In this year, with the pilgrims gone and the holy places nearly empty, I set out to spend some time on the Mount of Olives to see what I can learn from the ancient trees.

My parents never told me this, but parenting adults is hard.

Lent is when we sit down in a loud and confusing world and try to figure out what we’re doing here. That is all the more important for the people who are most confused.

We love being able to claim we’re solely responsible for our successes. But today’s readings remind us that none of us get to where we are on our own, nor should we want to.

It’s a cliché but these two miracles say it well: Jesus is there for us in good times and bad. Jesus celebrates with us; Jesus heals us when we are broken.

Rules are important, but they only exist to safeguard loving relationships. The Catechism is not a penal code, but our guide to a life lived in love.