March heralds the beginning of our Lenten Journey 2019 and Catherine’s advice is as relevant as ever at the beginning of this Sacred Season.

As Ash Wednesday dawns, we are reminded of our common mortality; this life’s journey will surely end in our returning to dust. We are reminded of the fragility of human life and the call to conversion of heart.

As children, and maybe even as adults, this Season was not always welcomed by us as it smacked of denial and sacrifice but, if we heed Catherine’s advice and “take one day only in hand,” we can live it joyfully in the spirit of Pope Francis who says in his Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete Et Exsultate, “If we allow the Lord to draw us out of our shell and change our lives, then we can do as St Paul tells us: Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4)