"Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and … Continue reading On Lost Sheep and Good Shepherds
Prayer & Fasting: Who I’m praying for this week
After spending way too much time angry with people who "should" know better, but who continue to disappoint and frustrate me by their actions, I have decided it's past time to start praying and fasting for those who are so lost they think the wrongs they advocate or encourage are actually doing what is "right." … Continue reading Prayer & Fasting: Who I’m praying for this week
“Do whatever He tells you…”
From 4 years ago, but apropos on this feast day for our Lady, Jesus’ Mother and ours!
Today we are celebrating the newest feast day declared by Pope Francis, that of Mary, the Mother of the Church.
Before you dismiss today’s blog because you are not Catholic and it doesn’t interest you, please hang in there! Just to let you know, that Jesus’ mother, in that role, is also mother of us all, no matter if you practice my faith or not. If we are the Body of Christ, as it proclaims in Scripture, then she is our mother, too.
And we can be assured that the woman – who said “Yes” to the angel Gabriel, and the woman who stood at the foot of the cross as her son died, and the woman who was present at Pentecost in the upper room when the Holy Spirit rushed in to inspire and embolden all the followers of Jesus – that she is a unique and unfathomably blessed…
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The Discussion We Need to Have
Posting again, with great sadness and concern. Let us pray for the families of the little victims in Texas and of the two teachers who perished. Rest in Peace. And for all the survivors who are traumatized by the experience, especially the classmates of these children, let us pray for them. . Lord have mercy. God, heal the survivors and loved ones with Your grace and peace.
Where is hope? Where is love? Where is mercy and compassion? Or empathy…
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“You Were On The Cross”
What follows is something I wrote in the fall of 2020, when things were still very bleak around the world because of Covid and accompanying protocols our governments thought were prudent. Hundreds of thousands were lost in our country, millions around the world, my own father included. And now we have the horrors in Ukraine that are an instance among many over the decades that illustrate the inhumanity the human race is still capable of inflicting. It’s beyond description and there are no words for the surviving victims right now that will bring them any comfort. It’s best to remain silent, but maybe in time, something like I’ve written here will make sense. Right now Christ is just weeping with them in their pain and disbelief. But I like to imagine the many who’ve perished are receiving His promises now, as well. And about a great reunion some glorious day in the future (who knows when?). But we who live safely and in comfort should give what we can and pray for the victims. And, in our prayers for grace and peace to sustain the survivors and the refugees, and the wounded and mourning, and those continuing to fight for freedom, we must always stand up for the oppressed and the ones who are in need of compassion and our material support, as well as spiritual. We do get to ask God “Why?” It’s all over the psalms and other books of the Old Testament. And we can be angry with God for allowing such atrocities, too. But one day, after some time (who knows how much?) we as believers can recall the words of Matt Maher’s song and find comfort there. Resurrection is coming! It always will. Too many Good Fridays, too much suffering and too many willing to inflict it seem to be part of this life, too. God help us. Lord have mercy upon us. He has. He does. He always will. We look forward to the day when, as Scripture declares, “every tear will be wiped away.” Another question asked in Old Testament Scripture is “How long, O Lord?” How long must we wait for justice and peace? Only God knows the answer. But it’s our deepest hope that Jesus stands with us now and we will see Him face to face on that Day of Days.
Today’s Gospel reading is from Luke, (LK 9:18-22). It includes Simon Peter’s declaration, inspired by the Holy Spirit, (see Matthew 16:17), that Jesus is “the Christ of God.” Christ means Messiah, the anointed One. He is the One that Israel has been waiting for, He will liberate the people from slavery and oppression. But, of course, Christians believe that the slavery we’re delivered from is sin and death. And we believe that the liberation is the freedom to seek the supreme good, the will of the Father.
Jesus perfectly exemplifies this for us in His crucifixion, in His total surrender to the will of His Father in the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, in His passion and death. And in His Resurrection. That last event is the Best part, to put it extremely mildly. Jesus is all about doing as His Father desires for the…
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“I Am Woman”
For some reason this posted as being published on December 21, 2021. It wasn’t. I posted it a couple of days ago, March 24, 2022, I’m pretty sure. This has never happened before. But I noticed it wasn’t showing up in my chronological display of blog posts. So I looked for it and found it back in December?! Weirdness. But here it is again. Still relevant, still what I think. Hope more people will read it now. Thanks.
In the early 1970’s there was a hit song entitled, “I Am Woman.” Lyrics include, “I am woman, hear me roar/In numbers too big to ignore.” And another bold pronouncement, “No one’s ever going to keep me down again.”
Would that these statements were still true. We seem to live in an age when women are under attack again. There are forces in the culture that are trying to eradicate not only the word ‘woman’ but its meaning. If they succeed, we women will lose our identity and our place in the world that we’ve struggled so long and hard to have.
If you don’t believe that it was an arduous struggle at the start, you should read this. It’s one of many terrible, dishonorable moments in our country’s history. But if had not been for some incredibly brave women, we would not have the rights we do…
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The Face His Mother Gave Him
This is from 2 years ago, but it’s from the same Solemnity, The Annunciation where Mary says “Yes” to God, the Creator of the Universe, to save us all in the Incarnation.
So, while I had no plan to do this (I rarely know what I’m going to write about until the inspiration ‘hits me’) today I am writing again about St. Maximilian Kolbe. And, again, this was not planned.
The Mission of the Franciscans
I am a ‘fan’ of St. Max. His intercessory prayers, I’m convinced, are why my book got published and that began my fascination with the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe. I have been reading through a small book about his life that is also a meditation/prayer book for Lent. I guess I ordered it. I remember so little these days. It’s from Franciscan Media which placed a statement on the back of the book that helpfully says, “Our mission is to share the love of God in the spirit of St. Francis.” As one who is studying at the Franciscan School of Theology, ordering items from Franciscan…
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Thoughts on where we are now
I came across this today, totally unexpectedly. I decided it was time to share it again. Maybe someone who missed it last time will have a chance to read it and consider…
I heard yesterday that not many U.S. citizens are ‘proud to be an American’ these days, according to a recent poll. I suppose that’s understandable, but not for the reasons you’d think. Yes, a lot of terrible things have been going on. Yes, there is still racism in the U.S. which is not something any of us should stand for. But I think that, in our fervor to decry the evils of racism, and rightfully so, we have begun to think, many of us, that this country is woefully deficient in seemingly every other area. And I think that’s a mistake. I hope this isn’t received by the reader as a ‘political’ piece. Because I’m not terribly political. I am more of a reasonable, pragmatic type where earthly institutions and such are concerned.
Always a Light in the Darkness
Life is never without challenges; good things happen even during…
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Preach It, Paul!
It’s the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul so, once again, I share my Paul entry to commemorate! God bless!
In the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 17, St. Paul gives a rousing set of remarks to the people of Athens. It’s filled with good things, but my favorite sentence (and not just in this Book, but anywhere) is “For in him we live and move and have our being.”
St. Paul did have a way with words. In fact he sometimes had too much of a way and in some of his letters he leaves me confused as I try to follow his run on sentences! But that’s a story for another time. What I found interesting and even surprising was that these words, of which I am so fond, did not originate with St. Paul. I did notice that the sentence is in single quotes and Paul does even say that “some of your own poets have said” those immortal words. Huh. I never really heard that before.
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What the world needs now is…meaning
People need something to live for. Meaning comes with a higher purpose in one’s life. Maybe it’s loving your child and getting them to responsible adulthood. Maybe it’s a spouse who would truly be lost without you. Maybe it’s a career that no one else could navigate as well as you for the sake of … Continue reading What the world needs now is…meaning
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