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I was graced to receive Kingdom of Happiness , by Fr. Jeffrey Kirby S.T.D., as a Christmas present from my church, in appreciation for my volunteer efforts. I thought, “ what a nice idea .” I’m a big fan of Fr. Kirby, having read his last book, Doors of Mercy . So, receiving Kingdom of Happiness seemed like a nice gesture to me. It turned out to be more than a nice gesture. It was a God-incidence! You see, I’ve been looking for a good book to share with you, one with lots of virtue built into it. As always, Fr. Kirby never lets me down! Embracing the Beatitudes brings the Kingdom of Happiness to Our Doorsteps In Kingdom of Happiness , Fr. Jeffrey Kirby not only tells us about the eight Beatitudes, but he masterfully connects the dots of each beatitude, to: An aligned phrase from the Our Father, A specific Gift of the Holy Spirit that we received at Confirmation, The corresponding virtue, AND The antithesis of that virtue, or as Fr. Kirby calls it, the anti-beatitude (the ...

Mass murder at a Florida high school is in the news again. Someone has been accused of killing 17 students and staff on February 14, 2018. He's being tried and may be executed. I'll be talking about him, one of the dead students and why I think human life matters. All human life.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Today is the feast day of one of my favorite saints – Saint Joseph. I claim him as one of my favorites, because he was such a virtuous man; a man for anyone to emulate. Saint Joseph, A Man of Patience Saint Joseph exhibited patience, a virtue that seems to elude me! With patience, he quietly persevered through many trials and tribulations. For example, he didn’t seem to get flustered, or annoyed, when told to quickly take Jesus and Mary to Egypt, and to remain there for several years, before returning to his homeland. No, he patiently waited for the sign that it was safe to return. A Man of Humility, Simplicity and Obedience Saint Joseph, known for his humility, always placed the needs of Jesus and Mary ahead of his own. In his humility, he... Read more...

Some Catholic authors write as if they belong to a Church Beleaguered, not the Church Triumphant.  Articles tend to be either defensive or angry attacks against adversaries.  Many religious writers retreat, focusing only on like-minded souls, writing for a small, mutual admiration society. The rest are tempted to quit when it seems like the world is wearing a spiritual blindfold. In an online conversation with me, Victor S. E. Moubarak articulated the dilemma of Christian writers today: Many Christian are busily writing their blogs daily wondering who is visiting them, or whether their efforts are having any effect on anyone. We all write for different reasons.  Some genuinely want to put some positives out there in a negative and dark internet full of bile and cynicism. Others write for pure vanity. Whilst others wonder whether to bother to continue writing or whether they should just give it up. The latter would be a pity because it would turn off ...

My wife noted that yesterday's bridge collapse near Miami, Florida was "horrible." I think she's right. What is certain at this point, Friday afternoon, a bit over 24 hours after the incident, is that a structure collapsed and people died. Others were injured, but are still alive.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Sheaves of Wheat, Van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (John 12:24). Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel John 12:20-33 (NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Edition) Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will ke...

The Texas University robot football squad probably won't go pro, replacing the Dallas Cowboys or Houston Texans. They're too small, for starters. But they're helping researchers develop robot office assistants. Smart ones. Maybe as effective as today's human office gofers. I'll be looking at robots, humanoid and otherwise; tech and attitudes; what I see coming, and why I think we'll deal with whatever happens. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

If I have told you this story before, no matter, I want to tell it again. It  was such a great help to me in my own spiritual life, that I am hoping that it might be of help to you too. During a series of talks that I gave to Cistercian monks in the Cameroon, I was able to spend many hours with the holiest man I have ever met. He was in his eighties and I learned far more from him than his fellow monks learnt from me. He told me how for many years he had been in spiritual darkness where many times over he questioned the faith that led him to the monastery where he was called upon to guide others. Then, one day he became ill and was admitted to the monastery hospital where he received Holy Communion each day. On three distinct occasions, just as he was about to receive communion, he heard these words, “Only you have been keeping me out.” He insisted that he did not hear them in his head, or through some sort of inner revelation, but, “Out loud, and as loud and as clearly as yo...

A Wrinkle in Time is More Flash than Substance I’ve never read Madeleine L’Engle’s fantasy classic novel. And I only knew very vaguely what it was about, until I googled its plot before watching the movie. So, I’m not at all of the camp that is up in arms with this new film adaptation because it’s too “different” from the book. I went in with no prejudice at all in that respect. I think my only strikes against it before viewing were knowing it had a fairly low Rotten Tomatoes score , and well, Oprah. But I figured I was probably in for an hour and fifty minutes of visually appealing special effects, if nothing else. Well, after having seen it, I wouldn’t go so far as to say nothing else, but maybe disappointingly little else... Continue Reading

Do you hear the voice of God speaking to you? Sometimes it may come as an inner feeling of peace. Other times it may come to you through the voice of a trusted spouse, or friend. And then there are those times when you might read a piece of Scripture, and in your heart, you know that God is directing you to do something. In today’s Gospel from John 5:17-30, we read, Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life, and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24).   This passage affirms for me that my belief in Christ, and His salvific action of dying on the Cross and rising from the dead, will one day lead me to spending eternity with the Blessed Trinity. Some days, when doubt creeps in, I need to hear this message. How do you hear the voice of God? For me, one day, God spoke directly to me through... Read more...

This week my parish St. Dominic offered this parable on its weekly email. I had heard it before, love the irony in it, and thought it worth repeating.  I can imagine Jesus smiling at it— our Teacher who warned against building larger barns to store more and more crops and who suggested garnering treasure in heaven. Perhaps this Lent you might "profit" from reading the following story, too. An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The American complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, "Only a little while." The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish? Click to continue

Painting owned by   Pastoral Care Project Pastoral Care Project © Charity No. 1094766.  All rights reserved. There is more on this painting by Sr Annie Bromhan IBVM along with reflections on the Pastoral Care Project website  here . This is an edited version of  a post  published on 13 March 2013. May I ask anyone who reads this to check out the website of  Pastoral Care Project . This wonderful ecumenical ministry, initiated by Mrs Frances Molloy in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England, focuses on the spiritual needs of persons with dementia. This is the tenth annual Dementia Prayer Week initiated by Pastoral Care Project. Long ago I used to be a young man and dear Margaret remembers that for me. The Dutchman   is a song written by Michael Peter Smith in 1968. It's about an elderly couple living in Amsterdam, Margaret and the title character. The unnamed Dutchman has dementia and Margaret cares for him with a sad...

Earlier this month, we had a special evening of Adoration at my Church. We wanted to share this event with those coming into full communion with the Catholic Church at our Easter Vigil. It was a splendid evening, starting with the Stations of the Cross, then the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The period of Adoration was accompanied by praiseworthy music, a meditation from St. Teresa of Calcutta and sacred silence. During the time of sacred silence, we were encouraged to approach Jesus and touch the Monstrance. I had never touched the Monstrance during a period of Adoration ever! Let me tell you, it was an overwhelming experience. I couldn’t hold the tears back! The love for Jesus, felt at that moment, cannot be put into words. It was an awesome hour of Adoration, concluding with Benediction. Read more...

I will live forever. Whether that's good news or bad news is up to me. I'd say 'it depends on me,' but that's not quite true. What I decide and do matters. But having an unending life in God's presence isn't something I achieve. Today's Gospel reading, John 3:14 - 21 , got me started. That's part of our Lord's conversation with Nicodemus. The fourth Sunday of Lent scrutinies Gospel for this year, John 9:1 - 41 , is the "a man blind from birth" account. It's got a similar theme. I'll be talking about believing, doing and sinning. That last may need explaining.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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I did not plan on having a  large family ; I had never even held a baby before our firstborn. I had moved east with Michael after our first baby was born, which cut me off from daily contact with friends and family. Although I enjoyed living in the country, raising our own vegetables and later even all our own meat, it was an  isolated existence . I felt like  Ruth  in a foreign land but without family support because Michael’s mother was busy with a huge extended family. In addition, my husband struggled with depression. Worldly opinion screamed we should not have any more children. The question we had struggled with for years was,“How could we remain faithful to Church teaching when Natural Family Planning did not seem to work for us?” continue reading

Fr Michael McCarthy (28 October 1939 - 5 March 2018) Fr Michael McCarthy was born on 28 October 1939 in Bealnadeega, County Kerry, Ireland, and attended Meentogues National School before going to St Brendan's College, Killarney,  and joined the Columbans from there in 1958.   St Mary's Cathedral, Killarney   [ Wikipedia ] Ordained in 1964, he was appointed to Korea and after language studies was stationed in the southern Diocese of Gwangju. Within a short time he became diocesan chaplain to the Young Christian Workers (YCW). It was the beginning of a life-long involvement with people on the margins of society. Heuksando Island   [ Wikipedia ] Before a home vacation in 1970 Father Michael moved from the city to the island parish of Heuksando, eight hours out into the Yellow Sea. So by the time he took charge of his first parish in Sadangdong, Seoul, in 1975 he was well acquainted with Korea, its culture and language as well as the s...

From  The Gospel of John   (2003) directed by Philip Saville [Today's Gospel ends at 3:10] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   John 3:14-21 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) Jesus said to Nicodemus: Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the...

We still don't know exactly how birds got their wings. Literally and figuratively. But we're learning more about when and how they started. Scientists in Europe and China found fossils of birds that lived roughly 120,000,000 years ago. Other scientists found genes with some 'feather' instructions in alligators. That's old news. What's new is that one team coaxed alligator embryo scales into growing as something like very simple feathers. Part of a simple feather, anyway. I'll be talking about those birds, alligator feathers, and why discovering something new doesn't upset me. Also a chimp, the French Revolution something Benjamin Franklin said and evolution.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

HAVE YOU SINNED? BIG SINS? SMALL SINS? INSIGNIFICANT SINS? ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10 - HOW MORTAL IS YOUR SIN? CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

I will never forget the day Andrew “shh-ed” everyone in Church.  He was four or five-years-old at the time and we were still living in Ohio. We had come back to New Jersey for a visit and were in Church for a First Holy Communion. While waiting for Mass to begin, a lot of people, including some family members behind us, were talking. Hearing the chatter, a person would think that there was a party going on, rather than a Church service about to begin. All of a sudden, Andrew stands up, turns around, and says, ... CONTINUE READING ...

By: Laura Durant The reflection below uses the first station of Scriptural Stations of the Cross proposed by Saint Pope John Paul II, which he based solely on the events recorded in the gospels. The Scriptural Stations are an alternative to the traditional stations and serve as opportunity to reflect more deeply on the Scriptural accounts of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may ...

We hear from St Luke in the Gospel reading today (Luke 11:14-23) where Jesus is casting out demons with divine authority. Fast forward 2,000+ years. Jesus continues to cast out demons in our lives; those demons we call vice. What vices do you need driven out from your life? Is it one of the seven deadly sins? Do you suffer from unresolved anger that bubbles to the surface in a moment’s notice? Or perhaps you envy the nice things/attributes possessed by others? Let’s not forget greed and gluttony; an overzealous desire for money, power, fame or food/drink. Maybe your “demons” are more sexually oriented, due to lust. Perhaps you just don’t give a darn about anything because you suffer from sloth. And then there is pride – the root of all evil – deemed the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. With pride, we exhibit a lack of humility, thinking we can handle everything on our own. Well, that’s a surefire sign of pride. Driving Out Demons We may suffer from some, or a...

On Saturday I spoke at my community's Solemn Eucharistic Adoration for five minutes. I thought I would get more mileage out of the talk and use it for my post this week!  I hope you find it inspiring. . . . At one of our schools, a teacher was taking her little ones to chapel. As they passed classrooms, the teacher said, “Children be very quiet, so quiet that no one knows we are coming, not even Jesus.” As the children filed into chapel, suddenly one little girl called out, “Surprise!” She knew Jesus was there. Pagans worshiped gods of stone and wood, and we wonder how they could do that. Well, some people wonder how we Catholics can worship bread and wine! Because are blessed with the gift of faith. We believe that Jesus is really, truly present physically, sublimely in the Eucharist. We call this miracle the Real Presence. It is real, not fake news. When Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood,” we take his word for it. A Protestant woman once remarked, “...

Have you really forgiven? Are you sure? Really sure? CLICK HERE

I have always heard the mother is the heart of the family, especially a stay-at-home mother with a crew of kids, who also helps with a hobby farm. So why was I not missed when I spent hours locked in the chicken coop? You must first understand that even if this was a subconscious belief, I behaved as if a mother   was the most important member of the family. It took a drastic experience to shake me out of my arrogance. God has a sense of humour and will use any and all experiences to teach us. continue reading

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...

I'm a Christian. I take my faith seriously. That's why I think part of my job is evangelizing. Which doesn't necessarily mean I'm an evangelist. For some folks, an evangelist is someone like Saints Mark , Luke and John . "The Evangelist" often gets added to their name. Saint Matthew is an evangelist, too. So are Saints like Augustine of Hippo , Francis of Assisi , Francis Xavier and Thérèse of Lisieux . 1 "Evangelist" has quite a few meanings. Merriam-Webster says it's a Protestant minister or someone who enthusiastically advocates something. Oxforddictionaries.com adds "...the writer of one of the four Gospels...." I don't know about the 'enthusiastic' part, but I think sharing what I believe is a good idea. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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  A Story Tellers Guide to a Grace-Filled Life Tony Agnesi is a successful broadcast executive and  radio host from the state of Ohio in the USA. He gives generously of his free time to working with prisoners, the homeless and to anyone in need of the compassion and empathy that are the hallmarks of this remarkable man. His wife, Diane, shares his commitment to Christian ministry, serving on the board of the local pregnancy centre and  being involved in Eucharistic Adoration every week for over 25 years.     read on.....