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Quite a bit has changed over the last couple millennia. And some things haven't. One of the things that hasn't changed is human nature: which is good news and bad news, depending on how I look at it. I'd started writing about that, when my oldest daughter and I ran into an all-to-common opinion about religion. The narrator of a video we were watching said that religion was silly. Then he said something like 'isn't that an unforgivable sin?' The phrase is fairly common in English-speaking cultures. It's "Biblical" in the sense that it refers to a sentence in Matthew. Since I'm a Catholic, I do not think the unforgivable sin is using the wrong fork at a formal dinner. I'll get back to that. At any rate, here's my shorter-than-planned review of (comparatively) recent events, along with how I see sin (original, unforgivable and otherwise); and why Advent matters: Politics, Ideas, and Technology: 20 Centuries in 138 Words After th...

NASA's "UAP Independent Study Team Report" used the words stigma, destigmatize, or destigmatizing about a dozen times. At 31 mostly-text pages, that works out to one of those words every two and a half pages. That's nowhere near the frequency I've seen for terms like "communist threat" or "climate change" in fevered philippics, but it was enough to get my attention. Particularly since I'm both a nerd and a convert to Catholicism. That's given me opportunities for experiencing scorn and/or bemused puzzlement: along the lines of 'how can you believe in that stuff'; or 'well, I don't believe in...'. Oh, boy. Before getting around to perceived existential threats and B movie space monsters, I'd better talk about "believe in". More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (UAPs and UFOs. Beliefs, assumptions, and science fiction movies of the 1950s. Extraterrestrial intelligence as a perceived exis...

My culture's Christmas season begins with Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Our traditionally-frenzied holiday shopping season does, at any rate. That's not a particularly good thing, considering what stress can do to folks. On the other hand, America's shopping frenzy inspired "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas." I'll be talking about that, more-or-less-recent news, and events we're still celebrating, two millennia later.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Recent news, holiday stress and a hipster nativity. Yogi Yorgesson and C. S. Lewis: views regarding Christmas. Joseph, Mary and decisions.)

Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) in Sauk Centre, Minnesota: northwest entrance. (September 20, 2022) "First, the good news. As far as I know, nobody got hurt during last weekend's incident. "That much I could tell from what wasn't in a metro area station's news item...." One statue tipped, urine on the carpet, a damaged cross. The Saturday morning trashing spree showed lack of respect for the folks in this parish. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(From Ken Eckert, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) A year and three weeks ago, I started writing about Marlowe's "Faustus" play: "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus." Three months later, I'd finished three more. Then in May, 2021, "Faustus" moved to my mind's back burner; before falling off the metaphorical stove.... ...Last April, I said I'd probably look at Faust’s GOOD ANGEL and EVIL ANGEL," the prince of parma," and maybe grapes next time; so that's where I'll pick up. Taking those items in reverse order —... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Throughout the ages, Saints and sages have pondered the big questions. Who are we? What are we? Why are our lives so messed up? Storytellers and movie makers — these groups overlap — also reflect on human nature from time to time. Sometimes they use use space aliens as placeholders for ideas and ideals, strengths and failings. I'll be talking about that, and why I don't "believe in" space aliens: but think we may have neighbors. Then again, maybe we don't. Which hasn't kept folks from wondering "what if?"... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Marguerite's garden in Gounod's "Faust," set design by Édouard Desplechin. (1859)) Christopher Marlowe based his "Dr. Faustus" on Germany's Faust legend, which was in turn inspired by Johann Georg Faust's reputation. And on J. G. Faust's abrupt death in 1520, give or take a few decades. Someone or something wrung Faust's neck. Or he didn't survive an alchemical laboratory explosion. Stories agree that he died abruptly, but vary on details. J. G. Faust had been a Renaissance con man of sorts, presenting himself as an alchemist, astrologer and magician. His reputation grew after his unpleasant death, inspiring a slew of chapbooks, plays, operas, ballets and video games. Gounod's "Faust" was an early Faustian opera, and I'm wandering off-topic. 1 Or maybe not so much.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS? JESUS DID. DO YOU? DO SOULS FROM HEAVEN VISIT EARTH? DOES GOD SEND THEM ON SPECIAL MISSIONS? ARE OUR DEAD FRIENDS AND RELATIVES IN HEAVEN? DO THEY COME BACK TO PROTECT US? READ THIS ARTICLE AND COMMENT HERE. YOUR VIEWS MATTER TO US. CLICK HERE

Whether or not I believe in ghosts depends on what's meant by "believe in" and "ghosts." And how I see myself, for that matter. I'll be talking about ghosts and why I think seances are a bad idea. Also, briefly, superstition and metaphysics. I don't fear that an ancestral banshee might come to the new world and find me. Or think spirit photographers were selling pictures of ghosts. If that's 'believing in ghosts,' then I don't. On the other hand, I'm not a materialist. I think part of me won't die, no matter what happens to my body.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

4th Sunday of Advent, 2017 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas December 24, 2017 Good! Now try to imagine yourself describing the scene in which the Angel Gabriel seeks and speaks to Mary as one that could be played out spectacularly on film or a TV program, it would begin with the panoramic vision or an overall view of the world that solemnly zooms in and spotlights in one tiny little place. We could imagine the overview from the film score to the mission behind Google Earth.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We are involved in a war which was raging when the current event, which we call the universe, began its existence. This war's origins are in a place where space and time are not, and many of its soldiers are beings whose nature and mode of existence we can only infer from their dealings with us. When the first humans walked Earth, they quickly became involved in this war. On the wrong side. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Monday's Gospel reading, Luke 1:26 - 38 , is a repeat from December 8. It starts with.... ...A little earlier in that chapter we get an account of Gabriel's interview with Zachariah: Luke 1:10 - 20 . That's when Gabriel personally delivers God's response to Zachariah's prayer — and Zachariah demands proof. Zachariah got proof, all right. He couldn't talk for for months. Not until he agreed with his wife about his son's name: in writing. Elizabeth said the boy's name was John, the same name Gabriel had specified.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I don't know why encounters with angels, 1 and God, aren't all alike. Sometimes, like Abraham's meeting with the Almighty and two angels, described in Genesis 18:2 , or Habakkuk's getting airlifted in Daniel 14:33 - 37 , it's apparently much like meeting another human. Other times, like Daniel's interview with Gabriel, it takes days to recover. I suspect that it depends on the personalities involved, and on just how much unshielded power we're exposed to. "The writing on the wall" is still an idiom in my language, meaning "the likelihood that something bad will happen." ( TheFreeDictionary by Farlex ) It comes from a reality check Belshazzar experienced.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Depending on who you listen to, Satan prowls Earth's surface, lives in the White House, lurks in Hell, or doesn't exist. About Satan and devils in general, I think C. S. Lewis made a good point.... ...I like most of Gustave Doré's work. That's his illustration for Canto XXXIV of Dante's " Divine Comedy ," Inferno .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Angels saved my son’s life. The phone call comes on a Saturday night. I listen to the police in shocked silence. “Your son has been in a serious car accident.” “No, we have not ascertained the extent of his injuries.” “We did use the jaws of life to extract your son and his girlfriend from the vehicle.” “No, I told you, I cannot tell you the extent of his injuries but if you head over to Trauma 1 at the Civic, they will give you an update.” “All I can tell you is it seems that the vehicle did flip end over end and then barrel-rolled down into a ditch filled with water.” “Off the record, I will say that in 25 years of service, I have never seen a car look as bad as his does and not have someone dead on arrival.” continue

Angels’ deeds are more than simply the stuff of legends, children’s bedtime tales, wishful thinking or fantasies of illiterate, ancient minds. If you close your mind to these messengers of God, they sit like gold in a bank, useless unless we give them permission to act. An angel is a pure spirit created by God. The Old Testament theology included the belief in angels: the name applied to certain spiritual beings or intelligences of heavenly residence, employed by God as the ministers of His will. The English word “angel” comes from the Greek angelos , which means ‘messenger.’ In the Old Testament, with two exceptions, the Hebrew word for “angel” is  malak , also meaning ‘messenger.’ Some may never see with earthly eyes these heavenly beings or know that they exist. Many are unaware of the numerous ways they have protected and guided us. Angels saved my son’s life. The phone call comes on a Saturday night.  continue on CatholicMom

In all history of God there have been three ages and we are in the  last  of the three ages. The first age was the  Age of the Prophets ,  ....to find out what the other two ages are... CLICK HERE!

There isn’t anyone among us who hasn’t enjoyed a Christmas movie wherein an angel earns his or her wings. We love to hear the bell jingle because at that moment we know that heaven’s angel population has increased by one. Wrong. As much as those movies endear themselves to us, the fact is, the angel population neither increases nor decreases over time. But it does make those of us interested in angels sit up and take notice—and want to learn more about these heavenly creatures. What are they? Who are they? Why are they? Angels are spirits created by God (Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:14). They are the invisible created things that have a hierarchy. These invisible created things are spirits meant to serve those who are to inherit salvation—fallen man who now freely chooses Christ. This establishes our relationship with angels in that they are to help us in ways that we may not fully know or understand; however, we shouldn’t be trying to discover how to boss them ...

Guardian Angels  exist.   They are real.   When we were little we knew and understood this teaching of the Church.  “The doctrine on angels is not fantasist. No, it’s reality,” said Pope Francis recently.     They are companions that will speak to us and guide us, if we but listen.   Visit EmbeddedFaith for a few more angel photo quote images and a facebook cover that  are free to share or use.  

Remember this prayer? Angel of God, my Guardian Dear,  to whom God's love, entrusts me here.    Ever this day (night), be at my side, to light, to rule, to guide.  Amen. Aren't we blessed?  Every person ever conceived has been assigned a guardian angel to watch over them, to protect them, and to strengthen them in temptation.  Defined as "beings of light," they are gifts of God to His children. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us this about angels:: 328: The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.  The Catechism continues:: Read More at:: His Unending Love