a lot about death, but as we grow older, and aches and pains begin to crowd our agenda, and loved ones pass away, it is natural to think about one's own passage from life. Recently, I attended several wake services close together, and then the funeral of a confrere -- a respected seminary teacher. Each of these deaths affected me differently.

Several of the individuals were only casual acquaintances -- but at the funeral home I heard wonderful stories of a friend, spouse, hospice volunteer. Accounts of courageous suffering, gentle acceptance and faith were exchanged as loved ones gathered. At the wake of my deceased mother's best friend, I was moved to think of how the bonds of friendship transcend life and death, coming to rest in heaven.

Finally, at the memorial Mass for my Franciscan brother who taught me moral theology and helped to shape my ministry as a friar, we heard of his dying prayer. "Lord Jesus, come when you are ready, and make me ready when you come!"

All these experiences flavor my own Lent this year. Because of these stories and examples of faith, the thought of death makes it a bit easier to contemplate the fact that we all "are dust and unto dust we shall return!"

Have a blessed Lent!



Thanks to Fr Greg Friedman, OFM of Franciscan Media.

Lenten Fasting or Feasting?

Is Lent about fasting or feasting? Maybe the two are related, says this commentary on the story of the barren fig tree from the gospel of Luke chapter 13. Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. Three inter-related fertilizers for Roman Catholics and all Christians which help barren fig trees bear fruit.

Some think Lent is a time for fasting. I see it as a time of feasting.

I come to this conclusion based on the story of the fig tree in Luke 13. Three years without bearing fruit. What could be the problem? The owner figures that it is simply a dud and wants to cut it down. The vinedresser, a little more in touch with nature, comes to a different conclusion.  Maybe all that is needed to turn things around is a bit of fertilizer.

Lent is a time to examine our diet and make some changes. First, let’s cut the junk food from the diet so we are not so bloated. It could be the chips, fries, burgers, and cokes that drain our pocketbooks and make us lethargic. Or it could be too many hours of radio, TV, and the web which fill our heads with so much noise that we can’t sit still, quiet down and listen to God. Let’s turn it all off for a while.

Yes, this is fasting. But the goal is to save our appetite so that we can feast on other things such as the Word of God. When’s the last time you sat down and read an entire book of the bible, from start to finish? (If not all in one sitting, over the course of a few days). Exodus makes for a good Lenten read, since I Cor 10 tells us that Israel’s odyssey was for our sake, to provide an example. When was the last time you identified a short, poignant Bible text and memorized it, repeating it daily, even several times a day, meditating on it, applying it to various aspects of your life?

How about the Eucharist, the greatest nourishment of all? Lent is a great time to go more often, even daily. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass is like stimulating the appetite before the meal (aperitif) or taking time to digest it afterwards (digestif). Either way, adoration helps us derive more benefit from our Eucharistic feast.

Then there is the time we devote to entertainment. Could we not redirect some of those hours to entertainment that nourishes our spiritual life? Mel Gibson’s film on the Lord’s passion was released on Ash Wednesday, 2004 for a reason. It is offered as a Lenten meditation to help us understand the shocking consequences of sin and the astounding Love that lays down his life for his friends. Get some folks together and watch this powerful film on DVD. If you fear the violence of The Passion of the Christ would be too much for you, rent Franco Zeffirili's "Jesus of Nazareth" and watch it with family and friends. If you prefer books, read the life of a saint or the provocative religious fiction of an author such as CS Lewis.

Finally, one of the most spiritually nourishing and energizing experiences of all is giving of ourselves. We call it almsgiving. It is in giving that we receive, says the Prayer of St. Francis. If we save money from fasting, let’s give it away. There are the corporal works of mercy such as feeding the hungry. Then there are the spiritual works of mercy, such as feeding the spiritually hungry, the millions of inactive and nominal Christians and unchurched people that starve to death for lack of the Word of God. Soup kitchens and evangelization ministries both need our support.

Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. Three inter-related fertilizers to help the barren fig tree bear fruit. But keep in mind the owner's directive– fertilize it for a year, and if we see no results, fetch the axe. So no more excuses. No more procrastinating. Let’s vow to make this Lent count. There may not be another.



Thanks to Dr Marcellino D'Ambrosio of Crossroads Initiative.

Inspired Leadership

In the Book of Jonah (3:1-10), the King of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s warning of impending doom, proclaimed a fast, and led his subjects in an act of public submission to the Lord. And so the city was saved.

When he was Chancellor of England, St Thomas More told Cardinal Thomas Wolsey that their nation would greatly benefit if political and religious leaders depended more on God to govern them. In more recent times, here in my home state of Louisiana, two governors followed the lead of the ancient Ninevite king and put More’s philosophy to work. Both governors, in times of great need, proclaimed days of prayer for Louisiana, urging its people to humble themselves before God Who alone could rescue them. In both cases, the effects of disasters decreased, and stability was once again the order of the day.

Let us ask the Lord to inspire public officials to forego political correctness and recognise Him as our Source. We also ask the Lord to guide us whenever we act in the position of leadership, that we may look to Him as others look to us.



Thanks to Bonnie Taylor Barry for Our Sunday Visitor.

Fasting: a means of grace

The following sermon came from Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman. I hope it moves you to celebrate Lent with greater intent and purpose:

The season of humiliation, which precedes Easter, lasts for forty days, in memory of our Lord's long fast in the wilderness. Accordingly on this day, the first Sunday in Lent, we read the Gospel which gives an account of it; and in the Collect we pray Him, who for our sakes fasted forty days and forty nights, to bless our abstinence to the good of our souls and bodies.

We fast by way of penitence, and in order to subdue the flesh. Our Saviour had no need of fasting for either purpose. His fasting was unlike ours, as in its intensity, so in its object. And yet when we begin to fast, His pattern is set before us; and we continue the time of fasting till, in number of days, we have equalled His. There is a reason for this;--in truth, we must do nothing except with Him in our eye. As He it is, through whom alone we have the power to do any good thing, so unless we do it for Him it is not good. From Him our obedience comes, towards Him it must look. He says, "Without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). No work is good without grace and without love.

This is what it is to be one of Christ's little ones ... to be possessed by His presence as our life, our strength, our merit, our hope, our crown; to become in a wonderful way His members, the instruments, or visible form, or sacramental sign, of the One Invisible Ever-Present Son of God, mystically reiterating in each of us all the acts of His earthly life, His birth, consecration, fasting, temptation, conflicts, victories, sufferings, agony, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension; He being all in all, we, with as little power in ourselves, as little excellence or merit, as the water in Baptism, or the bread and wine in Holy Communion, yet strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. These are the thoughts with which we celebrated Christmas and Epiphany, these are the thoughts which must accompany us through Lent. Yes, even in our penitential exercises, when we could least have hoped to find a pattern in Him, Christ has gone before us to sanctify them to us. He has blessed fasting as a means of grace, in that He has fasted; and fasting is only acceptable when it is done for His sake.

- From A Sermon for the First Sunday of Lent

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me” (Mt 18:5)

[Jesus said], “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me” (Mt 18:5). [We are invited] to reflect on the condition of children. Today Jesus continues to call them to himself and to set them as an example to all those who wish to be his disciples. Jesus’ words call upon us to see how children are treated in our families, in civil society, and in the Church. They are also an incentive to rediscover the simplicity and trust which believers must cultivate in imitation of the Son of God, who shared the lot of the little ones and the poor. Saint Clare of Assisi loved to say that Christ, “lay in a manger, lived in poverty on the earth and died naked on the Cross.” (Testament, Franciscan Sources, No. 2841).

Jesus had a particular love for children because of “their simplicity, their joy of life, their spontaneity, and their faith filled with wonder” (Angelus Message, 18 December 1994). For this reason he wishes the community to open its arms and its heart to them, even as he did: “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me” (Mt 18:5). Alongside children Jesus sets the “very least of the brethren:” the suffering, the needy, the hungry and thirsty, strangers, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned. In welcoming them and loving them, or in treating them with indifference and contempt, we show our attitude towards him, for it is in them that he is particularly present.

In the years of his public life Jesus often insisted that only those who become like children will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Mt 18:3; Mk 10:15; Lk 18:17; Jn 3:3). In his teaching, young children become a striking image of the disciple who is called to follow the divine Master with childlike docility: “Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 18:4).

“To become” one of the least and “to receive” the little ones: these are two aspects of a single teaching which the Lord repeats to his disciples in our time. Only the one who makes himself one of the “least” is able to receive with love the “least” of our brothers and sisters.



John Paul II, Message for Lent 2004

15 things to do when suffering

This past weekend Jeff Cavins gave a talk on the meaning of suffering. He ended the talk with a list of 15 things you can do to ensure that your suffering is not wasted but joined to Christ, thus becoming powerful. Jeff put up his list on his blog.

Since we're in this period of practising self-denial, we're bound to suffer in some form. I think it's good then, for us to think about this list, and put it into practice. May you come to know the love that is hidden in suffering.

1. Understand that we have been called to participate in the redemption of the world. Col. 1:24; Rom. 8:28
2. Entrust yourself to God. 1 Peter 4:19
3. Unite your will with the will of Christ through prayer. Matthew 26:39
4. Realize that Jesus will not allow you to go through something that you can't handle. 1 Cor. 10:13
5. Embrace the suffering, conscious of the fact that God's grace is available, active and effective. 2 Cor. 12:9
6. Go to confession. Focus on eliminating sin, which weakens your relationship with Jesus. Hebrews 12:1
7. Participate on the paten during Mass. Offer you suffering up to God. CCC 1350
8. Avoid illegitimate suffering. Do not draw attention to yourself. Matthew 6:5-6
9. Think of others and offer your suffering for them. 1 Cor. 1:6
10. Actively love by doing what is right according to your vocation. CCC 518,1604
11. Pray the Rosary - Walk the passion of Christ with Our Lady. Concerning the rosary, remember "it beats the rhythm of human life..." Pope John Paul II
12. Study the Saints, many of them suffered and overcame great obstacles. CCC 313, 828, 1195
13. Rejoice that you can share in the redemption of the world. 1 Peter 4:13
14. Keep an eternal perspective. Ecc. 3:11; Matt. 6:19-20; Rom. 8:17
15. Trust God for the fruit of your suffering. 1 Cor. 3:7-8; Heb. 11:26

The Great Temptation

The Temptation of Jesus Christ in the Desert is our meditation on the first Sunday of Lent. As we remember how the first Adam failed the test and succumbed to temptation, we rejoice that Jesus Christ, the New Adam, triumphed over the deceiver and celebrate that we, sons and daughters of the same heavenly Father, can also win the battle against temptation and deception and be free.

As I crossed the great divide of puberty, I formed a vivid image of God. He was a grumpy old man with a frown on his face. Every time anyone tried to have a little fun, he’d shout “Thou shalt not!”

But to really live and not just exist, you had to do the daring, “sinful” things. What the Bible calls “sin” is where the action is.

This is what I was taught in the movies I watched and the books I read. It’s what I heard in the locker room and in the checkout line, from men and women, young and old. Everybody appeared to accept this as an unquestioned matter of fact.

Behind this widespread perception lay a very successful propaganda campaign unparalleled in the history of humanity. In fact it goes back to the very beginnings of humanity. To the Garden.

Think of it for a minute. The triune God, completely sufficient in Himself and needing nothing, decides to create paradise out of chaos in an act of sheer generosity. He creates creatures of all shapes and sizes, and sets, as caretakers of them all, a couple created in God’s own image and likeness, with intellect and will, freedom and responsibility. Their assigned activity is to love one another intimately, to walk daily with God in the cool of the evening, and simply enjoy Paradise. Any duties? Sort of. They had to tend the garden, which was virtually maintenance-free since neither thorn nor thistle, drought nor Japanese beetle had as yet arrived on the scene. And there was one more thing–to avoid eating the fruit of a particular tree, since it would kill them. But how hard was that, given all the other luscious fruit available in the garden?

Then appears a slithering reptile who had given them absolutely nothing. But now he has the nerve to give them advice. “Did God say you’d die if you ate this fruit? Nonsense! He only said that because eating this fruit would make you his equal, and he can’t bear that. You see, he created you to enslave you. He wants to keep you under his foot. He’s keeping the best for himself. You listen to him and you’ll be missing out on real life. You’ll be dorks forever.”

Thus began the deceptive advertising campaign that lasts till this day, the glamorization of death. For that truly is what sin is about, and that’s why God says “thou shall not.” He is not a crabby prude, but a loving Father. He knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us better than we love ourselves. So he does what every parent does. “Don’t touch the stove, you’ll get burnt.” “Don’t play at the top of the stairs–you’ll fall and break your neck.”

Our first parents believed the liar instead of the Father. They fell and broke their relationship with God and shattered the innocent intimacy they had with one another. Their family fragmented as soon as it started with Cain killing Abel. Thorns and thistles appeared, Paradise was lost, and death came into the world.

Lent begins with the memory of how the first head of the human family buckled under the pressure of the lies. But more importantly, we remember two how the new Adam went another round with the deceiver and vanquished him through the power of the Word of God.

Our task during these forty days is to examine our lives in light of God’s Word and see where we’ve allowed darkness to creep in, where we’ve taken the bait of the diabolical fisher of men. It’s time to use the sword of the spirit to cut through his web of deception, to free ourselves from the net that holds us as prey.

That is why Lent is called a joyful season of freedom. The purple color of repentance is also the color of royalty–it’s the time to recognize our true identity and claim our true birthright as free sons and daughters of a loving Father who happens to be the King of the Universe.


Thanks to Dr Marcellino D'Ambrosio of Crossroads Initiative.

Abundance and emptiness

"Just something interesting that came to mind yesterday at Mass. In the garden of eden, Adam & Eve had abundance, and yet they still fell for temptation. Jesus was in the wilderness with nothing, and he was hungry. Yet he was able to resist the temptation to turn stones into bread. Our Lenten sacrifices remind us that no matter how much we accumulate, it will never be enough. It is in letting go, and turning to God, that we realise how these things can slowly block God from our lives."

- Terence Kesavan on the Quadragesima 2011 Wall.

The Person of Jesus Christ: "I AM" (Jn 8:58)

Jesus is not merely a man who shows us a "way" along which we may travel, as if one path is as good as another; nor does he simply utter a "truth" which we may or may not accept; nor does he merely talk of a manner in which we may find "life," as if it is one item among others which we might gather up and store away for ourselves. Rather, the Person of Jesus himself is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). It is not as if Jesus has gathered these gifts from outside of himself, and then simply passes them on to us for our own benefit. It is the Person of Jesus, the Son of the living God, who is the Gift. Christ is Life Itself.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoting from Sts. Irenaeus, Athanasius and Aquinas, explains the manner in which we share in the gift of God's own life: "The Word became flesh to make us 'partakers of the divine nature' (see 2 Pt 1:4): For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God. For the Son of God became man so that we might become God. The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods" (No. 460).

When St. Athanasius wrote that "the Son of God became man so that we might become God," it is to be understood in the sense that, through Christ's salvific and redemptive act, we are graced by virtue of Baptism with a share in the divine life of God. Nevertheless, it is the Person of Jesus who calls us to enter into communion with himself, and thus receive the Gift of himself, that we might become a son of God and share in his Divinity. As our Holy Father reminds us, Lent is a journey into God, it is a way of travel not to some "place," but into a state of existence infused with supernatural life -- what we term as sanctifying grace.

Yet the lenten journey is not simply walking in "some" subjective direction. Rather, it is a specific direction in which we ourselves, body and soul, accompany Jesus, truly existing in and through him, at one with him. It is an existential action, formed in the fires of passionate love, in which we fervently and truly commend our spirits unto Christ. Our own life is our gift, however small it is, given back to the limitless Gift Himself: our Savior who poured out his own blood upon the wood of the cross: the forever infinite and incomparable gift to humankind.



Thanks to F. K. Bartels, Catholic Online
See article here.

Sundays of Lent

Since this is the first Sunday of Lent, I thought I'd throw open your thoughts on Sundays in Lent.

Lent is a period of practising self-denial, and learning to depend on God. Sunday, is the Lord's Day, where we celebrate our Lord's resurrection - indeed, His resurrection completes his saving task on earth. Because of the resurrection, we can celebrate Lent, knowing what happens at the end of the story.

Would you prefer to celebrate Lent and all your abstinences, or would you prefer to take a break on Sundays, and go back to your 'normal life'?

Mary DeTurris Poust of Our Sunday Visitor, shares how she and her husband-to-be differed on this. It's not something detrimental to our faith, but it's a good thing to consider. Take a read and tell me what you think:

Growing up in a traditional Catholic household, where my mother in particular was very careful to keep Church rules and even incorporated a few rules of her own (Thanksgiving was a holy day of obligation for our family), I never thought twice about the fact that we did not count the Sundays of Lent when we decided what we were going to give up for the season.

When Sunday rolled around, we'd have the opportunity to eat sweets or eat in between meals or do whatever it was we had sacrificed all the other days of Lent. (Being Irish and Italian, we also took off on St. Patrick's Day and St. Joseph's Day.)

Then I met my husband, who looked at me as if I was insane when I explained this Lenten tradition to him. Take Sundays off? It didn't seem to be in keeping with the spirit of Lent, not to mention the rules.

But, as you know, if you add up the days of Lent, the big 4-0 does not include Sundays. Why? Because the Church views Sunday as a celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, not a day for fasting. Every Sunday is a mini-Easter, even during Lent. So, my family carried that resurrection theme into all of Sunday, not just the Mass portion. And to this day, I consider Sunday a day to break from the fast. When my children say they are going to give up sweets except on Sundays, I'm all for it. It makes Sunday special, as it should be.

How does it work at your house? Do you include Sundays in your Lenten fast? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Here's what I think.