Before he was known for anything else, Pope Francis was known as “the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years.”

For as long as I can remember, the Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been part of my world.

Our obligation to do some form of penance on Friday is identified in Canon 1250 in the Code of Canon Law, which tells us that “The penitential days and times in the universal church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.”

This Lent, as we walk toward Easter, we have a beautiful opportunity to ask ourselves what is missing in our spiritual life and spend time just being with Jesus.

Some Sundays getting to Mass is trickier than usual, and this weekend, my husband and ended up going to separate services since we were all on different schedules. I was running behind, and I headed to a parish we only visit occasionally.

We are less than a week into Lent and the weariness is setting in for many of us who have chosen to make a Lenten sacrifice.

I also accept the fact that each day is a day to do something good for God and for others.

Calling something like an unlikely sports comeback a “miracle” is using quite a bit of poetic license, since there is a readily discernible natural explanation for the victory (namely, the skill of the athletes, which the athletes acquired through their own human efforts).

It made me feel as if God was saying, “Just keep your eyes on Jesus, and your Lent will be just fine.”

I was so proud of him. I didn’t care whether he made the team. I cared that he would feel good about how he did. I wanted him to be happy he had given it a shot.