Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Saint Peter 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, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 15:21-28 ( English Standard Version Anglicised) Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,  “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”   And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”   He said to them,  “But who do you say that I am?”   Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”   And Jesus answered him,  “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.   And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.   I will give you the keys of the kingdom of

     This week’s bible readings have been quite a rich collection!   Here’s a taste of some of the fantastic tidbits that speak right to the heart: First, the pleading, from Psalm 51:14, 16, 17 “Restore my joy . . . Rescue me from death . . . Open my lips” And this, one of my favorites, from the 36 th Chapter of Ezekiel (23-28): “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” And we can’t forget the passage about the dry bones ( Ezekiel 37 :1-14) which gives a prophesy that is so uplifting!   In this passage, the prophet is led by the Spirit into a land where he is

  Have you heard the idiom “Ignorance is not an excuse?” Well, there is some truth to that when it comes to understanding the depths of one’s sins. In the Catholic faith, we even have a specific name for it: Vincible Ignorance. We define Vincible Ignorance as the “lack of knowledge regarding some aspect of the moral law because of a failure of due diligence on our part.”  1  Vincible Ignorance applies when we fail to seek the necessary knowledge and understanding to grasp the consequences of our actions and the negative impact said actions will have on ourselves and others. We are still culpable, but to a lesser extent for lack of knowledge. Let’s take an example and apply it to the concept of Vincible Ignorance: As a bank auditor (in my past life), I audited several different departments of the bank. On this hypothetical assignment, I had to hit the ground running, with no time to learn the business. As I progressed through my work, I saw something that looked odd to me. However, I ne

    A word of warning from the Book of Ezekiel (Chapter 34, Verse 15) for all of those who are entrusted with leading others . . . care for them!   A sure path to chaos is when we “pasture” ourselves while the sheep are running wild! How is that relevant to those of us who have no sheep? Well, every one of us has sheep in our lives.   Whether you are a factory worker, a parent, or a cook, God has given you a job—but I don’t mean one that requires you to earn a paycheck. Can you think of any role that is without some level of responsibility?   You may not have authority, but you do, indeed, have a responsibility. Today’s scripture passage makes it quite clear that we should “strengthen the weak” and “heal the sick” and “bind up the injured.”   We are supposed to be bringing back those who have strayed, and seeking out the lost. Here’s the great news—When we are the sheep who are scattered everywhere, wandering aimlessly, “unpastured,” the Lord will come and claim us.   In f

    CLICK HERE

    As we were visiting my mother-in-law at her residential living place recently, we stood to leave.   As she started to walk back into her building, a sock-footed elderly gentlemen that we did not know came out. He looked over at us and asked if we could stay.   We couldn’t because we were leaving to meet someone, but we stayed for a minute and tried to talk with him. I say tried because he was nearly deaf.   He couldn’t hear a thing we said.   But what he said was disturbing and so indicative of the problem we have today. He told us he was bored.   In fact, he actually said, “I’m lonely.”   It broke our hearts.  He was so vulnerable. You see they have been quarantined on the grounds of their residence since the pandemic started.   Their home has done a terrific job of keeping the home 100% virus-free, but it is a double-edged sword, as is obvious by our exchange with this man. It was so sad to hear him talk about being lonely.   I wish we could have stayed, but the home’