Duccio di Buoninsegna, “The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain,” between 1308 and 1311
Duccio di Buoninsegna, “The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain,” between 1308 and 1311 (photo: Public Domain)

Lent, Fasting and the Rise of the Occult (March 25)

How tough a Catholic are you? How would you have done with the Catholic Church’s practice of fasting if you lived 100 years ago? Today we discuss ‘Lent and Fasting (Now and Then)’ with Register staff writer Matthew McDonald. Then we turn to Register contributor Mary Frances Myler to discuss the troubling trend of interest in the occult and ways of ‘putting the devil on the run.’

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne attends a German Synodal Way assembly on March 9, 2023.

Four German Bishops Resist Push to Install Permanent ‘Synodal Council’

Given the Vatican’s repeated interventions against the German process, the bishops said they would instead look to the Synod of Bishops in Rome. Meanwhile, on Monday, German diocesan bishops approved the statutes for a synodal committee; and there are reports that the synodal committee will meet again in June.

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis