For Jaclyn Dela Cruz, to properly depict the Resurrection she had to capture how Jesus might have felt on that first Easter morning.

Good Friday was bad long before it was good, at least from outward appearances.

Heading into church last month for the noon-hour service on Ash Wednesday, I walked along the sidewalk behind two middle-aged couples decked out in office-type apparel. I overheard that one of the couples was heading out for a bite of lunch and the other was skipping lunch to attend the service that marks the beginning of Lenten fasting, penance and prayer that is now entering its final days before we reach the glory of Easter Sunday.

Begin at the end and work backwards.

WASHINGTON – Almsgiving is a Lenten tradition and Washington resident Ron Van Bellen says his volunteer work feeding the homeless honours his Catholic faith as he prepares for Easter.

Have you ever studied the stained glass windows in your church?

VATICAN CITY – On the first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis said if we want to fight against the temptation of sin, we must be familiar with the Word of God – treating the Bible more like how we treat our cellphone.

WASHINGTON – There is no getting around fasting during Lent.

True fasting is helping your neighbour; while false fasting mixes religiosity with dirty deals and the bribes of vanity. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Friday.

The season of Lent is all about preparing, which means there are plenty of to-do lists for Catholics as they count down the days to Easter Sunday and the Resurrection.

Andrew and Martha sat glumly. They were stuck in the same argument they’d had so many times before in their life together as a couple. One stabbed using sharp words, the other stonewalled using the silent treatment.

The next $8 million Development and Peace raises will be in the name of women.

ROME – Lent is a time to receive God's breath of life, a breath that saves humanity from suffocating under the weight of selfishness, indifference and piety devoid of sincerity, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY – On Ash Wednesday Pope Francis said that while Lent is certainly a time of mortification, it’s also a journey of hope that leads to the joy of Christ’s Resurrection – a journey that requires both daily sacrifice and love.

WASHINGTON – As Ash Wednesday kicks off the Lenten season, Catholics enter into 40 days of abstaining from sweets, technology, alcohol and other luxuries.