Do we actually believe in the idea of having fish on Fridays as a form of self-mortification or solidarity with those who have less? Or do we look at it more like paying our taxes — giving up the least possible amount?

Lent is about daring to peek outside that castle, trying to be more vulnerable and exposed.

On this “Inside the Vatican” episode, Ricardo da Silva, S.J., standing in for Colleen Dulle, and veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell discuss the actions Pope Francis has taken in the days since Russian military forces invaded Ukraine.

Fasting, in addition to being obligatory on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, remains a common Lenten practice for many. But there are nuances to fasting that are not always well-known.

Without the Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organization, “I would still be suffering in the prison because I had no money to hire the services of a lawyer,” Chisom Eze said. “I had thought my life would end in prison until Capio saved me.”

In Lent, we fast, we pray and we give to the poor. God does not love us more for doing these things. God cannot love us more. So why do we bother?

The pope will visit Kinshasa and Goma, Congo and Juba, South Sudan, joining Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

A Reflection for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday

President Joe Biden told reporters on Ash Wednesday that earlier in the day he met with a cardinal for prayer and ashes—and revealed what he has given up for Lent.

When victims and survivors of sexual abuse are blamed, marginalized, stigmatized or silenced, they can be traumatized all over again. The Archdiocese of Regina is trying something new in its work with survivors.

We know that nothing stays the same, yet we live as though nothing ever changes.

In a time when smartphones are rarely more than a hand-reach away, more people are considering a 40-day break from social media as a deeper Lenten sacrifice.

“The rhythms of old age are an indispensable resource for grasping the meaning of life marked by time,” Pope Francis said in his general audience, and so spending time with our elders is not just a “waste of time.”

Ash Wednesday isn’t a holy day of obligation, but in English-speaking countries, it still has a powerful draw even for Catholics who are otherwise non-practicing.

Lent is a time of personal and communal conversion, when we acknowledge that God calls each one of us to draw closer and we examine the ways in which we need to grow in response to that call.

A reflection for Ash Wednesday from James Martin, S.J.

Reflections on Scripture, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Last week he was a doctoral student at Santa Clara University. This week he is helping to lead a Jesuit humanitarian offensive over the phone. Tomorrow he will be in Poland leading that relief effort in person.

What a 1965 novel by Graham Greene taught a young Dr. Paul Farmer during his first years working in Haiti.

Condemning violence and expressing his concern for and solidarity with Ukraine, Pope Francis has not uttered the word “Russia” publicly.