The season of Lent begins shortly: Ash Wednesday is on the 22nd. But we have all of February to observe both Black History Month and Catholic Press Month. The intersection of the two is happily contained in the person of black Catholic publisher Daniel Rudd (d. 1933)—who also founded the influential Colored Catholic Congress in 1889

From good deeds and other acts of "light" come healing, peace, and glory.

Things are better when we take care of one another. Things grow worse if we don’t. That is nowhere truer than in families. Loving and purposeful families grow together and yield abundant dividends in loyalty, mutual encouragement, and assured welfare.

Last summer a storm hit our area dumping record amounts of rain quickly. It started to pour while I was celebrating Sunday Mass. By the time people were leaving church the streets were rivers and sewer tops were blown into the air with geysers of water shooting out of them.

Bland. What a horrible trait. It sounds like a punishment: "Since you've worked yourself into an ulcer, you need to eat bland food for three months." I knew a guy in college who could best be described as bland.

My sister was discussing the significance of offering the sign of peace at Mass with the students in her C.C.D. class.

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.