Aelred of Rievaulx, famous Cistercian monk and writer from the middle ages, once said “No medicine is more valuable, none more efficacious, none better suited to the cure of all our temporal ills than a friend to whom we may turn for consolation in time of trouble, and with whom we may share our happiness in time of joy.” Those words point us ultimately to friend- ship with God through Jesus but also to the incarnated relationships that we have with others here on earth. From the very...

Happy Lent!! Many of you may find this revelation a bit odd, but I absolutely love the Lenten season! While most people dread the thought of giving up chocolate, coffee, soda, etc., and not eating meat, for me it's always been something that I've anticipated. Maybe it's because I'm naturally an introvert and prone to excessive introspection, but I think it's more that I love the idea of growing in holiness. It's a time that the Church gives me every year to stop and take an honest look at who...

Wow... it's hard to believe that Lent is here, a little earlier than normal... are you ready?? In a world that is obsessed with comfort and self-centeredness, the Church presents us with a very countercultural experience of sacrifice and self-denial. Lent shows us that following Jesus is not to choose the path of least resistance; it is to accept an invitation that stretches the soul. Jesus says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and...