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In today’s Gospel from Matthew, we hear the story about the rich young man. It starts with the rich young man asking Jesus, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” (Matt 19:16) Jesus quips in reply, “Why do you ask me about the good?” (Matt 19:17) What are we to make of this quip of Jesus? Especially when Jesus follows up with, “There is only One who is good.” (Matt 19: 17). It’s almost as if Jesus is telling the rich young man, “Don’t ask me, because only God is good.” Is Jesus saying that only the Father is good, and that He is not? On the contrary! This is a glint of insight into the mystery of the Trinity, where One God consists of Three Persons. It is true that only God is all good. For the rest of us, we all have flaws, except for Jesus. He is perfect in both His Divine and human natures. Jesus is good, because Jesus is God. The Rich Young Man Just Doesn’t Get It So, what does it take to be good? Jesus tells us to follow the Ten Commandments, and beyond tha

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Although we do not like to admit it, even to ourselves, we still believe that prayer happens suddenly, or never happens at all. We kid ourselves that saints are born or created by an arbitrary decision of God who every now and then suddenly decides to top up humanity’s quota. This is a comforting idea that we harbour at the back of our minds because it absolves us from any serious effort to live in union with God.  read on....

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Kolbe, a 20 th  century Franciscan monk. He died in the Auschwitz concentration camp, in Poland, during World War II. In true Christian fashion, he laid down his life for another person, by volunteering to take the place of another man. This one action shows fortitude, courage, bravery, and self-giving love in a truly Christ-like manner. Who among us could say that we would have the strength of faith to do the same? At the time of his death, he was only 47 years old. But what he accomplished, in such a short life, is forever memorable. Maximillian Kolbe’s Love for the Immaculate Conception As a young boy, Mary, the Immaculate Conception, appeared to Maximillian Kolbe and offered him a choice between two crowns; one white, for perseverance in piety, and the other red, for martyrdom. Maximillian bravely replied ... Read more...

Prophet Jeremiah Byzantine Mosaic Artist  [ Web Gallery of Art ] So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud  ( Jeremiah 38:6 , First Reading). Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 12:49-53 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)     Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on, five in one household will be divided, three agai

Over 30 years ago, when earth tones were all the rage, I started an afghan that was brown, rust and cream colored.   It was an ambitious project and quite boring, mostly due to the fact that it was made entirely by using the afghan stitch. If you don’t know the afghan stitch, let me explain it to you.   You put a bunch of loops on one large knitting needle, and then you take them all off.   Then you put them all on again, and then you take them all off again.   You do this—I don’t know—a couple of hundred times at least. Suffice it to say that as we were preparing for a garage sale, I had to make a decision about my afghan that was about 1/3 of the way done.   It has been moved from place to place around my basement for several years.   It was kept in a big box with big skeins of yarn. I had to accept reality.   I was not going to finish this monster.   But, what should I do with it?   I thought maybe I could sell it in the garage sale, but people smarter than I knew not t

When someone seems aggressive or arrogant don’t you want to run away as soon as possible? Aggressiveness and arrogance are unseemly; definitely not traits that draw people closer. So why are so many people aggressive and arrogant?   If you’ve ever been told that you come on too strong, then the virtue that you want to practice is gentleness. For when we seek gentleness, our entire disposition changes for the better. Seek Gentleness Gentleness is not only a fruit of the Spirit, but also the state of possessing a kind, amiable, mild-tempered nature, where one judges conscience by reason rather than by passion. Gentleness calls us to be prudent in forming judgments logically, rather than impulsively. Now, doesn’t that sound like a persona that you would be attracted to, rather than someone who is aggressive or arrogant? We could use more gentle spirits in our society today. Seeking gentleness within our own spirits is... Read more... 

St Francis and Brother Leo Meditating on Death El Greco  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, SouthAfrica) Gospel   Luke 12:32-48 [or 35-40] ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)     Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;   be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.  Blessed are those slaves whom the mas

I came across a thought-provoking article my a writer named Gustavo Razzetti that gave me great pause.   His article was titled, “Why Accepting Death Will Make You Worry Less.” While I don’t necessarily agree with his proposition that the acceptance of death will make you worry less, for me the interesting part of his article was the exercise he said he learned from someone named Bernie Roth at Stanford.   Here’s how it goes: “Imagine you have 10 min to live, what would you do?” Answering the questions one at a time with great thought, we are to continue the exercise moving from 10 minutes, to ten days, ten months, ten years and the rest of your life; then see what happens to your perspective. I don’t normally spend much time on these sorts of questions, but for some reason, this one caught my attention.   As I reflected on what I would do, beginning with 10 minutes, the first one was easy. Without hesitation and with great urgency, I would go to confession and rec

Saturday night had been Sunday morning for just over an hour when death came to a street in Dayton, Ohio. A young man killed eight folks who had been outside a bar. He's dead. too. Probably killed by police. One of the killer's victims was his sister. Maybe she was an intended victim. Maybe she'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.... ...We know who, how, where and how many were killed. The crime's "why" is another matter. The killer is dead, so investigators can't ask him. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I do not like the hatred and divisiveness, overtly promoted by the President of the United States, permeating throughout our country. His words are hurtful and racist. They are demeaning, and filled with vindictiveness. By his actions, I have witnessed him violating the Fifth Commandment many times. To violate the Fifth Commandment, you need not merely kill someone. You can violate the Fifth Commandment through expressions of hatred, anger, abusive language, resentment, vindictiveness, and yes, via expressions of racism. We CANNOT follow his example by jeering racist chants at rallies. Nor, should we follow his example by tweeting offensive commentary on Twitter. Nor, should we condone his despicable behavior toward the vulnerable immigrant, the person of color, and the marginalized. Instead, we need to cling to respect, for respect breeds love. Respect Breeds Love We need to: Channel our energy towards doing good. Express respect for others, especially those who do not look

In today’s episode of Cassidy Comments I offer my response to the idea that “sadness is not a Christian attitude” as mentioned in an article from the website Vatican News quoting Pope Francis. What is the Pope saying?   Is he implying that Christians cannot/should not be sad?   Is that even possible? I dig a little deeper and check out some scriptural references and uncover the relationship between sadness, joy and what Jesus and the Pope have to say about it. I invite you to subscribe to this blog as well as my podcasts, which are always found at janetcassidy.blubrry.com If you would like to contact me to arrange to have me speak to your group or organization, please email me at: johnseven38@yahoo.com Here is a link to the article I mention in my podcast. Have a blessed day in God’s Word!