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One of my daily prayer requests is for help in praying against discouragement.  I suspect I am not alone in this.  When you work in church ministry, that request takes on a particular urgency, because if discouragement wins the day, it might be time to go into a new line of work . I use the term "work" loosely when talking about church ministry, however, because, as some of you no doubt know, it really is vocational, which is an entirely different beast. One might be tempted to think that when you work in a church, everyone floats as if walking on a heavenly cloud.  Kindness overwhelms every situation and words flow from divine inspiration.  Oh, if that were only true!  In fact, unfortunately, it has been my experience that vocational work in a church can sometimes be more challenging than you would experience in the secular world!  What is not to be missed, however, is that such purposeful work--while at times challenging--is most rewarding....

Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery   Rembrandt   [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 8:1-11  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)    Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.   Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.   The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst   they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.   Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”   This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.   And as they continued to ask hi...

  Fr Patrick Dooher 21 January 1943 - 25 March 2022 Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr Patrick Dooher who died suddenly on the evening of Friday 25 March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Father Paddy was from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and worked in both Ireland and Peru. You will find his obituary  here . Fr Richard O’Sullivan 17 February 1936 - 26 March 2022 Father  Dick died peacefully in our nursing home here in St Columban's, Dalgan Park, Ireland early on Saturday 26 March. From Kilgarvan, County Kerry, Ireland, he spent many years in Fiji but also spent periods teaching in Australia and in Ireland. He was a gifted teacher. His obituary is  here . Solas na bhFlaitheas ar an mbeirt seo sagart misinéireachta dílis. The Light of Heaven on these two faithful missionary priests. St Columban's Cemetery, Dalgan Park, Ireland

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I was watching the Michigan basketball game with our son (since our beloved State team had already been eliminated) and we were grumbling about their shooting.  They just couldn't hit a basket. Since everyone becomes an expert when they are watching a game, I commented that it seems to me the most important thing a player can do in preparation for a game is to practice those foul and 3-point shots.  Stand there all day until you have perfected it.  Some players look like it's the first time they've ever faced a foul shot. Obviously, I'm not being fair--and maybe even a little harsh--since you could practice it endlessly and still miss it.  I guess that's because we are not perfect, no matter how hard we try. So when it comes to "practicing" one's faith, we have to remember to give ourselves a break sometimes.  Our goal isn't to be perfect, because that is not something we will ever be able to attain on this earth.  Our goal is to be fai...

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  The Return of the Prodigal Son ,  Rembrandt [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Luke 15:1-3, 11-32  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)    Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “There was a man who had two sons.   And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.   Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.   And when he had spent everything, a severe f...

I've read this passage in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 11:14-23)  a million times.  You know, the one where Jesus drives out a "demon that was mute"?  What I never really noticed before was that as soon as the demon is out, the mute man spoke, to everyone's amazement. It occurred to me that the evil one likes it when we are silent. There are a lot of reasons people do not speak up, but most of them, I would venture to guess, have nothing to do with the realization that it pleases Satan.  Sometimes I think that is how we have gotten into the mess we are in today in regards to moral issues. Jesus is the one who freed the man and gave him his voice back.  Perhaps he is calling you today to use your voice for good.  In fact, we learn in this passage that it is by "the finger of God" that Jesus drives out demons.  It is his power that makes it possible, not our own, but we, indeed, need to collaborate with God. If God is calling you to speak the trut...

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Years ago when we were homeschooling our kids, my friend turned me on to a 10 volume history series by Joy Hakim called The History of Us .  Recently I have decided that I don't know enough about history, so I grabbed a different book she wrote called Freedom, A History of US . I could go on and on about how inspired I have been as I have read about the struggles and ideas that went into creating the foundation for a new nation.  We tend to take our freedoms for granted, I am embarrassed to admit that these books are mostly written for youth, but in an interview with Hakim I heard her say that many, many parents come up to her and admit how much they have learned from the series.   The interview with her is interesting because of her approach to writing the books and her ideas about how inadequately we teach history (and literature) in schools.  Hakim certainly had experts in the field review her content, but she also paid children to review them as we...

Here's kind of a funny thing.  See if you can relate to it.  I was praying about something which I have absolutely no control over, and I uttered these words: "Lord, I'm going to let you direct this." I could almost hear God laughing as soon as the prayer left my lips.  How big of me to give God permission to do something!  What kind of authority did I think I have over God anyway? I immediately realized that my prayer should have been: "Lord, I trust you with this." Humility before God is essential to our relationship with him, but it is clearly something some of us need to work through in our humanity! In my defense, I would like to claim that the intent of my initial prayer was to simply acknowledge that the resolution was out of my hands, and that I expected God to direct it.  After all, I do like to pray in advance, with confidence in God. Maybe you will keep this in mind when you pray, trusting God with your worries, because the truth is, ...

Burning Bush Sébastien Bourdon [ Wikipedia ;  author ] When the  Lord  saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”   Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground”  (Exodus 3:4-5; First Reading).  Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel  Luke 13:1-9  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)    There were some present at that very time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.   And he answered them,  “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?   No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will a...

(From BBC News, used w/o permission.) (Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine. Missile explodes, killing at least 10 people. (BBC News (March 1, 2022)) I don't know why Putin sent troops to Ukraine; why those troops bombed a hospital, a theater, and Kharkiv's Freedom Square; or why Ukraine's military didn't either give up or get promptly defeated: but that won't stop me from guessing.... (Russian forces in Ukraine. Death in a maternity hospital, a breadline and a theater. History, perceptions, and a coming consecration.) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Norbert Nerdly — my frustrations, personified.) If you have tried writing a comment on one of these posts, thank you! And if you have been unable to do so, sorry about that. You're not alone.... ...That process hasn't been made any easier by "difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as 'brain fog')" that I've been experiencing.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Transfiguration Blessed Fra Angelico [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readiings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Luke 9:28-36  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)    Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.   And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.   And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,   who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.   Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.   And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us ...

(From Jürgen Ludwig, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) I talked about angels, real and imagined, last month; mentioned Doctor Faustus' big plans, including putting a brass wall around Germany, and said that I'd talk about Valdes and Cornelius next month. Then I got sick. I'm still running a fever; but considering that this is COVID-19, it could be worse. "Next month" is now this month, so I'd better introduce Valdes and Cornelius: "friends to Faustus," Marlowe calls them in the dramatis personae.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  Abraham's  Journey from Ur to Canaan József Molnár [ Wikipedia ;   source ] A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous  (Deuteronomy 16:5; First Reading).   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Luke 4:1-13  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)    Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were over, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shal...

Quite some time ago, I heard a casino commercial use the catchphrase "Let your fun out!" Admittedly, I could not be more sick of all of the casino commercials that try to suck people into the gambling world.  On and on they go, telling us we can get our money back even if we start losing; we only have to make a small bet; somehow the odds are in our favor, they seem to imply. I know there are a lot of people out there who play for the fun of it and gamble reasonably.  They're not the ones I worry about.  I worry about those who are addicted to gambling and are vulnerable.  Those who find it hard to resist the temptation that is always in their face, promising a bright outcome. But I digress. Letting our fun out is a good thing to do, but I suspect one or two of us may find it hard to do, as we are often so busy with the ins and outs of daily life, just trying to make ends meet.  How can we let our fun out when the bills have to be paid, the car nee...

Have you ever felt like your heart was being pulled in separate directions?  Or that your heart was telling you one thing and your brain was telling you something else?  Or maybe that your heart actually hurt from the ache you felt inside? There are many different ways we experience and describe a broken heart.  In the Book of Joel, Chapter 2 (Verses 12-18) we read:   "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments and return to the Lord, your God . . ." Searching online for a little help with the "rend your hearts" phrase, I came across an additional way to think about our hearts.  This comes from " Got Questions ": "The idiom rend your heart expresses internal spiritual brokenness, which is vastly more important than any empty, hypocritical act of ripping apart one's closing.  Rituals of repentance mean nothing if the heart is unchanged."...

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