Saturday, June 6, 2026

Catholic Insight

Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World

Catholic Insight

Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World

A Little Lenten Reflection

By John Baldino, OFSPosted on Posted in Blogs

As the universal Church begins the anticipatory and penitent season of Lent, it is important to take a moment to understand the season’s meaning and how it applies to each of the Catholic faithful. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and alms-giving in preparation for the passion and resurrection of Christ. So, when we think of how to observe Lent, we should think of how to best prepare ourselves for the Paschal Mystery.

Prayer brings us closer to God and strengthens our relationship with Him. Increasing prayer during Lent can be a practice that stays with us long after Easter. This doesn’t mean we have to spend hours on our knees at an adoration chapel—though it would be nice to have such an opportunity. Perhaps one decade of a rosary every morning on the way to work, or Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours would be a suitable step up for the Lenten season. Daily Mass is an excellent way to improve prayer life, too, if one’s schedule allows.

Fasting is more than a dietary exercise and it is not just a method of self-denial. Fasting is an exercise that empties us of worldly things that we may fill ourselves with Christ upon His resurrection. It is also a practice of discipline, the root word of “disciple.” Turning away from a beloved food or habit gives us time to focus on prayer and creates a longing which we can fill with Christ’s love. As an added bonus, I tend to lose a few pounds every Lent.

Finally, almsgiving is a Lenten practice of doing for others by sharing our time, talent, and/or treasure. It doesn’t just mean writing a check to the local parish or nonprofit organization. This is a time to simplify life and detach from worldly goods and donate clothing, food, money to the poor. Volunteering to work with children, the homeless, the community is a way to follow the example of Christ and better prepare us for His coming.

A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop

As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→

Pope Leo and a Rosary for Peace

Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics across the world to join him in a Rosary for peace today, at 18:00 Rome time (6 pm), which would be noon from where I write (EST). If you are able, whether at that time or another, and in whatever way you pray, to join in intercession with the[…]Continue reading→

Payette’s Payout

I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations[…]Continue reading→

Your Easter Prayer

Happy Easter Lord Jesus Christ. It’s Easter day and we smile In the Lord’s in gentle light and His tomb is bare the stone is rolled A story new that must be told And Lord Jesus Christ We love you it’s so true and Lord Jesus Christ has risen From his sleep and the Promises[…]Continue reading→

Three Musical Offerings for the Annunciation

A very blessed Solemnity of the Annunciation to one and all! This March 25th marking the greatest event in history – the Incarnation of the Son of God – goes back to the very origins of the Church, and changed everything. What was lost, is now found, what was dead, is now very much alive.[…]Continue reading→

Eleganti Sums up the SSPX

Bishop Marian Eleganti, auxiliary emeritus of Chur, Switzerland, through which I happened to pilgrimage last summer, sums up the irregular situation of the SSPX. His thoughts bear pondering: Firstly, acting with full autonomy without papal mandate or confirmed mission; secondly, operating with bishops not in union with the Pope and the episcopal college; thirdly, maintaining[…]Continue reading→

The Perils of Sedevacantism

(With John-Henry Westen of LifeSite raising the question of sedevacantism, urging a petition for the cardinals to question the validity of Francis’ and Leo’s papacies, here is a re-post of something I wrote earlier, on why we must tread with great caution in declaring a papacy, or any given pope, null and void. Whatever good[…]Continue reading→

Entropic AI

Entropy may be described as the tendency of all things degrade, to move from order to disorder, from cosmos to chaos, from specificity to entropy. It is the inevitable consequence of any closed system, and encapsulated as the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Any such system – whether that be a machine, a living organism, a[…]Continue reading→

How Do We Know Christ Really Lived?

Every now and then we hear in various and sundry places one of the greatest blasphemies of them all: that Jesus never really lived and that the reports of his life and teachings, his death and resurrection, were all made up by unscrupulous men apparently bent on exploiting others for greed and power. At this[…]Continue reading→

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