Free Republic

For the Church, Lent like Advent is a "powerful season" a season of waiting and preparing and therefore a time for sacrifice, repentance, and purification. But, in our hedonistic society of today these words seem to strike a rather discordant note. So, is it fair to ask : how do we speak today about sacrifice and how do we practice it ?? Lent lasts for 40 days - as many days as Jesus Christ spent in the desert before he took on his mission of salvation. 40 is a sacred number in the Bible : the Deluge lasted for 40...

<p>It began with a plan to drain Pensacola Bay, and ended with a hurricane. In between was 30 years of struggle to colonize Santa Rosa Island.</p> <p>Today the site lies peacefully under a blanket of white sand. Low-lying dunes and typical barrier island vegetation give no hint at what's underneath, and the sound of waves crashing on the Gulf of Mexico shoreline is easily heard. But about two feet down lie what should be extremely well-preserved remains of the third Spanish settlement in Pensacola.</p>