Dear Brothers and Sisters,

There are times when a person is blessed with the realization that something is lacking in their soul. We all experience what has been referred to as a "spiritual battle". Perhaps you are struggling with an addiction to pornography or drugs or alcohol. Maybe you find it difficult to get along with certain family members. Everyone has demons that seek to destroy our relationship with Jesus Christ.

As we listen to St. Mark's account of the Passion, we see a spiritual battle. This battle led to what we recall today in the Sacred Scripture - the day Jesus carried our sins to Calvary. To be clear, this is not something that happened over 2000 years ago. As Catholics, we experience Calvary every time we come to Mass. Every Mass is a representation of Calvary.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The last two weeks I wrote about almsgiving and fasting in my pastor's notes. Now, I want to write about the final pillar of Lent, the pillar or prayer, most particularly—repentance and sacramental confession.

Some Catholics and nearly all Protestants report that they confess their sins straight to God. Certainly, I try to confess my sins nightly to God as part of my night prayers before bedtime. But refusing sacramental confession rejects a practice that has occurred since ancient times and was given to us by Jesus himself. St. Augustine dealt with this belief way back in the in the fifth century. He wrote: Let no one say I repent before God. God knows it and pardons me." What? Was it then said in vain to the priests, "Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven?"

St. Augustine is reminding us that after the resurrection, Jesus gave his apostles the authority to "bind and loose" or to forgive sins. This means that the priest must hear the sins and make a decision about a person's contrition, give a brief moment of counsel, a penance and absolve the sinner.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The last two weeks I wrote about almsgiving and fasting in my pastor's notes. Now, I want to write about the final pillar of Lent, the pillar or prayer, most particularly—repentance and sacramental confession.

Some Catholics and nearly all Protestants report that they confess their sins straight to God. Certainly, I try to confess my sins nightly to God as part of my night prayers before bedtime. But refusing sacramental confession rejects a practice that has occurred since ancient times and was given to us by Jesus himself.

St. Augustine dealt with this belief way back in the in the fifth century. He wrote: Let no one say I repent before God. God knows it and pardons me." What? Was it then said in vain to the priests, "Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven?" St. Augustine is reminding us that after the resurrection, Jesus gave his apostles the authority to "bind and loose" or to forgive sins. This means that the priest must hear the sins and make a decision about a person's contrition, give a brief moment of counsel, a penance and absolve the sinner.

Dear Brothers and Sister,

In my column last week, I wrote about almsgiving, an important pillar of the Lenten season with the hopes that we can move to a more profound understanding of this spiritual practice. This week, I want to move on to penance and fasting.

Lent is a time of penance and fasting because we seek to identify ourselves with Jesus' 40-day fast in the desert, the first step in His earthly ministry. One of the things that I always try to remember is that as a Catholic, I am called to follow Jesus Christ as a member of His body and that includes penance and fasting.

At every Mass, we remember Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Clearly, Jesus didn't need our help. Yet, we miss the point of our faith if we think we are mere onlookers of a grand drama. No, we are participants! Personally encountering Christ must include entering into the life, death, and resurrection of Our Lord. It is one thing to read about riding a bike. It is a completely different experience of actually riding the bike.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Part of the call to holiness involves almsgiving. So what does it mean to give alms? For some, almsgiving, one of the three pillars of the Lenten Season, is about writing a check and checking it off the "Lenten list."  Because it involves the transfer of cash or goods, I think we tend to see it as less than prayer and fasting.  And yet, in the only place where the Bible brings all three together, the Bible puts the emphasis firmly on almsgiving as the superior work.  

Almsgiving is more important than prayer and fasting because it is prayer and it involves fasting.  Author Mike Aquilina says that, Almsgiving is a form of prayer because it is "giving to God" — and not mere philanthropy.  It is a form of fasting because it demands sacrificial giving — not just giving something, but giving up something, giving till it hurts.