Cicero said that it was better to be, rather than to appear. Jesus says something similar in the Gospel - it is far more important to truly be a Christian rather than to appear to be one based on the ashes on our forehead. This Lent, make the resolution to take the steps necessary to actually become a follower of Jesus Christ through repentance of sins, Confession and Mass, and making Jesus the center of your life.

Today we conclude our three-week series on Christ's Rules for Happiness - the Beatitudes, as we look at the blessedness of being pure of heart, peacemakers, and persecuted for the sake of righteousness.

As we continue our discussion of Jesus' eight signposts of happiness (aka the Beatitudes), we ponder what it means to be meek, merciful, and to hunger and thirst for holiness!

Jesus gives us eight rules of happiness - the Beatitudes. These are not things that merely "happen" to us, but virtues that we can seek to cultivate. Hear how the first two Beatitudes can be lived out - that we may find a fulfilling life!

Throughout history, God has raised up a remnant from seeming disasters - whether it be the Fall of the Roman Empire (making space for Christendom), the Protestant Reformation (which helped purify the Church), or even our current day, when we are witnessing the eclipse of Western Civilization (yet God is still on the move!). This is true in history - and in our own life, when God can turn the biggest disasters into a true testament of His glory.

We often speak about "glorifying God", but what does that mean? It means that God's attributes are revealed in us - His holiness, wisdom, love, faithfulness. Christians are responsible for the good name of God - if we reflect Him, then He will be known and believed; if we do not live like Him, then unbelievers will have reason to persist in their unbelief. May Christians always live like Christ, the Man "fully alive", that all may see us and believe in Him!

God became incarnate and left us an incarnate Church - His love comes through visible, tangible means in the Sacraments. This is one of the greatest antidotes to the digital world in which we all live - the fact that God uses "real-world" stuff to communicate His invisible grace in the Sacraments!

To love is to lay down your life for another. But you can't give what you don't have - so one must possess oneself in order to give oneself away. So many men are slaves to many things, though: lust, pride, pleasures, money. We need self-control, developed through self-denial, to break free from these types of slavery so that we experience the true freedom of Christ, which will allow us to give of ourselves to Him!