Clearing up annulment myths and misconceptions

When it comes to annulment, there's a lot of bad information out there. How can we tell the facts from the fiction? This week, in the latest In Focus section of Our Sunday Visitor, my husband, Dennis, join forces to tackle the often-confusing subject of annulment. We walk you through the process, debunk the ten most common myths, and offer a personal reflection on this process that can bring people closure and healing.

I'll get you started on the main story here:

By Dennis Poust and Mary DeTurris Poust

Annulment is one of those Catholic realities shrouded in myths and misunderstandings, exaggerated fallacies and genuine confusion. To top it off, this critical process, which allows divorced Catholics to seek healing and the possibility of remarrying in the Church one day, still carries a bit of a stigma. How many people do you know with annulments? Probably more than you realize.

We went through the annulment process years ago, both through the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of New York. Although the experience varied for each of us, the end result was the same: Receiving the declaration of nullity was a moment of healing, closure, grace.

Unfortunately, it’s something that many divorced Catholics miss out on because they are intimidated by the process or have received bad information — and there’s plenty of it floating around out there — about what an annulment is and how the process works.

So, we thought we’d take you through that process step by step and take some of the mystery out of it...Continue reading HERE.

For the Top 10 Annulment Myths, click HERE. To read my personal reflection on the process, click HERE.

History Channel goes inside Vatican

Looking for something to watch tonight? Skip American Idol and tune into this instead. "Secret Access: The Vatican" will air at 9 p.m. EST on the History Channel.

Abercrombie & Filth

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Abercrombie & Fitch has once again made news with its sexualization of children, this time with a push-up bikini top aimed at 8 year olds. (Due to backlash, they have since removed the word "push-up" and simply say "padded" now, as if that helps.) Don't believe me, click HERE and read more.

Meanwhile, over at National Review Online, Kathryn Jean Lopez examines the phenomenon of parents' complicity in their daughters' immodest wardrobes. Click HERE for that.

So who's to blame? Parents? The fashion industry? The media? Let us know what you think and how you handle these situations in your own home.

Meet the men behind Mystic Monk Coffee

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Sorry to have been away for so long. An abscessed tonsil has put me through the wringer for the past week, and I'm still not better. But, when I saw Woodeene Koenig-Bricker's OSV story on the Carmelite monks behind Mystic Monk Coffee, I knew I had to sign on ever so briefly to share the story with you.

Have you tried Mystic Monk Coffee? This coffee lover promises you will not be disappointed. Try the Midnight Vigils Blend or the Hermits Bold Blend or one of the many flavored coffees. Rumor has it that the very limited-run Jingle Bell Java is amazing, but I haven't had the chance to try that one yet. I do have a double-handled monk mug from the Wyoming-based Carmelites, which seems to make all my coffee taste better.

Here's Woodeene's story, from the latest issue of OSV, on the monks behind the coffee beans and blends:

By Woodeene Koenig-Bricker

“French-style Gothic monastery” and “Rocky Mountains” aren’t phrases you normally associate with one another. But then neither are “Carmelite monks” and “world-class coffees.” However, the Monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel outside of Cody, Wyo., are nothing if not traditionally untraditional.

The only monastery of contemplative, cloistered monks within the Carmelite order, they live a lifestyle little changed for 1,000 years, yet they make their livelihood by roasting small batches of coffee beans and shipping them all over the world under the label Mystic Monk Coffee.

“We are the only Carmelite monks that have returned to a strictly cloistered monastic life,” founder Father Daniel Mary told Our Sunday Visitor. “We harken back to the monastic hermit way of life which is why we have individual hermitages — to foster the hermit part of life.”

Carmelites are one of the great hermitical, or solitary, orders of the Church, along with the Carthusians and Camaldolese. Drawing from tradition dating back to the early Desert Fathers, members spend most of their time engaged in solitary work and prayer, living in individual hermitages or cells, coming together only for communal prayer and sometimes meals and recreation.

But even hermits have to make a living in today’s world. “We realized all the people around us are poor ranchers struggling to make it,” Father Daniel said. “We knew we couldn’t support ourselves ranching, so we asked how we could support ourselves with a simple ministry.”

After brainstorming several ideas, the concept of roasting coffee beans percolated to the top. Now the monks order beans, including fair trade, from all over the world and roast them every day except Sundays and holy days, often flavoring the prayers of Vespers with the aroma of fresh coffee.

Continue reading HERE.

Shaw: Contraception one reason for Catholic flight from confession

By Russell Shaw

After the death of Dr. Bernard Nathanson last February, we were reminded that somebody once asked him why he became a Catholic. Because, said Dr. Nathanson, who’d been a leader in the movement to legalize abortion and performed or presided over many thousands of abortions, then seen the light and become ardently prolife, no other religion provides as much opportunity for forgiveness as the Catholic Church does, and he had a lot to be forgiven for.

Bernard Nathanson was a realist. What about the 75 percent of American Catholics who, according to polls, receive the sacrament of penance less than once a year or never? Escapists perhaps?

This year as in other recent Lents, dioceses and parishes across the country are making a push to get Catholics back to this neglected sacrament. I wish them much success. The flight from sacramental penance has been one of the genuine disasters of contemporary Catholic life.

What explains it? Many things undoubtedly combine to play a part: an often-cited loss of the sense of sin, fatuous presumption that God approves of me no matter what, shame at the prospect of confessing one’s sins after a long time (give it a try: It won’t hurt). But part of it, I feel certain, has to do with contraception.

It works this way.

Last time I looked, the surveys were reporting that something like eight out of 10 American Catholics said they thought contraception was OK and the Church was wrong about it. Obviously this includes many of childbearing, child-rearing age who are practicing contraception now.

As far as the Sacrament of Penance is concerned, these people don’t want to confess contraception because they believe — or anyway say they believe — it isn’t wrong, and they don’t care to give it up. But they don’t want not to confess it since they know perfectly well that the Church says something different, so not confessing would be, well, kind of dishonest. The non-solution to the dilemma is not to receive the sacrament at all. Which is where we are now.

I have no easy remedy for this situation, but one approach that might help a bit is to present the Sacrament of Penance not so much as an obligation but — as Bernard Nathanson understood — a marvelous opportunity: a chance to get rid of one’s burden of objective guilt and start over again with a forgiving God.

As for those who may be somewhat more advanced in the interior life but who’ve neglected penance for whatever reason or combination of reasons: Bear in mind that contrition and penance are closely linked to conversion and all but indispensable to it. All three go together to make up a complex, continuing process of lifelong growth in the Christian life — a process that necessarily includes awareness of one’s sins, a healthy sense of guilt, and the desire to be forgiven.

The first letter of St. John says it best: “Sin is with us; if we deny that, we are cheating ourselves; it means the truth does not dwell in us. No, it is when we confess our sins that [God] forgives our sins, ever true to his word, ever dealing right with us, and all our wrong-doing is purged away. If we deny that we have sinned, it means that we are treating him as a liar; it means that his word does not dwell in our hearts” (1 John 1:8-9).

Sometimes people say they don’t go to confession because they have nothing to confess. Tell that to St. John!

Russell Shaw is an OSV contributing editor.

Archbishop Dolan addresses sex abuse crisis on 60 Minutes

On an episode of 60 Minutes set to air Sunday, March 20, at 7 p.m. ET, on CBS, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York tells Morley Safer that the sex abuse crisis needs to "haunt" the Catholic Church.

In response to a question about whether the scandal would go on forever, Archbishop Dolan said:

"In some ways, I don't want it to be over, because...this was such a crisis in the Catholic Church that in a way, we don't want to get over it too easily. This needs to haunt us."

When Safer asks if the cover-up of sex abuse was worse than the abuse itself, the archbishop, who is also president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, responds:

"I'd say there's some truth in that, you'd think that the church of all would know better."

Irish eyes were smiling for this flash mob

'God is good.' But do we always believe it?

By Mary DeTurris Poust

This is my latest Life Lines column, which appears monthly in Catholic New York. I thought it was fitting to share it here today, given the world's focus on recent tragedy and the all-too-common question about where God is during difficult times.

When I went to my local YMCA this week, I ran into a man from my parish, a deacon who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. His wife recently insisted on a Y membership for him in hopes that the physical exercise would help his mental state, but he is quick to admit that his memory is fading fast.

A deacon for 30 years, he can no longer assist at Mass without a cheat sheet. At home, if his wife asks him to get something from upstairs, he has to write it down. Although he keeps his mind active by reading and doing crossword puzzles, he knows that this is just the beginning of what is likely to be a long decline into a place none of us wants to imagine we might go, a place where we can’t find our way home, don’t know our own child’s name.

And yet, as we stood talking, this man was smiling and complimenting the trainers at the gym for being willing to re-train him every time he comes in since he can’t remember their instructions from one day to the next. He talked about the seniors he visits at a local nursing home, and praised his wife for being his “angel.” Not one negative word came out of his mouth; no fear or self-pity flickered in his eyes.

As our conversation wrapped up, he smiled at me and said, “God is good.” I walked away amazed at the way some people are able to meet life’s greatest challenges with grace and trust. Instead of asking, “Why me?” people like this understand at their core that the real question is “Why not me?”

Continue reading HERE.

Catholic Media Promotion Day: Who loves you, babe?

Today is "Catholic Media Promotion Day, " a grassroots effort designed to spread the word about all of the great work (aka evangelization) being done in Catholic Media.

So, here's how you can get on board. If you have a blog, podcast or Facebook page, click HERE and list your favorite 3 blogs (ahem, no pressure), 3 podcasts, 3 other media, 3 random Catholic things online, as well as your own projects.

Even if you don't have your own blog, be sure to share your favorites in the comment section here so OSV Daily Take readers can link up with all that great Catholic media. Thanks!

Lenten progress report: How are we doing?

By Mary DeTurris Poust

We are now in the first full week of Lent. The time when the reality of our Lenten sacrifices starts to hit home. Last week we were pumped up on the spiritual adrenaline that seems to come with the start of this solemn season. We had high hopes, determination, conviction. Now, as our stomach growls and we stare longingly into the pantry at the chocolate covered pretzels, we may be starting to think: "I can't have sweets (TV, beer, Facebook, etc.) for how long?

We may even begin to question if this is really necessary, as we try to justify in our head a reason for begging out of the promises we made with our heart less than a week ago. Just the other day I received a call from a friend who wanted me to help her explain to her kids this whole giving-up-meat-on-Fridays thing. Why, she asked, why?

I recently gave a talk on just this topic -- the whys behind the three pillars of Lent, which, on the surface or taken out of context, can look a little meaningless. Giving up cake, giving up meat? How is that going to bring me closer to God? Well, it won't unless we put some prayer behind it. Fasting, prayer and almsgiving are a package deal. We're not meant to do one without the others. Saint Augustine said that prayer and fasting are the two "wings" of charity. In other words, we can't really serve others without the foundational pillar of prayer and the sacrificial pillar of fasting.

Fasting without prayer is dieting. Almsgiving without prayer is philanthropy. So we have to start with prayer and move outward and inward all at the same time. That's the only way we can make sense of all we're doing during Lent.

I went back and found some stories I did for OSV on the three pillars of Lent. If you want to know more about our reasons for -- and the spiritual benefits of -- fasting, click HERE. If you want to know more about almsgiving, click HERE. And if you want to explore the pillar of prayer in more detail, click HERE.

So, tell me, how are you doing with your Lenten promises so far? And have you found a way to effectively weave all three pillars into your practice?

Helping earthquake, tsunami victims in Japan

Catholic Relief Services is standing by ready to assist people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan early Friday morning.

From CRS:

“We know from 2004 the devastating impact that these tsunamis can have,” said Sean Callahan, CRS’ executive vice president for overseas operations. “As with all such disasters, CRS will help people recover from the emergency and stand with them as they recover in the months and years to come.”

Caritas Japan is beginning to assess the needs in that country where the tsunami has caused extensive damage. CRS has programs in the Philippines and Indonesia and works with Caritas Oceania that is active in numerous islands in the Pacific that might be affected. Central American countries where CRS works could also be in danger.

“We will reach out to our Caritas partners to help them in any way we can,” Callahan said.

If you want to help, click HERE to go to the CRS website and donation page.

What is your BEST confession experience ever?

Lent is here, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation has a special importance in this season of penitence and conversion.

The inestimable Mark Shea has written a gripping apologetic of why confession is an offer you cannot refuse, and it'll be appearing in an upcoming issue of OSV Newsweekly.

But this is where you come in: Is there one positive experience of confession that stands out for you? Share it in the comboxes below, and I'll be printing some of your testimonials alongside Mark's piece.

Here's mine: My best confession experience was a two-hour discernment/confession/spiritual direction session while I was in college. The priest was renowned internationally as a retreat director and spiritual advisor. Today, he is serving prison time for sexually abusing underage men, apparently including during the time I received the sacrament from him. I've thought back to that session many times to detect in retrospect any warning signs, and keep coming up blank. How is it that God worked such grace for me through an (extremely) flawed man? Yes, ex opere operato, but I find it still something of a mystery.

You?

Ash Wednesday: The Start of Something Beautiful

I thought I'd share my Ash Wednesday post from my personal blog, Not Strictly Spiritual, since it contains so many links to other blogs and Lenten programs:

By Mary DeTurris Poust

I am going to admit right up front that I am a huge fan of Lent, always have been. It's my kind of season. Perhaps that makes me weird, but it's true. For me Ash Wednesday is a new beginning and Lent a time of possibilities.

From the moment the ashes are smeared on my forehead -- "Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you shall return" -- I feel renewed. Does that sound odd considering the penitential nature of this season? For me it makes perfect sense. I like the idea of focusing on where I've fallen down, where I could do better, where I need to strip away the unnecessary stuff to get to the heart of the matter: God.

Sure, my fasting often involves giving up sweets -- which doesn't seem all that significant to some -- but it's about so much more than that. It's about changing habits, removing obstacles, getting down to our spiritual core in hopes of changing our lives for the better not for 40 days but forever.

I know that's putting an awful lot of pressure on Lent -- and myself -- to perform, and maybe that's why I often struggle with my Lenten promises (see my previous post, "Lowering My Lenten Expectations" HERE), but I really believe each and every time Lent rolls around that this year can be different. And one of these years I'm going to be right. I also firmly believe that even if I don't make monumental changes in my life over the course of the 40 days, I probably do make minor changes that go unnoticed but strengthen my faith life in subtle ways.

So...I start today. I am filled with high hopes for the journey we have just begun, hope that by Lent's end I might find myself at least a few steps closer to God. But I'm going to need all the support I can get, so I'm looking around for resources and hoping to share them with you along the way.

For starters, here are some places you might like to look:

-- Busted Halo has a high-tech Lenten calendar posted HERE. You can click on each day as it arrives (no clicking ahead allowed) for suggested practices related to fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Today, in addition to reminding us to fast and abstain from meat, the calendar suggests giving some time to someone you know who is lonely. An added bonus of using the Fast Pray Give calendar at Busted Halo? You'll have a chance to enter a contest to win an iPad, in addition to smaller prizes, like today's "The Spirituality of Fasting" by Msgr. Charles Murphy. Great book, by the way.

-- Catholic Relief Services has an email service connected to its Operation Rice Bowl project, with reflections to help us remember those who have less and to focus our own Lenten fasting on something bigger than ourselves. If you're not doing Operation Rice Bowl this year, try to pick up a bowl and calendar at your parish and join in.

-- Mike Hayes over at Googling God is hosting a 50-Day Give Away. A few days before Lent, he started giving away one of his possessions every day. I had hoped to join him in this inspiring endeavor, but, as I told him, I realized that my effort would have had to be the 40-Day THROW Away because no one would want the stuff I need to shed from my life. Still, I plan to follow his lead, at least in part, and find some things I can strip out of my life and offer to someone else. You've been warned.

-- Of course, you can follow my other blog posts at OSV Daily Take, where today I'm taking a survey on whether people include Sundays in their Lenten fast. Have you voiced your opinion on this critical issue? (For the record, I don't count Sundays in my Lenten fast, although I try not to overdo it on the stuff I gave up.)

-- Finally, I'll be reading daily reflections in my Magnificat Lenten Companion 2011, which is sold out online, I believe, but may still be available at your local Catholic bookstore.

I had actually considered giving up some element of Facebook use as part of my Lenten fast. I couldn't give it up completely because it is part of my job to be there (and here). But, as I reflected on that possibility, I realized something big: Facebook has become a really important part of my spiritual life. Does that sound crazy? It's true. I am blessed to be FB friends with so many wonderful people, so many wonderful writers, and they continually amaze me with their own blog posts and the links they provide to other powerful spiritual writers. As some of those posts and links come up, I'll share them here.

Today, for example Brother Dan Horan, O.F.M., over at Dating God has a wonderful Ash Wednesday post, courtesy of Thomas Merton. Check that out HERE.

And Elizabeth Scalia has a great post full of Lenten links over at The Anchoress on Patheos. She also posted her Ash Wednesday "homily" at the Catholic portal of Patheos. She had me at "Moonstruck." Go HERE and you'll see what I mean.

Much more to come at Not Strictly Spiritual in the days ahead. Enter the desert joyfully. Wear your ashes full of hope. It is a new day, a new season, a time of new possibilities.

Lenten survey #2: Sundays? Yes or no?

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Growing up in a traditional Catholic household, where my mother in particular was very careful to keep Church rules and even incorporated a few rules of her own (Thanksgiving was a holy day of obligation for our family), I never thought twice about the fact that we did not count the Sundays of Lent when we decided what we were going to give up for the season.

When Sunday rolled around, we'd have the opportunity to eat sweets or eat in between meals or do whatever it was we had sacrificed all the other days of Lent. (Being Irish and Italian, we also took off on St. Patrick's Day and St. Joseph's Day.)

Then I met my husband, who looked at me as if I was insane when I explained this Lenten tradition to him. Take Sundays off? It didn't seem to be in keeping with the spirit of Lent, not to mention the rules.

But, as you know, if you add up the days of Lent, the big 4-0 does not include Sundays. Why? Because the Church views Sunday as a celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, not a day for fasting. Every Sunday is a mini-Easter, even during Lent. So, my family carried that resurrection theme into all of Sunday, not just the Mass portion. And to this day, I consider Sunday a day to break from the fast. When my children say they are going to give up sweets except on Sundays, I'm all for it. It makes Sunday special, as it should be.

How does it work at your house? Do you include Sundays in your Lenten fast? Inquiring Catholics minds want to know.

Shaw: Why we need poets to recover good Catholic liturgy

By Russell Shaw

Some years ago the critic George Steiner published a provocative book called "Real Presences." As far as I know, Steiner wasn’t a believer, but his book was a respectful look at something he considered a serious problem: the loss of the sacramental sense in Western culture. It can be read as a kind of appendix to Charles Taylor’s later, magisterial "A Secular Age," which reflects on the secularization process as a whole.

If Steiner was right — and I believe he was — this loss of sacramentality is the fundamental challenge facing both liturgy and poetry today.“I can see far though I never use eyes,/The sight that I see with is not your affair…” These lines from a recent poem by a friend of mine, Pavel Chichikov (that’s a pen name, of course), express an understandable exasperation. Like poets generally, this one knows all too well that the special “sight” with which he views the world isn’t widely shared any more. It’s the sacramental sense, and it’s largely been lost.

I was reminded of these things while reading a new Chichikov volume, "From Here to Babylon" (Grey Owl Press). The poems are informed by a special sensibility — in this case, one with a deeply religious coloration — that goes beyond surfaces to the numinous dimension of reality. In modern times poets like Gerard Manley Hopkins and Emily Dickinson have possessed this quality in an eminent degree. So does Chichikov. As in this, on a tree in winter:

On the stricken tree I saw the Christ
Leaning toward the current of the river;
Underneath the foolish soldiers diced
To win a spotless garment without seams —
They gambled with the little ivory flowers
That grew along the margin of the stream.

This is how poets see things. And it’s a way of seeing largely unappreciated now. Liturgy presents a similar case — a sacramental action requiring a knack for seeing in a certain way that few people today possess.

This may be why the liturgical reform envisaged by Vatican II hasn’t succeeded as well as hoped. Yes, liturgical abuses that cropped up here and there back in the 1970s did have something to do with it, but, offensive as the abuses were, the problem goes beyond a few clown Masses and readings from The Prophet.

At bottom, liturgical reform didn’t work so well because “active participation” in liturgy was widely taken to mean staying busy — reciting words, singing songs, shaking hands, doing this and that — instead of seeing with eyes of faith that which liturgy makes sacramentally present.

Now we’re preparing for the introduction, shortly before next Christmas, of still still another English translation of the Mass. Critics of the new translation say they prefer the version now in use — pedestrian, flat, not much removed from everyday speech. The new English version may or may not touch transcendence (we’ll find out soon enough), but it tries. The big question may be how many people today are equipped to recognize success even if it succeeds.

In his new document on Sacred Scripture, Verbum Domini, Pope Benedict speaks of the Church’s need for the witness of contemplatives in a world “excessively caught up in outward activities.” Is contemplation the key to an authentic renewal of liturgy? Perhaps. If so, poetry, which looks beyond surfaces and seeks to share what it sees, has a role to play. We need poets like Pavel Chichikov for their own sakes and also to point the way in the great project of restoring the sacramental sense.

Russell Shaw is an OSV contributing editor.

Archbishop Dolan: Bring light of faith into public square

By Mary DeTurris Poust

At the annual Public Policy Day sponsored by the New York State Catholic Conference in Albany today, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York told Catholics from around the state that "America is at her best" when citizens are willing to "bring the light of their religious faith into the public square."

The archbishop, who is also president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, was principal celebrant of the opening Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He was joined by his fellow bishops from around the state as well as 1,000 Catholics. Following Mass, the bishops were heading to the Governor's Mansion to meet with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a last minute addition to the schedule after the governor originally said he wouldn't have time for the traditional meeting.

Reflecting on the Gospel reading from Matthew 25 -- "For I was hungry and you gave me food..." -- Archbishop Dolan said that Jesus gives us the questions he's going to ask when we get to the "ultimate final exam," the last judgment. What did we do for the homeless, the hungry, the stranger?

In response to someone who asked him just the day before why Catholics don't seem to have the same "clout" as other lobbyists and special interest groups in Albany and elsewhere, the archbishop said he thinks it is because Catholics are "always on the side of those without a voice."

"In fact, we are often on the side of people who don't even vote -- the unborn baby, children in school, people on death row, immigrants, the homeless, people who may not not have a voice in society," he said. "These people look to us to give them a voice."

On the cusp of Lent, the reflection seemed particularly fitting. As Catholics head into the spiritual desert for the next 40 days, we focus our attention on fasting, prayer and almsgiving, aligning ourselves with those who have less in an attempt to make real the words of the Gospel.

Is high-tech fasting on your list this Lent?

Lenten fasting is no longer limited to chocolate cake, wine with dinner or in-between-meal snacks. In our high-tech world, fasting often extends to blog reading, Facebook, texting, and other habits that eat up too much of our time rather than our calories.

I gave two talks this weekend about the three pillars of Lent -- fasting, prayer and almsgiving -- and the need to strip away the "stuff" that gets in the way of our relationship with God and the people around us. We can adapt those three practices to get at the core of our own attachments, our own vices.

So here's the question: Will you be giving up anything high tech this season? Blogs? Facebook? Please let us know in the comment section before Ash Wednesday arrives so we know where you went. Otherwise we may have to send out a search party.

Your guide to a Catholic Lent

Lent is just a few days away. Are you ready? Have you thought about what you want to incorporate into your life for the next 40 days? Or remove from your life?

OSV has a guide that will take you through the season step by step, offering suggestions for devotions, family rituals and more.

Click HERE for the full, printable guide. Once there, you'll also find links to a downloadable guide for Holy Week and one for families.

Here's just one piece to get you started:

10 tips for making the season more meaningful

1. Slow Down - Set aside 10 minutes a day for silent prayer or meditation. It will revitalize your body and your spirit. 2. Read a good book - You could choose the life of a saint, a spiritual how-to, an inspirational book or one of the pope's new books. 3. Be kind - Go out of your way to do something nice for someone else every day. 4. Get involved - Attend a Lenten lecture or spiritual program. 5. Volunteer at your parish - Whether it's the parish fish fry, cleaning the church or helping with the food drive, it will give you a chance to help others. 6. Reach out - Invite an inactive Catholic to come with you to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. 7. Pray - Especially for people you don't like and for people who don't like you. 8. Tune out - Turn off the television and spend quality time talking with family members or friends. 9. Clean out closets - Donate gently used items to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. 10. Donate - Google "Catholic Missions." Then pick one mission and decide how you can help by sending money, clothing or supplies.

Read more HERE.

New Bible translation due Ash Wednesday

By Mary DeTurris Poust

This must be the year of new translations. Hot on the heels of the new translation of the Roman Missal comes the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), the first major update to the New American Bible in 20 years. The NABRE will be be available in print, audio and electronic formats on March 9, Ash Wednesday.

From the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

"The new translation takes into account advances in linguistics of the biblical languages, as well as changes in vocabulary and the cultural background of English, in order to ensure a more accurate translation. This issue is addressed in the apostolic exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini, in which the pope says, 'The inculturation of God’s word is an integral part of the Church’s mission in the world, and a decisive moment in this process is the diffusion of the Bible through the precious work of translation into different languages.'"

What does that mean for those of us listening from the pews or reading at home? Well, some changes are...interesting. For example, the word "booty" has been replaced with "spoils of war" in order to avoid the adolescent-style snickering the former inspires. I don't recall hearing "booty" spoken from the ambo at my church. I guess it never registered.

Other changes? Here are a few, according to an NPR story:

-- "virgin" becomes "young woman" — especially where the original uses the Hebrew word "almah."

--"holocaust" will become "burnt offerings" - scholars say that was closer to the original meaning, before "holocaust" came to be identified with the genocide of World War II.

-- "cereal"— now co-opted by General Mills and Post, becomes "grain."

That first one noted above (a change to Isaiah 7:14) is likely to raise some eyebrows and possibly some tempers, depending on how it plays out. From the NPR story:

"The bishops and the Bible are not signaling any sort of change in the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus. None whatsoever," Mary Sperry, who oversees Bible licensing for the bishops, told Reuters.

For more information on the new translation, visit the USCCB website HERE.

A job that became a journey: my new book on prayer and the Mass

By Mary DeTurris Poust

My fourth book, "The Essential Guide to Catholic Prayer and the Mass," was released today by Alpha/Penguin with an endorsement from Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and an imprimatur from Bishop Paul Bootkoski of Metuchen, N.J.

Here's Archbishop Dolan's endorsement:

"We Catholics believe in the power of prayer to change lives and the world. In her engaging new book, Mary DeTurris Poust lovingly walks us through many of the Church’s rich and diverse traditions of prayer, breathing new life into ancient, beloved devotions, and pointing the way toward more modern methods of prayer as well. Perhaps most valuable of all, Mary breaks down the parts of the Mass – the ultimate prayer – to enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation of this Sunday banquet at which we are all called to gather regularly as a family, united with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. As Saint Paul confessed, 'none of us know how to pray as we ought.' This book is sure a help."

What will you find in this book? Everything you want or need to know about prayer: vocal prayer, silent prayer, communal prayer, private prayer. Rosary, novenas, chaplets, litanies, meditation, contemplation, praying with icons, examples from saints. You name it, and I tried to include it. It is not just a book about prayer, but a prayer book. It can be used either way.

Want to know how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours? I take you through step by step, sharing some of my own struggles along the way. Want to know how to create a sacred space at home? I'll give you pointers that have helped in my own prayer life. Want to understand the Jesus Prayer or the Divine Mercy Chaplet or the purpose of pilgrimage? It's all there.

Of course, half of the title is devoted to the Mass, the pivotal prayer of Catholic life. In addition to walking you through the Mass part by part, I explain the new translation of the Mass and include all of the prayers -- with the new changes -- you'll need to know when we start using this translation in Advent of this year.

This book wasn't just a job. It was a journey. I loved each section, from the prayers that are as familiar to me as breathing to the prayers or styles of prayer that were foreign to me when I started. I hope reading my Essential Guide will be a journey for you, too.

Throughout the coming weeks, I'll post short excerpts at my own blog, Not Strictly Spiritual, to give you a taste of what you'll find. If you want to buy it right now, in print or Kindle editions, click HERE to go to Amazon.