Today's match-up is fraught with intrigue as two popular women from fabulous vacation spots duke it out for the right to advance to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen. If you were smart, you conducted some intense personal research by traveling to both Siena, Italy, and Honolulu, Hawaii, before the start of Lent Madness. If not, now is the time to lobby your travel agent for a 2013 Lent Madness vacation package.

In recent action, John Cassian coasted to victory over James Lloyd Breck (55% to 45%), making you wonder why Nashotah House graduates aren't more passionate about Lent Madness. Perhaps all that Tebowing (what we used to call genuflecting) distracted them from the task at hand. In any case, view the updated bracket and the calendar of upcoming match-ups and enjoy today's Lent Madness all-female revue.
Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) was a 14th century mystic, visionary, Dominican tertiary, and theologian. She’s best known for being an articulate critic of political battles among clergy within the Roman Catholic Church. Appalled by factional fighting that resulted in the Avignon papacy, she persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome and reform the clergy. When the next Great Schism broke out in 1378, Pope Urban VI demanded that Catherine come to Rome as his advocate.

In the midst of all this, Catherine experienced a “mystical marriage” with Jesus, received the stigmata, and found time to dictate a book of meditations and revelations, The Dialogue of Divine Providence. More than 300 of her letters to confessors, royalty, and church officials have survived over the centuries. Interestingly, 1/3 of her surviving letters were written to women.

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After a week full of major saints and prominent names, we're dialing it back and injecting a small dose of obscurity with this match-up. That's not to say that John Cassian and James Lloyd Breck are lightweights, they just don't have the name recognition of some of the contenders vying for the Golden Halo. Will the monastic carry the day or will he wander around on his hands and knees futilely seeking an oasis in the desert of Lent Madness? Or will Breck, like Philander Chase before him, rally Midwesterners and seminary alumni to his cause?

In yesterday's action, Dietrich Bonhoeffer swept to a resounding victory over the apostle James, leaving members of Jesus' inner circle (Thomas then James) to wonder just where they went wrong. Don't forget to check the the updated calendar of match-ups and the updated bracket.

John Cassian (360- c.435), considered a saint  by the Eastern church but never canonized by the Western church, was a Desert Father who championed monasticism as a spiritual way of life. He was a follower of St. John Chrysostom who ended up in Rome as an emissary to Pope Innocent I for that exiled Patriarch of Constantinople.

When invited to establish Egyptian-style monasteries in Southern France, Cassian did so for women as well as men. His writings, Institutes of the Monastic Life and Conferences on the Egyptian Monks greatly influenced St. Benedict whose Rule has shaped Western monasticism for centuries. It is said that Benedict insisted that sections of the Conferences be read aloud to his monks.

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Today we get another one of these intriguing match-ups between a Biblical figure and a 20th-century theologian and martyr. The last time one of Jesus' inner circle appeared in Lent Madness, Thomas went down to defeat at the hands of Enmegahbowh. Will James, this "Son of Thunder," survive or will he be struck down by Bonhoefer's lightning?

In yesterday's oedipal action, Monnica (mom) defeated Augustine (son) 56% to 44%. Therapy will ensue. Check out the updated bracket and, if you're wondering about upcoming matches, view the complete calendar.

James was one of Jesus’ three disciples who formed the inner circle within the twelve. Along with his (probably younger) brother John and Peter, James witnessed the Transfiguration and the raising of Jairus’s daughter. He also fell asleep several times when he was supposed to be up watching and waiting while Jesus was agonizing in the garden before his arrest.

Jesus gave this inner circle of disciples names that would now be appropriate for modern wrestlers. Peter was nicknamed “The Rock,” and James and John were “The Sons of Thunder” (good for a tag team bout, yes?). This nickname probably came from their quick tempers, which may have led to James being the first of the twelve to be martyred. The Acts of the Apostles records: “About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword” (12:1-2).

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This week Tim and Scott review the action-packed battles of the week, look at how the Saintly 16 is shaping up, and talk about the new sensation sweeping PBS.

Enjoy more videos on the Lent Madness video channel.

After a long, painfully slow weekend without Lent Madness (local support groups are cropping up everywhere), we welcome you back to another week of saintly action. Today marks the long-anticipated epic oedipal battle between mother and son -- which may just be the definition of Lent Madness!

As one of our Celebrity Bloggers has pointed out, this pairing "suggests a dark, nay, diabolical streak in the hearts of the bracketeers, priests of the Church though they may be." (Thanks, Heidi. And for that remark, we have given you, a mother of two sons, both sides of this match-up). Nevertheless, the witnesses of Monnica and Augustine of Hippo will stand on their own merits. You, the people, shall decide whether mother or son will advance to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen.

With half the match-ups decided for the Round of the Saintly Sixteen, make sure to check out the updated calendar of future battles as well as the updated bracket.

Monnica (c. 331 -  387), born to Christian Berber parents in North Africa, would be unknown to us were it not for her depiction as the persistently devoted mother in her son’s autobiographical “Confessions of St. Augustine.”

Issue from her marriage to a difficult pagan bureaucrat named Patriclius included Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua. Monnica recognized early on that Augustine was tremendously gifted intellectually and her love for him was manifested in her deep ambition to see him succeed in the world. However, upon deepening her life of prayer and Christian maturity that ambition transformed into a passion to see him convert to Christianity. He scorned her efforts and influence. Ultimately, her quest led her to follow him first to Rome and then to Milan, where he was, after 17 years of prayer and “encouragement,” baptized by Bishop Ambrose on Easter Eve 387.

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Here at Lent Madness we've been putting out the call for a theme song. Why? Because every hot product / business / organization / character/TV show has one -- like McDonalds ("I'm lovin' it") or Cheers ("Where everybody knows your name") or Brylcream ("A little dab'll do ya").

We thought about following the trend of today's advertisers and using an already-recorded song like U2's "The Saints are Coming" but decided not to risk getting sued by Bono. Plus he's probably sick of Episcopalians using his music anyway. Watch Tim on a 2006 segment of ABCs Nightline about the "U2charist." Then watch him getting mocked for it on Comedy Central's The Daily Show.

So we're looking for original lyrics/tunes and a few of you have submitted them. Or if not original tunes, at least ones where the copyright is in the public domain.

Here's one from Lent Madness early adopter, haiku-meister, and  Diocese of Southeast Florida Communications Director Mary Cox. Obviously it's sung to the tune of "For All the Saints."

For all the saints, who in Lent Madness clash,
were we to wager, we’d need lots of cash,
so here we’re merely cyber-talking trash.
Alleluia, etc….

The Golden Halo glimmers in the sun,
awaiting that most holy saint who’s won—
who says that Lent should not be any fun!
Alleluia, etc….

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After two gut-wrenchingly close battles involving saints named Thomas, the week's final match-up features an evangelical 18th century Anglican and a man closely linked to Ireland and Scotland.

Thomas the Apostle and Enmegahbowh faced off in an epic see-saw battle that wasn't decided until the wee hours (or early hours depending on your global location). In the end Enmegabowh prevailed 52% to 48% and will head to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen.

One note on our least favorite topic here at Lent Madness: Voter Fraud. Those who closely monitored the vote totals late yesterday will have noted the disappearance of some votes for both saints. This was not due to Lenten hackers but the keen eyes of the Supreme Executive Committee who noticed some irregularities and quickly acted to remedy the situation. It turns out someone from Overland Park, Kansas, voted 100 times for Thomas. Then someone else voted 50 times for Enmegabowh (equal opportunity cheating!). Scott deleted the repeat votes and banished the rogues into the outer darkness of Lent without Lent Madness. We are completely confident that the end result is fair and reflects the will of the non-cheaters. We will remain ever-vigilant and are even considering hiring Jimmy Carter on retainer as an election monitor.

We'll all need the weekend off to recover and prepare for Monday's oedipal match-up between Augustine of Hippo and his mother Monnica! But in the meantime, enjoy today's election and let's keep up the spirit and goodwill of keeping a holy Lent Madness.

William Law (1686-1761) was an 18^th century theologian and evangelical writer. He was widely known for his book A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, which was a best-selling handbook on pious living and is still available today. Charles Wesley once said that William Law taught him all he knew about religion.

Educated at Cambridge University with plans to become a clergyman, Law would not take the oath of allegiance to George I, so he served as a private tutor to the children of Edward Gibbon (yes, ‘The Rise and Fall…’ Gibbon). Unable to use the pulpit or lecture hall, he preached through his books. This is when he penned, A Serious Call. It was Gibbon who said, "If Mr. Law finds a spark of piety in a reader's mind, he will soon kindle it into a flame."

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For the second straight day we get a man named Thomas opposed by a saint with a fantastic name. In 24 hours we've gone from Merton to the Apostle; from Philander to Enmegahbowh. But, of course, in Lent Madness saints don't emerge victorious by fanciful names alone. Otherwise Engelbert Humperdinck would be canonized and win the Golden Halo.

Bracket Buster Alert! In one of the most hotly-contested battles to date, Philander Chase stormed past Thomas Merton late yesterday afternoon and never looked back. Despite a late surge by Merton, Chase held on to win 52% to 48% in record voting (2,711 votes cast) and commenting (142 comments). Spurred on by an army of Kenyon College alumni, this may go down as one of the greatest upsets in Lent Madness history.

Check in with the updated bracket and view the calendar of upcoming battles as we mark one full week of Lent Madness action.

Thomas, aka “Doubting” Thomas, aka “Didymus,” aka “The Twin,” is best known for wanting something more than his fellow-apostles’ word that Jesus had appeared to them in the flesh after he had been crucified. It could also be noted that Thomas was the only apostle to leave the house after Jesus’ crucifixion when everyone else was waiting inside with the doors locked out of fear. When Jesus returned to the house a second time, Thomas, despite his stated demands for hands-on proof, did not hesitate to call the resurrected Jesus “My Lord and my God!”

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