What’s on Your Lenten Plate? Getting a brood of kids off to school with a hearty breakfast

beforehand required a bit of understanding. As one of the kids described the family scene, everyone understood that Mom was Not a Morning Person. Each weekday had its assigned menu item. That way, Mom could practically get breakfast on the table in her sleep.

In England, people call the Tuesday before Lent “Pancake Tuesday.” Back when Lenten observances prohibited eating meat or even other animal by-products, pancakes conveniently used up eggs, milk, and fat before Ash Wednesday.

For our modern-day mom, every week had pancake Tuesday. As long as no one interrupted while she mixed the batter and tended the griddle, the pancakes turned out fine. Routine has a helpful place in our faith, too. Your monthly pledge or gift to Heart of the Nation during the Inspired & Invited fund drive will help us provide Holy Mass each and every week.

The liturgical season of Lent invites us to engage in prayer and sacrifices to make the weeks leading to Easter meaningful in ways that might even become part of our everyday routine. Maybe you’ll give up desserts, coffee, or other favorites and donate the savings as a reminder of Jesus’ much greater sacrifice. If you decide to spend more time in prayer and reflection, the seasonal prayers, guide to the daily Scripture readings, and weekly reflections in Heart of the Nation’s Prayer & Worship Guide provide plenty of food for thought. (See page 4 to order a free subscription for yourself or someone you love.)

Lent challenges us to cook up new ways to serve the Lord better. Through our Lenten observances, we become Easter morning people filled with joy in the Resurrection!

Faith As Close As Your TV

Monthly Bulletin February 2018

Announcements

Fr. Mark PayneChaplain

NEW CHANNELS FOR MASS!Greensboro / High Point /

Winston-Salem, NC WMYV ch. 48 at 7 a.m.

Lexington, KY WLEX ch. 18 (NBC) at 6 a.m.

Portland, OR KRCW ch. 32 (CW) at 6:30 a.m.

Roanoke / Lynchburg / Virginia Station, VA

WWCW ch. 21 & 27.2 at 7:30 a.m.Rochester, NY

WHUF ch. 31 (Fox) at 7 a.m.Seattle, WA

KSTW ch. 11 (CW) at 6:30 a.m.Former ION viewers, please tune

in WGN America or visit www.HeartoftheNation.org/where-to-watch to see local channel information.

NEW TV MASS TIMEColorado Springs, CO

KXTU ch. 57 (CW) at 7 a.m. KXRM ch. 21.2 (CW) at 7 a.m.

“My life has been so blessed and enriched by your weekly Mass.”

~Jerimichael

“I just found you a few weeks ago, and it is wonderful to watch.”

~Kathy

“Thank you for sending me the calendar. Any time a blessing comes my way, I will try to bless the next guy.”

~Christopher

“It’s wonderful to begin the morning with you! I am so happy I get the WGN channel.”

~Bonnie

Vibrant Faith ShowsAmong God’s amazing creatures, chameleons can exhibit

transformations in their skin color. Some have a palette limited to green, brown, and grey, leading to the misconception that the lizards change color as camouflage. Others can become bright yellow, orange, or blue. Color changes express anger, fear, the desire to mate, or adaptation to different air temperatures. Tightening of the lizard’s skin causes the change.

On the second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel of Mark describes the Transfiguration of the Lord, which gave three of the Disciples a glimpse of Jesus in His heavenly glory. Unlike a chameleon’s changing appearance, Jesus’ Transfiguration went well beyond skin deep.

Rumors about Jesus abounded. Some people said that John the Baptist, Elijah, or another prophet had come back in the person of Jesus. Even before the Transfiguration, Saint Peter got it right when he said that Jesus is the Christ.

Here’s another thing about chameleons: they can look in two different directions at the same time. One eye might look

in front, while the other looks elsewhere.

Jesus looked ahead and back in time. The Lord had begun to talk to the Disciples about the Passion that He would endure. Peter didn’t like that discussion one bit.

Looking back, Peter had seen Jesus cure his mother-in-law. On that day, Jesus healed many others besides, when

practically the whole town came to the door.

Through human eyes, Peter couldn’t regard Jesus’ future suffering and death the way the Lord did. He wanted to hear about glory, not the gore of the Crucifixion.

We can easily become complacent in our faith, not bothering to get angry about injustice, ignoring the fear of life on an increasingly damaged Earth, and just adapting to our surroundings. In complacency, we unintentionally blend in, like the khaki-colored chameleon.

During Lent, it’s time for a vibrant change, allowing us to look at things differently.

Fr. Tony ScannellChaplain

Jesus inspired people to come to Him and, even greater, to give up much and follow Him. We have a standing invitation from the Lord. Lent reminds us to R.S.V.P. “Yes!”

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 14). In the day’s second reading, St. Paul advises working together, using the grace received from God. During the “Inspired and Invited” fund drive, your offering in any amount will join with many other gifts needed to provide Sunday Mass and Catholic publications to the people who depend on Heart of the Nation’s ministry.

Inspired by your own need for the TV/online Mass, the need of someone you love, or your desire to respond to the Lord’s invitation to serve Him, please return the enclosed RSVP card with your inspired Lenten gift or monthly pledge.

Lenten Questions and Answers Even if you grew up Catholic, you might find yourself stumped by

some of these questions, discover that you knew only part of the answer, or find some ideas to make this Lent especially meaningful.1. What should Catholics do with palms from the prior year? Return

blessed palm fronds to the earth by burying, composting, or burning and burying the ashes. Some parishes accept palm branches for burning to obtain ashes for Ash Wednesday.

2. Does every priest say the same thing when placing ashes on a person’s forehead? The priest says, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” or “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

3. Does the Church welcome everyone to receive ashes? Yes, Catholics, non-Catholics, and people excommunicated from the Catholic Church may receive ashes.

4. Should a person leave the ashes in place all day? Ashes reflect humility, not holiness. There is no requirement to wear them all day. If the ashes will draw praise to you, not to Christ, wipe them off.

5. When do fasting and abstinence apply? Health permitting, the obligation to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday applies from midnight at the end of a person’s 18th birthday through midnight at the end of the 59th birthday. Two small meals together should be less than the full one. Abstinence, a sign of oneness in the Lord, begins at midnight at the end of the 14th birthday, with no upper age limit. Abstain from meat and poultry on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays of Lent. On other Fridays, you may choose a penance more personally meaningful for you.

6. Where did Lent get its name? Lent comes from Germanic and antiquated English words referring to the season of spring and its “long days” of increasing daylight.

7. What are the seven penitential Psalms often prayed during Lent? Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143 acknowledge sinfulness, express sorrow, and underscore the need for mercy.

8. How many days does Lent last? The liturgical season begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts until the Mass of the Lord’s Supper begins on Holy Thursday (44 days). Penitential days of Lent extend through Holy Saturday (46 days, or 40 if you don’t count Sundays).

9. Do Catholics get Sundays off from their personal Lenten observances? Sundays year-round celebrate the Resurrection. The early Church prohibited fasting and some other forms of penance on Sundays. Today, the Church recognizes that penitential practices may be more beneficial without a break. There is no rule.

Prayer in Sickness(World Day of the Sick is Feb. 11)

Blessed Virgin Mary,

In your gentle holiness, Please join me in this prayer For hope in the Lord Jesus, Who loves beyond compare.

In your closeness to the Lord, Please ask that He bless me With grace in time of sickness, Pain, or infirmity.

In your maternal care, May the comfort that I find Help me in faith to seek Him With heart and soul and mind.

In your loving presence, May the healing meant to be Or suffering endured become Blessed for eternity. Amen.

Valentine Prayer Heavenly Father,

Love shared, given and received Enfolds my most joyous memories. For love’s inscription on my heart, I give You thanks and glory.

For love shown in many ways And its gift beyond what words can say, For each moment filled with love, I come to You in grateful praise.

Greater love there cannot be Than Jesus showed so readily. In hope I offer You this prayer For life in love eternally. Amen.

With gratitude, Heart of the Nation welcomes new members to the Circle of the Heart monthly giving club. As a member, you will be included in prayers placed before the altar for every Sunday TV Mass. To join, please mark the box on your donation en-velope, and indicate the amount of your pledge. (If you need to change or cancel your pledge, just call, e-mail, or send a note to Heart of the Nation.) Thank you!

Contact Us:Heart of the Nation

1126 S. 70th Street, N601Milwaukee, WI 53214

Toll-Free: (855) 855-6277 Mail@HeartoftheNation.org www.HeartoftheNation.org

Junior AcunaMirna Alemankozai

Angela AmosStanley Baron

Franklin BaumannGeorge Beach

Norman BeckerSylvia Belgrove

Devereaux BieleckiPatricia Block

Alice Ann BowmanRafael Caban

Mary Agnes CalvilloOlivia Carbonneau

Ruth CastnerRosemary Colandrea

Daniel CornellJudy A. Crowder

Karen CzachorowskiBernice Devries

Betty Diesing

Maria DonaldsonKathleen Dulewicz

Dolores DunleyAlice Fay

Edward K. FietzBelva Fisher

Michael FloresCaroline Fontana

John GasparRobert Giamboi

Fran GranoNoreen HannaTara Hannon

Cecile HeddingMartin Hoyt, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. John C. KearnsAndrew KozakAndrea Lema

Elizabeth A. LynchMarcia Madden

Leticia Manimtim

Iberca A. MatosEllen MeffordPervis Menton

Rosemary MessineoBruce Miller

Alaine S. MoseleyMicheline M. NoelFrances Norbeck

Gail OliverMary OngirskiMichelle Peters

Kathleen PrewittJames Puzzo

Linda RadfordLeo A. Rael

Lourdes RaicesMary RickelSherri Rivera

Tom & Carla RokuskieAlice Schnell

Janet Schroering

Prayer & Worship Guide: Order for YourselfOr As a Gift for Someone You Love ❏ Please start a free annual subscription to the large-print Prayer & Worship Guide, published 7 times per year by Heart of the Nation. Send it to the person listed below:

Name (please print):______________________________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________________________

City:____________________________________________ State:_________ Zip Code:________________

Please return this form to Heart of the Nation, 1126 S. 70th Street, Suite N601, Milwaukee, WI 53214. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Thank You!

Jean ShowalterMaria L. Soriano

Valerie SoteroBrenda Stevens

Juanita StricklandLinda Sydor

Dorothy TancrediLeavinnea Taniwii

Bernard TannheimerSandra TempestRose A. Thomas

John VargasJoAnn Villa

Dorothy A. WalshMark Weibel

Martha Ann WilinskiBeverly WilsonGrant A. WinnEdward Zrodlo

The Sit-Down FeastOn Feb. 22, we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle.

A bronze masterpiece by the sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini ensconces a worm-eaten, simple wooden chair in which St. Peter sat, bringing together the grandeur and humility of the Papal succession that began with the Apostle as our first Pope. In the first Letter of St. Peter, the beloved saint humbly calls himself a “fellow presbyter.” Bernini’s sculpture, located in St. Peter’s Basilica, has figures of St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Athanasius supporting the chair. With St. Peter’s chair as a reminder, celebrate the gift of carrying on the Lord’s mission from where you sit.