Here are some excellent blog posts to add to your reading for Lent.  They pertain to current events and may be useful as an aid to developing your own answers for the questions we Catholics get asked about Lent and what it means and the current political battles between the Culture of Life and the Culture of Death.

Lent is 40 Days of Spiritual Battle.

Fr. Z has a good post on spiritual warfare and prayers for Ash Wednesday.

A Current Battle in our secular world is on who has the authority to determine religious practices; specifically, on those issues pertaining to human sexuality? Our government is functioning under the idea that it is Caesar that determines what is or is not permissible religious practice.  Catholics insist on Religious Liberty. Here is a post on 3 Reasons the Catholic Church Can Rule On Sexuality; it should serve nicely as an example of one area in which the Church has the authority even if the rest of our culture denies this reality.

I don’t Want to Work for Solidarity over at Working to be Worthy; to this I can add I would rather not work for Subsidiarity either but without both of these our social justice slips into socialism which violates human dignity rather than aiding it.

Real Catholic TV has so much of value, I wish it were in my budget to pay for their full service.  Meanwhile, I pass on to you this excellent video and urge you who are able to support their work in the digital missions field.

On a lighter note there are a lot of us out here in the ether who are eagerly embarking on what we hope will be spiritually fulfilling and virtue growing practices for Lent.  Over at A Woman’s Place we find her sensible and family oriented plan for Lent.

Granola Catholic posted on Preparing for and Observing Lent and invites others to share their preparations and ideas.

I am struggling to keep to my plans for Lent.  It is a challenge and spiritually I need the work.  God bless you all in your efforts toward Lenten preparation.