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PENTECOST? WHAT IS THAT? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT

Por Lourdes de Domenzain

“Follow me.” Two simple words that are a call to action.   As written in the 21 st chapter of the Gospel of John (verse 19), Jesus says this to Peter after calling forth Peter’s declaration of love for him three times. Jesus told Peter three times to take care of his sheep.   Specifically, he said, “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep” and Feed my sheep.” In other words, if you love me, take care of those whom I love. This wasn’t just a nice little exchange.   Scripture tells us that this was the third time the resurrected Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples.   And today’s exchange followed a significant event. The disciples had been out all night fishing and hadn’t caught anything.   As dawn approached, Jesus, standing on the shore, unrecognizable to them at the moment, asked them if they had caught anything. Knowing they hadn’t, he had them cast their net over the boat again and it was so full of fish they couldn’t even pull it in!...

Oh dear Paul.   He is always in some sort of ruckus. He finally made it to Jerusalem, but not without considerable fallout. In Chapter 22 of the Acts of the Apostles, Paul was defending himself to the Jews in Jerusalem.   They listened to him but then started shouting, “Take such a one as this away from the earth.   It is not right that he should live.” As if that wasn’t enough, listen to how Luke describes the situation and the rising tension: “And as they were yelling and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the cohort commander ordered him to be brought into the compound and gave instruction that he be interrogated under the lash . . .” Can’t you just see it?   Cloaks flying, dust flinging, cries for him to be killed? Oh my. After traveling all over the place by land and sea (aboard a cargo ship, not a cruise liner), after being arrested and about to be whipped, in the midst of this huge kerfuffle, Paul continued to...

Are you harsh with your words? Do you make others feel diminished at the expense of your temperament? What might that cost you? Some treasured relationships? Maybe, a promotion? There is a cost to being mean. On the other hand, gentleness costs nothing, but reaps much in the way of rewards. Gentleness Costs Nothing When we treat others with disdain, we tend to lose their respect. Most people do not appreciate “bullies.” In fact, most people would like to silence bullies. I can guarantee to you that bullies have few friends, if any. God did not make us to demean and ridicule others. Rather, God made us as social beings, meant to live in community with each other. He would like for all of us to get along. Remember, “Love your neighbor”? Well that includes loving the bullies, too! So, for all of you bullies out there, who would actually like to have some true friends, here’s how to make that happen: Read more...

Are you a traveler?   Have you been missing running around the world, seeing the sites, meeting new people, collecting new experiences? It is hard today—nearly impossible—for anyone to plan a casual trip just for the fun of it without first thinking about the possibility of contracting the virus.   One of our daughters told me the other day that there was a super reduced rate to go to the Grand Canyon.   Tempting as that is, I will be staying put for quite some time. That being said, I hope you are following the daily readings from the Acts of the Apostles that are covering Paul’s journeys around Asia.   Because the content is so packed with the names of everywhere he went, I had to pull out the maps from my study bible in order to follow along. His journeys are fascinating and they are dented with wonderful tidbits of his wisdom that are solid reminders of the purpose of his mission.   If you have ever been bitten by the “it’s not real” bug, thi...

Pentecost Cupola, San Marco, Venice Italian Mosaic Artist [ Web Gallery of Art ] Pentecost Sunday, at the Vigil Mass (Saturday evening), Years ABC NB: The Vigil Mass has its own prayers and readings. Those for the Mass During the Day should not be used – though some priests seem to be unaware of this. It is incorrect to refer to this Vigil Mass as an ‘anticipated Mass’. It is a celebration proper to the evening before Pentecost Sunday and may be celebrated in an extended form, like the Easter Vigil. It also fulfils the Sunday obligation. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   John 7:37-39 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,...

I know this is a delicate subject, but just roll with me on this . . . At the beginning of this pandemic, everybody went crazy buying toilet paper.   The experts labeled this panic buying.   They said we had a herd mentality.   However you want to describe it, all I know is that we got stuck with 1-ply from the dollar store, thank you very much. As things calmed down, we were finally able to procure the highly coveted 2-ply; it’s like going from Wonder Bread to a crusty Italian loaf.   You never really get used to the 1, but you tolerate it because it’s all there is.   Which got me to thinking, “Why do we even have 1-ply?   Who’s buying this stuff anyway?”   The reality is, you go through 1-ply twice as fast as 2, so it’s not like you are saving any money, and besides—really—which one is less wasteful? In the end, like a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know. (If you get the Tootsie Pop reference, you may be older than you’re admi...