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  Please subscribe to my blog using the box to the right On Sunday mornings, one of us goes out to get the newspaper. I love doing it because in the early morning it is so still. The weather is crisp and there is barely a sound. The peacefulness reminds me of our camping days. Things have changed a lot over the years, when it comes to camping and me. We stopped camping many years ago when we outgrew our pop-up trailer, but honestly, the campgrounds got too noisy for me anyway. I always say, my backyard is quieter, and oh how I love the quiet. I do love visiting family when they are camping, though. I love hanging out for an evening, as we roast s'mores and have great conversation. I was thinking about these good times as we head into the holidays. I overheard a lady the other day on her phone (nothing is private anymore) talking about Thanksgiving and how she just wanted a normal, nice gathering. I think that's what everyone wants, but unfortunately it isn't what ever...

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As I was reading a passage from Romans, Chapter 6, about sin leading to death and virtue leading to holiness, my thoughts wandered to the idea of separation. There's our humanity, and then there's God. Distinct. Separate. Or so it might seem. Upon a little more reflection we can see that this thinking is erroneous and can take us in the wrong direction, for it dismisses the reality that God created the world, and us in it, and he is not apart from it, or us. What is clear is that the sin we embrace creates a chasm between us and God. It is our behavior that leads us to lawlessness, or holiness, depending on what we choose. But here's the great news: God does not separate himself from us. We may move farther away from him, reject him or even ignore him, but he doesn't move. Like the sun that stays more-or-less in position while the earth rotates around it, God is always with us, one with us, reaching out to hold us in the palm of his hand.   All this is to say that G...

  The Good Samaritan (after Delacroix) Van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mt 22:39; Gospel) . Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 22:34-40  ( English Standard Version Anglicised, India) When the Pharisees heard that he 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 Ki...

All is not right with the world. But all is not wrong, either. Take Sunday night's air disaster that didn't happen, for example. Alaska Air 2059 Underground (Literally) Schools in Ukraine Hey, Everybody! See What We're Doing! — Improv by Hamas Meanwhile, Back in the States Civilian Homes, a Little Extra Shielding — Tomayto, Tomahto. Loving Neighbors: Not Easy, But I Must Bogeymen, Assumptions, and Attitudes: Past and Present Politics, Religion, and Not Missing 'the Good Old Days' "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" — Article 32 and "Protocols" — "Several Experts" and the Reptilians Spears, Pruning Hooks, and Making Sense in the Meantime Double Effect: It's Complicated "This is Not Us" "Yeh Hum Naheen" Academic Freedom and Responsibility A Civilization of Love: Something to Work Towards A "...Competent and Sufficiently Powerful Authority...." Poetry, Future Generations,...

  Do you know someone (who is not on Facebook) who might enjoy reading my posts? Please let them know that there is now a subscribe box on my BLOG at janetcassidy.com which will send my daily posts right to your inbox. I do not share emails. The subscription is free, of course. Never miss a post! Of course you can subscribe to my blog AND follow me on Facebook!  I can be found on Facebook at   https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/    Don't forget to click on the follow button there. If you have any questions, let me know! Janet Cassidy  

  Pope Francis shares a laugh with some of the women members of the assembly of the Synod of Synodality, including Spanish theologian Cristina Inogés Sanz. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)   While so many people on the internet are railing against Pope Francis, calling him evil, I'm not one of them. I think he is leading the Church more like Jesus every day. He's speaking the truth to those who need to hear it. He popped into the synod (that gathering of Church people (including laypeople) from around the world) and made a "rare speech" to those gathered. Boy did he have something to say. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from his speech: "I explain it this way: 'When you want to know 'what' Holy Mother Church believes, go to the magisterium, because it is in charge of teaching it to you, but when you want to know 'how' the Church believes, go to the faithful people," "it is women who know how to hope, know how to discover the res...

  An episode of Chris Stefanick's show (Real Life Catholic) came into my inbox. It was a discussion that centered on forgiveness. As I sat listening to it, at first I couldn't think of anyone that I needed to forgive, but as the show went on, I began to relate to it. They talked about being treated unfairly by a boss or coworker, as well as forgiveness of those who have hurt you deeply. For instance, one of his guests talked about living in the community where the Columbine High School massacre took place in 1999, where twelve students and a teacher were murdered by two 12th graders. In the conversation, the words of Jesus from the cross were brought up--"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) "They know not what they do." It might help us to forgive if we meditate on these words of Jesus and realize that people can act unkindly, or unjustly, and not even know what they are doing. When someone hurts us intentionally, out of sheer...

  Every time I hear or read something outside of the news that mentions the name of Israel, my ears perk up. Like in the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 1) where we hear from John the Baptist's father, Zachariah: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty savior, born of the house of his servant David." We have God's promise that he will save us from our enemies and all those who hate us. We've been promised God's mercy (love and forgiveness) and that he will never forget the covenant he made with his people. We count on this. All of it. We believe it. We trust in God. But when people are suffering and evidence of God's presence seems to be lacking, it can be challenging for even the most devout believer. We must remember that when terrible things take place, such as war, these things are not an act of God. Likewise, we are not God's puppets, so he gives us free will to act--unf...

  I like to unscramble those JUMBO puzzles in the newspaper. Sometimes they sit on our dining room table for a few days as I glance at them from time-to-time. Some of them come super easy to me, but other words I just can't seem to unscramble. If my husband can't unscramble them either, then I know we're in real trouble. He's good at all of that stuff--crossword puzzles, JUMBO, and on most days, even Sudoku. I, on the other hand, can mess up a crossword puzzle or Sudoku real quick. Not surprisingly, I am often accused of just guessing, but I think I have a sixth sense about such things. I don't feel the need to prove that a word or a number fits in order to write it in, because a lot of times just knowing that it's right is enough for me. When it comes to believing in God, some people do just know, but for those of you who need proof, it can be a little more challenging. I feel for you. Those of us whose faith is not predicated on iron-clad, scientific pro...

  I went to the lab to get some routine blood work done, and just to double check, I asked which tests she was drawing blood for, although I new some of them. She said she didn't know because, technically, she's not allowed to see them, and she wasn't really supposed to tell me anyway. Ugh. Naturally, my first thought was, "I'm giving my own blood and they can't tell me what it is for?" I know, I get it. She's not supposed to know which means there's nothing to tell me, but still. I was thinking about this whole idea of not being able to tell, in regards to the process that people go through who come into the Catholic Church. It's called RCIA, which stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. While it is a wonderful process, I have always been aware of how difficult it is to encourage people to dedicate their time and energy to a process that they will not really "get" until they go through it. I can tell you that you will ...

Tribute Money Vecellio Tiziano (Titian) [ Web Gallery of Art ] "Show me the coin for the tax.”  And they brought him a denarius.  And Jesus said to them,  “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”   (Matthew 22:19-20; Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 22:15-21   ( English Standard Version Anglicised, India) Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words.   And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.   Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”   But Jesus, aware of their malice, said,  “Why put me to the t...