Association Of Catholic Bloggers

                                     Fr. Z's blog   One of the great benefits of being Catholic is the gift of having all seven sacraments, which includes the Sacrament of Reconciliation (often referred to as the Sacrament of Penance or Confession).  This particular sacrament may be a difficult one for many people to understand--sometimes even Catholics. The key to appreciating this sacrament is humility, along with trust in the Sacrament. The humility element comes from "giving up" your pride and pouring out everything that needs forgiveness. This can feel embarrassing. Revealing your innermost sins can involve hidden "secrets" that you may have been carrying with you for a long time. They may be things you have never told anyone else in your entire life. As I have told people over the years, those are exactly the sins you need to confess. Don't hold anything back. The seco...

  Auntie Madge (Margaret Collins) Taken by a street photographer, probably  Arthur Fields , on O'Connell Bridge, Dublin, late 1940s. (Please excuse the format of the photo!)   Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town Written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie Arranged by Jim Clements Sung by Voces8 My Auntie Madge (Margaret Collins) would have been ten or eleven when this song first appeared in 1934 and no doubt heard  Santa Claus is Coming to Town  many times. But she never heard the marvellous arrangement by Voces8, the British choral ensemble that I often use in  Sunday Reflections , here singing a different kind of music from their largely religious repertoire. Auntie Madge was the youngest of my mother's six sisters Jennie, Nan, Neita, Bridie, Eileen and Madge. I'm not sure where Bridie, who died in infancy, came in the sequence but I often heard my mother, Mary, talking about her. Three boys, Mick, Paddy and Jack, completed the family of my maternal grandparen...

      As we enter this third week of Advent, may God continue to bless you and your family with joy and give you time for quiet reflection in this holy season. Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy   

Dunseith, North Dakota, Frontage Road SW My memory, like my father's, is occasionally creative. I remembered a someone writing that England's public schools were dedicated to the idea "...that Tennyson would never happen again...." Then, recently, I started re-reading a Wodehouse book. "...It was almost as if these [English public] schools, founded in the 1830s, had it for their main objective that Shelley and Byron would never happen again...." (Introduction by Wilfred Sheed (1975) to "Leave in to Psmith", P. G. Wodehouse (1924)) That both corrected my memory of the passage and, along with something my oldest daughter showed me, started me writing this post. I'll get to that, after a clarification or three. "Public" Schools, Puritans, Progressives, and Attitudes My Year as a Teacher The Curious Case of the Vanishing Counselor A Student Newspaper and 'Problem' Students Making a Difference ... More at A Cath...

St John the Baptist in Prison Juan Fernández de Navarrete [ Web Gallery of Art ] Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”' (Matthew 11:2-3; Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland, India)   Readings  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 11:2-11   (English Standard Version, Anglicised) Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples   and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”   And Jesus answered them,  “Go and tell John what you hear and see:   the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and ...

Central Minnesota, including Stearns County/St. Cloud area. (Google Maps) No matter how it turns out, this is not good news. And it's uncomfortably close to home.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My brief reaction to a priest being charged with of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, stalking, three counts of threatening violence.)

    Today we get to celebrate a beautiful woman, Mary, the Mother of God. On this day the Church expresses the understanding that Mary was conceived without sin. From the day of her conception in her mother's womb, God fully prepared her to be the Mother of Jesus. We do not adore Mary. We know she is not God. But we do give her honor. At a very young age, she agreed to carry Jesus in her sinless, holy body. Let us take her ensuing Yes! as inspiration for us to always give God our Yes!, even when what he asks seems impossible.  Mary, Mother of God, pray for us! Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy   

  CLICK HER - HEAR - NO HERE  

      Do you beat yourself up because of your sins? Would you prefer to dismiss the idea of sin altogether? I just love the following, beautiful approach to sin.  This very short reflection by Father Dave from Franciscan University ("Why We need to Repent") reveals the connection between penance and Advent. Please take a few minutes to watch this very timely video as we close in on the 2nd Week of Advent beginning tomorrow. Here is the link:  https://faithandreason.com/episodes/why-we-need-to-repent/  Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy 

My folks had a 1957 Pontiac Chieftain four-door sedan, not unlike this one. The house next door north from 818 went through several owners, residents at any rate, while my folks and I were living there. I don't remember anything about the folks or person who owned Freckles, but I remember the mid-sized dog. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Nobody could approach the back yard next door without knowing that Freckles was there.)

St John the Baptist Preaching Rembrandt [ Web Gallery of Art ] In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,   “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”  (Matthew 3:1; today's Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland, India)   Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 3:1-12   (English Standard Version, Anglicised) In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” ’ Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all th...

Loren Capobres addressing Pope Leo XIV in Lebanon I came across this video yesterday, Tuesday 1 December, and posted it on Facebook. When I opened Facebook this morning I found a message from Loren herself, whom I have never met, and one from a mutual friend in the Philippines, Gwen Llano, who has been involved in  Faith and Light  for many years. Gwen gave a seminar in Lebanon in 2020 and met Loren there. The website of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has a report on Loren's talk  here . The report by Roy Lagarde says:  Pope Leo XIV on Monday said migrants’ experiences must push Christians to oppose war and build communities where no one seeking safety feels unwelcome, after hearing a Filipino woman’s testimony. Continue at Bangor to Bobbio .

        Puhleeze. Are you telling me, seriously, that there is no one--NO ONE--around a certain president with the courage to stand up to him and tell him that it is NOT okay to call people garbage? Not only did he call immigrants from Somalia garbage, but he also called Ilhan Omar, a United States Representative , garbage, and her friends as well.  In case you missed it, I am including the clip below. Be warned, it is beyond disgusting. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior from any elected official, not to mention one who is supposed to be leading our country. I feel like we are watching a melt down before our very eyes. His name calling--like when he recently called a reporter "piggy"--is beyond my comprehension. We teach our children not to be a bully, not to call people names and not to swear, so why would an elected official get away with it? Why are the grown men and women around him allowing him to increasingly act this way? ...

    Today is the First Sunday of Advent. I invite you to dig deep into the beauty of this season, being careful not to be distracted from it by other things. This is a peaceful, reflective season that has the ability to turn our hearts to the birth of Jesus and his Second Coming. Gather around this wreath, sing songs, say some prayers, read some scripture. I guarantee it will change how you approach Christmas. Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy