Should We “Despise Earthly Goods”?

A Liturgical Lesson for Lent

The Church in her traditional Roman Rite frequently prays that we may receive the grace to “despise” (or, as Lauren Pristas says would be a better translation, “look away from”/“not be captivated by”) earthly goods and to long for those of heaven, our true and lasting home. To take a few of many examples, the Postcommunion for the Feast of the Sacred He…