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I am always amazed at the first reading for today, which comes from the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 8 . It’s the one about the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip. Here’s how it goes: Philip, getting word from an angel, heads down to Gaza as instructed. Along the way he meets a eunuch, who is a court official in charge of the queen’s treasury. Scripture tells us that the eunuch was returning home after being in Jerusalem to worship.   In fact, when Philip met up with him, the eunuch was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah. Being divinely prompted, Philip ran up to meet the chariot and asks the eunuch if he understands what he’s reading and he replies, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” He then invited Philip to get in his chariot and sit with him and he listened to the Isaiah passage he was reading from. As their conversation continued, “Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him.” Now that’s an int

Satanás tienta a los santos en modos diferentes a los que hace al pecador normal, ya que aquellos que desean ser santos, amar a Dios verdaderamente, generalmente abandonan los pecados mortales al principio de su viaje. Entonces, el objetivo es deshacerse de todos los pecados veniales, seguido de la necesidad de deshacerse de las imperfecciones de temperamento y carácter, seguido de la destrucción de la falla predominante, que es lo que lleva a uno al pecado mortal y venial. A veces, la eliminación de la falla predominante se produce antes de la eliminación de las imperfecciones. Por lo general, este proceso lleva años, muchos años. Éstas son las tentaciones que infligen a los que están cercanos a Dios: leer más..  

With only being able to attend Church services online, does this weakens one’s faith? Or, does this cause us to look deeper to keep the faith? Perhaps you might like to chime in, by using the comments section to share the impact of online services on you and your loved ones. I know for myself, that I crave the Eucharist, and will no longer take it for granted. I truly miss receiving Jesus weekly. Since I cannot receive the Real Presence in the Eucharist, I now look for other ways to keep the faith, in addition to attending Mass via online services. Keep the Faith: Read Scripture Although I cannot currently receive the Eucharist, God can nourish me with His Word. Reading scripture, more often, engages me in deep discussions with God.  And that is a good thing! Pray More Often I find myself praying more often, since there are so many people and causes that need prayers. Again, this engages me in... Read more...

If you have been following the readings for the week, you probably read about the Martyrdom of St. Stephen by stoning (Acts of the Apostles, 7:54). Well today, in Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 8, we read about the persecution of the Church following Stephen’s death. What is important to note is that even in the midst of all of this turmoil, it was understood that the Word of God must continue to be preached. And in the Gospel of John (6:35-40), Jesus is talking to those who are gathered about the Bread of Life .   The crowd is a little confused, and thinking quite literally, asks Jesus for some of the bread.   After all, who wouldn’t want life-saving bread? But what they are missing is the fact that Jesus himself IS the Bread that the Father has sent down from heaven to give life to the world. Since they were unclear, Jesus stated it unconditionally: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

In the world of pop culture, there is a lot to choose from, and not all of it is good. Many movies, music, and plays have been influenced by the post-modern philosophy of our time.  Some is worth knowing about, some is definitely worthy of steering completely clear of.  At times, it is helpful to engage with the world, not to swallow the media whole and believe all that it is peddling, but to increase our use of discretion, so that we can pursue beauty and truth with more intention and integrity.  There is a time and place for mediation, and a need for discretion between the two worlds of modern-day entertainment and classic religious art, music, film, and the like.  Ignorance isn't always bliss, for it is always better to be able to discriminate between the good and the bad and articulate what is and isn't worth our time.  Thus, my little experiment into one aspect of our modern culture... the romance novel. I have never been one for romance novels. Although I have read 20 boo

  Angelus                                We took a long walk the other day at a local nature preserve and as we started out, our path took us through an open field.   I said to my husband that it makes me think of Little House on the Prairie , and as usual, I opined about how wonderful it would have been to live back in those days. Admittedly, by the time we finished our walk, I commented that I don’t think I would have done very well back then.   I was looking forward to our comfortable car and the sack lunch that awaited us.   How nice it would be to rest my tired feet. But, as we all know, in Little House on the Prairie days, I probably would have had to ride a wagon back to our house to cook and do chores!   I wonder how many of them just went for a walk, for pleasure. I often think about this.   I think that a tired, worn out pioneer would think we were crazy today to go to a gym or walk on a treadmill, just because we needed the exercise!   Surely, they got al

With all the heartbreak experienced, as a result of the coronavirus, it’s easy to find it in your heart to care. So many people need our prayers. Whether it be the first responders, hospital workers, or the essential employees at your local grocery store and pharmacy, they need for us to care about them. They need our prayers. And let’s not forget those inflicted with the virus, those who have died, and those who mourn. They, too, need for us to care about them. They, too, need our prayers. Then there are those who suffer financially from job loss, or furloughs, and possibly a loss in health insurance coverage. These folks need for us to care about them. They, also, need our prayers. Find it in Your Heart to Care How can we help these people? Through prayer, for one thing! Pray for the safety and good health of those trying to take care of us. Pray for those in need of assistance. But most importantly, pray for an end to this pandemic. Help where you can. For the most part,..

Would you have the courage to "Step out of Line" if you were faced with an unbelievable decision? In today's episode of Cassidy Comments , I'll explain what I am referring to by "Step out of Line" as I tell the story of a holocaust survivor whose quick, life or death decision, impacted generations. It is a good opportunity for each of us to pause and consider the need to prepare ourselves now for whatever we may face as disciples of Christ. I hope you will tune in and find some inspiration from today's podcast. Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.blogspot.com janetcassidy.blubrry.net

DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO EMMAUS? YOU SHOULD. YOU WALKED THERE OFTEN ENOUGH. CLICK HERE

THY WILL BE DONE Really?  Would you not prefer to do it YOUR way? Surely your way is better! CLICK HERE

It has only taken five years for Pope Francis’ encyclical on caring for our home to really dawn on me, and that is mostly because of the images the meteorologists have been showing this week for Earth Day.   It seems that the stay-at-home orders have made an impact environmentally, albeit small. Personally, we have always tried to be careful and do what we are supposed to do.   From recycling/reusing and trying not to be wasteful, we have done our small part. But it really isn’t much, in the scope of things; and we really could have been doing much, much better all along. The meteorologists produced good news in their reports, tapered with not-so-good news.   We would have to do this all the time, they said, for like ever, to really make a significant difference. The problem is, for many of us, the viral attack we are making on our environment isn’t always in our face as we go through our daily lives.   But what if we started paying more attention to those people

The Road to Emmaus Fritz von Uhde [ Wikipedia ] The April issue of  Magnificat  features this painting on its cover. You will find Pierre-Marie Dumont's commentary on it  here . Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)         Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Luke 24:13-25 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada) Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad.   Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only