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Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI said “the Church and its message [must] continue to be present in the great aeropagus of social communication..." and uCatholic answered the call.

uCatholic features Catholic news, a daily catechism lesson, hymns, apologetics, Catholic studies and a list of the linage of 266 Popes, starting with Peter whom Jesus called the Rock upon which He would build his church, all the way to the present Pope Benedict XVI.   You get info on the saint of the day, the daily readings, videos, prayers and more. 

Stop on by uCatholic frequently to get your daily dose of  "Catholic Traditions in the Modern World"

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Your Guide to a Catholic Lent

What is Lent? Lent is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting, special prayer and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. The name "Lent" is from the Middle English Lenten and Anglo-Saxon Lenten, meaning spring; its more primitive ecclesiastical name was the "forty days," tessaracoste in Greek. The number "forty" is first noted in the Canons of Nicaea (A.D. 325), likely in imitation of Jesus' fast in the desert before His public ministry (with Old Testament precedent in Moses and Elijah). By the fourth century, in most of the West, it referred to six days' fast per week of six weeks (Sundays were excluded); in the seventh century the days from Ash Wednesday through the First Sunday were added to make the number forty.

Follow these link to a comprehensive look at the disciplines of Lent:
http://www.hitechcatholic.com/2012/02/your-guide-to-lent-which-begins-next.html

• Stations of the Cross
• What almsgiving really means
• What are you doing for Lent this year?
• Fasting and abstinence
• Bless me, Father, for I have sinned...
• Families can make Lenten memories • Pretzels: A Lenten treat
• 10 tips for making the season more meaningful
• The story behind Passion Plays
• Lenten prayers and devotions
• 2012 Lenten message from Pope Benedict XVI

Pope on Justice, Life, Truth.

“America first proclaimed its independence on the basis of self-evident moral truths. America will remain a beacon of freedom for the world as long as it stands by those moral truths which are the very heart of its historical experience.  And so America: If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. It you want life, embrace the truth, the truth revealed by God."  \

-- Pope John Paul II, St. Louis, Missouri, January 1999

Stations of the Cross Around the World with Catholic Relief Services: Station 2 Jesus Carries the Cross

The Stations of the Cross Around the World with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). 
Station 2 Jesus carries the cross.  In rural El Salvador, women and children walk for hours each day to the river to retrieve and carry water that will be used for cooking, bathing and drinking.  When CRS helped build a well in rural El Salvador, 130 families in El Pedregal gained access to clean water in their homes.
http://orb.crs.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/ORB-2012-Stations-of-the-Cross.pdf

Catholic Social Teaching: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
We must take responsibility to protect the rights of all people. These rights include the right to life, food, water, shelter, education, and employment, along with political and cultural rights.

Challenge for Lent: Work on Becoming a Decent Human Being

A friend just shared this article with me.  I read it carefully and thoughtfully, and think this is a valuable message for any disciple of Jesus Christ.

http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2011/12/27/bait-and-switch-contemporary-christianity

On a business trip this past week, I gave up my aisle seat and took a middle seat so that a mother and her little girl could sit together. Why?  Because as a Roman Catholic, I must value the family, I must value little children, I must do little tiny sacrifices to make someone else's day go better.  As the article says, it was a tiny step towards becoming a more "decent human being". 

I think I'll make this my goal to work on during Lent, while, of course, not neglecting the Sacraments and prayer.

Catholic Relief Services has Stations of the Cross for Lent 2012

http://orb.crs.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/ORB-2012-Stations-of-the-Cross.pdf

Catholic Relief Services has a nice Stations of the Cross handout for Lent 2012.  Each Station is linked to an injustice around the world, what CRS is doing about it (and you, too, through your donations and prayers), and what Catholic Social Teaching says about it.

Here is the first Station as an example:

The Stations of the Cross

station 1 Jesus is condemned
In Madagascar, the majority of the population live in rural areas and work as subsistence
farmers. Ineffective farming techniques, limited sanitation systems and frequent droughts
have condemned more than half of the population to live below the poverty line.

catholic social teaching: CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION
We are called to be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us. Through protecting
the environment in which we live, we respect the goodness of nature, a gift God has given.

Catholic Relief Services has worked with the Malagasy people to improve farming methods
and foster environmental sustainability in rural communities throughout the country.

The High Tech Catholic Blog is getting better and better!

Brought to you by St. Michael Parish in Livermore, California, we are searching the Cyber Universe to bring you excellent Catholic content on the Internet, iTunes, smartphone apps, blogs, podcasts and more!  A big thank you to the editor in chief, Tina!

Website:
http://www.hitechcatholic.com/

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/hitechcatholic

Do you only have music on that iPod?  You're missing out!

Have a smartphone?  Any Catholic apps on it?  Well, how about iMissal, iRosary and the entire Holy Bible?  Check it out!  Most apps are free!

Archbishop Niederauer to Protest Deportation, Breaking Up Families

On Saturday, January 28, Archbishop Niederauer and bishops from the Bay Area will call on Gov. Brown and Attorney General Kamala Harris to stop the separation of families and to end SCOMM.  SCOMM (“Secure Communities”) is separating families by deporting thousands of people each year in California.

Read more at: http://lupitanews.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/immigration-reform-action/

I have thought a lot about this. Yes, it is wrong for people to enter American illegally.  But is it right to grab a husband and father, and suddenly deport him, leaving his wife and children behind?  To be separated for years?  With the whole family struggling financially?  That is not right either. Hence, the US Bishops continuing call for Immigration Reform to find a solution that is morally acceptable.

January is also Poverty Awareness Month

Because compassion for those who are poor and vulnerable was a central part of Jesus' mission, the USCCB's PovertyUSA Campaign seeks to broaden the general understanding of and concern for people living in poverty in America. The Campaign strives to engage as many people as possible in our shared responsibility to care for those who are in need. Help shed light on the seriousness of poverty in America and find ways to do something about it by joining the Poverty Awareness Facebook Event in January. Click on this link and join today!

Go check out the event on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/events/235829976489571/

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January has been declared National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

As a global institution, the Catholic Church, well positioned to respond to human trafficking, has denounced this horrific crime because it constitutes an offense against human dignity and fundamental human rights.

For more information, Click here