6 Gulf Pine Catholic • March 13, 2026 Many of us who have been married for a long time, or even some of our newlyweds, understand the difference between the “Honeymoon phase” in our marriages to the rough and tumble circumstances of our day-to-day living. We all understand fasting, almsgiving, penance and prayer. But, with all the diversity in marriage, most of us remain married. The reason we remain married is because, in marriage our lives experience what I call a NEW normal. This is important in my mind because strong marriages represent the blueprint for what real marriage looks like. And Lent gives the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to our marital spirituality. Many think that fasting, almsgiving, penance and prayer during Lent is a struggle. But it is more of an opportunity if we look at the ultimate benefit and outcome. For example, at the ripe old age of 29, I was diagnosed with chronic hypertension. I was thin, healthy, in great shape, but I still had hypertension. So, I went to my internal medicine physician and he prescribed me medicine to treat it. The medicine made me feel TERRIBLE! So I went back to my physician and complained about the medicine. He was patient and smiled, then asked, “Did your pressure go down?” I said yes. Then he explained to me that, my pressure was so bad, that the way I was feeling on the medicine was the way I was supposed to feel. He said this is your NEW normal. So, this Lent, think about our marriages. Through fasting, almsgiving, penance and prayer, are we leaving a life of sin and moving into a NEW normal? Are we sacrificing enough to make our spouses the center of our lives or have we grown comfortable being seduced by the perils of the secular world. Scripture tells us in the times of trial, that, through fasting, almsgiving, fasting and penance, as married couples, we have a great responsibility to our spiritual community. In 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 it states, “Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Working together, then, we appeal to you and not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” During this Lent, let your preparation be the catalyst for a new normal in your marriage. And as your marriage becomes even stronger, not only will you be rewarded, but also the community you belong to. This Lent, give the gift of Love to others by living out your enhanced marital experience. May God Bless you and keep you! Deacon Justin Mitchell is the Director of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Biloxi. Marriage & Family Life Mitchell Married couples during Lent: The NEW normal Are you looking forward to eating some Zeppole di San Giuseppe this week? It’s the Southern Italian pastry made of fried dough and custard that is a fixture of Saint Joseph’s Day, which we celebrate every March 19. The Zeppole tradition stems from a legend that claims Saint Joseph sold sweets to earn a living after he fled to Egypt with Jesus and Mary. Other traditions also abound surrounding the celebration of this feast day, especially in Italy, where it serves as their nation’s Father’s Day. One particular Sicilian legend recounts a drought in the Middle Ages that came to an end after prayers for the intercession of Saint Joseph brought rain. Those rains gave life to the fava bean, an important crop that helped relieve the famine sweeping Sicily. Gatherings were held to honor Saint Joseph’s intercession and give thanks to God, establishing traditions now celebrated yearly. And the fava bean, featured in those first celebrations, remains a component of devotional altars assembled for the feast in our day. Also tracing to this Sicilian legend is the practice of designating a table of food for donation to the poor on Saint Joseph’s Day, grounded in the people’s experience of being without food, a memory that leads to a commitment to generosity towards those struggling with hunger and poverty. This provides such a beautiful connection to Saint Joseph because the Holy Family certainly experienced their share of hardship and doing without in this world. These traditions surrounding the Feast of Saint Joseph draw us deeper into the Gospel and the story of Joseph caring for Mary and Jesus, even to the point of having the humility to seek and accept help in times of need. These traditions also draw us into the teachings of Christ, who said of those who feed the hungry, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” In other regions of Italy, bonfires are lit on the eve of Saint Joseph’s Day, starting the celebration early in a way that evokes a sense of wonder befitting the figure of Saint Joseph. The man chosen by God to care for Mary and Jesus must have commanded tremendous admiration from them, and the bonfires honor him appropriately. Those bonfires also inspire the awe we should have for Saint Joseph as a model of fatherhood. That awe is based somewhat on the mysterious nature of Joseph, because we don’t hear a lot about him in scripture. We get glimpses of his heroism in his obedience to God, sacrificial nature, and love for Mary and Jesus. And this is so much how children experience awe in relation to any good father. They see a man who relates to them in their world, but our fathers are always more complex than the countless functions they provide in service to family. Getting to know them fully is a journey of discovery over a lifetime. Saint Joseph provides a perfect lens through which to understand fatherhood because he checks all the boxes for what a loving and loyal husband and father should be in the glimpses we get of him. But he also opens our minds to fatherhood as mystery. In this way, our celebration of Saint Joseph on his feast day should awaken us to the mystery of our own fathers, and other fathers we know, so that we can support them in their great journey to care for their families. Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M., serves on The Christophers’ Board of Directors. For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org. The Traditions of St. Joseph’s Day Light One Candle Fr. Dougherty
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