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First, the good news. Folks in Florida knew that another major hurricane was heading their way. That, and some out-of-the-box thinking, helped them get ready. Now, the bad news. Folks in Florida were still cleaning up after Hurricane Helene, when Hurricane Milton hit. Cleaning up after this double-header disaster won't be easy. But there are a few bright spots, which I'll eventually get around to. Topical Twaddle The Usual Doom, Gloom, and Politics "Up, Up and Away": Weather Modification and the Montgolfier Brothers Tenants of Tampa Bay This May Be the End of Civilization As We Know It Customary Protocols, Private Citizens, and Pinellas County Flamingos and Being Human Making Sense: It's an Option Wednesday Evening: Hurricane Milton Arrives Milton in Context: Numbers and a Little History A Handy Hurricane Wind Scale Just How Bad Was It? Memorable Hurricanes Now What? Something I Can Do More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Tw...

This week hasn't been a good time for India. Statistics say Tuesday was their worst day yet for COVID-19 pandemic deaths. It's also when the worst cyclone of recorded so far hit India's west coast. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  Over the past six and a half years my main message throughout this blog boils down to loving one’s neighbor. Whenever we embody virtue, which is good and comes from God, we become more Christ-like. So, the embrace of virtue makes it easier for us to follow Christ’s command to “ love one another. As I have loved you, so you should love one another ” (John 13:34) Love One Another When we show compassion or empathy for another person, we show that we care. If we lend a listening ear, when we are pressed for time, we demonstrate patience. The giving of our time to others is one way for us to love one another. When we ease the pain of those in distress by donating food to a food bank, or donating money to a good cause, we demonstrate charity. We lift others up in dignity by doing so. When we share our talents for the glory of God, and for the benefit of others, we love our neighbor. Volunteering at one’s church is a great place to start. Receive Love  When we give of our time, ta...

  We experience much division and disagreement in society today. The resulting intolerance is the work of the devil. He relishes in sowing division, because through this division, we collapse as a society. And Satan’s goal is to destroy us all. We see the intolerance in the political, religious, and racial arguments on the internet, television, and in the public square. Everyone chooses a camp and settles in, disregarding anything stated by anyone from the other camp. Here is my problem: I am a pro-life Democrat who believes in racial equality, as well as marriage between a man and a woman. So, I do not fit into any single political camp! I could say, I am divided within myself! Why? Because I espouse following God’s moral laws. No political camp, regardless of the issue, aligns totally with God’s moral laws. Even some religious camps do not always see things as God sees them. Why? Because we are all sinners. Intolerance is Intolerable I go back 30+ years to the Rodney King quote, ...

Last Tuesday, August 4, 2020, something exploded in Beirut. It was around 6:00 p.m., Beirut time, 15:00 UTC. By Wednesday afternoon, I'd read that the blast killed at least 100 folks and hurt some 4,000. Upwards of 100 people were missing. My guess was that the body count would increase. I was right about that, sadly. By Monday, August 10, the acknowledged death toll had passed 200. I don't know how likely it is that search and rescue teams will find more survivors. Some of the good news is that there were search and rescue teams. And that many folks in Beirut "...rushed to the blast location ... to offer support and assistance...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

You know the saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Perhaps what you did not know was that this adage comes from Scripture. Saint Paul made this comment while giving a farewell speech to the people of Miletus. He instructed them on the importance of helping the weak. For, it is through the goodness of charity, that we make life more bearable for others. In return, we experience inner peace and joy because of the goodness of our actions. How to Embrace the Goodness of Charity Christmas is a wonderful time to step outside of our comfort zones and pay heed to the less fortunate; to make their lives more bearable; to strengthen the weak. Here are some ways in which you can bring the goodness of charity to others: Read more...

We live in a very intolerant society. We see it in the actions of our politicians, as well as our co-workers. Intolerance rears its ugly head in our communities, and even in our churches. It shows its spiny bristles in the forms of anger, hatred, racism, vengeance and vindictiveness – all violations of the Fifth Commandment! How so? Well each one of these forms of behavior, when applied, diminishes the dignity of others – each behavior kills the spirit of the victim. How do we combat intolerance? We seek Charity. If we would embrace the concept of loving our neighbor, we can eradicate intolerance from our society. So, what does it really mean to love one’s neighbor? Well, if we were to follow Christ’s teaching, it means to love others unconditionally. Regardless of one’s color, gender, nationality, or other difference, we are called to love everyone with respect. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you should love one another  (John 13:34...

Charity is known as the queen of all virtues. Therefore, it stands that the grace of Charity, bestowed upon us by God, is the fuel that propels us to do good, the glue that holds family and relationships together and the impetus for embracing all other virtue. We can do nothing truly good, without charity in our heart as the basis for action. Take for example this passage from Luke 21:1-4. When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.’ Where the wealthy give from their surplus, most likely to receive esteem from their peers, the poor widow gives everything she has, for the love of God. Her act was a true act of charity; whereas, the wealthy’s intentions make their act one that has...

Molly McBride is back! I was so excited to see Molly McBride and the Party Invitation , by Jean Schoonover-Egolf hit the shelves. This is Egolf’s third installment, in the Molly McBride series. I’m a big fan of Molly McBride, as I love her spunky attitude. I’ve enjoyed reading all three books, courtesy of Egolf. You can read my review of the first two books here . Molly McBride and the Party Invitation Now, let’s talk about Molly McBride and the Party Invitation. In this installment, Molly’s birthday is about to occur, and of course, we must have a party! Yet, Momma says that ALL of Molly’s classmates MUST be invited to the party. That includes that mean boy, named Sam. If Sam comes to the party, he’ll ruin it! What is Molly to do? How can she have a great party, AND make sure that Sam doesn’t come? What ensues is a tale of... Read more...

Born in 1581, Saint Vincent de Paul, of French descent, earned his Theology degree, in 1612. Ordained a priest in Clichy, France, he dedicated his entire adult life to addressing the needs of the poor. Saint Vincent de Paul took the Corporal Works of Mercy to heart. He gave food and drink to the poor, via the establishment of soup kitchens. He clothed the poor, via donations from those who could spare items. A true missionary to the poor, he sheltered the homeless, visited the sick and imprisoned, and buried the dead. Saint Vincent de Paul, Apostle of Charity Saint Vincent de Paul, became an inspiration to many, because of how he lived his life in self-service to those in need. He is fondly known as the Apostle of Charity. Today, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, made up of laity, follow in Saint Vincent’s footsteps by... Read more...  

One of my greatest attributes is to not only be acutely aware of my many deficiencies; but also very willing to own up to them.  The one deficiency that I regret the most - and try the hardest to overcome is my lack of hospitality and thoughtfulness.  Though, probably a more fair assessment would be my lack of follow through! I often think of the nice or caring things I could do to help others - however, for a myriad of reasons (none of them good); my follow-through statistics are very low.   At first this behavior came from self-preservation and lack of instruction; but as an adult with fully formed conscience it is not longer acceptable behavior.   AWARENESS IS NOT HALF THE BATTLE While I would love to say, that once I realized the necessity of a life in Christ to include reaching out to others my behavior changed - I can not.  I still every day have to resist my self-absorbed ways.  In all too painful ways the Lord has allowed me to feel the DEEP regr...

August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the...

April is a time of renewal; new beginnings! I spent most of this past month of April caring for a friend, who underwent her second hip replacement. Throughout the month, I was repeatedly reminded of God’s presence in the midst of all that went on; from the day of her surgery, until she departed to return to her own home, with her brand, spanking, new hip. It started with the day of her surgery (March 30 th ). While walking down the hall to my friend’s hospital room, I noticed that each room had signs under the room numbers with unique quotes . For my friend’s room we had a quote from Saint Thomas Aquinas (my virtues mentor!). It read: “ There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship .” As I read this quote I realized... Read more...

In the Compass Catholic small group bible study: Navigating Your Finances God's Ways -- week 5 examines the 4 elements of giving: attitudes advantages amount approach   Attitudes My discovery here was si mple and was  eluded to in the last week's post .  I have no trouble giving money. I think it is a wonderful gift to be able to share with others.  I do need to be weary of my motives - the whole don't let your left hand see what your right hand is doing.  My trouble honestly is not in my generosity with treasure but with time and talent.  Although, I have also learned that my monetary generosity needs to be budgeted and that 'giving from your poverty' does not mean  going into credit card debt .  My attitude needs some tweaking as I consider how I will share my time. I am very stingy with my time.  Perhaps this is best explained by sharing that I am an extrovert with introverted tendencies; meaning I love being with people ...

Who is Charity Livingstone? Charity Livingstone is only three years old, but she is spunky, loyal, and determined to get what she wants. She and her family recently moved into the neighborhood, where they met their next door neighbor, Mr. Gabriel. Charity really liked him, because he raises puppies! Ever since Charity moved into her new house, she had her eye on getting a puppy, but Mama and Daddy said no, because there was too much going on with their new house. Well that wasn’t going to stop her from playing with Mr. Gabriel’s puppies. He said she could... Read more... 

Last week I talked about why I don't try to be someone I'm not: more specifically, why I don't insist that God equip me with what's trending in charisms. Also spirit-filled administrators and loose cannons . ( January 24, 2016 ) That Sunday's second Scripture reading got me started: 1 Corinthians 12:12 - 30 . Today's second reading, 1 Corinthians 12:31 - 13:13 , picks up on the next verse: " Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.... " ( 1 Corinthians 12:31 ) I could stop there, and claim that everybody should start clamoring for "the greatest spiritual gifts." I've talked about cherry picking before. It's a bad idea.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'm in the lower half of America's economic ladder, but I've never been homeless. That's just as well, since I've spent the bulk of my life in Minnesota and North Dakota. Winters get cold up here. I am, however, a recovering English teacher; and I like to verify my assumptions about what words mean. Here's part of my country's definition of "homeless." There will not be a test on this.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I felt so inspired by Pope Francis’ homily during his last Mass in Santiago, Cuba — relating to the Visitation — on Tuesday, Sept 22 [thanks to EWTN] that I wanted to share it with you here. Below, therefore, is some of what I heard this day on being CALLED OUT (using my own notes which I took via the live translation on EWTN) ...and on the REVOLUTION OF TENDERNESS! >> Click Here To Read More At: The Way To Nourish For Life >>

 I have been trying to blog, but quite honestly, I have been reeling from the recent videos released about Planned Parenthood.  I've watched undercover videos of them before, but these are the most raw and troubling ever.  I had so much to say, yet no words to share it.  Last night, as I was getting my little guy to bed, this article came to me.  It is not a debate of the abortion issue but why we cannot let this drop, we cannot let it be forgotten, we cannot throw up our hands and accept perceived defeat. 1 There are many who say this is just more right wing extremist reactionary to nothing. Get over it and move on, it means nothing.  However, the most significant development for me, is that Congree convened to debate this issue and vote in late July.  That is prime time for summer recess.  They were not just hanging around working on more important issues and squeezed this incidental item in to appease the right wing.  In all likeli...

The odds are that you hadn't heard of Barpak , between Kathmandu and Pokhara . It's the April 25, 2015, earthquake's epicenter. Fewer than 10 of 1,200 homes there came through intact. Survivors in Nepal are getting help from many outfits, including Catholic Relief Services . I'll get back to that. (From Reuters, via BBC News, used w/o permission.) (" Residents of Bhaktapur carry their belongs through the rubble of destroyed houses " (BBC News)) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .