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"New Owners, Old Tenant". (2015) Videos with "Samhain" in the title have been showing up on YouTube.com lately. So have Halloween-themed items. With a little digging, I could probably find someone going ballistic over this year's interest in Samhain and/or Halloween. Then I could either join folks who jumped on that bandwagon, or those who ridicule them. Instead, I'll take a look at Samhain, along with whatever else comes to mind, and wrap things up with a quick look at Halloween. But first, I'll (briefly, for me) rehash why I take ideas like "soul" and "supernatural" seriously, and can't be superstitious. Not if I'm going to keep on being a Catholic. Ideas, Faith, Reason, Kermit and Uncle Deadly "...There is No Logical Explanation"?? Faith AND Reason Samhain: Here Comes Cold and Darkness Halloween, Life, Death, and the Big Picture Life, Looking Ahead "This Innumerable Community" .... Mo...

Coronation of the Virgin Blessed Fra Angelico [ Web Gallery of Art ] This year All Saints' Day falls on Sunday and takes precedence over the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. There are no specific readings for All Souls' Day. Readings may be taken from those for Masses for the Dead. Matthew 5:1-12a, below, is proper to All Saints' Day and may also be used on All Souls' Day. Readings for All Saints' Day Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland) Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel Matthew 5:1-12a (English Standard Version, Anglicised) At that time: Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek...

I've felt that way, too. 😉 "Wizard of Id", John Hart Studios. (October 14, 2026)   America's national election is happening on Tuesday of next week. I'm not looking forward to it. But voting is a duty for citizens here, so that's what I'll be doing. Figuring out who and what to vote for — or against — is easy, or really, really hard: depending on how I look at the task. (Today I'm reposting links — Conscience and Voting: Ethics Matter, Even in Politics — with two new items ( Recent statements: Office of Public Affairs ). I'll be back with my regular 'Saturday' post on — well, Saturday. It'll be about Halloween, and whatever else comes to mind.)... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Why I vote, even though I have no great enthusiasm for politics. An updated link list of resources: guides to forming consciences, voting responsibly.)

      My husband and I have this ongoing "competition" when we watch a favorite police investigation show. Without any humility, I can honestly say that most often I can identify the culprit within the first minutes of the show. Now that's not always true, but it often is. Happily, my husband is now catching on and has vastly improved his detective skills.  I have to admit that identifying a criminal in a television show isn't actually a skill I can use very often at this point in my life (thank goodness!), but one of the detectives on the show  does  have a skill I wouldn't mind having to a greater degree--the gift of observation. This particular detective notes all of the tiny, incidental things that help to make their case. For me, the skill of observance would be a good one to perfect. I've noticed that comedians like Jerry Seinfeld seem to have the gift of observance, but I have noticed that some comedians  over use their gift to the point of bein...

The rosary I use: a bit non-standard, but that’s okay. I'd prefer saying more about the rosary. But it's been an eventful week here, so you're in luck: I'll chatter on a bit, link to the best 'how to pray the rosary' resource I've found, and call it a day. Week. Contemplative, Very Catholic, But Not Exclusively Catholic First off, the rosary is a contemplative prayer, but not the only contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer is a whole category.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A quick definition of contemplative prayer. Links to a how-to rosary guide I use, discussions of the rosary on New Advent and Vatican websites.)

T he Good Samaritan (after Delacroix) Van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mt 22:39; Gospel) . Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) Gospel Matthew 22:34-40 (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) At that time: When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’ Léachtaí i nGaeilge Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan   Archbishop of Seoul (1922 - 2009) In 20...

  In response to the comment I received ( * see below), which was written as a reply to my post, "Mary, an obstacle?" I do want to take a minute to answer the questions the writer asks.  Typically, I let readers' comments stand so as to respect the writer and to avoid a lengthy back and forth, but occasionally I find it necessary to clarify, not out of an attempt to persuade, but to offer accuracy.  I will try to do that here. As always, thank you for your comments, they are most welcome! Catholics would agree that there is one God and one mediator between God and the human race--Jesus--who is 100% human and 100% divine.  Mary, does not share the divine nature of Jesus, only his humanity. The distinction here is that Mary is not our redeemer and does not replace Jesus as such. She is an intercessor for us in her unique role as his mother, and she can take our petitions to him.  Mary could not  take the place of Jesus on the cross. She does not forgive sins....

    Having been raised Catholic, and knowing and believing what Catholics know and believe about Mary, I have never struggled to understand the Church's teachings about Mary, but I know that for some people, these can be a real obstacle.  The common question is, "Why go to Mary when you can pray directly to Jesus?" or, "Why do you worship Mary?" Like Blessed Fulton Sheen said . . . “There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” First, let's clear up the second question. Catholics do not worship Mary. We know she is not God. We do accept that she was conceived without sin and that God prepared her for her special role to be the mother of Jesus. But the "why pray to Mary" question takes a little more explaining, and the Bible gives us the perfect answer. At the Wedding at Cana ( Gospel of John, Chapter 2 ) the hosts of the wedd...

What with writing down what I consider reasonable health care if I am unable to communicate, running a fever that finally fizzled this week — and being aware of our current pope's state of health— maladies and medicine have been more my mind than usual. Basically, I've been a bit preoccupied. And to top it all off, this household experienced a very welcome visit from number-two daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. So this post will be somewhat rambling: or discursive, which sounds classier. I'll start with what should be a no-brainer. Human life matters. A lot.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A rambling look at why I am taking care while writing my Health Care Directive: medical ethics, Minnesota rules. and the Catholic Catechism.)

Tribute Money Vecellio Tiziano (Titian) [ Web Gallery of Art ] "Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” (Matthew 22:19-20; Gospel). 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 22:15-21 (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) At that time: The Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle Jesus in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocr...

  I hope you will join me on Tuesday, October 20th as I offer a presentation as part of a six-week series exploring prayer at Church of the Holy Family in Grand Blanc. (My sincere apologies for not getting this out in a timely manner, as the series began last week!) "Each week you will hear a different presenter and explore different styles and traditions of Catholic prayer through weekly talks and personal testimonies. Each session will offer practical inspiration to help you deepen your prayer life, grow in regularity, and draw closer to Christ."  I am attaching the flyer with details. You may register at hfgb.org for any or all of the presentations, or just walk-in if you are unable to pre-register. All are welcome! Looking forward to seeing you soon! 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      ...

"Pope Leo Celebrates Mass in the Hospital as He Recovers From Lung Surgery", 3:07, EWTN News Nightly (October 14, 2026) I'm not making a habit of frequent posts. But I'm rather pope-conscious this week. The three-minute video says our pope is doing well, under the circumstances, and that it's "business as usual" at Gemelli Hospital, except for the Pope recovering from surgery there. EWTN News Nightly also did brief interviews with folks associated with Gemelli, and an even shorter introduction to St. Peregrine . More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Pope Leo XIV surgery and recovery. Defining miracles, and how I see the recent diagnosis and surgery.)

Spectators and vendors at John Pegsworth’s execution. (1837) Detail of a trial broadside. There was nothing in my Google news feed Tuesday about the scheduled execution by firing squad of a mass murderer, or plans to livestream the event. Nothing that I've seen, at any rate. Vatican News, on the other hand.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (What I think of the upcoming public execution of Nidal Malik Hasan: as an America and a Catholic. How I see valuing life and living in an imperfect world.)

At the moment, my Google news feed is mostly politics-as-usual, along with regional items like " Todd County Reports Suspected Measles Cases " (Derek Sidian, Fergus Now (October 12, 2026)).  Meanwhile (11:03 a.m.), Vatican News has live coverage of folks praying the rosary. It's also on YouTube: Live feed from Vatican City / Rome [11:00 a.m.-11:38 a.m. Minnesota time: "Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Vicar General of Rome, leads the recitation of the Holy Rosary in the St. John Paul II Chapel at Gemelli Hospital, to express the Church of Rome’s closeness and affection for the Pope."] Vatican Media Live — English Their YouTube channel may have mostly-English content, but this prayer is in Latin. Maybe Italian: despite having diverged the better part of two millennia back, they are still quite similar. To the ears of someone like me, whose cradle tongue, English, is a Germanic language, at any rate. And that's another topic. More at A Catholic Citizen in Ame...

  Stuff happens: which is hardly an original thought. Sometimes we could have avoided whatever happened. Sometimes: like I said, stuff happens. And would have happened no matter what we did. How we react to what happens, that's something we can control. Not the knee-jerk emotional impulses, but how we decide to deal with whatever we're feeling. I've been meaning to talk about that for some time, but hadn't gotten around to it. Then the priest who was scheduled for our parish got sick, and asked a deacon to fill in. He's feeling better, by the way. The priest, not the deacon. Anyway, Deacon Tim Pribula talked about worry, Jesus, and related topics last Sunday.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Worry, Jesus, and related topics. Being thankful, trusting God, and making sense. Putting problems in perspective.)

Pope Benedict elevating the Body of Christ [Wikipedia; photo ] 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 22:1-14 (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) At that time: Jesus again spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people, in parables, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, “Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ ” But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them s...