Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I'm a Catholic, so this weekend I'm celebrating a particular series of events. Seriously Two millennia back, someone was tortured and executed. We celebrated, maybe "remembered" or "observed" would be a better word, that on Thursday and Friday. Saturday — I see it as a day when we wait and review what led up to that execution and what happened later. The day's readings this year are from Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Baruch, Ezekiel, Romans and Matthew. Sunday, tomorrow, is the big celebration of our year. Calling it a celebration makes sense, since a few days after he'd been killed, Jesus stopped being dead.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A very quick review of what we celebrate during Easter. Also four old Easter-themed greeting cards)

I may offend pretty much everyone this week. Then again, maybe not. Either way, instead of what I'd planned on writing, I'll be sharing a video which, despite some rather dated terminology, makes good points about the devil: and why living as if 'right' and 'wrong' exist makes sense. I've got a bit to say about that, too. This isn't my favorite topic, but — touching on it seemed like a good idea.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (An old video with ideas that still matter. How I see fashions, slogans, and things that do not change. A Chesterton quote about theology, and its source.)

Chorus of mice, part of this household's Advent scene. (December 20, 2025) This is a very 'Catholic' household. But everything we do isn't uniquely 'Catholic', or something Catholics must always do. Take those mice, for example. My wife made them from bits of felt and cloth some years back, and they've been part of our Advent/Christmas displays ever since. But having a chorus of felt mice isn't an essential part of being Catholic. Although there's 11 of them, one short of the 12 days of Christmas, there's no profound symbolism involved. Aside from maybe representing the festive songs of this season.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Drummers, pipers, variable birds and The Twelve Days of Christmas. The Apostles Creed as a 12 point list. Human nature, Christmas.)

A bit over six and a half years ago, astronaut Nick Hague recorded a video on the International Space Station. Nothing special there, but this one shows 30 minutes of Earth's clouds passing by in about 60 seconds. Just shy of a century back, someone named Coffin took an old Latin song, translated it, and added a couple verses. Including this one.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Current events change. Human nature has not changed. Neither has why we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Messiah and Lord. Sharing the best news ever.)

Today is the first day of Advent. Among many other things, this season is a good time for remembering that hope is always an option: no matter what's going wrong at the moment.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A (very) quick look at Advent, Jesus, and what we celebrate this season.) Plus links to: Advent resources My thoughts about Jesus Hope The most recent two millennia (summarized in 138 words)

By some standards, this isn't a particularly "Christian" blog. I don't rant about the fires of Hell, or gush over cheerful thoughts like this: "...The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you...." (" Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God " , Jonathan Edwards (1741)) That's because it's not 1741 any more, and I'm a Catholic. 1 Besides, I got thoroughly fed up with frothing radio preachers in my youth, and figure I'm not the only one who got tired of appeals to fear. But actions do have consequences. So this week I've dusted off and polished something I wrote in 2014, back when A Catholic Citizen... was on Blogger (blogspot.com). Authority and Consequences Basically Good, Needing Help "And He Found it Very Good" Sin is Real, Forgiveness is an Option "...Our Written Obligations" Love and Forgiveness God's Love ...

About two millennia back now, someone was tortured and nailed to a cross. Then he died. No surprises there. The whole point of crucifixion was to kill someone: slowly and painfully. Sometimes the subject died during the physical abuse that came first. Anyway, this person died, was taken off the cross, and was buried. Time passed..... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Jesus was tortured, executed, and buried. What happened the next Sunday has had folks like me celebrating every since, and passing along what we learned.)

It's Holy Thursday of Holy Week, the day we celebrate and remember the Last Supper: when Jesus established the Eucharist and washed the feet of his disciples. It's a big deal, and I didn't get to Mass today. I'm not happy about that. What happened was a scheduling problem and — more basically — an exercise of balancing immediacy and priority.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Holy Thursday is a big deal, but I spent part of in in the local clinic. I talk about why I was there, and why Holy Thursday matters.)

I can't claim Abraham as an ancestor. My ancestors very likely hadn't even heard of Abraham and Isaac until missionaries arrived, and I've mentioned that before. I have, however, learned a bit about our Lord's family history. That brings me to the Elijah cup my wife and I bought, some years back. Make that decades. My wife and I got it while in Minnesota's Twin Cities, for a brother-in-law's wedding, which puts it in the 1990s. Elijah's Cup in Context "Remember This Day...." Moses, Pharaoh — — The Late Bronze Age Collapse, George Washington, and Me Overheard While Getting Our Elijah's Cup Taking Traditions Seriously (More at A Catholic Citizen in America .) (How and why the Passover Seder began, What I think about Moses, academic fashions, and buying either a properly-prepared item or a cheap imitation.) (I know: this topic is related to Lent, not Advent. But it's what I came up with this week.)

My interests are eclectic. So is what my Google News feed puts in my "Picks for you" section. This morning (Thursday, October 24, 2024), I noticed an AP headline about Pope Francis denouncing something: "Pope Francis denounces a world 'losing its heart' in 4th encyclical of his papacy". I could have checked out what AP says the pope said, but long experience tells me that I'll learn more about what a pope — or anyone else — said by reading or hearing what they actually said. So I went to the Vatican website, and took a look at this new encyclical: More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A link to Dilexit nos, English translation, with two brief excerpts. My first reaction to what the pope wrote, and what I expect from an in-depth look.)

Last Sunday's Gospel reading was about Jesus healing a man who couldn't hear or speak. 1 So that's what Fr. Greg talked about: along with how it ties in how we're living today. A tip of the hat to Fr. Greg, for letting me make a transcript of his homily: Healing the Deaf Mute of Decapolis (1) One-On-One Healing (2) Touching His Ears (3) "Unusual to Us" — Jesus Spits (4) A Second Touch (5) Jesus Looks Up to Heaven (6) He Groans (7) Ephphatha! The Purpose of the Messiah Sidon, the Decapolis, and a World of Gentiles Deafness as a Cultural Preference Babies, Birth Rates, Families: and Statistics The Greatest Blessings on Earth Valuing Children Looking Ahead Planning Ahead, and Praying Video: Gospel Reading and Homily at St. Paul's, Sauk Centre, MN; September 8, 2024 More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A guest post by Fr. Greg Paffel: showing how healing the deaf mute of Decapolis applies to how we should live today. Valuing...

Easter Sunday: when we celebrate the best news humanity's ever had — so far.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Happy Easter! A music video, a few words, and I'm done for the day.)

"Urbi et orbi" is Latin for "to the city and to the world". Or, rather "To the city and to the world" is English for "urbi et orbi". Either way an "urbi et orbi" message is both for folks living in Rome and for everyone else. There's a plenary indulgence involved, too, and that's another topic.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (What Pope Francis said on Christmas Day: embedded video and a link to the text. And, VERY briefly, how I see what he said.)

One, maybe two, articles by C. S. Lewis reappeared about a half-dozen years back. Not that they'd been invisible. Collectors had the articles in their copies of The Strand Magazine, but "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans" and "Cricketer's Progress" hadn't made it into lists of work by Lewis. Maybe it's just one new 'Lewis' article. "Cricketer's Progress: A Famous Reputation and What Became of It", was written by a "Clive Hamilton". Sure, Lewis published his first book under the Clive Hamilton pseudonym. But Lewis isn't known as a sports journalist. 1 And that's another topic. Anyway, I'll be talking about "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans" this week. Or, rather, I'm sharing a few excerpts; and talking about whatever comes to mind. "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans": No Longer Forgotten "... 'Objective' Right or Wrong...." "...Nature is ... A Kind of Machine fo...

This week I'm sharing what Fr. Mark Botzet said during Mass on the last Sunday in June. I was going to just post his homily and let it go at that. But then I thought his focus on fear might make more sense if I put it in context of what's been happening in my part of the world. So I've put a short (for me) look at life in central Minnesota, and the big picture, after Fr. Botzet's homily. Fr. Mark Botzet's Homily — June 25, 2023 Four Decades, Two Millennia and the Long Haul (Brian H. Gill) Under the Circumstances... Promises and the Best News Ever More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Dealing with changes in Parishes on the Prairie ACC. Remembering priorities. Not letting fear distract us from what is important.)

Recapping Friday's post: whether Jesus died from cardiac rupture, cardiorespiratory failure or something else, the main point is that he died. Then Jesus was buried. Again, let's remember that he was, in the words of the Munckin coroner in "Wizard of Oz", sincerely dead: More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Jesus was dead and buried. Saturday passed. Sunday morning, some women came to finish what had been a rushed interment. What happened next still matters.)

Jesus had been run back and forth between Caiaphas', Pilate's and Herod's places; tortured, and nailed to a cross on Golgotha. ( Matthew 26:47 - 27:2 ; Mark 14:53 - 15:41 ; Luke 22:66 - 23:49 ) No question about it. He was having a really bad day. No, that's not quite true. There have been alternative versions run up the flagpole.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Jesus had been having a really bad day. But before he died, he made a promise. I talk about that, and the best news humanity has ever had.)

Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. Lent is almost over. At Mass this morning, we walked through our Lord's last days in Jerusalem, starting with the first century equivalent of a ticker tape parade. Jesus was top of the charts, wildly popular. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Holy Week: Jesus went from top of the charts to torture and execution. Two millennia later, we're still celebrating. Which sounds crazy, but isn't.)

We're celebrating a very special birthday. (A little) more at A Catholic Citizen in America . (John 1:14. It's a big deal. Merry Christmas!)

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.)