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Showing posts with label the invitation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the invitation. Show all posts

Monday, February 2, 2026

Septuagesima Sunday Means the Final Goodbye to Christmas and Turns Our Faces To Lent

Yesterday was Septuagesima Sunday when we fully turn our faces from the celebration of Christmas to the Suffering of Lent. Over the weekend I finally took down the creche and the Christmas tree -- reluctantly. With all the frigid weather, the lights spread a cheery glow in our dining room at every meal spreading warmth, if not to the body to the soul. 

Thursday, January 8, 2026

The Invitation: A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

A reader in the UK who requires 24-hour care sent me this delightful little picture drawn by one of her care givers. Catherine shared with me that she has a condition that makes it very painful to look up, so she gets the constant view of people's feet. Imagine not being able to look up at the sky, not to see the sunrise or sunset or a rainbow. What a gift a colorful garden would be to someone forced always to look at the ground. 

Most of us complain about the most trivial things. But suppose Christ invited us to share in Catherine's condition or the sufferings of St. Margaret of Costello, the little blind, humpbacked beggar abandoned by her highborn parents who kept her hidden away for years before they threw her away.

I often imagine myself at the foot of the cross with my arms wrapped around it to anchor me. Then I kiss the feet of Jesus and beg for His help. What is Christ's invitation to us this morning on eighth day of this new year? Come, Lord Jesus.