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.

Every Lent we fill a basket with slips of paper with the names of people we know—living and deceased. We pull one out every morning and pray for that person that day. It’s a simple concept, but it works well for our family.