Sunday, April 20, 2025
A Catholic Life Podcast: Episode 110

In today’s episode, on Easter Sunday, the most glorious all feastdays, I address the following:

  1. Customs for Easter Week: Food, Activities, Greetings, and More
  2. The Agnus Dei Sacramental
  3. The Easter Duty: What it is and when it may be fulfilled
  4. There is no incompatibility between abstinence and Pascaltide. Observe Friday Abstinence and even Saturday abstinence in Eastertide.

I would like to thank CatechismClass.com for sponsoring this episode.  CatechismClass.com, the leader in online Catholic catechism classes, has everything from online K-12 programs, RCIA classes, adult continuing education, marriage preparation, baptism preparation, confirmation prep, quince prep classes, catechist training courses, and much more. Use discount code Easter25 to save 25% off the Easter Season Course.


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Saturday, April 19, 2025
Traditional Catholic Easter Dinner

2018 Blessing of Easter Baskets at St. John Cantius

As the holiest of all Christian holy days, it is fitting that Easter is rife with customs. While cultures may vary in how they observed Easter, a unifying theme throughout is found in food. After having completed 40 days of fasting and 46 days of abstinence, Easter ushers in a period of fifty days where the faithful celebrate through various meats, eggs, dairy products, and other foods which were forbidden in Lent.

On Holy Saturday, the custom originated for the faithful to bring their Easter foods to church where the priest would bless them. The Roman Ritual provides a beautiful blessing of Easter food in the form of blessings of lamb, eggs, bread, and new produce. See Page 225 – 227 for a translation of the prayers in English.

Which foods are found in Easter baskets varied from culture to culture. In Slavic regions, ham was often the main dish because of its richness and serving it was a symbol of joy and abundance at Easter. But lamb and veal were found too. But in any case, the meats were often cooked together so as not to burden the cooks with too much preparation on such a great holy day. In Hungary, Easter is referred to as the "Feast of Meat" (Husvet), because the eating of meat resumes after the long fast of Lent.

As a consequence of having traditionally abstained from all butter, eggs, and cheese, these foods were often found in baskets as well. We see this first and foremost in the continued tradition of Easter Eggs. One truly appreciates Easter Eggs only after having forgone eggs for 46 days. After such a time, having an egg is truly a treat! Russian eggs are traditionally died red due to a story dating back to St. Mary Magdalene, but other cultures have chosen to paint even elaborate symbols on the eggs. 

And let us not forget cheese. As another item formerly forbidden in Lent, cheese is a great treat to those who have abstained from it for the 46 days of abstinence. The Russians would customarily make a custard type of cheese that was shaped into a ball. Known for its bland but sweet taste, it was meant to indicate that it is fitting that Christians should still engage in moderation and never gluttony even in Eastertide. And on this point, Fr. Goffine expresses similar rationale for why the Church enriches such customs with blessings from the Roman Ritual:

Why does the Church on this day bless eggs, bread, and meat? To remind the faithful that although the time of fasting is now ended, they should not indulge in gluttony, but thank God, and use their food simply for the necessary preservation of physical strength.

Russian Easter baskets will often feature salt as well as a reminder of our Lord’s own words in Matthew 5:13, which remind the Christian of his duty. And alongside these items is sometimes found horseradish, which symbolizes the passion of Christ yet, when mixed with sugar, helps us see how the Resurrection has sweetened the Passion of Christ.  Indeed, the details indicate to us how cultures valued and celebrated the Resurrection with intricate attention to detail. Even the butter in some baskets would be shaped into the figure of a small lamb or at least decorated in stick form with the image of a cross on the top.

This year, ask your priest to bless your Easter foods, even if it is a few days after Easter Sunday, and enjoy these worthwhile treats with your family as a reward for your abstinence this Lent.

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Friday, April 18, 2025
The 40 Hour Passion Fast and the Black Fast


The Strictness of Holy Week

The Passion Fast is a term which refers to the fast which began for some as early as sunset on Holy Thursday and as late as 8 AM on Good Friday. No one was allowed to eat any food during that time until sunset on Holy Saturday, which – since most fasted for Communion – extended until the morning on Easter Sunday. It was often called a “40 Hours Fast” and represents the original Lenten fast. For those who were too weak to follow this fast the minimum fast at this time was that of xerophagiae.

Xerophagiae is a diet of simple, dry, uncooked food, such as raw nuts, bread, fruits, and vegetables. Fish and oil are not part of it and neither are flesh nor animal products. It was a precept to fast on these only during Holy Week by custom and/or decree until approximately the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great (reigned 590 – 604 AD), who mentions nothing of it. It may still have been a custom at that time but no mention of it is made in the Decretals of Gregory IX published in 1234.

The Black Fast

A commonly misunderstood aspect of fasting is the “black fast.” Is the Passion Fast a Black Fast? Is it the only Black Fast? What is the true definition of a black fast? And what is it not? The Catholic Encyclopedia from 1907 answers as follows:

This form of fasting, the most rigorous in the history of church legislation, was marked by austerity regarding the quantity and quality of food permitted on fasting days as well as the time wherein such food might be legitimately taken. 

This is based in practice on the fasting done by the Early Church and the Apostles. In practice, there are three criteria that make a fast a “black fast” as the Encyclopedia identifies:

In the first place more than one meal was strictly prohibited. At this meal flesh meat, eggs, butter, cheese, and milk were interdicted (Gregory I, Decretals IV, cap. vi; Trullan Synod, Canon 56). Besides these restrictions, abstinence from wine, especially during Lent, was enjoined (Thomassin, Traité des jeûnes de l'Église, II, vii). Furthermore, during Holy Week the fare consisted of bread, salt, herbs, and water (Laymann, Theologia Moralis, Tr. VIII; De observatione jejuniorum, i). Finally, this meal was not allowed until sunset. St. Ambrose (De Elia et jejunio, sermo vii, in Psalm CXVIII), St. Chrysostom (Homil. iv in Genesim), St. Basil (Oratio i, De jejunio) furnish unequivocal testimony concerning the three characteristics of the black fast. 

Hence a black fast is one that meets these criteria:

1. Only one meal a day

2. Complete abstinence from all meat and animal products

3. The one meal may only be consumed after sunset.

Consequently, it is not a total abstinence from all food and drink whatsoever that makes a fast a “black fast”. And it also does not mean that one eats only bread. Vegetables are certainly allowed at the meal. And the Passion Fast is one such Black Fast

Want to learn more about the history of fasting and abstinence? Check out the Definitive Guide to Catholic Fasting and Abstinence.

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The Authenticity of the Shroud of Turin

Through the boldness and generosity of St. Joseph of Arimathea and St. Nicodemus, who sought the Body of Our Lord from Pilate (cf. John 19:38) despite the consequences they would suffer from the Jewish leaders, Our Lord’s Body was given a proper burial as the Scriptures affirm: “And Joseph taking the body, wrapped it up in a clean linen cloth. And laid it in his own new monument, which he had hewed out in a rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the monument and went his way” (Matt. 27:59-60). In imitation of the humility of the Lord, Who was buried in a simple linen cloth, the altar at Mass is likewise clothed in a simple linen cloth, as St. Bede the Venerable relates: “The Church's custom has prevailed for the sacrifice of the altar to be offered not upon silk, nor upon dyed cloth, but on linen of the earth; as the Lord's Body was buried in a clean winding-sheet.” 

Yet more than merely having a reference to it in the altar cloth, we are privileged to still have on this earth the actual burial cloth of Our Lord, which is known as the Shroud of Turin, since the holy relic has remained in the city of Turin, Italy for centuries. The Shroud of Turin has been subjected to a variety of rigorous examinations to confirm its authenticity using scientific methods, despite the rather obvious conclusion that the intricacy and detail on the Shroud could not have been created by Medieval or even modern technology. In fact, the Turin Shroud Center of Colorado has demonstrated that the fold marks found on the Shroud indicate it once resided in Constantinople in the 10th-11th centuries, in contrast to those who claim that the shroud was a 14th century forgery.  This corroborates the claim of historians who maintain that the Lord's burial cloth was in the possession of Byzantine emperors before the Sack of Constantinople in A.D. 1204. 

The Holy See remained silent on the Shroud until the middle of the 20th century when, in 1940, Sister Maria Pierina De Micheli obtained authorization from the Archdiocese of Milan to produce the Holy Face Medal with the image of the Holy Shroud. Pope Pius XII subsequently approved the image in 1958 in connection with devotion to the Holy Face and the Feast of the Holy Face, which he instituted to be said on Shrove Tuesday of each year in reparation for the offenses of Mardi Gras.  Further corroborating the approval of devotion to the Shroud is the celebration of the special feast in honor of the Most Holy Shroud of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Turin, which was observed on the Friday after the Second Sunday of Lent in Turin in the pre-1955 Roman Missal. 

Closer to our times, Pope Benedict XVI further expressed his own belief in the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin as the Lord’s own burial cloth by calling it “a truly mysterious image, which no human artistry was capable of producing. In some inexplicable way, it appeared imprinted upon cloth and claimed to show the true face of Christ, the crucified and risen Lord.”  Yet while the Church has officially not decreed that the Shroud of Turin is the actual burial cloth of the Lord, the scientific evidence of the Turin Center of Colorado points to this reality. As Holy Mother Church affirms in her actions, whether or not the cloth is authentic has no bearing on the validity of what Our Lord taught or on the saving power of His death and Resurrection.

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Sunday, April 6, 2025
A Catholic Life Podcast: Episode 109

In today’s episode, on Passion Sunday I address why and how we should pray the Stations of the Cross including the forgotten history on the Stations, how to gain an indulgence for praying them, and how praying them at home differs from praying them in a parish.

  1. A Catholic Life Podcast Episode 6 on Passion Sunday
  2. The History, Indulgences, and Purpose of the Stations of the Cross (along with how to pray them at home)
  3. The Way of the Cross: A Treasury of Stations

This episode is sponsored by PrayLatin.comPrayLatin.com offers Latin prayer cards to learn and share prayers in the sacred language. Learn your basic prayers in Latin conveniently on the go. Practice your pronunciation with easy-to-follow English phonetic renderings of Latin words. PrayLatin.com offers prayer cards in various formats, including Latin-English rosary pamphlets with the traditional 15 mysteries. Shop for additional Latin resources like missal booklets, server response cards, and more. Visit PrayLatin.com today.

Subscribe to the podcast on Buzzsprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, I-tunes, and many other platforms!

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Sunday, March 30, 2025
A Catholic Life Podcast: Episode 108

In today’s episode, on Laetare Sunday, I discuss why Catholics rightfully honor the saints who Heaven our prayers in Heaven and who can intercede for us on earth:

  1. A Catholic Life Podcast Episode 5 on Laetare Sunday
  2. Laetare Sunday as Mothering Sunday
  3. Are the Saints Alive? Can They Hear our Prayers?
  4. The Certainty of Sainthood: How the Church Recognized Saints Through the Ages
  5. One Peter Five Series on Miracles as Proof of the Catholic Religion

I would like to thank CatechismClass.com for sponsoring this episode.  CatechismClass.com, the leader in online Catholic catechism classes, has everything from online K-12 programs, RCIA classes, adult continuing education, marriage preparation, baptism preparation, confirmation prep, quince prep classes, catechist training courses, and more. It is never too late to study the fullness of the Catholic Faith, and CatechismClass.com is the gold standard in authentic Catholic formation online. Their Catholic Liturgical Year Course for a one-time cost of $129.95 includes lessons throughout the entire liturgical year on many forgotten days.

Subscribe to the podcast on Buzzsprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, I-tunes, and many other platforms!

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Tuesday, March 25, 2025
The 5 Words of the Consecration Mirror the 5 Words of Mary's Fiat

Father Michael Mueller (1825–1899) was a Redemptorist priest and a prolific Catholic author of the 19th century. Born on September 12, 1825, in Germany, he emigrated to the United States where he joined the Redemptorist Order and was ordained a priest in 1859. Father Michael Mueller is best known for his Theology and devotional works. One of his most famous books is on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the core of the Christian religion. First published in 1874 by Fr. Puster under the title The Holy Mass—The Sacrifice for the Living and the Dead: The Clean Oblation Offered Up Among the Nations from the Rising to the Setting of the Sun, it was republished in 1884 by Benziger Brothers, Fr. Puster & Co., and B. Herder as (The) Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This masterpiece was re-typeset and edited in 2023 by TAN Books. 

The Moment God Became Man

While we are right to view the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, Father Mueller demonstrates how the Mass contains and renews all aspects of the adorable life of our Lord. In the Sacrifice of the Mass we can assert that the whole of Christ’s life on earth from His conception in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary to His Ascension into Heaven is contained in the Eucharistic Host. Father Michael Mueller therefore begins a chapter-by-chapter demonstration and meditation on his principle by considering the Mass as a renewal of every aspect of Christ’s life. Accordingly, he opens the thirteenth chapter of “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” by providing a meditation on the beginning of the early life of our Blessed Savior:

“Let us picture to our minds that little house of Nazareth and the room in which Mary is praying, all alone, at the time of the Annunciation of the Incarnation of the Son of God. We gaze on her in silence; we think of her purity, her lowliness, of the graces which adorn her soul and make her a living temple of God. Suddenly, there steals through the open casement a ray of soft light; it shines around this sweet Virgin, growing brighter and brighter the longer it shines. She raises her head and sees standing before her the beautiful form of one of God's angels. His silvery voice breaks the solemn stillness. He announces the glad tidings that she is to be the Mother of God: ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and, therefore, the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’ The Blessed Virgin, having thus learned that she was to become the Mother of the Son of God by the omnipotent power of the Holy Ghost, bowed to the divine decree and said: ‘Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum’ – ‘Be it done to me according to thy word.’” 

He immediately continues by acknowledging this as the moment of the Incarnation of God:

“No sooner had she uttered those words than the Holy Ghost formed of her purest blood a perfectly organized body. The sacred soul of Jesus Christ was at the same moment created and united to that body, and the Divine Word Himself, with both body and soul, in unity of person, so that God became man, and man was made God: ‘Et Verbum caro factus est’ – ‘And the Word was made flesh.’” 

The Altar and the Incarnation

After having painted the poignant scene of the Annunciation, Father Mueller next connects the Incarnation with the Consecration at Holy Mass in a way that is sure to aid every Catholic’s soul:

“Now turn for a moment to the Catholic altar. The holy Sacrifice of the Mass is being offered up. The bell has given the signal that the most solemn and awful moment of consecration is at hand. As yet, there is only bread in the hand of the priest and wine in the chalice before him. To worship these lifeless elements would be the grossest idolatry. But suddenly, amid the silence of the breathless multitude, the priest utters the divine, life-giving words of consecration; and that which was bread and wine is bread and wine no longer, but the true Body and Blood of our Lord Himself. It is that same Body that was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that died for us upon the cross, that was raised again to life, and that even now sits at the right hand of God the Father. In a hundred thousand Masses that may be said throughout the extent of the whole Church in the space of one hour, God works this miracle at the moment in which the priest finishes the words of consecration; so that in all these Masses, the Blood and Body of our Savior are present, and whether the consecration takes place in one spot or another, He is always the same.

“Now, in this mystery, the power of creation appears as much as in the mystery of the Incarnation. In the Incarnation, the Son of God employed His omnipotence to make Himself man; but in the Mass, the Son of God employs His omnipotence to change bread and wine into His Body and Blood. In the Incarnation, the Son of God leaves, as it were, the bosom of His Father, descends from the height of His glory into the womb of a Virgin, and conceals His Divinity in taking human nature. But in the Mass, He conceals His Divinity and Humanity under the forms of bread and wine, in order that we may eat Him. He is the same in a thousand hosts as in one. Were a thousand million to receive Him, all would receive Him whole and entire. He does what He pleases with His Body, putting it in this sacramental state and concealing it under the species, miraculously sustained by a continual miracle.” 

The 5 Words of the Consecration Mirror the 5 Words of Mary's Fiat 

Yet going beyond the insights of the saints before him, Father Mueller beautifully highlights how the five words of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Incarnation are mirrored in the Consecration:

“Five words of her humility brought the Eternal Word into her sacred womb. Five words of the power of the priest bring the same Eternal Word on our altar. If the consent which Mary gave was the conditional cause of the mystery of the Incarnation, the action of the priest, speaking in the name and in the all-powerful virtue of Jesus Christ, is the efficient cause of Transubstantiation—of the change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ—the New Incarnation, which is but an extension of the first. And what Mary did but once, the priest does every day. While she gave to the Son of God a life of suffering, which ended by the torment on the cross, the priest renders Him present in his own hands, in a state immortal and impassible.”

Truly, just as the moment of the Incarnation was wrought in silence, the moment of transubstantiation is accomplished in silence with only the soft spoken words of the priest:

“The Eternal Word keeps silence. There was the silence of Christ in the womb of His Blessed Mother, the silence of Christ upon the Cross, and here is the silence of Christ in the Eucharist, as profound as that in the bosom of His Father. How awful is this silence of the Son of God in the Blessed Sacrament! There, under the sacramental elements, the Eternal Word dwells in silence till the end of the world. But He speaks to faithful souls in a manner that they know of, and the faithful worshippers see Him in the light of faith. Kneeling prostrate, praying in every posture of humble adoration, they witness the tears, the smiting of the breast, the inimitable, the inconceivable expression of hearts impressed with a sense of the Real Presence.” 


Let us therefore exclaim with Father Mueller these sentiments of adoration and praise:

“Hail! sacred tabernacles, where Thou, O Lord, dost descend at the voice of a mortal! Hail, mysterious altar, where faith comes to receive its immortal food. Oh! I love Thy temple; it is an island of peace in the ocean of the world, a beacon of immortality! Thou art near to hear us. Is there a tongue equal to the ecstasy of the heart? Whatever my lips may articulate, this blood which circulates, this bosom which breathes in Thee, this heart which beats and expands, these bathed eyes, this silence—all pray in me. So swell the waves at the rising of the King of day, so revolve the stars, mute with reverence and love, and Thou comprehendest their silent hymn. Ah! Lord, in like manner, comprehend me; hear what I pronounce not. Silence is the highest voice of a heart that is overpowered with Thy glory.”
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Monday, March 24, 2025
The Certainty of Sainthood: How the Church Recognized Saints Through the Ages

Honoring the Saints

A saint is a person that lived a life of virtue, holiness, and union with God on earth. The Church recognizes a person’s sanctity by “canonizing” them. This means they are declared to be in Heaven and the Church presents the individual as one we are called to imitate. The Church does not canonize every soul in Heaven (even if known) but only those who the faithful are called to imitate and implore for aid.

The term "saint" is from the Latin word sanctus meaning "hallowed or “consecrated." The first person honored individually as a saint was Stephen, the first martyr. For nearly four centuries, praying to St. Stephen was incredibly popular. Beginning at the end of the second century, there were special celebrations on anniversaries of the martyrs' deaths. These martyrs were witnesses of Christ. They gave their lives for Him.

By the fourth century, sainthood was not just considered for martyrs. It was also for confessors and virgins. Saints could be monks, nuns, bishops, or any of the lay faithful. The saints are not merely the ones who have been canonized. 

How Can the Saints Hear Our Prayers?

“And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints” (Apocalypse 5:8)

The Book of Revelations written by St. John the Apostle specifically mentions how the prayers of the saints are presented before God in Heaven. The saints in Heaven are very much aware of what is happening on earth because God has in His order of the world permitted them to know of prayers addressed to them. In Matthew 17:3-5, the Prophets Moses and Elijah were very much aware of what was taking place on the earth. The saints themselves are witnesses of what occurs on earth as the Book of Hebrews specifically states: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us” (Hebrews 12:1). And our Lord Himself in Luke 15:7-10 describes those in Heaven rejoicing over repentance on earth. How could they do so unless in the mystical order of the universe God has somehow permitted them to know and see what was happening on the earth?

The History of Canonizations

There is a special process involved with officially determining that someone is a saint. The Catholic Church determines that a person is definitely in Heaven when they canonize someone. But the process for canonization has changed over time.

1. Early Church: The recognition of saints in the early centuries was often a local and spontaneous process. Local bishops or communities would acknowledge the holiness and intercession of certain individuals.

2. 6th Century: By the 6th century, the Roman Martyrology began to record the names of saints and martyrs, and this served as a kind of official list of those worthy of veneration. However, formal canonization processes as we know them today did not yet exist.

3. 10th Century: The first recorded case of a Pope canonizing a saint was Pope John XV in 993 who canonized St. Ulrich of Augsburg. 

4. 12th Century: In the 12th century, the formal process of canonization began to take a definitive state. Pope Alexander III (1159–1181) established certain procedures, and the role of a formal canonization process became more structured.

5. 13th Century: In the 13th century, the papacy took a more direct role in investigating the lives of potential saints by the 13th century as the process began to appoint officials conducting inquiries and examinations.

6. 17th Century: By the 17th century, the authority to canonize saints became exclusively reserved to the Pope. Formal procedures included a thorough examination of the candidate's life, writings, and the verification of miracles attributed to their intercession.

7. 18th Century: The process of canonization was further codified in the 18th century by Pope Benedict XIV, who issued a comprehensive document titled "De Servorum Dei beatificatione et de Beatorum canonizatione" in 1734.

In the process towards sainthood, there are four steps someone must attain:

1. Servant of God: This is the initial title given to a person whose cause for sainthood has been officially opened by the Church. It signifies that the local bishop or the competent ecclesiastical authority has initiated an investigation into the person's life, virtues, writings, and reputation for holiness.

2. Venerable: If the initial investigation finds that the person lived a life of heroic virtue, the title is advanced to "Venerable." This stage does not imply that miracles have been attributed to the individual; rather, it acknowledges the person's exemplary life.

3. Blessed: To reach the next stage, beatification, at least one miracle (typically a medically unexplained healing) attributed to the intercession of the Venerable is required. Once beatified, the individual is given the title "Blessed," and their veneration is permitted in a specific region or religious community. In times before Vatican II, two miracles were required.

4. Saint: Canonization requires the verification of at least one additional miracle after beatification. When this criterion is met, the Pope declares the person a saint. In times before Vatican II, two miracles more miracles – hence four total – were required. 

Hence, a canonization procedure, either as done in ancient times or since the Middle Ages, consists of two main aspects – namely both investigation and declaration. In the early Church, investigation was carried out by various members of the local church community and the declaration that a particular martyr was worthy of veneration was done by the bishop. Throughout it all, the presence of after death miracles helped confirm that the soul of the person was in Heaven. After all, God can not confirm falsehood with proofs so if someone intercedes for people on earth and God works miracles through them after death, then that soul must be in Heaven.

Are Modern Canonizations Infallible?

While former canonizations were undoubtedly infallible, the same cannot be said for Canonizations after 1983. This is seen in the grave doubts on the validity of the canonizations of John Paul II and Paul VI. As a result of the changes in the canonization process following Vatican II, there is reasonable concern to believe that modern beatifications and canonizations are no longer infallible.  Since the promulgation of the new Code of Canon Law (1983) radically altered the procedures for the beatification and canonization of blessed and saints, serious doubts have arisen concerning the legitimacy of these new processes that favor speed and quantity over reliability. These concerns have only been exasperated by further changes in practice under John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and now Francis. 

Regardless of the theological debate over the infallibility of canonizations, the process has been altered so radically that the debate prior to the changes was about something entirely different from the current state of affairs. Although some of the individuals purportedly canonized by the past three popes may have merited being honored for heroic virtue under the former juridically reliable process, it is certainly not within the competence of any individual Catholic to sort out the cases. We will need to wait until the restoration of normalcy in the Church for the proper authorities to sort out this morass. Until such time, we cannot pick and choose which modern canonizations we want to acknowledge. As such, it is a best practice to refrain from calling “Blessed” or “Saint” anyone given such a title after the changes of the mid-1980s.

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Sunday, March 23, 2025
A Catholic Life Podcast: Episode 107

In today’s episode, on the Third Sunday of Lent, I address the 4 Types of Penance, the importance of offering up all actions of our life for souls, and provide 20+ examples of ways to live out penance both during and after Lent.

  1. What is Penance: Offering It Up
  2. The 4 Types of Penance
  3. 20+ Options for Penance Now and Beyond Lent

This episode is sponsored by PrayLatin.comPrayLatin.com offers Latin prayer cards to learn and share prayers in the sacred language. Learn your basic prayers in Latin conveniently on the go. Practice your pronunciation with easy-to-follow English phonetic renderings of Latin words. PrayLatin.com offers prayer cards in various formats, including Latin-English rosary pamphlets with the traditional 15 mysteries. Shop for additional Latin resources like missal booklets, server response cards, and more. Visit PrayLatin.com today.

Subscribe to the podcast on Buzzsprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, I-tunes, and many other platforms!

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Sunday, March 9, 2025
A Catholic Life Podcast: Episode 106

In today’s episode, on the First Sunday of Lent, I address the Precepts of the Church, with an emphasis on the laws of fasting and abstinence, and explain that they bind under mortal sin:

  1. What Are the Precepts of the Church
  2. Catholic Fasting and Abstinence Precepts Outlined
  3. The Church’s Precept Bind Under Penalty of Mortal Sin
  4. Rediscover the Power of Traditional Catholic Fasting

I would like to thank CatechismClass.com for sponsoring this episode.  CatechismClass.com, the leader in online Catholic catechism classes, has everything from online K-12 programs, RCIA classes, adult continuing education, marriage preparation, baptism preparation, confirmation prep, quince prep classes, catechist training courses, and more. It is never too late to study the fullness of the Catholic Faith, and CatechismClass.com is the gold standard in authentic Catholic formation online. Their Catholic Liturgical Year Course for a one-time cost of $129.95 includes lessons throughout the entire liturgical year on many forgotten days.

Subscribe to the podcast on Buzzsprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, I-tunes, and many other platforms!


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