Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I remember when many folks were getting used to the idea that space travel wasn't just science fiction. Some apparently still haven't gotten the memo, but others have been developing new technologies. Like inflatable space stations. I'll be talking about that, and how I see getting back on the road to the stars. Building Better Habitats: Basket-Weave, and Now: Isotensoids? "...strong, simple, and safe...." Expandable Habitats and Max Space New Technology Built on Old Ideas Perceived Impossibilities and Being Human New Ideas, Old Reactions What a Bishop Didn't Say, and the Wright Brothers' Mother "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." What's Next? More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (New Max Space inflatable space habitat technology may be strong, simple, safe: and less expensive. I look at that, and where we can be going.)

        Recently my brothers and I were sharing personal recollections of the day our Dad died. The anniversary of his death is July 31st.  He died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1967. Since I was quite young, I always appreciate any stories my (older) brothers can share about my Dad. I was thinking about our conversation, and my thoughts turned to the oral history we share in our family and that, as Catholics, we hold in the Catholic Church in the Sacred Deposit of Faith, which includes both Scripture and Tradition. Sometimes our embrace of Tradition is not understood by those who only hold the Bible as revelation, but to dismiss Tradition is to ignore the fullness of what God has revealed. Check out a very short, simple explanation at:  https://www.orlandodiocese.org/e-scroll/archive/catholic-culture-whats-the-difference-between-tradition-and-tradition/ At this link, you will learn that "T radition with capital T refers to the Apostles’ teachings; the community’s f

Man with Two Loaves of Bread Jean-François Raffaëlli    [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 6:24-35   (English Standard Version, Anglicised: India) When the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labour for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him wh

    Acting Director of Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe, Jr.   My husband and I were watching the Senate hearing about security failures in regards to the former president's assassination attempt. I have watched this type of hearing in the past because I find it interesting to see first-hand how our elected officials carry themselves in their official capacity. No matter the topic, I am almost always disappointed. The senators very rarely allow the person they are questioning to actually give a full answer.  They are almost always indignant to the point of self-righteousness. And--this is key--when the person being questioned manages to answer, at least partially, the questioner never accepts the answer if it isn't what they want to hear. And, the exchange, is typically either politically charged, or attempts to lead to a political conclusion (like the notion that those protecting the former president, along with other law enforcement officers who have dedicated the

    Hundreds of you showed an interest in the video I posted from Bishop Robert Barron about the mockery of the Last Supper at the Olympics, so I am sharing one more thing with you--contact information where you can express your complaint. I have already done so. On this website: https://olympics.com/ioc/contact-us   just click on the "Contact us" at the bottom of the site and it will open a simple form where you can offer your thoughts about it. That page also offers an address for those of you who would like to write a letter, as well as an international phone number:  +41 21 621 61 11 (naturally, there may be charges for the call, depending on your plan.) I didn't research this information myself.  I took it off a very good homily from this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scgE60WfypU Can I just say that whenever Catholics (and other Christians) are persecuted in this way, I always find myself proud of their reactions.  Their first instinct is often

    Have you seen the viral video from the Olympics? The opening ceremony included a disgusting mockery of the Last Supper, complete with drag queens depicting Jesus and the Apostles at the Last Supper. I am including in this post the response that Bishop Robert Barron posted about it. If you want to see the video he is referring to, it's out there online. Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy

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.)

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes Lambert Lombard [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel    John 6:1-15   (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.   And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.   Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.   Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.   Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip,  “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”   He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.   Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”   One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Pete

    What happened to the faith you were given in childhood? If you look at the Parable of the Sower , you may discover the answer to this question, but it does take a little thought. In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13, Jesus offers this parable which describes some different scenarios in regards to faith.  The Sower is God, but if we consider the sower to be our parents, we can ask ourselves, "What happened to the faith they tried to instill in me?" I know for some of you, perhaps your parents did not do this, but if you read this post to the end, you will see it is fitting for you as well.   I'd like you to think about the four scenarios we have in this parable: 1) The seed (the Word of God) fell on a path that was vulnerable to the     birds.  They came along and ate it up. 2) The seed fell on rocky ground.  Without good soil for it to take root,     when it grew, it was scorched by the sun and withered. 3) The seed fell on thorns and it was choked by the thorns t

      The other day when I wrote about pain (" Are you in pain? "), I talked about how we can connect to Jesus on the cross by offering up our pain. You will recall me talking about how he suffered on our behalf and that is something we, too, can do for others. There are other ways that we can connect in this spiritual way to Jesus, as well. When adult children disconnect from their parents, no matter the reason, parents might want to consider this as another avenue to connect to the Father. Every day, God our Father, whose unlimited love for us is constant, must also experience (to put it in human terms) the pain of losing his children, whenever we ignore, reject, or deny his very existence. Consider how he responds to us when we do that. He doesn't walk away, he waits.  With unconditional love, he waits for us to open our eyes, and our heart, and return to him.  When we do return (however long it might take), he is there, ready to pour out his love and forg

  El hogar es considerado un lugar natural y necesario para el desarrollo armónico de los niños y jóvenes y la fe católica siempre ha insistido en su protección. En las últimas décadas se ha notado una erosión en los hogares y la principal explicación de la cultura moderna es que ambos padres han tenido que abandonarlo para trabajar y sostener el hogar. ¿Qué tan acertado es ese diagnóstico? Es cierto que muchas familias en regiones pobres tienen que hacerlo para sobrevivir, pero en el primer mundo ¿aplica el mismo diagnóstico? Ahí el 60% de las familias lo hacen. ¿Les ha traído el beneficio esperado?    Podemos ver en el pasado, que en la década de los 60s, en Estados Unidos no era raro un hogar con las necesidades básicas cubiertas con el sueldo de uno solo de los padres. En cambio, hoy, a pesar de todo el progreso alcanzado, parece que, ni siquiera dos sueldos alcanzan para sostener a la familia promedio. ¿Acaso se encogieron los sueldos de los padres? ¿O la vida es más cara en el mu

My parish is Our Lady of the Angles in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It's part of the Parishes on the Prairie Catholic Community — and that's a topic for another time. Aside from routine matters, we're not exactly at the center of diocesan activity. That's why I think our priest, Fr. Greg Paffel, getting this year's diocesan Humanae Vitae Award is a big deal. I'll be talking about that, briefly, "Humanae Vitae", and why I think human life matters. Cultural, Historical, and Personal Context "The True Voice of the Church...." My First Look at Catholic Thought Why Human Life Matters Obedience and Using my Brain Natural Law, Positive Law, and Paying Attention Seeing Human Beings as People Meanwhile, Across the Pacific Fr. Greg Paffel: The Journey Home Interview Valuing Human Life: All Human Life More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Humanae Vitae, On Human Life: cultural, historical, and personal context; natural law, positiv

  In case you didn't know it, you can watch the National Eucharistic Congress going on right now, LIVE. Just go to USCCB.ORG and click on the main screen, and you will find a link to register (for free) and you will be able to watch!   Janet Cassidy Email: jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy

    I spent about a week in considerable pain. I won't bother you with the details, but I was pretty miserable. It is now mostly resolved. My first instinct was to offer up my pain for someone else. The potential that someone might find some relief from their pain, if I can take it on through acceptance of my own, gives me a sense of purpose. Admittedly, I do not do this as well as I would like. Doing so, however, connects me to Jesus on the cross, since he took on suffering for us. Whenever we can, in some small way, find a way to relate to what he did, we find a way to unite more closely to him.  This practice gives a deeper, spiritual meaning to what we are going through. That week led me to think about those who are living with chronic pain.  Anticipating a lifelong existence that involves pain must be quite overwhelming, especially when medicine or treatments do not provide any relief. I am sorry if you are experiencing pain in your life, but I do hope that you w

Sheep and Lamb Jacopo Bassano [ Web Gallery of Art ] He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd  (Mark 6:34; Gospel). Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel    Mark 6:30-34   (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.   And he said to them,  “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”  For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.   And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.   Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.   When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. Léachtaí i nGaeilge Pope Benedict XVI Zag

  A stream of sunlight came into our kitchen as evening came to a close. It's always nice when it does that--except--it highlights whatever crumbs have been left over from dinner on the floor! Several years ago I remember thinking about how when the sunlight shines on a window, it, too, highlights every little smudge.  I remember thinking how those smudges are like our sins, and when the light of God shines on them, they are very noticeable. Of course, when it comes to floors and windows, we just sweep up the crumbs, and spray away the smudges.  Sins are a little harder to take care of. The good news is that like the floors and windows, where the crumbs and smudges cover a specific area or spot, our sins do not define us either. They do not fully cover the entirety of who we are. Today might be a good day to take an honest look at the window of your soul and consider what you need to do to make it shine again.  It begins with asking for God's help. Even though w