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Showing posts from October, 2020

Halloween, COVID-19, Wolfgang's Axe and Apple Bobbing

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("It's the best I could do on short notice." ("Cinderella's Halloween") ;) ) Halloween will be different this year. Mostly because we're still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. I don't know what it'll look like here in Sauk Centre. Safer Trick-or-Treating More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Stars and Celery

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    PLEASE CLICK HERE

'The goal of my life is to always be united with Jesus.' Sunday Reflections, Solemnity of All Saints

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  Blessed Carlo Acutis 3 May 1991 - 12 October 2006 Beatified 10 October 2020 [ Wikipedia ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 5:1-12a ( English Standard Version Anglicised) 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, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness

Waiting on a Dead World: Science and Being Human

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Instead of writing about Halloween, I'll share a seasonally-appropriate story and talk about science, death being human: Waiting on a Dead World Inspiration and Stellar Evolution Still Seeking a Solar System Analog Metaphors and the Lives of Stars Sirius, Procyon and Weighing Stars "Vastness" and Questions Embracing Truth Philosophers and Models Earth, Eons and New Puzzles Faith, Reason and Me Life, Death and Dante's Wood of the Suicides Neuroimaging and Pickled Brains, Altruists and Lab Rats Dante's Hell: Seventh Circle, Second Ring "Here Shall They Hang" — Wood of the Suicides and Clueless Critics Being Human: Body and Soul Avoiding Suicide: Help is Available Art and Being Able to Smell Roses "In the Image of God:" Creativity Included Science Fiction and Attitudes It's Alive! — Oh, ICK!! Kidnapping and Murder, Rules and Principles

Follow God

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  Oh, the ridiculousness of it all! Driving down the expressway, I see a billboard that says: Follow God Buy Guns Vote Trump The message is an attempt to draw a logical conclusion to sway your vote.   The assumption is that you will read it like this: Follow God = Trump follows God Buy guns = Trump will not take away your rights Conclusion = Vote Trump if you adhere to the two premises This is an invalid syllogism, and here’s why:   You can follow God and not vote for Trump.   You can keep your rights and not vote for Trump. Following God and keeping your rights do not logically lead to the conclusion that you must vote for Trump. I’m just sayin’ (Most of us are a little more astute than this billboard assumes) I think it is offensive to people who follow God AND it is offensive to people who buy guns! Why? Because you can draw your own conclusions, and how you decide to vote is a consequence of your own ability to reason from your well-formed conscience.

'Cardinal Kim embodied the Two Great Commandments.' Sunday Reflections, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

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    The Good Samaritan (after Delacroix) Van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mt 22:39) . Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 22:34-40 ( English Standard Version Anglicised) 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) This time six years ago I