Association Of Catholic Bloggers

    I attended the funeral of a cousin that I have not seen in probably over 20 years. It's been so long, in fact, that until her children mentioned it, I didn't know she prayed daily and was committed to the Ten Commandments. I have no idea if, or where, she went to church, but the female pastor offered a nice service at the funeral home. I mention all of this because my cousin was, by all accounts, one of those gifted, "crazy," unconventional women, who did things a little outside the box.  What was remarkable to me, was seeing all of the young people at her funeral--her grandkids, naturally, but also their friends and no doubt some "strays" that she took in, counseled, fed, clothed, and brought to baptism.  Young people who needed a place to go at one time or another were always welcome at her house. In fact, the entire row in front of me was filled with teenagers. She really made a difference in their young lives, you could just tell. It se

    We went to a local grocery store that we don't typically visit. I mention this to point out that we weren't familiar with how things worked. Now you might be thinking, "It's a grocery store! What do you mean 'how things work'?" Well, let me tell you. The first thing is, we were supposed to rent a shopping cart for a quarter.  I was with our oldest daughter and we confidently figured we could handle the couple of items we were going in to pick up, so we nixed the cart idea. But when we got inside, we were pretty excited about the prices and the appearance of the fruits & veggies, so we started piling things into our arms and talking between us about the rent-a-cart-for-a-quarter concept; a nice lady standing next to us looked at my daughter with compassion (or was it pity?) and offered her a quarter.  Neither of us wanted to explain that it wasn't so much our poverty, as  our ignorance, that created our situation, so with fruits an

This isn't the America I grew up in. But human nature hasn't changed, and freedom of expression still makes some of us uneasy. I'll be talking about that; and sharing a little family history that relates to the America of my youth. A Son of Librarians Information, Attitudes, Access, and Me Free Speech, Social Media, and Perceptions Prepublication Censorship, a Near Miss Politics, Panic, and Principles Social Media: New Forum, Old Principles, and Being an American More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Freedom of expression, being able to share opinions and information, matters: even when it makes some of us uneasy.)

  Keiko Uemura on her First Communion Day, December 1971 Keiko died 27 April 1972, aged 14 To you have I lifted up my eyes, y ou who dwell in the heavens (Responsorial Psalm). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel    Mark 6:1-6   (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    Jesus went away from there and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him.   And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?   Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offence at him.   And Jesus said to them,  “A prophet is not without honour, except in his home town and among his relatives and in his own household

"A False Alarm on the Fourth" Udo Keppler, Puck. (1902) "Uncle Sam — It's all right! There's no fighting! The noise you hear is just my family celebrating!" I like that double-page cartoon by Udo Keppler. And I like his image of America: a family of sorts, where everybody doesn't look just like me, but we can celebrate together anyway. Another Udo Keppler cartoon, made eight years earlier, shows a different attitude. I'll get back to that. I'll also be quoting John Adams, with a little more of the context than you probably see. Declaration of Independence: 248 Years Ago Today Flights of Oratory, Compromise, and a Missed Opportunity "...Our Pleasing Hopes..." and a Persistent Perception Being a Good Citizen AND a Catholic A "Patriot Dream That Sees Beyond the Years" More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Two quotes by John Adams, two cartoons by Udo Keppler. Hopes, perceptions, and an America that is not perfe

    In today's gospel (John 20: 24-29), we have the risen Jesus inviting Thomas to reach out and touch him because of Thomas' unbelief.  " Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Today the church celebrates the Feast of Saint Thomas, the Apostle, and it's a good one for all of us. Thomas, known for missing out on the initial appearance of the resurrected Jesus, and therefore doubting, proclaims, " My Lord and my God!” as he moves from unbelief to belief. Jesus asks, " “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”   So many today seek scientific proof that Jesus is who he said he is, and therefore, stand firm in their unbelief. But, as you may know, science, while useful, can only go so far when it comes to proving the existence of the transcendent God. Science does have its limitations, an

      The current issue of " faith " magazine titled "Anointed and Appointed" was laying on our dining room table.  It reminded me of something I have wondered about before, when thinking about priestly ordinations or vows to religious life. What must it be like when you make such a commitment and from then on, people begin to recognize you as a religious? What kind of character expectations are put upon you at that point?  What degree of effort are you willing to make, to be holy? And then, this thought comes:  Shouldn't such a commitment and outstanding character and striving for holiness be attached to every Christian by virtue of our Baptism? In fact, what if we asked ourselves those very same questions? Following up on yesterday's blog "Coming out of our monastery," isn't it the responsibility of all of us to live our lives so that the presence of Jesus is obvious?  Shouldn't our behavior reflect our love and devotion to God

    A smart person, in wisdom, would hesitate to write about something they are just beginning to comprehend, but, alas, I have not claimed to be smart or have wisdom, so here goes . . . I hope you will stick with me. As I continue my way through "The Cost of Discipleship" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945) I am simply floored by his observation about monasticism.  Keep in mind that he was a Lutheran pastor who founded what was called the Confessing Church, and he rose up against the Nazis. Speaking about Martin Luther returning to the world and coming out of the monastery, Bonhoeffer makes this observation: "the Christian life had been the achievement of a few choice spirits under the exceptionally favourable conditions of monasticism; now it is a duty laid on every Christian living in the world." And before that, he writes: "By thus limiting the application of the commandments of Jesus to a restricted group of specialists, the Church evolved the fat

I haven't researched it, but I'm guessing that 'animals are conscious' headlines peaked about two months back. " If Animals Are Conscious, What about Us? " Crawford Kilian, The Tyee (April 29, 2024) " Scientists push new paradigm of animal consciousness, saying even insects may be sentient " Evan Bush, NBC News (April 19, 2024) " It's 'irresponsible' to ignore widespread consciousness across animal world, dozens of scientists argue " Saul Elbein, The Hill (April 19, 2024) "Animal consciousness" makes more sense than some headlines suggest — so this week I'll be talking about new research, old ideas, and how I see being human. Science, Attitudes, and Conscious Animals "Unholy Trinity", "Heretics", Galileo — Folklore is Fine, But ... Conscious? A Better Term Would be "Sentient" Of Mice and Men and Little Albert Animals, People, and Paying Attention "Little Less T

  Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Montmartre, Paris [ Wikipedia ;  photo ] Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. June is the month of the  Sacred Heart of Jesus   Raising of the Daughter of Jairus Paolo Veronese [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Mark 5:21-43   [or 5:21-24, 35b-43]  (English Standard Version) When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.   Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet   and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”   And he went with him. [And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.   And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood f

    If you haven't figured it out yet, I find politics fascinating and frustrating.  As I am just getting into reading "The Situation Room" by George Stephanopoulos, I came across an interesting quote credited to Nikita Khrushchev (of the Communist Party.) Before I get to the quote, let me just say this about George's book--it surprised me to learn about the state of the presidency during various administrations and the utter incapacitation of Nixon (for example) during critical times, due to alcohol and self-isolation. In fact, it came to light later, that at the same time Nixon was struggling, the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (General Secretary of the Communist Party) was also "out of commission" due to pills and alcohol. Oh my.  Anyway, the book, so far, is a detailed account of various presidents and their moments of crisis and how our country dealt with them. Very interesting from both a political and historical perspective. Back to the quote

      It's one little line spoken by Jesus within the event known as The Agony in the Garden ( Matthew 26: 41 ): "The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."  I think it encapsulates the reality of what it means to be human, and Jesus' understanding of our humanity. After all he was both human and divine. How often do we commit ourselves in prayer to take up discipleship behavior? How often do we promise ourselves that we are not going to say or do things we know are wrong, only to find ourselves, as St. Paul says, doing the very thing we know we shouldn't? All the time, right? Jesus knows this. That's why during his great distress in the garden, when his friends fell asleep rather than "keeping watch" with him, he acknowledged this.  They really wanted to do what they were called to do, but in their humanity, they just couldn't pull it off--this time. Other times, they got it right, and that's true for you and I as well. Some

      I'm hoping you will tolerate a little venting from me today that comes simply from observation. We'll start with the life issue of abortion, since it is a thread that runs through politics and media simultaneously.  To begin, when you start paying close attention, you will notice that the main voices heard in interviews and reporting comes from mothers-in-crisis.  Almost nowhere do you here any pro-life moms being interviewed. The "I-need-an-abortion" reports seem to prevail as top news stories. There isn't any balance. Where are the voices from the other side? They do exist, you know. In the news yesterday a mom expressed her desperation in needing to abort her baby who had Trisomy 18 (look it up).  I knew someone who gave birth to a baby with T-18.  She and her husband (and sons) took their baby home and poured love into her throughout her very short life (I think it was a matter of weeks). I got to hold this beautiful little girl.  Praise

    Suffering .  It is something we all experience to some degree in this life. But suffering, in and of itself, does not add one iota of meaning or value to our life, unless it is attached to the suffering of Jesus, especially his death on the cross. His suffering is where Christian suffering finds its meaning. Through the suffering of Jesus, we find sacrifice of worth.  We learn what love means.  We discover God touching man at the very heart of our lived experience. Joy is easy. Happiness is delightful.  But when it comes to suffering, we cannot endure it as emptiness.  It becomes unbearable unless we offer it for others and see it as a shared experience with Christ. We may automatically think of suffering as physical pain or illness, but in its fullness, it encompasses a whole range of lived, personal human battles and trauma. Whatever you might be going through at this moment, I encourage you to sit quietly, crucifix in hand, and think about what Christ went through

...That's not the only place in Minnesota with flooding problems this week. This spring was the first time in two years that no place in Minnesota was experiencing a drought. That’s good news, but the flooding isn't.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Mankato-area Rapidan Dam is missing a substation, and may fail. Two years we've had drought, now flooding. A very quick look at a Minnesota Monday.)

    If you have littles playing sports, perhaps you have seen this sign.  It is very direct, and an excellent reminder for adults.  My favorite one is #5.  Too often today, parents get so wrapped up in little Johnny or Jilly's potential, that every play, every miss, or every score carries a lot of weight, and pressure. What if--and I know this is earth shattering--kids just learned the bigger lessons in life from their sporting experience?  What if--again, earth shattering--they just had fun and made some friends? I know, I'm such a simpleton. I guess everything has to be competitive because future college scholarships are at stake, but how about we let 10 year olds just be 10? Everyone means well, I know, but it seems to me that sometimes when parents get into the mix, it's hard for coaches to just coach.  It's like when we get in the way of God just trying to be God. We tell him he should be doing things our way and question him when he doesn't. S

Most of the neighborhood I grew up in is now a parking lot. But Prairie Home Cemetery, a block west of the house I grew up in, is still there. I mostly remember it as being next to the sledding hill. My father and I went by, or maybe through, the cemetery on our way to the 'hill'. The sledding hill wasn't, technically, a hill. It was part of a coulee going through the southwest corner of Prairie Home Cemetery. Or, rather, it was part of what had been a coulee.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Remembering good times in winters long past; what was, and was not, important when raising my kids. Flexible Flyer sleds, family, and faith that makes sense.)

    Have you ever tried to figure out what God wants you to do? What is your process of discernment? In " Restoring the Initiative to God " Fr. John Riccardo points out a major fault parishes and people in general have when it comes to planning and seeking answers--they make their plan and then ask God to bless it. In this video, his sensible approach can be used by parishes or individuals and families. When I used to hold parish visionary meetings, we would go through some content, then spend some silent time together in the Church before the tabernacle, just listening for God's word to us. Then we would go back together and discuss what we heard. This is EXACTLY what Fr. John suggests we do--ask God first and then listen. How can we know what God wants, if we charge in first with our own ideas? For those who feel that the answer never comes, he talks about that as well. I hope you will take the time to watch this video (see highlighted link in red above), bec

Christ in Majesty Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Montmartre, Paris [ Wikipedia ;  photo ]   Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee Rembrandt  [ Web Gallery of Art ] And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.   But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion  (Mark 4:37-38; Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel    Mark 4:35-41     (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    On that day, when evening had come, he said to them,  “Let us go across to the other side.”   And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.   And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.   But he was in the s