Beauty is a good thing. After all, we are created in the image and likeness of God, Who is beauty itself. But vanity is an excessive love of one's own excellence or appearance, and considered a form of pride, which is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Father Jason Lewis, MIC, explains.

Join Fr. Mark Baron, MIC, the new Director of the Association of Marian Helpers (“Fr. Joseph, MIC”), as he tells the story of St. Agnes, whose feast we celebrate on Jan. 21. Agnes was just 13 years old when she was martyred in the year 304 A.D. Yet her brief life, heroic virtue, and death captured the imagination of her contemporaries and the Church in Rome. St. Agnes, pray for us!

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021726.cfm On the doorstep of Lent 2026, Fr. Mark Baron, MIC begins with something simple and familiar: the sweetness of Fat Tuesday, a favorite dessert, caramel and whipped cream enjoyed before the fast begins. But beneath the lighthearted beginning lies a serious spiritual question—what do we truly hunger for?