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In reading  Wisdom from the Christian Mystics , by David Torkington, I learned a great deal about how I might go about having a more intimate relationship with Jesus. Torkington begins this book by informing the reader of the Church history of mysticism and how its reception by the faithful has changed over time, due to the course of human events.  As a result, today, we do not know Jesus as we well as we could, because we do not communicate with Him in the same manner as the early Christians. Find God in Prayer To know God, we must come to experience Him in prayer; a prayer that begins with vocal prayer, moves to meditation and culminates in contemplation. It is impossible to love someone that we do not know. Torkington tells us that prayer is the answer, if we want to get to know Jesus better. Therefore, we must first come to know Jesus, via... Read more...

As I reflected on Trinity Sunday, my thoughts flowed along this path:  We believe that the one God is three divine Persons. We also believe that we are made in the image and likeness of God. We are God's adopted children. It follows then, that we must bear a family resemblance. Of course, we will never be omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent...or perfect as God is. There are, however, ways we can be Godlike. God is love, and so we can reflect love to the world—pure, unconditional, undying love. Although the Trinity acts as one in everything, we attribute a certain role to each Person, a role that it is possible to imitate. This is what I concluded... We call God the Father the Creator. We resemble God in this way whenever we make something such as a new recipe, a piece of artwork, or a poem. As creator, God brings forth life. We bring forth life not only by bearing children, but by nurturing the lives of other people, which include our family members, friends, and even complete s...

  The Nativity , Federico Fiori Barocci  [ Web Gallery of Art ] After I celebrated Mass yesterday in a Dublin parish a number of women approached me to tell me how devastated they were by the overwhelming majority that voted in the Republic of Ireland on Friday 25 May in favour of removing the Eighth Amendment from the Irish Constitution that protected the right to life of both the life of a pregnant mother and of the child she was carrying. The voters chose to replace this with a sentence that will allow the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature, to legalise abortion. The government plans to introduce legislation that will allow for abortion for any reason up to twelve weeks and in limited circumstances thereafter. The women who spoke to me were shell-shocked, as I was myself with the 67 percent to 33 percent in favour of change. One of them told me that she had felt very depressed going to Mass but that my homily had given her some hope. I had simply emphasised, ...

Ante ti, Señor, una vez más.... Me gusta recordar esas palabras que quedaron marcadas como con fuego en tus apóstoles, en tus amigos, cuando aquí en la Tierra eras su Maestro, su Señor. Les ibas enseñando poco a poco tu Doctrina, a veces les reprendías como buen padre a sus hijos, otras con parábolas poniendo ejemplos y siempre lleno de amor y paciencia. Hoy medito en lo que en tu despedida dijiste. ¿ Cuál podía ser tu último mensaje, un instante antes de elevarte y ocultarte en una nube en tu Ascensión a la Casa del Padre? Estas fueron tus últimas palabra Jesús : - " Me ha sido dado todo el poder en el Cielo y en la Tierra. Id, pues, y haced discípulos a todas las gentes, bautizándolas en el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo y enseñándolas a guardar todo lo que os he mandado. Y sabed que yo estoy con vosotros todos los días hasta el fin del mundo." Mt. 28,18-20. Claro como el agua, transparente, directo.  ...

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks, why do you call me good (Mark 10:18)? In the Gospel reading, we hear the story of the rich young man who seeks information from Jesus about what is required to enter Heaven. The rich young man refers to Jesus as “Good Teacher.” It is an interesting, brief exchange between the rich young man and Jesus. The reference to the goodness of Jesus might easily be overlooked, when reading the passage, simply because Jesus gives a quick retort. “ No one is good but God alone ” (Mark 10:18). He then moves on to the gist of the story, that has nothing to do with His goodness. Yet, I find it to be a very intriguing question. The rich young man knew of Jesus’s work. That is why he approached Jesus in the first place. He must have had some personal experience to draw upon, and for that, chose to call Jesus good. With two thousand years of history, this question might be easier for us to answer in the 21 st  century, as hindsight is 20/20. We have the luxu...

1 . The most traditional and popular explanation of the Trinity is St. Patrick’s description. The Trinity is like the cloverleaf with three separate sections yet part of the same leaf. I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through a belief in the Threeness, Through a confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation continue

Just over five hundred years ago, in 1509, Henry VIII became King of England and it was because of him that Protestantism was introduced into England.  In that same year, John Colet, son of the Lord Mayor of London introduced stoicism into the St Paul’s school that he founded, which became a paradigm for the other elite Public schools and then the Grammar Schools. John Colet was introduced to stoicism whilst glorying in the triumph of the Renaissance in his grand tour in Italy. While the Credo of the Catholic Church begins with “I believe in God,” the Credo of the Renaissance begins with “I believe in man.” The men he was going to form in his new school were going to be renaissance men who believed in themselves.  They were taught how to take control of themselves and make themselves into the modern equivalent of the ancient classical heroes whom they were inspired to emulate – namely, perfect English gentlemen. Instead of sandals and the toga, in came pinstripes and the bo...

When the Holy Spirit inspires artists to create art with, through and in Him, their creations touch our inner selves. They are not only beautiful but also imbued with a mystical essence which gives them spiritual power. continue

Have questions about homeschooling? Don't know where to start? Jump over to Veils and Vocations for answers to your most burning questions.

Fr FRANCIS J. KEANEY 4 November 1934 – 13 May  2018 Fr Frank Keaney was one of six children born to John Keaney and Nora Theresa Curristan Keaney. They lived in Immaculate Conception Parish, Winchester, MA, within the Archdiocese of Boston, USA.  (The parish  was suppressed  in 2004).   Winchester Town Hall  [ Wikipedia ] The young Frank attended Noonan Public School, and later studied at Winchester Junior High School, Winchester High School, and Bentley College, Boston.  As an adult, he worked in the accounting department of Revere Sugar Company, later renamed Domino Sugar. When Frank decided that he wanted to become a priest he studied   at the School of St Philip Neri for delayed vocations in order to  familiarize himself with Latin. He then entered the Columban  seminary in Milton, MA in 1957. Health issues centering on his thyroid gland resulted in the postponement of his ordination to the prie...

In this endearing memoir,  Masticate and Swallow , by Fabio Alberto Hurtado, we learn of a young Cuban boy from the 1970’s, who emigrates to the United States. Hurtado sets the stage with a series of short stories from his childhood in Cuba, highlighting his relationship with family and the state. Masticate and Swallow  – A Heartwarming Story He speaks of hardships living in a Communist country; yet he does it with humor. One of my favorite stories centers around a family game of Parchesi, where the family has only one die to play the game (The other was lost long ago). The game was competitive, and both Fabio and his cousin Sara did not like to lose. Fabio was one roll away from winning the game. Rather than lose to Fabio, Sara swallowed the die! Now, in Cuba, one cannot simply go down to the local store and purchase a new set of dice. So, what was anyone to do, but to wait for the die to appear again. As Fabio put it,  “I do remember playing Parchesi again a wee...

This week someone told me how much she liked my book The Fisherman’s Wife: The Gospel According to St. Peter’s Spouse. She said it made the Gospel come alive for her and helped her realize more what it was like for Jesus to live on earth. She also appreciated the humor.  So this week I am sharing a post about this book that I wrote for someone else’s blog: I’ve written dozens of books on spirituality and religious education, but only one novel. This is now my favorite book. It is a historical romance in that it develops the relationship between Peter and his wife, but it is also “the Gospel lite.” The path the heroine takes to following Jesus parallels my own path and that of any disciple: knowledge, surrender, commitment. Click to continue

Holy Trinity , Jusepe de Ribera  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 28:16-20 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ Words  by Blessed John Henry Newman Stanzas 1, 2, 3 and 6 sung here. From the evening of 23 May until...

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus asks:  “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? ” (Mark 9:19). On face value, it seems like a couple of strange questions, coming from Jesus, given that He has promised to be with us always, even until the end of the age (Matt 28:20). To the average reader, this would seem like a contradiction. So, what exactly is Jesus saying when He asks these questions? “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? ” Jesus never answers this question. He only poses it, as a rhetorical question, to a group of people gathered around Him seeking Jesus’ assistance in curing a young boy of seizures.  By His statement, He recognizes the weakness of human faith, as we are imperfect beings. We all have our doubts from time to time. His reaction is to cure the boy of seizures; to demonstrate to each of us that we can place our full faith and trust in Him. Therefore, He is calling us to be a faith-filled generati...

The world watched in breathless anticipation as the former Meghan Markle, a divorced American actress, married Princess Diana and Prince Charles' second son, Prince Harry. Why the fascination with the royal wedding? I questioned myself about this, read a great essay by Father Dwight Longnecker, and came up with the answer: we yearn for Tradition.  Read the full piece here on my author blog, Royal Weddings, Royal Fascination - Why the Fascination (and Fascinators?)

THE HOLY TRINITY AN EXPLANATION HERE

Pentecost , Sir Anthony van Dyck  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Vigil Mass Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Mass during the Day Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   John 20:19-23 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’  After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.  Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the...