You yourselves give them something to eat...

The ides of March and we are ten days into Lent. Time to go back and renew our resolutions!
More from the Pope's powerful Gospel of Joy:

The Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy and by love for mankind, hears the cry for justice and intends to respond to it with all her might".153 In this context we can understand Jesus’ command to his disciples: "You yourselves give them something to eat!" (Mk 6:37): it means working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor, as well as small daily acts of solidarity in meeting the real needs which we encounter. The word "solidarity" is a little worn and at times poorly understood, but it refers to something more than a few sporadic acts of generosity. It presumes the creation of a new mindset which thinks in terms of community and the priority of the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few.

Have I a new mindset which thinks in terms of community and the priority of the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few?
I hope so, but what am I doing to change others to think in these terms?

Last Day of March

This is an icon called "The Holy Cross" - Lent is half over and March is over and this was such a fast month. I do not know where time goes, but I do know that I have 24 hours in a day, all the time there is, and no one has any more time than I do. The secret is to use the time well and not waste it. Time spent in silent prayer is a help to make me slow down and reflect on how I am spending my hours each day this Lent. It also helps to imagine that I am talking to Jesus about what most pleases Him. Right now it is just sitting here and being in touch with many who read this blog and ask us all to reflect today on how we are using our time and what is Jesus saying to us.

Stations of the Cross

Twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II introduced a "new" series of Stations of the Cross that was slightly different than the traditional stations. He eliminated those that were not found in Scripture. Here they are:
1 Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
2 Jesus betrayed by Judas, is arrested.
3 Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin.
4 Jesus is denied by Peter.
5 Jesus is judged by Pilate.
6 Jesus is scouraged and crowned with thorns.
7 Jesus bears the cross.
8 Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross.
9 Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.
10 Jesus is crucified.
11 Jesus promises his kingdom to Dismas the Good Thief.
12 Jesus speaks to his mother and the disciple.
13 Jesus dies on the cross.
14 Jesus is placed in the tomb.
And Pope John Paul added a 15th station: Jesus rises from the dead.

I thought these would be good for our Lenten reflection today. Tomorrow we are half way through Lent and time to renew our resolutions. If they were good ones, we have no doubt broken them and need to begin again!!