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In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 10, we read about Jesus sending out the seventy-two disciples.  He sends them out with none of the usual things one would need for traveling.  We are to understand that he does not want them to be attached to their possessions along the way. Jesus gives them the power to fight off evil, using just his name and the power he has given. When I think about this, I think about the mission each of us shares with the disciples.  We, too, are to "go out" into the world and face evil and bring peace. When you think about it, we are to leave our agendas behind.  Especially for lay ministers who work in the Church, this is a good reminder to go forward, empty-handed, trusting that God will provide what we need.  So often we approach ministry with a certain mindset.  We have to organize this and offer that, in order to bring people on board. But, what if we were to be fully dependent on God to show us the way?  What if th...

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I was watching a clip from an old episode of the Carol Burnett Show where the Mama character starts throwing insults at her daughter, Eunice.  Carol Burnett can hardly keep a straight face.  Reflecting on the relationship between the two characters, Tim Conway later commented that you could go into any small town in America and find those same two "characters" still today. In the episode I was watching, Mama's arrows went something like this: "I think you done sprung a leak in your dingy" "You aren't playing with a full deck" "I think somebody blew your pilot light out." I can appreciate the comedy in those sketches from years-gone-by, but as I watch some of the older television shows, they really make me cringe.  To our sensitivities today, Mama's comments, for instance, about Eunice being "crazy" and that "they are going to lock you up" strike quite the nerve. On other shows I have watched, the implici...

  Lala , with Jordan I first wrote this post in October 2008 and used it again in 2011 under the title  Lala and Queen Elizabeth II . I have re-posted it a number of times, with variations, because Lala's story is one that should be told over and over again.  This year I am re-posting what I posted three years ago, with a couple of updates on ages.  Today Lala is celebrating another birthday. No doubt, the occasion is being marked at  Punla, Ang Arko, where Lala lives, the only  L'Arche community  in the Philippines, in Cainta, Rizal, part of the metropolitan sprawl of Manila.  The Pope's Universal Prayer Intention for September 2014 was:   That the mentally disabled may receive the love and help they need for a dignified life . The truth is that persons with mental or learning disabilities can teach the rest of us about the dignity of life, as the photo above of Lala helping Jordan with his meal shows. Let us show our service to the poor, th...

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  I was having breakfast one morning and I happened to see a car pull into our neighbor's driveway.  I noticed our neighbor come out of her house while the person in the driveway jumped out of their car. The car person passed what looked like a grocery bag to the house person.  Naturally, I have no idea what that was about, but I was left thinking, "I know that move." "That move" being the handoff during covid.  Between covid and sickness, we and our youngest daughter, who lives nearby with little kids, have done the handoff on a number of occasions.  Sometimes it's medicine or masks, and sometimes it's food. In fact, it seems like we are often feeding each other when one of our households is "down for the count." From the time she was old enough to drive, our youngest was always giving rides to people, taking them a gift, or picking up food.  That level of generosity with a willingness to go out of one's way for another isn...

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has survived Louis XIV-style redecorating, the French Revolution, Napoleon and 19th-century remodeling. I'm pretty sure it will survive repair and reconstruction, following the April 16, 2021, fire. Notre-Dame de Paris is Burning (From Getty Images, via BBC News, used w/o permission.) Somewhere between 6:50 p.m., Paris time, and 7:18 p.m., April 15, 2019, something caught fire under the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  Pope Francis on  15 September 2021 From the  official English translation  of the Pope’s words in Italian  [emphases added  in quotations below ] : Abortion is more than a problem, abortion is a murder.  Abortion... without mincing words: whoever has an abortion, kills. Take any book on embryology, from those who study students at Faculties of Medicine and see that, in the third week of pregnancy – in the third week, and often before the mother is aware of it – the fetus already has all the organs; all, even the DNA. And wouldn't it be a person? It's a human life… period! And this human life must be respected. This principle is so clear…  To those who cannot understand it, I would ask two questions: Is it fair to kill a human life to solve a problem? Scientifically, it's a human life. Second question: Is it fair to hire a hit man to solve a problem? The first sentence above in the original Italian reads: I...

  I made an impulse purchase on my way through the checkout the other day.  Now this is something I  never do, but the pack of Bazooka gum was calling me.  I haven't had a piece of Bazooka in several years. Although I was disappointed that it was not wrapped exactly the way it was in the late sixties, I was pleasantly surprised that it still contained the Bazooka Joe (and his gang) comic strip.  I was even more surprised that it gave me a code for a webpage (for kids) with games and videos.  It did include my fortune, also, that warned me that "someone close to me is jealous," so there's that. Anyway, after doing a little research on Wikipedia (maybe you already know this?), I learned that "The gum was probably named after the rocket-propelled weapon developed by the U.S. army [in World War II] which itself was named after a musical instrument." Interesting. Anyway, the sugary part of the gum lasted about as long as it always had and provided...

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  Decades ago, I read an insight by  Jean Vanier , a Canadian Catholic philosopher and theologian, “You can be right. You can be dead right and bring death to everyone around you”.  These words stripped bare my arrogance, profoundly affecting the way I expressed my faith to others and especially the way I wrote about the Catholic faith. Writers Wield Power Words have power, a terrifying power to influence others. One lie or the words of one bullying tweet have the potential to go viral, enraging, or misleading thousands, if not millions of readers. Even truth, if expressed with arrogance can instigate similar chaos. Words matter. Tone matters. Even a message of  Christian hope can be lost when writers are not prayerful disciples of the Living God, writing with the heart of a servant. Writers have the ability to destroy as well as the ability to educate, heal, and lift up. We must learn how to communicate and engage with our adversaries in a spirit of mutual respect b...

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Let's talk about morality and clear a few things up. Do you find it confusing when trying to figure out if something you did, or want to do, is moral?  Especially if your goal or your intention is good?  Here is some great, clarifying information from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that goes a long way in simplifying the messes we create. First, there are three elements, all of which must be in place to determine if an act is moral: 1)  What we are doing must be objectively good.  Some things we know are not good--murder, for instance.  Those things that are just wrong cannot be made right by our good intentions. 2)   Our intended goal must be good.  Now if a bad intention is our motivation and our end goal is good, then our action is not okay.  Likewise, if I intend to do good, but go about it by doing a bad act, I am still in deep water. 3)  Circumstances and consequences are the third element of the moral action.  Th...

Nothing in this universe lasts forever, including stars. Massive stars live fast and die young: exploding as supernovae. One of these, AT2016jka, nicknamed "Requiem," was first spotted in 2016. It showed up again in 2019. Scientists figure they'll get another look in 2037, give or take a few years But the supernova only exploded once. We're getting reruns of the event, thanks to gravitational lensing. I'll be taking about stars, including supernovae, gravitational lensing, and whatever else comes to mind. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  First Steps (after Millet) Vincent van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and  whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.  (Mark 30:37; today's gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Mark 9:30-37   (English Standard Version Anglicised: India) Jesus and his disciples went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know,   for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them,  “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”   But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them,  “What were you discussing on the way?” ...

  If I may say so, honestly, without complaining, it has become quite a challenge to find my way to work lately.  It seems that every street I re-route to, there is new construction. Near my house, they started some piping project months ago.  Barrels go up, barrels go down.  It changes from day to day, but all I really want to see is paving trucks.  The road is such a mess. You can imagine my excitement when my husband came home and told me the paving trucks are out!  Yay!  I thought it was a project that wouldn't happen until next year, but at last, my painful waiting will soon be over. There's something about being given hope that changes one's perspective.  I have moved from grumbling to happy anticipation. The way I see it, we need hope today.  People are angry, discouraged, frightened, anxious and down-right sad. So where do we find hope? Well--and I don't want this to sound cliche--we find hope in Jesus.  It is from God...

    Mocking of Christ Titian [ Web Gallery of Art ] I gave my back to those who strike,   and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;   I hid not my face   from disgrace and spitting.   (Isaiah 50:6. First Reading). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Mark 8:27-35   (English Standard Version Anglicised: India) Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples,  “Who do people say that I am?”   And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”   And he asked them,  “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”   And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suff...

I've been following what is going on in Texas with the law banning abortions after cardiac activity is detected (about six weeks).  Many people are outraged claiming that it hurts "people of color, low income and the marginalized." Although I don't remember the exact numbers, I read about one abortionist who was upset because normally he did something like 75-85 abortions per day , and since he can't do them anymore, he has to explore other options with the women for their healthcare . First of all, I am happy for the lives saved by the ban. Praise God! Secondly, calling abortion healthcare (or reproductive health) is a tired and ridiculous ploy to hide a gruesome reality.  Women are not stupid and we really should no longer be buying into that marketing scheme.  How much do you suppose that abortionist was making anyway? If you guessed between $500 and $2500+ per abortion , per day , you'd be right. It doesn't take a mathematician to see that t...

  Legion of Mary altar At the very first meeting of the Legion of Mary an altar just like that in the photo, except for the words 'Legio Mariae' and the Vexillum, the standard of the Legion, was used. Every meeting since then, at whatever level, has such an altar, with the Vexillum included. The Legion of Mary held its first meeting on the evening of 7 September 1921 in Myra House, St Nicholas of Myra Parish, Francis Street, Dublin, under the name of the Association of Our Lady of Mercy that became the Legion of Mary in 1925. Present at that first meeting were Fr Michael Toher, Frank Duff, a 32-year-old civil servant, and a group of women, all young except for 64-year-old Mrs Elizabeth Kirwan, a widowed New Zealander and a nurse. She was appointed president of the group. The  website  of the Legion of Mary  states :  The object of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members developed by prayer and active co-operation in Mary’s and ...

  I don't know, maybe it's me, but doesn't it seem strange that a guy participating in the running of the bulls would wear a mask?  I mean, don't you have bigger things to worry about if you are running from that massive animal? I believe in wearing masks, don't get me wrong, but while being chased by a bull? I guess you can't be too careful.  I suppose the runner was incredibly confident in his athletic prowess. Anyway, whatever work you do that is running you down, I hope you can take a break from it this weekend and find some quiet where you can listen to God and refresh your soul.   Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.blogspot.com

Since I'll be talking about COVID-19, variants, and the pandemic, clarifications may be in order. I had COVID-19 vaccinations in May and June, because I thought it was a good idea. Politicos, partisans and crackpots have been throwing accusations and assertions about the pandemic at each other. I'll be talking about that, but I'm not 'political.' I've neither been proclaiming that one political party is in league with the Antichrist, nor denouncing another as a tool of fascists and racists. And, although I think the COVID-19 pandemic is real, I haven't been dreading America's impending doom and destruction. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  Mark 7:31-37 in Filipino Sign Language Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Mark 7:31-37   (English Standard Version Anglicised: India) Then Jesus returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.   And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.   And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.   And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him,  “Ephphatha”,  that is,  “Be opened.”   And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.   And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zea...

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