Association Of Catholic Bloggers

    Hundreds of you showed an interest in the video I posted from Bishop Robert Barron about the mockery of the Last Supper at the Olympics, so I am sharing one more thing with you--contact information where you can express your complaint. I have already done so. On this website: https://olympics.com/ioc/contact-us   just click on the "Contact us" at the bottom of the site and it will open a simple form where you can offer your thoughts about it. That page also offers an address for those of you who would like to write a letter, as well as an international phone number:  +41 21 621 61 11 (naturally, there may be charges for the call, depending on your plan.) I didn't research this information myself.  I took it off a very good homily from this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scgE60WfypU Can I just say that whenever Catholics (and other Christians) are persecuted in this way, I always find myself proud of their reactions.  Their firs...

    Have you seen the viral video from the Olympics? The opening ceremony included a disgusting mockery of the Last Supper, complete with drag queens depicting Jesus and the Apostles at the Last Supper. I am including in this post the response that Bishop Robert Barron posted about it. If you want to see the video he is referring to, it's out there online. Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy

I could ignore the current presidential fracas: claiming that I'm too 'spiritual' for worldly matters, or can't abide the pervasive political posturing and pandering. But that's not an option. Neither, for me, is getting "political" in the sense of declaring that, if elected, candidate A will doom us all; while candidate B is America's only hope. Those attitudes aren't new, and that's another topic. 1 This week I'll be talking about why I don't fit into current political pigeonholes: or, rather, why I fit into several. Acting As If What I Believe Matters Political Pigeonholes and the Big Picture Sex, Death, and Immigrants Hawk? Dove? Long-Term Goals Fear and Politics Love, Hope, and Making Sense More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Catholic teachings do not conform to American political labels. Not when I consider the big picture. I look at beliefs, fears, and long-term goals.)

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes Lambert Lombard [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel    John 6:1-15   (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.   And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.   Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.   Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.   Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip,  “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”   He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.   Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii...

    What happened to the faith you were given in childhood? If you look at the Parable of the Sower , you may discover the answer to this question, but it does take a little thought. In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13, Jesus offers this parable which describes some different scenarios in regards to faith.  The Sower is God, but if we consider the sower to be our parents, we can ask ourselves, "What happened to the faith they tried to instill in me?" I know for some of you, perhaps your parents did not do this, but if you read this post to the end, you will see it is fitting for you as well.   I'd like you to think about the four scenarios we have in this parable: 1) The seed (the Word of God) fell on a path that was vulnerable to the     birds.  They came along and ate it up. 2) The seed fell on rocky ground.  Without good soil for it to take root,     when it grew, it was scorched by the sun and withered. 3) The seed fel...

      The other day when I wrote about pain (" Are you in pain? "), I talked about how we can connect to Jesus on the cross by offering up our pain. You will recall me talking about how he suffered on our behalf and that is something we, too, can do for others. There are other ways that we can connect in this spiritual way to Jesus, as well. When adult children disconnect from their parents, no matter the reason, parents might want to consider this as another avenue to connect to the Father. Every day, God our Father, whose unlimited love for us is constant, must also experience (to put it in human terms) the pain of losing his children, whenever we ignore, reject, or deny his very existence. Consider how he responds to us when we do that. He doesn't walk away, he waits.  With unconditional love, he waits for us to open our eyes, and our heart, and return to him.  When we do return (however long it might take), he is there, ready to pour out his love...

  El hogar es considerado un lugar natural y necesario para el desarrollo armónico de los niños y jóvenes y la fe católica siempre ha insistido en su protección. En las últimas décadas se ha notado una erosión en los hogares y la principal explicación de la cultura moderna es que ambos padres han tenido que abandonarlo para trabajar y sostener el hogar. ¿Qué tan acertado es ese diagnóstico? Es cierto que muchas familias en regiones pobres tienen que hacerlo para sobrevivir, pero en el primer mundo ¿aplica el mismo diagnóstico? Ahí el 60% de las familias lo hacen. ¿Les ha traído el beneficio esperado?    Podemos ver en el pasado, que en la década de los 60s, en Estados Unidos no era raro un hogar con las necesidades básicas cubiertas con el sueldo de uno solo de los padres. En cambio, hoy, a pesar de todo el progreso alcanzado, parece que, ni siquiera dos sueldos alcanzan para sostener a la familia promedio. ¿Acaso se encogieron los sueldos de los padres? ¿O la vida es más...

My parish is Our Lady of the Angles in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It's part of the Parishes on the Prairie Catholic Community — and that's a topic for another time. Aside from routine matters, we're not exactly at the center of diocesan activity. That's why I think our priest, Fr. Greg Paffel, getting this year's diocesan Humanae Vitae Award is a big deal. I'll be talking about that, briefly, "Humanae Vitae", and why I think human life matters. Cultural, Historical, and Personal Context "The True Voice of the Church...." My First Look at Catholic Thought Why Human Life Matters Obedience and Using my Brain Natural Law, Positive Law, and Paying Attention Seeing Human Beings as People Meanwhile, Across the Pacific Fr. Greg Paffel: The Journey Home Interview Valuing Human Life: All Human Life More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Humanae Vitae, On Human Life: cultural, historical, and personal context; natural law, positiv...

  In case you didn't know it, you can watch the National Eucharistic Congress going on right now, LIVE. Just go to USCCB.ORG and click on the main screen, and you will find a link to register (for free) and you will be able to watch!   Janet Cassidy Email: jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy

    I spent about a week in considerable pain. I won't bother you with the details, but I was pretty miserable. It is now mostly resolved. My first instinct was to offer up my pain for someone else. The potential that someone might find some relief from their pain, if I can take it on through acceptance of my own, gives me a sense of purpose. Admittedly, I do not do this as well as I would like. Doing so, however, connects me to Jesus on the cross, since he took on suffering for us. Whenever we can, in some small way, find a way to relate to what he did, we find a way to unite more closely to him.  This practice gives a deeper, spiritual meaning to what we are going through. That week led me to think about those who are living with chronic pain.  Anticipating a lifelong existence that involves pain must be quite overwhelming, especially when medicine or treatments do not provide any relief. I am sorry if you are experiencing pain in your life, but I do h...

Sheep and Lamb Jacopo Bassano [ Web Gallery of Art ] He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd  (Mark 6:34; Gospel). Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel    Mark 6:30-34   (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.   And he said to them,  “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”  For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.   And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.   Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.   When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a sh...

  A stream of sunlight came into our kitchen as evening came to a close. It's always nice when it does that--except--it highlights whatever crumbs have been left over from dinner on the floor! Several years ago I remember thinking about how when the sunlight shines on a window, it, too, highlights every little smudge.  I remember thinking how those smudges are like our sins, and when the light of God shines on them, they are very noticeable. Of course, when it comes to floors and windows, we just sweep up the crumbs, and spray away the smudges.  Sins are a little harder to take care of. The good news is that like the floors and windows, where the crumbs and smudges cover a specific area or spot, our sins do not define us either. They do not fully cover the entirety of who we are. Today might be a good day to take an honest look at the window of your soul and consider what you need to do to make it shine again.  It begins with asking for God's help. Ev...

    I watched an interview with Michigan's current governor and she mentioned one of her go-to sayings: "To deal with a bully, you take their weapon and make it your shield." She gave an example (which I don't recall at the moment), but her saying made me pause.  As with most things, I start to analyze whether it is good and reasonable, or just catchy. I'm going to put this to you. Will you share a suggestion on what might be a bully's weapon that you could turn around and use to protect yourself? My first thought is to consider what bullies use against people.  I'm thinking, maybe power or control. What might be a practical example where you could take away a bully's power/control and, perhaps, make it your shield? I look forward to hearing your ideas! Please post them on my blog ( janetcassidy.com ) or on my Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ ) Thanks! Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com...

Here's how I learned that someone tried to kill Donald Trump. Our number-two daughter and granddaughter were visiting over the weekend. We were talking about something entirely different when our number-two daughter looked at her smartphone— one of those things that connects whoever's holding it to humanity's social media and information services. She said something like 'oh! someone shot Trump', and we went on with our conversation. That was late Saturday. By Sunday evening, our son-in-law had finished business in southern Minnesota, spent a few hours with us, and set off with number-two-daughter and our granddaughter to their home in North Dakota. Don't get me wrong: I care about what happens in my country, and think that taking potshots at presidential candidates — or presidents — is a very bad idea. But I'm not obsessively focused on politics or politicos. Remembering a Hero Family, Country, and Priorities More at A Catholic Citizen in America ...

Folks living in the Caribbean, Yucatan Peninsula, and south Texas are cleaning up after Hurricane Beryl. Some are also mourning those who didn't survive the storm. I haven't been personally affected by Beryl, although my in-laws are in Louisiana, next state over. They seem to have been away from the worst weather, for which I'm grateful. This week I'll take a quick look at what happened, what the storm doesn't mean, and — as usual — whatever else comes to mind. Death, Destruction, and a Power Outage Disasters and Focused Wrath: No Noticeable Correlation The Siloam Reminder Perspectives It's a Changing World Days, Millennia, and Planning Ahead More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Beryl stopped being a hurricane July 8, 2024. By then it had broken several records. I look at Beryl, and what we are learning about tropical cyclones.)

Fr Ralph Beiting 1 January 1924 - 9 August 2012 [ Source ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Mark 6:7-13   (English Standard Version, Anglicised) Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.   He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts   but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.   And he said to them,  “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.   And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”   So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.   And they cast out many demons and anoi...

    Our oldest daughter suggested a song I might like (she was right) by Lewis Capaldi titled " Someone You Loved ."  After the title of the song, the standout line is " I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved ." It's a unique line that sort of reverses the way we think today, proned as we are to consider how we love others. At first it struck me, as a married person, because we do get used to being loved by our spouse, and it's a beautiful thing to be grateful for. But then I started thinking about our relationship with God.  So many of us forget just how much our Father in heaven loves us, and that, too, is something worthy of our tremendous gratitude. The song takes a turn, of course, when it makes the point that the one doing the loving has walked away, leaving the beloved alone.  As we know, that would never happen with God. The reality is that God loves us, even if we do not realize, reflect, acknowledge or accept it. His love is...