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    As I was watching the priest prepare the vessels at the altar by distributing the bread and pouring the wine in the vessels before the consecration, I had a thought. I asked God to allow me to be prepared in a similar way . . . The vessels were sitting their empty, ready to receive the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. All they could do at that moment was wait to be filled. The ciborium (which receives the consecrated hosts) and the cups (which hold the Precious Blood) make no contribution in and of themselves. We, too, are like vessels to be filled, but we are actually transformed when we receive Jesus. And, we, too, do not make the transformation happen. It is all dependent upon the Holy Spirit. But there are two more points to consider: First, unlike the precious metal or wood vessels waiting to be filled, we should come to the altar ready. In anticipation of receiving Jesus, our hearts and minds should be open, ready to receive him, by prayer, fast...

Robert Edge Pine & Edward Savage’s “Congress Voting Independence”. (ca. 1784-1788)   Two and a half centuries back, quite a few English subjects who were living in colonies strung along North America's east cast had become fed up. Thoroughly. Like pretty much anything else involving humans, it's complicated. It wasn't just paying tax on tea, or government-mandated stamps on all paper goods and legal documents. Even having to buy tea exclusively from the British East India Company might have been tolerable.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (I know that America is not perfect. But I like being an American. Knowing history helps. Looking back at 250 years of American experience.)

First Holy Communion Holy Family Home for Girls, Bacolod City, Philippines 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 11:25-30 (English Standard Version) At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ Léachtaí i...

The Vatican/Holy See recognizing that the SSPX/FSSPX/Lefebvrists/Lefebvrians is not officially part of the Roman Catholic Church isn’t all that surprising. I'm sharing excerpts: one from an AP article, another from Vatican News. There's more detail and links in the Vatican News piece.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Excerpts from AP and a Vatican News. How I see the situation, briefly, and links to more of my views.)

    Okay, I'm just going to say it . . . As I turn onto the end of our road, people are always irritated that I'm not racing around the turn. I'm a good driver. Not too slow, not too fast, but apparently, I am never fast enough for the person behind me who wants to continue down the road past me. Soooo many times, they race around me, sometimes even honking, as they move into the oncoming lane so they don't have to slow down. And that is the key--nobody wants to slow down and wait for anyone anymore. I see it all the time in traffic too. People are cutting in and out, closely flying between cars, with barely the space to do so, all because they don't want to slow down or wait. When did we get to be such impatient drivers? There's always been  those  people, but now it seems like it's  most  people. We try to give them the benefit of the doubt, "Maybe they have a family emergency," but somehow we know that everybody can't be having an...

    I was reading about Chris Johnson, the former NFL player who was diagnosed with ALS last year. It was a total shock to him as he does not have anyone in his family with the disease, and sadly he was so young (39) when he was diagnosed. I was thinking about him as I read the Gospel reading for today ( Matthew 8:23-27 ). In this passage a violent storm came up while the disciples were at sea and their boat was being swamped. Like most of us would be, they were afraid. In desperation they woke up Jesus and yelled for help.  Jesus came to their rescue, calming the storm. The "storms" of our life can come on suddenly, too, sometimes, making us feel swamped. We may not be sitting in a boat being overcome by waves, but our storms can still be just as scary nonetheless.  Our storms might look like health problems, or grief, or addiction or other personal struggles. And like the disciples, Jesus is always there for us.  But we mustn't see Jesus as simply...

  This is going to be a short one. So far, I've had two 'one of those weeks' in a row. Our youngest daughter tells me there's been a lot of tree and grass pollen in the air lately, so that may account for it.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Teaching kids skills and telling them what to do and avoid are good ideas. So is telling them stories that show why skills and rules matter.)

                                                                       AP News I can't believe this is the side I am taking, but I do not think the Bible should be required reading for children in a public school. (The Texas school board is voting on that today.) Here are my concerns: --It will give the impression that the Bible is just like any other required book in the curriculum. It is not. It is God's divine Word, his self-revelation to us. It is sacred. --Will the lessons delve into the depths of scripture? If so, who do we think is going to be doing  that ? While we have a lot of wonderful, even faith-filled--teachers, they should not be expected to be able to explain the parables and stories and passages that would be required to be included. --And if the lessons are not going to delve in...

Cup of Water and a Rose on a Silver Plate Francisco de Zurbarán [ Web Gallery of Art ] Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward (Matthew 10:42; Gospel). Doesn't the painting highlight the beauty that can be found in very ordinary things, a beauty that comes from God? Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel Matthew 10:37-42 (Jerusalem Bible) Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. ‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me. Anyone who welcomes a prophet will h...

A tip of the hat to Father Mark Botzet for letting me post his homily from June 14, 2026. Putting what he said in context, here's the Gospel reading for that day. ...  The Farm: an Analogy A few weeks ago, my brother and I loaded the Momma cows up with their calves. It is kind of interesting loading them.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Guest post: Fr. Mark Botzet discusses families, love, children, fear, priests, searching for truth, and following our vocations.)

  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 10:26-33 (English Standard Version, Anglicised) At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: ‘Have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father knowing. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but...

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      I was listening to a reflection about the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Deacon Arthur Miller, and he said:  "Jesus sends us back into the world as living images of his mercy."  If you have ever wondered about what Jesus is calling you to do in this world or who to be in this world, that's it! Each of us is called to be a "living image" of the mercy of Jesus. What does that mean? That means that you actively show forgiveness and set aside judgment or personal criticism and offer love to others. That means resisting the temptation to lean into any unkind attitude and consider how you can help someone. I'm reading a book by Robin Roberts of Good Morning America , and throughout the book she keeps repeating a motto of her mother, which happens to be the title of her book:  Everybody's Got Something. That is so true. Indeed, everybody's dealing with something in their life, even if you cannot see it and are unaware of it. Our "job" is to love ...

My "Hangar 7". (2016) Oddly enough, that picture was not made with or by AI. I didn't do all the work that went into "Hangar 7". Nikola Tesla, Michael Faraday, and a whole mess of other folks developed the alternating current 1 that ran my computer back in 2016. The computer: the roots of today's information tech is a great many more topics. Anyway, I didn't develop any of the technology involved in making "Hangar 7". All I did was take 3D models made by a number of folks:... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (AI, artificial intelligence, is a new, unfamiliar, and scary technology. It's been misused, but I think the problem is people, not the tech.)

The Harvest (Breton Landscape) Émile Bernard [ Web Gallery of Art ] The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest (Matthew 9:37-38; 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 9:36-10:8 (English Standard Version, Anglicised) At that time: When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’ And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The nam...