February and March are the months when we participate in the discipline of Lent. Fasting, praying, giving alms, confession, adoration — all good activities anytime — find even more purpose when we observe them in Lent. Though we are deep into Lent at this writing, there may be some ways that we can invest even more in our observances, and sometimes a good book can direct our thoughts.

Oh, the luck of the Irish! They say there are two kinds of people in the world: the Irish, and those who wish they were. But whatever our Catholic heritage, we all have gotten to experience a little St. Patrick, Emerald Isle magic, shamrocks, and corned beef (thanks to the blessed dispensation) on March 17.

"To prepare for worthy reception of this sacrament, the faithful should observe the fast required in their Church. (Cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 919) Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1387.

On one of those cold, gray afternoons this past February, I ran into a friend at a coffee shop who greeted me with a warning of her sour mood and explained that she was tired of the gloom.  It was the perfect word for those weeks leading up to Lent.  The darkness and cold of the season seeps into our collective psyche and a pervasive gloom seems to settle into our daily lives.

Last month, we had the opportunity to interview Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, who was a Ph.D. student of then-Professor Joseph Ratzinger in Germany over 50 years ago.

Father Fessio and Pope Benedict XVI had a successful and fruitful partnership in many ways. Of the 66 books that Pope Benedict wrote throughout his life, most of the English versions were published by Father Fessio’s creation, Ignatius Press. If we were to survey all the writings of this prodigious professor/scholar-pastor/theologian, where would we start?