It was a quiet day in Galilee when the archangel Gabriel arrived at Mary’s home. Imagine what it must have been like in that moment.

Here we are in the heart of Lent. We’re far enough into Lent that maybe I should be feeling my spiritual rhythm.

It was kind of a crazy idea.

It turns the whole story on its head for me.

Sometimes the large, life-changing moments are the ones that show us we need to turn everything over to God. Sometimes it’s the flat tire or a snowstorm derailing our plans. But each time we have an opportunity to come away trusting Jesus a little bit more.

Every Sunday my fellow small group leader and I bring a snack for our second graders to enjoy in our Sunday School class. Because it was St. Patrick’s Day, I thought we might make the snack a little more fun than usual.

Don’t you just love fortune cookies? You get a cookie that has a little note just for you inside.

When I think of growing up in St. Pius X parish in Rodgers Forge, I think of Msgr. Baumgartner.

We really love Ash Wednesday, don’t we? I love how it’s not even a holy day of obligation, and yet churches fill with people who want to receive ashes. There’s something about that mark of humility and repentance that feels so right.

Lent isn’t a test we will pass or fail. It’s an opportunity. It’s an invitation.