Reflection Starter from Pope Francis

"Every Christian community should be an oasis of charity and warmth in the midst of a desert of solitude and indifference." - Pope Francis

Team s from Vermont and Maine Place in Snow Sculpting Competitions

Snow sculpting teams from Vermont and Maine did well in recent snow sculpting competitions.

Team Vermont achieved first place at the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, and Team Maine achieved fifth place at the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Media reports:

KCNC-TV: USA Wins Gold At International Snow Sculpture Championships In Breckenridge (1 FEB 16)

Burlington Free Press: Vermont team wins international snow-sculpture event in Colorado (2 FEB 16)

Bangor Daily News: 'Crying Wolf' pays off for Maine snow sculpture team at nationals (12 FEB 16)

Background information:

Breckenridge Resort Chamber: Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships

U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition

Facebook: United States National Snow Sculpting

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings/opportunities You are offering us as we participate in the holy season of Lent.

Mark Shea on God's Gift of Lent

"Many of my Protestant friends are uncomfortable with Lent. 'It's all about mortification and self-discipline when we know that the Risen Jesus is joyful and alive!' they say. 'We don't need to mortify ourselves to please God. That's why Jesus died for us, so we don't have be 'good enough'. Moreover, Catholics call it a 'holy season' and Paul says in Colossians 2:16-17 that we shouldn't observe any day as special. So hasn't the Church disobeyed the Bible by doing the Lenten thing?'

"Before we talk about Lent as a supposed way of 'being good enough' for God, let's begin with this last objection first: that the Lenten season is somehow unbiblical. Now with all due respect, this seems to me to miss the whole point, not only of Paul's warning in Colossians, but of being a human being. For consider how we behave in all the areas of life we don't stick in the religion bin for special treatment.

"We observe birthdays and anniversaries, for instance. Are we denying God's word in doing so? Or are we simply doing what all humans do when they have occasion to celebrate or honor something? Likewise, we observe anniversaries, National Save-the-Endangered-Squid Week, Mother's Day and moments of silence for victims of the Challenger disaster. Why? Because a basic human way of honoring and loving something is to set aside a span of time in reserve for it. It's why we have story times for our kids and romantic times with our spouses and quiet times with God. It wouldn't be the same without such a time of focused attention.

"Now Lent is a 40 day quiet time in which we are called to do nothing more or other than focus on the sufferings of Jesus in same way. Just as birthdays cause us to zero in on the happy occasion of birth and the remembrance of November 22, 1963 gives us pause to contemplate the life and death of President Kennedy, so Lent calls us to attend carefully to the Christ Who denies himself for our sakes, goes into the wilderness and confronts evil in preparation for his great saving work. . . ."

In a recent commentary, writer Mark Shea reflects on how Lent is a good time for reflection on the saving work of Jesus and on how we can better follow Him.

To access Mark's complete post, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Mark Shea: God's Gift of Lent (10 FEB 16)

Reflection Starter from Abraham Lincoln

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." – Abraham Lincoln

World Day of the Sick

Today, the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Church observes the 24th World Day of the Sick. The theme for this year is "Entrusting Oneself to the Merciful Jesus like Mary: 'Do whatever he tells you'" (John 2:5). World Day of the Sick is a time, in the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, to "to reflect upon the mystery of suffering and above all to make our communities and civil society more sensitive to our sick brothers and sisters."

To access Pope Francis’ message for this year's observance of World Day of the Sick, please visit:

Message of Pope Francis for the 24th World Day of the Sick 2016

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of light as it reflects off Your creation as the sun rises.

Br. Timothy Danaher, O.P., on Silence During Lent

"Imagine that the ghost of Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, appeared to you in a dream. So you ask him, 'Sir, what do you suggest I do for Lent this year? I'm already late in choosing.' Before vanishing, he might reply solemnly with his famous words:

'If I were a physician, and if I were allowed to prescribe just one remedy for all the ills of the modern world, I would prescribe silence. For even if the Word of God were proclaimed in the modern world, how could one hear it with so much noise? Therefore, create silence.'

"How much silence do you have in your life? That question is directly connected to the impatience, anxiety, and distraction we feel on a daily basis.

"Silence is an age-old secret - not even exclusively Christian - with enormous benefits."

In a recent commentary, Brother Timothy Danaher, O.P., reflected on the value of silence as a spiritual practice during the holy season of Lent.

To access Br. Timothy's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: A Silent Lent (11 FEB 16)

Reflection Starter from Thomas Edison

“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” – Thomas A. Edison

On Celebrities Who Are Catholic

"The Lenten season is upon us, as the world's Catholics are observing Ash Wednesday and giving up one or two (or three...) vices for the proceeding 40 days. . . .

"Among them are celebrities who you might not have known grew up in -- and, for some, even still practice -- the faith."

As the Church observes Ash Wednesday, the Stamford, CT, Advocate is offering a photo article (in the "Entertainment" section) highlighting a number of actors, politicians, musicians, sports figures and other celebrities who are or have been Roman Catholic.

To access the complete article, please visit:

Stamford Advocate: Celebrities who you might not have known are Catholic (10 FEB 16)

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the holy season of Lent. The assigned readings are Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 51 (Psalm 51: 3-6, 12-14, 17).

The Gospel reading is as follows:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Reflections on today's observance:

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: Ash Wednesday (February 10, 2016)

Community in Mission: How Real Are Your Ashes? Five Meanings of the Ashes We Receive Today (9 FEB 16)

Deacon Greg Kandra: "Fixer Upper": Homily for February 10, 2016, Ash Wednesday (9 FEB 16)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many opportunities to encounter You as we live each day.