"Jesus said to his apostles, 'Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little'" (Mk 6:31).

"[Lent] is a realistic down-to-earth time. It's about ashes and the cross. It's about sin and sorrow. It's about life and death.... Our penitential practices may be hard at times, but they lift our inner spirit. We're made for more.... We're made for the unimaginable greatness of God."

Some excerpts from the "Little Black Book," a prayer guide for the Lenten season.