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Is Pope Francis a heretic?

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      Are you among those who think Pope Francis is a heretic? There are plenty of people who express their frustration at some of the things he says and does. Well, I say, not so fast. Some of what he says may be challenging, especially to those who want to make the Catholic Church into an exclusive club.  I was thinking about that today when I was reflecting on the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 5, Verses 1-11. It's the passage that recalls Simon being told by Jesus to lower his nets--after a long night of fishing and catching nothing. On Jesus' command, Simon (Peter) lowers his nets and catches an abundance of fish. Jump forward. Pope Francis, as the successor of Peter, has a responsibility to open wide the doors of the Church so as to draw in an abundance (of people). When we follow what God calls us to do, the consequences go far beyond what we can ever imagine. Let's not be so quick to discount Pope Francis. People were quick to discount Jesus in his day ...

BART Drivers and the Importance of Being Human

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San Francisco's BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) system wasn't the world's first automated transit system, or even the first in this country. But it was among the first all-new American rapid transit systems designed in the 20th century. BART was also, I gather, among the first with trains that didn't need drivers. Or, rather, didn't need a human at the controls. An Automatic Train Control (ATC) system ran each train, and the network as a whole. 1 Today I'll be taking a quick look at how news media covered a BART accident that wasn't particularly serious, and talk about what happened when a train and its driver didn't communicate — plus whatever else comes to mind. The Fleetingly Famous Fremont Flyer ROBOT TRAIN RUNS AMOK! CHAOS RIDES THE RAILS! The Train That Left Its Human Behind Daft Kids and Open Doors WAIT FOR ME! Seriously? Humans: A Brief Meditation on Kids, Commuters, and Molten Ice Cream More at A Catholic Citizen in America ....

'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' Sunday Reflections, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

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Miraculous Draught of Fishes Raphael [ Web Gallery of Art ] Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord  (Luke 5:8; Gospel)). 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 5:1-11  (English Standard Version, Anglicised) At that time: The crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God. He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at yo...

A Crate of Oranges

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Number-three daughter asked me to see if I could get a pomegranate. This was a week or so back, in mid-January. There weren't any in the produce section. Or, rather, I didn't see any. So I asked when, or if, they'd be there. Turns out that I'll have to wait for the right season: early winter. I wasn't surprised. I'm impressed that we can get any out-of season fruit. And that so much of what's in the produce section won't grow here in the Upper Midwest. Being as old as I am, with a pretty good memory, helps. The pomegranates that weren't there brought to mind a cluster of memories involving a wooden crate, sincerely awful oranges, and a posthumous sense of gratitude. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Remembering a wooden crate, sincerely awful oranges, and what my father had in mind. A posthumous expression of gratitude.)

'The parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.' Sunday Reflections, The Presentation of the Lord

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The Presentation of the Lord, as a Feast of the Lord, takes precedence over the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. 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 2:22-20 or 22-32  (English Standard Version, Anglicised) When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons’. Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been...

The body and blood of Christ? Really?

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    Do you believe that Communion is really the Body and Blood of Christ? Why? What makes you so sure? On what do you base your beliefs? Click HERE to find out more.
When I was in college, first time through, someone who had one leg in a cast struck up a conversation with me. He was clearly not having a good time. His leg, particularly his foot, was healing from a motorcycle accident. It hurt. Even worse, he worried that when the muscles grew back, they wouldn't work right. He had legitimate concerns. He may also have expected somewhat more heartfelt sympathy than I showed. He'd started talking with me because he noticed that I was walking with a cane. I tried to provide the social connection he apparently wanted. How successful my effort was, I have no idea. The conversation did, however, help me appreciate how lucky/blessed I was. Being born with defective hips, I never faced the adjustments he was dealing with. On the other hand, I live with the results of a doctor's decision to use me for his research. Without my parent's knowledge. Hip Dysplasia and Me Shock at the Reference Desk Responses Options, Operations, and Ou...

The Father Ignatius Series of novels

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  Father Ignatius is a fictional character created by Christian writer Victor S E Moubarak in his first fictional novel “VISIONS” which tells the story of three children who see an Apparition of Jesus. Tthe news soon spreads throughout town. People react to it differently – some negatively. The children’s parents are subjected to malicious gossip and vicious attacks. Their Parish priest, Father Ignatius, has a crisis of faith. The Church wants the story to just go away; whilst the children insist it is true. Especially when Jesus appears again … and again. Since then there have been another eight stand-alone novels in the Father Ignatius series as well as several short stories compilations. These Christian fiction books, whilst offering intriguing fast-paced crime mystery story lines which will keep you guessing at what happens next, also include Christian based moral guidance and a challenge to the readers’ conscience as to what they would do in similar circumstances. A true...

'He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives' Sunday Reflections, 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

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  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 1:1-4; 4:14-21  (English Standard Version, Anglicised) Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. At that time: Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had bee...

Getting ready for heaven

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    I often respond "Hey, I'm a Girl Scout!" when I get "accused" of being overly prepared for outings. I always make sure we have snacks and drinks and so forth. After all, the The Girl Scout motto is "Be prepared."  "In the 1947 Girl Scout Handbook, the motto was explained this way: 'A Girl Scout is ready to help out wherever she is needed. Willingness to serve is not enough; you must know how to do the job well, even in an emergency.' The same holds true today." Well, I suppose I have compressed the motto over the years, since my idea of being prepared means always having snacks; clearly the motto encompasses so much more. Although Jesus was definitely not a Girl Scout, he described preparedness this way, when talking to his disciples: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour yo...

A Prayer For America: Seems Reasonable

Monday's presidential inauguration may edge the Los Angeles wildfires off the top of my news feed. Momentarily, at least. About that, and results of the election: I'm not political. I haven't and won't frantically declare one candidate or party as America's Only Hope, or hysterically denounce another as That Which Will Destroy Our Fair Nation. Maybe that's why I'm not giddy over the election results. Or plunged into the depths of despair. I do, however, give a rip about what happens in my country and in my world. I have precious little control over national and world events, but there's something I can do: pray.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A short prayer for healing, help, and guidance. Why I think it makes sense, and why I am not either giddy or despondent.)

Kids, a Subway Station, and Offhand Advice

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One of the many things I liked about living in San Francisco was the city's public transportation system. I don't know about the situation now. But a half-century ago I could get up, eat breakfast, catch a cable car, connect with a bus and be at work on time. Getting back was another matter. By late afternoon, agreement between the bus route schedule and actual running time was at best approximate. I got in the habit of walking toward downtown until a bus came along, leaving the bus near the Embarcadero Center, and walking from there. After a cup of coffee.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Two boys and their sister, good advice, and an offhand observation: remembering an incident in a San Francisco BART station.)

'Be fruitful and multiply.' Sunday Reflections, 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

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John 2:1-11 from  The Gospel of John Directed by  Philip Saville Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)   Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 2:1-11  (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    At that time: There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding seventy or one hundred litres. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to...

Letting go of worry

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      Way back in Season 10 (Episode 14) of the television show Blue Bloods, the detective character Danny (son of the police commissioner played by Tom Selleck), made this statement: "Don't rehearse for bad news."  I don't remember the context of his comment, but it stood out for me because I think many of us do "rehearse for bad news." My husband, who worked in the medical field, always had a different saying, which I really appreciated: "Don't worry until you have something to worry about." Now he wasn't advocating worrying, of course, but his reminder always helped me whenever I "rehearsed for bad news." It's pretty much pointless to worry when you don't even have all of the necessary information, not to mention any control of the outcome! Whatever you are worried about today, sit quietly with our Lord, and through prayer, spiritual reading, or even inspirational podcasts, receive the peace and calm he is alw...

Grogu, a Christmas Stocking, the Liturgical Year, and Me

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I learned, long ago, that being "pretty sure" about something wasn't necessarily the same as being right. Take what I was "pretty sure" about last month, for example: "...Folks living in the next block north of our house have inflatable yard decorations out and lit up for this Christmas season. So, on my way to Mass, I drove by Baby Yoda and SpongeBob SquarePants wearing a festive Santa hat. "Baby Yoda is holding what I’m pretty sure is an orange Halloween treat bag...." ("Christmas: Family, Lights, and a Little Weirdness" > Holiday Weirdness (December 28, 2024)) The neighbor's Baby Yoda/Grogu's Christmas stocking didn't seem as bright red as the one in that promotional photo. But the symbol on it was the same. And it was clearly a Christmas stocking.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Correcting what I said about an inflatable holiday lawn decoration and about the Christmas season. Includes a link to the...

Why was Jesus Baptized? (Bishop Robert Barron)

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      Today's reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Why was Jesus Baptized?) is a good one for today as we celebrate The Baptism of the Lord. This twelve minute video will be well worth your time!  If you have ever wondered why Jesus was baptized (even though he was free of sin), this will explain it all! If you are a believer, you will find this very clarifying. If you are not a believer, you will definitely learn why others are! Enjoy! Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy For the link, just search "Sunday Sermons" at wordonfire.org

A Short Look at a Small Dog, and Another Week in Minnesota

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I missed Mass on Epiphany Sunday. I'm not happy about that, at all. But we had very cold weather outside — and I'd been noticing a serious mismatch between temperature readings my body was giving me, and what I saw on a room thermometer. I'm not a 40-year-old kid any more, so I played it safe. Other members of the household have been quite distinctly not up to par, so playing it safe was probably a good idea.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Remembering a happy three-legged dog. Plus why I missed Epiphany Sunday Mass, links to Jubilee 2025 resources: and links to vinaigrette/pomander exhibits.)

'Above all I invite you to remember your own Baptism' (BXVI). Sunday Reflections, Baptism of the Lord, Year C

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  The Baptism of Christ Francesco Mochi [ 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   Luke 3:15-16, 21-22  (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    At that time: As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptise you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’ Now when all the people were baptised by John the Baptist and when Jesus also had been baptised and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘Yo...