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The Two Trinities   Murillo [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)  Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 16:12-15  (English Standard Version, Anglicised)   My apologies for having printed the wrong gospel earlier. Here is the correct gospel. Brothers and Sisters: Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us . ...

  Today I am sharing a quote that I came across in Pope Francis' autobiography, HOPE. It comes from the poet Charles Péguy. As you know, I love quotes, and I found this one to be very direct in addressing the struggles we have sometimes. Please let me know if you find these little videos helpful. The direct link to this one is: https://youtu.be/DPNyd1Kve-g    Janet Cassidy  Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy   

I'd planned on talking about something else this week. But that's not going to happen: partly because part of Thursday got spent at the local clinic. There's still an open sore on my left leg. Several, actually, in a little cluster. That hasn't , happily, been keeping me from Sunday Mass.... And that brings me to what I'll talk about this week: a few of the basic obligations that come with being a Catholic. It's pretty simple, actually.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Being, staying, or getting healthy matters. But it is not my top priority. I look at some of the basic obligations that come with being a Catholic.)

      Since this is the month we celebrate all of the wonderful fathers out there, I know I am a little late in reflecting on moms, but I feel compelled to put my focus on them today, since my own beloved mother's birthday just passed. (She has been gone from this earth since 2019.) I've been thinking about love--what it is, how it is expressed, how deep it runs, what it feels like, etc.--when it hit me that there is really no other love quite like a mother's love.  It's true. Mothers love unconditionally. Mothers defend their children, even when their support is not deserved. Mothers give life, in a variety of ways. I hope you have experienced the depth of a mother's love, because it is a sure example God gives us that reveals his love for us. And, I believe, it transcends death. There are times when I can just  feel  my mom's presence. But in case this has not been your experience, know that each of us has a lasting, deep opportunity to know...

Pentecost El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] Pentecost Sunday, at the Vigil Mass  (Saturday evening), Years ABC NB: The Vigil Mass has its own prayers and readings which should be used at the Vigil Mass. The prayers and readings for the Mass During the Day on Sunday should not be used only on Sunday, not at the Vigil Mass, though some priests seem to be unaware of this. It is incorrect to refer to this Vigil Mass as an ‘anticipated Mass’. It is a celebration proper to the evening before Pentecost Sunday and may be celebrated in an extended form. It also fulfils the Sunday obligation. Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)  Readings  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 7:37-39  (English Standard Version, Anglicised)  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out,  “If...

    There's been a lot in the news lately about the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial. A lot of disgusting facts have come out. I actually don't follow it very closely, but there is one thing I have noticed, which I find very frustrating. Everyone keeps asking why the women didn't leave him. They keep, in an accusing way, asking why the women praised him even after they were "free" of him. Well, for one thing, I'm guessing, it's because they were not, ever, really "free." Underneath such questions is the ever-present implication that somehow these women are at fault because they stay.   What I haven't heard is conversation centered around the real reason women stay, protect him, and are hesitant to speak up against him. The power an abusive person has over another doesn't just go away when the official "relationship" has ended. The fear and control the abuser uses over their victim/survivor remains for a very lon...

I mentioned "wildfires in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region" in last week's post. They're still going, and still not national news.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A screenshot of a Google Maps air quality display for central North America (June 3, 2025), and a glance wildfire headlines in Minnesota.)

How do you voice your opinion today? While it is still important to share your thoughts, in today's video I describe how it used to be done. Enjoy! Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy  Here is the link to today's video: https://youtu.be/nmIth2CItbk 

Two tourists in Canada asked someone which city they were in. The man replied, "Saskatoon, Saskatchewan". One of the tourists said "oh! They don't speak English here!" I haven't heard that one in more than a half-century, there's a lead-up that makes it funnier, but never mind. This week I'm talking about a place in Minnesota, and a salesman who asked for help. Destination: Bemidji A Reasonable Question, Basically Rentals and Regional Transportation Routes and Decisions Deep in the Heart of Darkest Minnesota — Perceptions and Living in Minnesota An Impression, and Something to Remember More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Asking questions makes sense. So does remembering that what everybody knows may not be accurate. That goes double for unconsidered impressions.)

    Deeper Well - Musgraves                               My accidental introduction to Kacey Musgraves was her 2013 pro-LGBTQ+ song, "Follow your Arrow." After watching some of her other videos and interviews, I must say she is quite a free spirit. Throughout the Arrow song, she sort of encourages people to do whatever they want, without limits, rationalizing that you might as well, because people are always going to criticize you anyway. The truth is, while it may be fun and inventive to create music without boundaries, that philosophy doesn't transfer quite so well in life. If we start down a border-less path, doing whatever we FEEL like, that's not so good for us long-term.  Musgraves has a beautiful voice, and is very creative, so it's no wonder she's won eight Grammys, but I had no idea who she was, so I did a little digging.   I always wonder about the faith of someone wh...

The Ascension of Christ Rembrandt [ Web Gallery of Art ] Ascension, Year C The Ascension is celebrated on Ascension Thursday, 26 May, in England & Wales, Scotland. In the USA it is celebrated on Ascension Thursday in the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, Philadelphia, elsewhere on Sunday 29 May. In all of these areas Ascension Thursday is a Holyday of Obligation. The Ascension is observed on Sunday, 29 May, in Aotearoa-New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Philippines. Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)  Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Luke 24:46-53 ( English Standard Version Anglicised)    At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the for...

Since I'm mostly doing something else this week, I'll talk about two mice. I didn't see either, but I did hear one; and that's the one I'll start with. The Resident Mouse and Me: Another San Francisco Memory I was working at Pellegrini Refrigeration's office/warehouse for most of the time I lived in San Francisco. The office section was big enough for — a dozen or more folks, I suppose. The break corner, between the front office where I worked and the main room, was just an L-shaped bench, wrapped around a small table: very basic. It wouldn't have held more than maybe four or five people comfortably.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My brief encounter with the resident mouse at a warehouse, and an experience my father had with a mouse which was making great haste but no speed.)

  CAN YOU IMAGINE ...    What the world would be like  if only ... ... ...   CLICK HERE

The Trinity El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)  Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel  John 14:23-39  (English Standard Version, Anglicised) At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. ‘These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be...

    Traditionally, the way I have reflected on the popular picture of Jesus knocking at the door, comes from the Book of Revelation, Chapter 3, Verse 20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me." I recently came across another way to look at this on the internet, which is attributed to Pope Francis. It has been said that as a Cardinal at the conclave before he was elected Pope, he reversed the traditional way of looking at this picture, inviting us to consider that Jesus is knocking on the door, asking us to come out into the world with him. Since "going out" was a typical theme of Francis, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if this were true. I've often pondered the doorknob in this picture. Is it hidden? Missing? Why? What might that symbolism imply? I really like the interpretation that has Jesus inviting us outward, since I am rather steeped in e...

     CNBC   I was watching the meeting in the Oval Office with the U.S. President and the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa . Impressively, Ramaphosa expressed his way of working out problems by referencing Nelson Mandela's approach. And you could tell he was being genuine. The incredible patience and integrity shown by Ramaphosa, including his amazing self-restraint was very impressive. Admittedly, I don't know much accept what I observed, but his country could certainly be proud of how he conducted himself. He certainly was not an embarrassment to them at all. The members that he brought with him were likewise impressive. They admitted the violence problem they have in South Africa, while correcting the (apparently) false information that has been in the news lately about white farmers being killed and their land confiscated. One of the members said that the farmers (many of whom are black), actually get compensated for their land, beyond its va...