McGrath Institute Blog

Editorial note: This blog is the first in a six-part series featuring our free Lenten resource, "A Scriptural Pilgrimage to Christ Through Lent," written by Lenny DeLorenzo. 

In the center of Notre Dame’s campus is a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The words “Venite Ad Me Omnes” are engraved on the pedestal beneath the figure of Christ with outstretched arms. This is the Son of God who descended from the Father to become one with us. He went all the way down to the bottom of who and what we are, all the while beckoning: “come to me, everyone.”

Soy Mexicano, del hermoso estado de Michoacán de Ocampo. Mi pueblo es muy pequeño y no goza de avances científicos o tecnológicos pero sus tradiciones y sus celebraciones son dignas de mencionar. Entre nuestras tradiciones se encuentran la celebración en honor a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, la celebración de Día de Muertos, los desfiles de la primavera el 21 de marzo o el del día de la revolución Mexicana, el 20 de Noviembre, entre muchas otras.

I am Mexican, from the beautiful state of Michoacán de Ocampo. My town is very small, and it does not have scientific and/or technological advances, but its traditions and celebrations are worth mentioning. Among our traditions are the celebration in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the celebration of Day of the Dead, the parades for the welcoming of Spring on March 21st, and the parade on the day of the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution on November 20th, among many others.

As we enter the season of Lent once again, the cross of ashes on our foreheads and the pangs of hunger in our bellies remind us that we are dust and unto dust we shall return, so we must learn to hunger for God alone—to rely not on our own strength or powers of self-mastery, but to beg humbly for the graces that enable us to carry our crosses daily in imitation of Jesus Christ. 

Editorial Note: This post is an excerpt from the essay “New Orleans and the Catholic Imagination,” originally published at Church Life Journal on February 28, 2017.

As I woke up this morning in northern Indiana, I felt deeply sad. Some might assume that it is the perma-cloud that has reasserted its wintry authority over South Bend. Some would tell me that it's the pile of papers that must be graded over the next three days.

Both are wrong. It's because today is Mardi Gras, and I'm not in New Orleans.