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I was reading a scripture reflection from RegnumChristi.org through the Laudate App. "On the Way There" (January 28, 2023) and a point was made that I hadn't considered before. Referring to the account of Jesus sleeping in a boat that was getting tossed around by a storm, where his disciples woke him up in a bit of panic, we learn of Jesus' power to calm the sea.  He says to the sea, "Quiet! Be Still" and it immediately calms down.  ( Mark 4:39 ) I never really considered that Jesus was directing what happens, rather than simply responding to a situation.  The reflection raises the question we should be asking ourselves: "Do I take Christ into my boat and let him indicate what I must do in my life?" "When life hurts and it makes no sense, we need to deepen our faith in the One who has conquered sin and death.  He will write the final chapter in our life.  He will bring us to the safe harbor."   Like the disciples in the boat, ...

            En estos tiempos la cultura moderna nos quiere convencer de que no existe una realidad, que no existe la verdad y que todo es subjetivo y relativo. Y va más allá , hace alarde de llevar la bandera de la “libertad” de hacer lo que nos plazca y de “ser” lo que nos plazca. La moral, por supuesto, es presentada como un yugo impuesto por la religión, sobre todo la católica, y la creencia de la existencia del mal ya se ha superado. No hay nada “malo”. Todo es relativo. Por otro lado, las escrituras nos hablan de cómo Dios ha escrito su ley, que el pueblo elegido rompió muchas veces, en el corazón del hombre. (Jeremías 31,33)(Ezequiel 36,27)(Hebreos 10,16).   ¿Cómo saber si es cierto que dentro del hombre hay un espíritu que le hace ver la diferencia entre el mal y el bien?  ¿Podríamos hablar de una conciencia que, hoy en día, es denigrada y minimizada?  …o......... vivimos en una matrix en donde todo vives tu perspectiva del mun...

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Caligula is currently famous, or infamous, for being a stark-raving-mad monster with no redeeming qualities. Although scholars have been acknowledging that we don't actually know much about him. I'm not about to try rehabilitating Caligula's image. But I've got suspicions about what the third Roman emperor was really like. I'll get back to that. But first, I'll take a brisk slog through some of what Tacitus and Suetonius had to say about Caligula; followed by a bit about statues, art and post-Renaissance preferences. And finally, what folks like Caligula and Nero were doing in the Pax Romana. That's the idea, at any rate. Caligula: Little Boots and Rumors Ancient Sculptures: In Living Color Analysis of a Caligula Bust Scrubbing Statues, Chromophobia, Beeldenstorm Tiberius Gracchus and Caligula: Enemies of the Status Quo Julius Caesar, Caligula and Nero: a Possible Pattern Good Intentions: Julius Caesar and Caligula Pax Romana: A Durable ...

  Jesus gives the Beatitudes from  The Chosen Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 5:1-12a [or 4:12-17]  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)     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 ...

As a Lay Dominican, one of my favorite things to do is give talks (contact me if your church/group is interested).  If and when I get the opportunity, I take it, because, well, it's just fun.   Don't get me wrong, it is a lot of work, but it's work I don't mind doing.  It is a great feeling to sense the Holy Spirit coming over you, igniting the passion within to talk about Jesus.  I suppose that's because faith is such a wondrous thing and it is hard to resist the urge to share it. Obviously, sometimes people go too far in the sharing department.  In-your-face Christians of any denomination who yell scripture at you or push, push, push against your thoughts and beliefs, are just irritating, even to a devout Catholic like myself. Nobody is listening to you.  Nobody is going to be converted by you being obnoxious.  At least that's what I think. We were in Chicago visiting "the bean" at Cloud Park (click the link to see what I'm talking ...

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  Don't judge me.  That's all I ask. A thousand years ago when my husband and I were youngish, we stopped at an estate sale.  Now, admittedly, we rarely do this anymore since we are more inclined to get rid of things, but so it goes. A little background . . . growing up, I always saw my mom doing cross-stitch embroidery.  I grew to love it as well, and did my fair share of pillowcases and so forth, until they shrunk the patterns and it got harder to read them, ha ha. While my mom would tackle a bedspread, it was far too big a project for me, so I stuck to smaller things.  Sometimes though, when my grandma came over, we would all work on it together. Anyway, so there we were, my husband and I, at this estate sale, and lo and behold, there was an entire dish set of everyday-china with a pretty pink-flowered cross stitch pattern right in the middle of the gold-rimmed plates!  I didn't care that it was used; it was so pretty, and it was only like $...

  Wild Writing                                                                       21st January 2023      It was because I had a few hours to myself this morning that I found I was able to get to sit down and think, "What do I want to do?" Don't misunderstand me, as I looked around the house there was plenty of "jobs" that called to me and which I could have happily occupied myself with.  But today I wanted to spend some time playing.  I wanted to spend some time playing with words. Interestingly, last week I randomly found a free five day "Wild Writing Course", which I thought I'd like to do. Just as quickly as I had that thought I put it out of my mind, because, you know, how would I fit in these zoom sessions.       Although I...

As I write this, scientists have not made contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, cured the common cold, or developed a process for using pocket lint as a pollution-free sustainable energy resource. So I'll be looking at galaxies, black holes, and a place where stars are forming. Scientists figure that last item will help them work out how the earliest stars formed. But first, NASA's APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day), almost five years back. Make that pictures: of the Cartwheel Galaxy Region and HST WFPC2. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Images from the Every Known Nearby Galaxy campaign, Chandra and James Webb Space Telescope. And how I see living in a vast and ancient universe.)

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  San Giorgio Maggiore at Dawn Joseph Mallord William Turner [ Web Gallery of Art ] For those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,   on them a light has dawned  (Mt 4:16, Gospel; see Isaiah 9:2, First Reading). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)   Gospel   Matthew 4:12-23 [or 4:12-17]  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)     Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.   And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,   so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,      the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness  ...