Association Of Catholic Bloggers

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 ...

Kids started going back to school here in Sauk Centre on Wednesday. No shots rang out, and nobody got killed. That, happily, is routine. But sometimes bad things happen. Classes started last week at the Church of the Annunciation's school in Minneapolis. Since it's a Catholic school, they started the day with Mass at the church next door. Then somebody killed two of the students and injured many other folks before killing himself. The priest who was celebrating Mass made some good points in the following Sunday's homily. I'll be talking about that, and somewhat-related topics: Church of the Annunciation: After the Killings Remembering Who's In Charge Repairing the Damage Cleanup Procedures Heroes, Hope, and Prayer America: Death, Changing Attitudes, and Good News ... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (After killings at the Church of the Annunciation: what their priest said, an Archbishop Hebda video, how I see student actions, changing Americ...

Saint Anthony Park public library looks about the way I remember it, back in the early 1960s: from this angle, at any rate. It was on the other side of a small 'downtown', between Carter and Doswell Avenues on Como. I visited that shopping area recently, using Google Street View. I'd hoped to spot the grocery my mother sent me to, but the library's the only thing that looked familiar: hardly surprising, after upwards of six decades.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Breaking a bottle of ketchup when I was 12 felt awful. But I learned about priorities, how families work, and how to be a parent.)

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.)

A man asked Jesus "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" in last Sunday's Gospel reading. That's what Fr. Greg talked about — our Lord's answer is simple, by the way, and can be boiled down to 'be prudent'. There's an election looming in our country, so Fr. Greg also talked about acting as if love matters, and making prudent choices. Then he shared a prayer that I've had in my daily routine for a while. But (more than) enough about me. Here's what Fr. Greg said: Eternal Life Definitions and Choosing Wisely Love, Choices, and Wisdom Prudence Judges, the Constitution, and Freedom A Wedding Cake Artificial Contraception Second Amendment and the Right to Defend Myself Abortion Choice: and Responsibility Bodies and Rights Roe v. Wade, the Constitution, and a Eureka Moment Let Love Choose Wisely Video: Gospel Reading and Homily at St. Paul's, Sauk Centre, MN; October 13, 2024 More at A Catholic Citizen in ...

Another election is looming, so I'm reviewing how being a Catholic affects how I vote. I'll mention what the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) calls the "Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching", share some links, and talk about something Pope Francis said. Along with, as usual, whatever else comes to mind. Citizenship and the Common Good Love and Good Ideas Being a Catholic Citizen Political Venom: It's Not New Malevolent Memes of Yesteryear Principles, Priorities — and Prohibition, a Personal View Remembering Prohibition: High Ideals and Speakeasies Pope Francis and Our Choices Doing His Job — and Doing Mine There ARE Bright Sides The End of Civilization as We Know It — As Usual More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Being Catholic and voting. Catholic social teaching: 7 themes. Love and neighbors. The common good. Political cartoons, Prohibition. What Pope Francis said.)

I ran across remarks made by a Utah politician earlier today. [Wednesday, August 28, 2024] This isn't the source I stumbled on, but it’s the one I could find when I tried searching for it, later.... (a little) more at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Quoting Spencer Cox on responses to the Pulse Nightclub mass murder, sharing my experience as someone off the 50th percentile, and loving neighbors anyway.)

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.)

There's more than sex change and gender theory in the Vatican's new "ethics document": assuming that what hit the fan this week is the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith's "Dignitas Infinita", on Human Dignity. "Dignitas Infinita", "Infinite Dignity", runs to a little over 12,600 words in my language. " Dignitas Infinita " on Human Dignity ("Infinite Dignity") Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (April 2, 2024) ( from https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/.../rc_ddf_doc_20240402_dignitas-infinita_en.html (April 10, 2024) ) I'll be taking a very, very quick look at it. But I'll get started with something Pope Francis said a month ago. Pope Francis, Gender Ideology, and Being Human Rules I Live With, and an Explanation New "Ethics Document", Old Ideas "Dignitas Infinita": "Balanced, Challenging" More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Why a new ethics...

Headlines are supposed to get attention. That's what these did: "Vatican approves blessings for same-sex couples in landmark ruling" (Reuters) "Pope Francis Allows Priests to Bless Same-Sex Couples" (The New York Times) "Vatican Issues Guidelines for Same-Sex Blessings" (The Wall Street Journal) I'm not sure about "The 'spirit' of 'Fiducia supllicans'" in The Pillar. Maybe it's attention-grabbing for the publication's demographic. Anyway, what Pope Francis said — what he actually said, not what editors say he said — is not what I'm going to write about this week.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Monday headlines about same-sex marriages and the pope. Excerpt from Vatican News. A link to Fiducia Supplicans. Why I am not writing about it this week.)

All is not right with the world. But all is not wrong, either. Take Sunday night's air disaster that didn't happen, for example. Alaska Air 2059 Underground (Literally) Schools in Ukraine Hey, Everybody! See What We're Doing! — Improv by Hamas Meanwhile, Back in the States Civilian Homes, a Little Extra Shielding — Tomayto, Tomahto. Loving Neighbors: Not Easy, But I Must Bogeymen, Assumptions, and Attitudes: Past and Present Politics, Religion, and Not Missing 'the Good Old Days' "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" — Article 32 and "Protocols" — "Several Experts" and the Reptilians Spears, Pruning Hooks, and Making Sense in the Meantime Double Effect: It's Complicated "This is Not Us" "Yeh Hum Naheen" Academic Freedom and Responsibility A Civilization of Love: Something to Work Towards A "...Competent and Sufficiently Powerful Authority...." Poetry, Future Generations,...

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. In my country, it's a time to remember folks who have served in America's military. Today I'll talk about why countries have military forces, and why I think it's a good idea. Even though I don't like war. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . We live in a less-than-ideal world. But we can make it better. I look at conscience and conflict, songs and ideas: and a few things we got right.

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 Luisa Madrid, La Guardia and Wagner Archives; used w/o permission.) (Queens Pride Parade; Queens, New York City (2018)) My news feed tells me it's Pride Month. Or LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Wikipedia's page implies that the correct term is LGBT pride.... ...Decades of experience, spanning McCarthyism's dying gasps and the efflorescence of political correctness, suggest that I'll offend someone: no matter what I say or how I say it. So I'll start by saying why I don't think my native language, English, is perfect.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . June is Pride, LGBTQ+ Pride, or maybe LGBT Pride Month. I talk about pride, dignity, and good intentions. Plus respect, and how I fit a profile.

(From Erin Whittaker, U.S. National Park Service; via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) I stopped for several hours at the Grand Canyon on my way back from San Francisco. This was about five decades back. The massive gulch wasn't on the the most direct route, but I'd decided that seeing the Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater on the way was a good idea. I haven't been back since then, which suggests that I was right. I'd bought a big topographic map of the Grand Canyon while living in San Francisco, and had it with me when I was there. At the Grand Canyon, that is. Near where the South Rim Visitor Center is now, probably.... ...I was flattered, and surprised, when two tourists from Thailand asked me if I was Jewish. I explained that I'm a gentile — although I don't remember my exact words.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Eight people didn't go home Tuesday. Someone attacked at least five folks at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb. Two were dead when police arrived. Another two died in a hospital. A fifth victim is still alive, but wounded. Police found three more bodies at the Gold Spa in northeast Atlanta. They found another at the Aromatherapy Spa, across the street. Six of the eight victims are Asian women. A couple guys died, too. Atlanta-area law enforcement identified and caught a suspect. That was Tuesday.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

A winter storm was moving across North America a couple weeks back. By February 15, when The Texas Tribune posted Miguel Gutierrez Jr.'s photo of Austin's Interstate 35 near Stassney Lane, we were dealing with sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures and serious windchill. And, for the most part, dealing successfully. I live in central Minnesota. The mid-February storm included temperatures that were unusually cold, compared to the last 50 years. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Yesterday's headlines oozed acrimony, animosity and anger. So do today's. It could be worse. I could have been reading about a replay of Oxford's St. Scholastica Day riot. I'll get back to that.... 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...

  Have you ever noticed that getting angry does not solve the problem? In fact, it most likely exacerbates the problem. Tensions rise and nothing gets resolved.  Therefore, anger is unproductive. Anger is Unproductive Anger disrupts the peace. It serves no good purpose. That is why it is considered one of the seven deadly sins, and therefore intrinsically evil. Anger also is a violation of the Fifth Commandment because anger laced upon someone else diminishes the dignity of the recipient. For anything that reduces the value of another is a violation of the Fifth Commandment. For examples, forms of anger like hatred, vindictiveness, resentment, revenge, and racism all violate the Fifth Commandment. These forms of anger have become pervasive in our society, which may explain the heightened divisiveness that we now all experience. Love is Productive Love is the emotion that is the antithesis to anger. It is both a fruit of the spirit and a virtue. With love, we... Read more......