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    I was listening to a recitation of the  Gospel of Mark, Chapter 10 using ** Lectio Divina on the Parable of the Rich Man. You might remember the story where Jesus tells the rich man, " Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”  (Mk 10:21) Typically when I read this parable, I think very literally in terms of giving away stuff, the actual physical things we hold on to. The context of the retreat I was listening to talked about making space for Jesus, and this got me to thinking, "What if Jesus isn't asking us to give up stuff, but to give up what we are attached to?" What are you attached to?  Let me give you an example. Let's say you have developed the habit of scrolling or watching reels on your phone. "It's okay," you tell yourself. "I'm not hurting anyone by doing it, and it gives me a break." Let's say lately you have really coveted your time doing this, to...

Technology and culture change. Some things don't. ...I spent two decades of my life working for a small publishing house here in Sauk Centre, Vocational Biographies.... ...By the time I worked there, the old coach entrance was at ground level, with steps up to the floor a few paces inside. That's where I usually entered the building, particularly in winter when navigating the front entrance's outside steps could be tricky.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Remembering the time I helped fix a lock started me thinking about natural law and free will, among other things.)

The Grape-Picker Bernhard Keil [ Web Gallery of Art ] The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard (Matthew 20:1; Gospel). Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) Gospel Matthew 20:1-16 (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) At that time: Jesus told his disciples this parable, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market-place, and to them he said, “You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.” So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the ele...

    Finally, finally , we are starting to get our green grass back. We have been looking at patches of brown for so long, I was happy to see our yard come alive again after the rain the other day. We planted a second flower garden last spring and the flowers have really grown tall and colorful this fall, but they are just now starting to fade a bit. The tomato vines have been trimmed and we have one scraggly plant with a few tomatoes holding on for dear life. When I think of flowers, I think of St. Therese of Lisieux and this famous quote by her: "I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its loveliness. And so it is in the world of souls, where each one has its own mission and is different from the others in its qualities and sanctity." If ...

Scenic, no. Good farmland, yes. Red River Valley, near the Goose River, looking south.   Change happens, which isn't a new idea. At all. "Everything changes and nothing stands still" ("πάντα χωρεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει", quoted by Plato in " Cratylus " (ca. 360 B.C.)) ( Heraclitus , Wikiquote) This week I'll be talking about — mentioning, actually — some of my relatives, what Thomas Jefferson said about settling central North America, and why I like being an American. On the whole. Indian Cemetery Field Trip Republic, Republican Thomas Jefferson, Change, and Using Our Brains "Hundredth and Thousandth Generation" Attitudes and "The Call of Cthulhu" Words, Meanings, and Respect "Crafty Individuals" Family and Neighbors A Blanket Marrying Into an Older Family I Like It Here .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Thomas Jefferson thought settling America would take centuries. I talk about that, a...

St Peter in Penitence El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ]   Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings ( English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel Matthew 18:21-35 (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) At that time: Peter came up and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. ‘Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay...

      I was out playing 18 holes of golf on a beautiful, sunny day and one of my teammates hit a hole-in-one! I suppose I should mention that it was an 18-hole putt-putt course and the "teammate" that got the hole-in-one was our oldest daughter. Truth is, I grew up kind of close to a golf course and I think I tried golfing, maybe once. I didn't get the attraction to it and I basically lobbed my ball down the fairway. Needless to say, I wasn't any good at golf, but both times we've played putt-putt this summer, I killed it, beating everyone--not that I'm bragging or anything; it's the truth. I may have to pull back on my bragging a bit, though, because I have learned that "Boasting or bragging is an offense against truth." (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2481) Knowing that "A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving," (CCC 2482), I could be in trouble when trying to deceive you about playing an 18-roun...

Fr Rufus Halley 1944-2001 Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand)    Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) Readings ( New American Bible: Philippines, USA)   Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two...

My father grew up west of Chicago: first on a farm, then in Rockford, Illinois. His family moving to Rockford wasn't so much a matter of seeking a better way of life, as bad weather and worse economics forcing them off their farm. Then they experienced what we call the Great Depression. And that's another topic. Topics, actually.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (In the years leading up to World War II, my father was just another Irish kid in Rockford schools. Then an English teacher asked him about his plans.)

      I was watching  Good Morning America  and they had an intriguing report about moms who call themselves "Garden Moms" or "Canna Moms." That's right, it was about moms who use cannabis in some form to get through a day of raising their kids. Apparently, "it makes it easier." The one mom they referenced outlined her rules:  -There is always another adult in the house -She never drives while using -The kids are never exposed to the weed and it is always kept out-of-sight Seems to me that just needing these rules reveals something about it not being a good thing to use.  "Addiction specialists suggest it should not be used as a 'harmless alternative to alcohol'" according to the GMA report. "It can also have health affects like "mood, memory, attention and heart health." According to Dr. Lief Fenno, Chair of the American Psychiatric Association's Council on Addiction Psychiatry, "alcohol and marijuana b...