The importance of feasting in the Christian tradition

Posted by Bridgid Smith on Apr 14, 2021 6:01:17 PM

“Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Scripture tells me to “eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks” and rejoice with those around me? Sign me up! For someone who doesn’t require much convincing to call a feast, this reading is a welcome invitation.

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Topics: Practice, liturgy, traditions, feast days

Choosing your Lenten practices

Posted by Elizabeth Clarke on Feb 10, 2021 10:08:17 AM

“What are you giving up for Lent?” In my youth, this question was fraught with the anxiety of choosing which I would rather give up for forty days: ice cream or chocolate. More recently though, I have tried to embrace the ascetic element of this liturgical season as an opportunity to examine how God is inviting me to let go and who God is inviting me to become.

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Topics: almsgiving, Lent, prayer, fasting, traditions

What is Candlemas and how to observe it

Posted by Carolyn Pirtle on Feb 2, 2021 12:47:54 PM

On February 2—forty days after Christmas—the Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, calling to mind the Holy Family’s observance of the Mosaic Law (see Leviticus 12:1–8). Mary comes to the Temple forty days after giving birth to Jesus, and she and Joseph offer for her purification a sacrifice of two turtledoves, the offering prescribed for the poor. In addition, Mary and Joseph present and dedicate Jesus to God, as he is Mary’s firstborn Son (see Exodus 13:2–16).

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Topics: family life, holidays, traditions, DIY, feast days

Choosing your Lenten practices

Posted by Elizabeth Clarke on Feb 17, 2020 7:22:40 PM

“What are you giving up for Lent?” In my youth, this question was fraught with the anxiety of choosing which I would rather give up for forty days: ice cream or chocolate. More recently though, I have tried to embrace the ascetic element of this liturgical season as an opportunity to examine how God is inviting me to let go and who God is inviting me to become.

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Topics: almsgiving, Lent, prayer, fasting, traditions

Our Most Read Posts of 2019

Posted by The Editors on Jan 13, 2020 6:11:20 PM

Monday, January 13 marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of the McGrath Institute Blog. Over the past year we have published articles meant to help our readers live and hand on the Catholic faith, especially in the family home and parish. Our writers have shared their personal experiences of faith, provided suggestions for how to deepen one's prayer life, recommended spiritually enriching books, and more. Featured below are the ten most popular posts we published over the past year. Thank you to each one of our readers for following along with us this year and allowing us to share in your journey of faith. 

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Topics: Culture, evangelization, traditions, ministry

Living and Handing on the Faith

The McGrath Institute Blog helps Catholics live and hand on their faith in Jesus Christ, especially in the family, home and parish, and cultivates and inspires everyday leaders to live out the fullness and richness of their faith in the simple, little ways that make up Church life.

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