This Lent is about rediscovering myself and my passions while shedding bad habits I’ve allowed myself to develop. A true springtime of self.

I used to do lots of things better than I do now. I used to devour books. When I was a kid, my mom couldn’t keep enough books in the house for me. I plowed through the pages, enjoying stories and enveloping myself into plots and characters. Then I grew up.

I’ve seen the call-out, the challenge, to many prominent web-based Catholics to explain why they remain Catholic spread across the Internet today. Thanks to the lovely and intelligent Elizabeth Scalia for challenging the Catholic online world to this exercise. So as a borderline-millennial (born in 1983, so I can be grouped sometimes into Gen X & sometimes into Gen Y), I feel the need to chime in with my 2 c.

Most Catholics will say that the Triduum delivers their favorite liturgical celebrations of the year. Between the Holy Thursday Mass which celebrates the gift of the Eucharist and institution of the priesthood, Good Friday solemn liturgy which leaves the church in prayer until Easter, and then the Easter Vigil Mass, the longest Mass of the year when it is standing room only to welcome new Catholics into the Church, there are a lot of beautiful liturgies to attend.

Holy Thursday. One of my favorite Masses of the year. We celebrate several things, including kicking off the Triduum, the most holy time in the Church calendar. On Holy Thursday we commemorate the Last Supper, when Jesus simultaneously gave us the precious gift of the Eucharist and also the Institution of the Holy, Catholic Priesthood. What a joyful celebration!

As I sat in Mass over the weekend, I realized how little I truly know about St. Patrick. For it being a holiday I claim to love to celebrate, I have failed to get to know the saint behind the celebration. In fact, I’ve done more research on St. Brigid than I have St. Patrick! Shame on me. I’ve even visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City countless times for Mass and a quick stop-in for prayer. I never visit NYC without going as it’s one of my favorite churches in the world!

This weekend, my Irish Monsignor pastor preached about the real St. Patrick. Not the secular drinking holiday, but rather on the heart and soul of a man whom we should truly admire for so many reasons. After realizing this was going to be one of those really good homilies, I reached into my purse and grabbed my pen and Moleskine notebook to vigorously take notes on what Msgr. Frank was saying about this man. So much of what Msgr. said about the life and faith of St. Patrick resonated with my deepest thoughts and feelings.