Happy fat Tuesday!  Our community is having a gaudeamus day today in honor of our Vicar Sr. Mary Agnes' feast day. Yes, her feast is January 21st - Feast of St. Agnes the martyr, but so many of us were sick that day that we had to postpone it. Thanks to our many benefactors we enjoyed sausage, gravy and biscuits for breakfast, chicken pot pies, pecan pies and ice cream at noon and will be having pizza for supper.     Bl. John XXIII has blessed us with his presence today - we are watching the new DVD put out by Ignatius Press about his life - Pope John XXIII - the Pope of Peace. It is excellent and it is lengthy! We watched 90 min. this morning and will finish the rest this afternoon and evening. We don't normally watch recreational videos such as this during Advent and Lent. Therefore, we MUST finish it today!

    Well, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Have you taken time to ponder how the Lord is calling you to spend this Lent with Him?  Here are some resources you might find helpful. 

• Visit the Lenten guide at the National Catholic Register website
• Read Pope Benedict's Lenten Message
• Ponder PART IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Prayer. I highly recommend the section called The Battle of Prayer. We all face difficulties in our prayer life and need a humble vigilance to move forward in our pilgrimage with, through and in Jesus to the Father. I know you will find words of encouragement here.

    As Passionists today is also a special day because it is the Memorial of the Prayer of Our Lord in the Garden. On this day we ask the Lord to give us a share in His spirit of prayer as we prepare to enter Lent. The intercessions for this day are so meaningful that I wanted to share a few of them with you:

• Lord Jesus, you taught us to watch and pray, lest we be overcome by temptation. We confidently ask you: Lord, share with us your own spirit of prayer.
• By your prayer in the gardent, you prepared for your passion and death, help us, your disciples, to realize that in intimate communion with God we should approach every event in life.
• In the garden, you persevered in prayer even when distressed to the sweating of blood, grant that, by prayer, we may live with God despite the worldly business that distracts us.
• In the garden you were disconsolate when the apostles left you alone in your agony, inspire all the faithful to be your steadfast companions in promoting the message of your cross.

Sr. Mary Therese painted this. It is a copy of an orginal painting by C. Inkel

   Here is the closing prayer for today's Passionist Memorial. It certainly leads us through the door of Ash Wednesday into the Season of Lent.

Lord our God, in His agony in the garden, your Son taught us by word and example how to pray in time of temptation. Keep us always faithful to prayer, that we may reap a rich harvest of grace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and regins with you and the Holy spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

     Let us pray for one another during this holy season. Please know that the needs and intentions of each of you, who read our website and blog, are in our prayers. Please pray for us. As members of the Church Militant we are certainly on this journey together and depend on your spiritual and temporal assistance to continue our life of prayer, penance and intercession.  God love you!