This Lenten season, members of the Boston College community will offer weekly reflections to help you prepare for Easter.
Want to receive spiritual reflections during the Lenten and Advent seasons?
Easter Sunday
“Today we focus on the empty tomb, rightly so, as it is the greatest mystery and triumph of our faith. I’m contemplating today, however, on Mary’s decision to step out that dark morning into the unknown. Her bravery gives me the strength to walk out into this world full of darkness and despair and have the courage to hope…and witness the crowning truth of our faith—God lives!”
View past reflections
Palm Sunday
"Like Jesus, we should know the crowd is unreliable. It can adore at one moment and then insult and attack in the next. Unlike the crowd, the Lord is always trustworthy and there for us. This Palm Sunday, let’s pray in thanksgiving with Isaiah and Jesus: 'The Lord God is my help.'”
Fifth Sunday
“In the course of watching and listening, our interior life may be lit by something beyond our senses. We may experience the closeness of the Lord. The glow may fill our hearts and minds with grace that energizes as it consoles.”
Laetare Sunday
“We are God’s handiwork, lovingly and painstakingly crafted like the ao po’i [Paraguayan finery]. We are treasured, wholly and completely, by God. To forget this is more wasteful than stashing away linens unused in a cupboard. God’s love for us is cause for celebration.”
Third Sunday
“I pray for the strength to confront the powerful and the unmoved who perpetuate the suffering of the marginalized and continue the conditions that made Jesus angry in his time. I hope for a future where all know they are welcome and belong in the temple of the risen Christ.”
Second Sunday
“After all, the story of Abraham and Isaac says something important about God: he was willing to do what we think is impossible. He gave up his beloved son and suffered through his mistreatment and humiliation and death. He understands our fears now. He will not flinch from facing loss and death with us and loving us through every trial.”
First Sunday
“As God sent angels to help Jesus through his dark times, so too does God send angels to serve us. This Lenten season, look for the angels in your life who minister to you and make sure to serve as angels to others through their dark times.”
Ash Wednesday
“God has a different mindset and uses a different kind of math. In my experience, during a fast, when I subtract, God multiplies. He creates abundance out of less. He gives me more time for prayer, and I connect with a source of peace, love, joy, kindness, and healing.”
Burt Howell
Burt Howell is the executive director of Intersections and the Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Boston College. He works primarily with faculty and staff to promote the University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission through programs such as retreats, pilgrimages, and immersion trips. He also teaches a seminar for undergraduates with high financial need.
Victoria Garcia, MA’18
Victoria Garcia, MA’18 is the assistant director of Intersections at Boston College. She received a master’s degree in higher education from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. She is passionate about working with faculty and staff to provide college students transformative college experiences through the context of the Jesuit, Catholic mission. Victoria was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, grew up in Miami, Florida, and now lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and their one-year-old son.
C21 Living Lent
Celebrate the season of Lent with opportunities from the Church in the 21st Century Center. Explore numerous faith resources on the C21 Living Lent page to enrich your Lenten experience.
Pray It Forward
During Lent, the Church in the 21st Century Center is offering an opportunity for BC Alumni, family, and friends to pray together each week. Join us on Zoom, Wednesdays at 4–4:15 p.m. (EST).