The Sacrament of Penance, popularly called “confession” and recently redubbed the “Rite of Reconciliation,” seems to have undergone a sea change in the last generation. But the difference is form, not substance. The name “Penance” focuses on what we must do to reform our lives. “Confession” emphasizes the need to be honest about what makes such change necessary. “Reconciliation” underscores the purpose of the sacrament: to restore our friendship with God. All of these names point to the same sacramental…

Why do I only stumble upon that lost and forgotten candy bar on Ash Wednesday?  I feel like those old cartoons of the man on the desert island who starts to see his friends like a pot roast.  Even my key chain looks yummy.  We have entered into Lent, our communal retreat in preparation for Easter.  Fasting and abstinence mark Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  No-meat Fridays, Stations of the Cross and a parish-wide faith renewal are upon us. Why…

 The gospel tells us that the magi found Christ “on entering the house.” The door to your home is a holy threshold. You can bless those who come in and go out by inscribing above the door in chalk the first two numbers of the year+C+M+B+the last two numbers of the year. Tradition tells us that the letters stand for the names of the magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Adolph Adam points out that it may also mean “Christus mansionem…