Association Of Catholic Bloggers

This is going to be another comparatively-short one. Today I'm focusing on part of another step in those family property/estate/whatever arrangements I mentioned last week. Or, rather, on something that came up during the process.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (How, as a Catholic, I see marriage, a brief and personal look: starting with what a priest asked me.How, as a Catholic, I see marriage, a brief and personal look: starting with what a priest asked me.)

Girl with a Pearl Earring Vermeer [ Web Gallery of art ] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it (Matthew 13: 45-46; Gospel). I n his Introduction to the Devout Life (1608) the mystic St Francis De Sales (1567-1622) wrote: 'Both now and in the past it has been customary for women to hang pearls from their ears; as Pliny observed, they gain pleasure from the sensation of the swinging pearls touching them. But I know that God's friend, Isaac, sent earrings to chaste Rebecca as a first token of his love. This leads me to think that this jewel has a spiritual meaning, namely that the first part of the body that a man wants, and which a woman must loyally protect, is the ear; no word or sound should enter it other than the sweet sound of chaste words, which are the oriental pearls of the gospel.' [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ir...

      I was listening to a few different reflections the other day when this twofold prayer came up: "Lord, let me praise and please you this day."  Wow.  I mean, Wow.  This little prayer says it all, and it's really not complicated. What does it mean to praise God?   We praise God by appreciating all that he is, and living humbly and gratefully, before him.  We praise God by adoring him. What does it mean to please God? We please God by wanting what he wants, loving how he loves, forgiving how he forgives (as best we can.) We please God by living a life of trust in him.  Ultimately, we please God by being the person he has called us to be, and by putting him before all else. So if you struggle with how to pray, or you get lost or bored in long, tangled words and thoughts, just pray: "Lord, let me praise and please you this day."  As you go through your day, offer everything you do to praise and please him. It's really that simple. ...

Sauk Centre weather and forecast Wednesday, July 15, 2026: briefly, hot. It's been quite a week. Smoke, probably from fires near the Minnesota-Canada border and elsewhere raised — or lowered — air quality here to hazardous levels. I've probably got the best respiratory system in the household, but even I was feeling less than perky. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A brief, for me, recap of this week: a family visit, and two science news articles.)

Sheaves of Wheat Vincent van Gogh [ 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 13:23-43   [Shorter version: 24-30] (English Standard Version) At that time: Jesus put another parable before the crowd, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along...

    I was listening to  A Classic Edition of Daily Bread  and Fr. Al Lauer (may he rest in peace) made an interesting statement. He said that it's really sad that people, are "choosing to live without electricity, like choosing to live with a blindfold on, like choosing to live in a cave and never seeing the light of day, that is the way people live now, even Christians, living out of God's revelation . . ."  That is a powerful image when you think about it. Who would intentionally choose to go through life with a blindfold on? Or without electricity? But as Father Lauer indicated, that is  exactly  what people do when they try to live outside an awareness that God is revealing himself to us in so many ways. That is exactly what we do when we try to live as if God doesn't exist. Think about it. If you are living in a cave, never seeing the light of day, you are missing so much.  Turn on the light of faith and take off your blindfold so that yo...

  One more post about the Parable of the Sower. Bear with me. Here is a great, short video that challenges us to think a little differently about this parable, and ourselves. Take a minute to watch this video and sit quietly and seriously consider how you fit into the parable. https://faithandreason.com/episodes/the-parable-of-the-sower/  Pray for peace, joy, and an end to war. Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy   The Parable of the Sower: July 12, 2026

     As we will hear in Sunday's reading from the Gospel of Matthew ( Chapter 13:1-23 ) Jesus teaches a crowd by using the Parable of the Sower. As we listen to it, we often get caught up in where the seeds landed, how they were destroyed or how they took root in good soil. There are important lessons we can learn from reflecting on this. But let's step away from the details for a minute . . . What is also notable is that Jesus was speaking to the people in ways that they could understand. He had other parables as well, but to this one in particular they might have connected, because of their familiarity with farming.  How would Jesus speak to us today in ways that we would understand?  Could he reach us by talking about money and material things? Would we understand him best if he spoke to us in terms of our striving for position or power?  Would he speak to us about being anxious or depressed, isolated or despairing? Maybe he could reach us by tal...

A tip of the hat to Father Mark Botzet for letting me post his homily from July 5, 2026. I took the liberty of changing some punctuation so that it matches the style of this blog, then adding headings and paragraph breaks. Enough preface. Here's Fr. Botzet's homily. Freedom and Focus 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Fr. Mark Botzet This Weekend the United States of America celebrates 250 years as a Nation. With the signing of the declaration of independence, our founding fathers established this great country with a focus on God. Let us not forget that. A country whose people would experience great freedom. That freedom came at a great price.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Freedom comes with a price: accepting and following the laws God gave us. The good news is that this is a light yoke.)

The Sower, June 1888, Arles Vincent van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] A sower went out to sow . . . 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 13:1-23 (English Standard Version) At that time: Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked...

    I read a book my mother-in-law recommended titled "Eternal." I just finished it and learned a lot, as this is a historical fiction novel focused on Mussolini's reign over Rome and his laws against the Jewish people living there. It also described how many people were duped by the fascist leader. In case you don't know, Mussolini ruled from 1922 to 1943 and he created anti-Semitic race laws that wreaked havoc on the Jewish community, terrorizing their lives and attempting to destroy their existence. In the book, one of the fictional characters who was going through a hard time making a decision about a relationship, received this advice from a friend:  "Take your life in your hands, like dough. Form it the way you want it to be."  At first, it seems like pretty good advice, but compare it to Isaiah 64:7: "Yet, L ORD , you are our father; we are the clay and you our potter: we are all the work of your hand." How do we reconcile these t...