Home / Archive by category "Reflect and Learn" (Page 2)

Reflect and Learn

The Liturgical Season of Advent

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
The liturgical season of Advent marks the time of spiritual preparation by the faithful before Christmas. Advent begins on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (Nov. 30). It spans four Sundays and four weeks of preparation, although the last week of Advent is usually truncated because of when Christmas falls. (For instance, this year, the fourth Sunday of Advent is obviously o...
Read More

Moment of Death

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
What happens when we die? At the moment of death, the immortal soul separates from the mortal body, and every person undergoes the Particular Judgment in which Christ immediately judges the person for the choices and actions he or she made in life and whether or not he or she has died in God’s grace and friendship. As St. John of the Cross wrote, “At the evening of life, we shall be judged on o...
Read More

O Cross of Christ!

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
Text from the Pope's intense prayer after the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross)... O Cross of Christ, symbol of divine love and of human injustice, icon of the supreme sacrifice for love and of boundless selfishness even unto madness, instrument of death and the way of resurrection, sign of obedience and emblem of betrayal, the gallows of persecution and the banner of victory. O Cross of Chr...
Read More

Giving Something Up for Lent

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
Q: Why is giving up something for Lent such a salutary custom? A: By denying ourselves something we enjoy, we discipline our wills so that we are not slaves to our pleasures. Just as indulging the pleasure of eating leads to physical flabbiness and, if this is great enough, an inability to perform in physically demanding situations, indulging in pleasure in general leads to spiritual flabbiness...
Read More

Why is Lent 40 Days Long?

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
Because forty days is a traditional number of discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible. Thus Moses stayed on the Mountain of God forty days (Exodus 24:18 and 34:28), the spies were in the land for forty days (Numbers 13:25), Elijah traveled forty days before he reached the cave where he had his vision (1 Kings 19:8), Nineveh was given forty days to repent (Jonah 3:4), and most importantl...
Read More

40 Days of Lent

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
Lord! Who throughout these forty days,For us did fast and pray,Teach us with Thee to mourn our sins,And close by Thee to stay. Traditionally, Lent has been a time dedicated to the remembering of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert to prepare for his ministry. It is a season of repentance and hope for church members. Like springtime itself, each Lenten season can be a time...
Read More

Lenten Prayer for Spiritual Renewal

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
God, heavenly Father, look upon me and hear my prayer during this holy Season of Lent. By the good works You inspire, help me to discipline my body and to be renewed in spirit. Without You I can do nothing. By Your Spirit help me to know what is right and to be eager in doing Your will. Teach me to find new life through penance. Keep me from sin, and help me live by Your commandment of lo...
Read More

The Feast of the Epiphany

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
Epiphany: A revelation, a proclamation. As so it is with the Feast of the Epiphany. It is the revelation of the Incarnation to the world beyond the Chosen People. It is a revelation to all the nations. This story found only in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:1-12) recounts this extraordinary story of strange visitors from the East, guided by a star, carrying precious gifts, and listening...
Read More

Christmas Reflection

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
Almighty God and Father of light, a child is born for us and a Son is given to us. Your eternal Word leaped down from heaven in the silent watches of the night, and now your Church is filled with wonder at the nearness of her God. Open our hearts to receive his life and increase our vision with the rising of dawn, that our lives may be filled with his glory and his peace, who lives and reigns for ...
Read More

Jubilee Year

Posted on by St. Ann's Webmaster
A Brief History of Jubilee Years (Sunday Visitor) Jubilee years can be found in the Old Testament where once very 50 years debts were forgiven and those who had been imprisoned from failure to pay debts were allowed to return to their land (see Lv 25:8-13). Jubilee years were a time of social and economic “salvation,” during which gaps between rich and poor could be lessened. The land was left fa...
Read More
Top