Catholic Fire

Let us give thanks to God the Father for his gift of the season of Lent, which starts today. We pray that during this holy time he may fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit and thus purify them and make them steadfast in love: - Lord, give us your Holy Spirit. May we be fed and satisfied by every word that comes from your mouth. Although we long to perform grand and magnificent acts of love, may we still take all the tiny opportunities for love that each day brings. Give us the gift of abstaining from excess, so that we can give more to our poorer brethren. May we carry your Son’s death around in our bodies: for through his body you have given us life. (Taken from The Morning Prayer)

"Lent is the time for entering into oneself. It is the period of the particular intimacy with God in the secrecy of one’s own heart and conscience… Lent is essentially an invitation to conversion." ~ Pope John Paul II It's that time of year again -- the time of both internal and external recollection that we are setting out on a journey. On Ash Wednesday, the ashes placed on our forehead invite us to begin a new journey of repentance. They invite us to turn again to God and to receive new life. Once again, we are called to let God penetrate deeper into our lives, for indeed, turning back to Him with our whole hearts is a submission to His holy will. Lent is a time when we permit God to purify our hearts allow Him to unite our wills with His. I love Lent because it is a time of interior spring cleaning and obtaining new strength and great graces from God. This is the time of year to take a good look inside of myself and take inventory. What bad habit or sin can I work on ...

Optional Memorial of St. Frances of Rome, Religious Patron of: automobile drivers, cab or taxi drivers, death of children, lay people, motorists, people ridiculed for their piety, Roman housewives, widows. Friday of the Second Week in Lent - Reflection & Prayer Today in Catholic History 395 St. Gregory of Nyssa , Cappadocian father and bishop, died (b. ca. 335). Birthdays 1568 - Aloysius Gonzaga , Italian saint (d.1591 ) 1856 - Eddie Foy , American singer and dancer (d. 1928) 1900 - Howard Aiken , American computing pioneer (d. 1973 ) 1932 - Keely Smith , American singer 1986 - Brittany Snow , American actress

Tuesday, Second Week of Lent Lenten Reflection and Prayer for Today Today in Catholic History 1447 - Nicholas V becomes Pope. Birthdays 1475- Michelangelo , Italian artist (d. 1564) 1806 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning , British poet (d. 1861) 1906 - Lou Costello , American actor comedian (d.1959) 1923 - Ed McMahon , American television personality 1927- Gordon Cooper , astronaut (d. 2004) 1968 - Moira Kelly , American actress

Monday of the Second Week in Lent Lenten Reflection and Prayer for the Second Week in Lent Today in Catholic History Saint Theophilus (†195) was Bishop of Caesaria Palestina. He is commemerated on March 5. 308 Saint Adrian died. 308 Saint Olivia died. 1179 Pope Alexander III (1100/05–1181) convoked the Third Lateran Council . Attended by three hundred bishops, it gave the college of cardinals the exclusive right to elect the pope (by a two-thirds majority) and enacted measures against the Waldensians and Albigensians. 1545 The Council of Trent was called by Pope Paul III (1468–1549). Birthdays 1869- Michael von Faulhaber , German cardinal and archbishop (d. 1952 ) 1939- Samantha Eggar , English actress 1954 - Marsha Warfield , American actress, comedienne 1973 - Ryan Franklin , American baseball player 1974 - Eva Mendes , American actress