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  Today I'm excited to share a short, inspirational verse from scripture about holiness.  I hope you will sign up to receive my blog automatically (janetcassidy.com) so you will never miss a post.  Don't forget to share this with a friend and post on your own social media pages!   Janet Cassidy Email me at: jmctm2@gmail.com  janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy Here is the link to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zQZX5MKe3Q

  Many Christians are losing their faith, world-wide, for many reasons. Are you amongst them? How solid is your faith and beliefs in Christianity? Why are people leaving God for pastures new? CLICK HERE .

  Hi everyone! If you received a different looking email from me about my blog, like the one below, please go ahead and click on the green "check it out box" IN THE ORIGINAL EMAIL and it will just take you to my blog. I don't know why "follow it" changed how it looks, but don't worry, you don't have to subscribe and clicking on it will just open my latest post. God bless, Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy  You got news !   ...

Growing up, my folks and I would go to Itasca State Park, north of Park Rapids, in Minnesota's lake country. The place has changed since then, a little. The place I remember as a parking area, a little north of the Mississippi headwaters, where the river officially starts, isn't there any more. It was about a thousand feet east of the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center. Google Maps says that spot is the "Headwaters Concession Ruins".... ...New buildings. A place I remember labeled as a ruins. Change happens.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Remembering the time my father found the perfect spot for taking a picture: the middle of a poison ivy patch.)

 Just in case my video didn't come through.  Here's a link that should work! Have a blessed day. Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy    https://youtu.be/ArAZ6RC2FjA        

   

First, the good news. The open sore on my left leg is not infected. Frustrating news: it's still there. And, recently, it started getting bigger again. I'm told that’s because the stuff oozing out of it is mildly acidic, and breaks down skin that it’s in prolonged contact with. Unpleasant. On the other hand.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (I am treating an open sore on my leg. I talk, briefly, about what I am doing, and why taking reasonable care of my health is not a conflict with my faith.)

The Last Supper El Greco    [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)  Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 13:31-33,34-35   (English Standard Version, Anglicised) When Judas had gone out from the upper room, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ Léachtaí i nGaeilge            Fr James Gavigan (1927 - 2020) A familiar sight seven years ago her...

    Priests are not immune to confrontations   CLICK HERE

About a week ago, in a discussion of what's been happening in Vatican City, someone referred to the late Pope Francis as a "commie in a cassock". I hadn't run into that particular phrase, but I'm all too familiar with the attitude. The "commie in a cassock" remark reminded me of the "communist crucifix" incident and material I'd put together, back in 2015, focusing mostly on a "corn altar" in Paraguay. Then another non-crisis popped up, which I'll talk about first. Social Media Highbrow Hijinks?? Nonsense and Perspective The Curious Case of the Communist Crucifix Bolivia, a Superficially Cursory Overview The "Communist Crucifix", "Commie in a Cassock": Really?? Recognizing Realities How I See Diplomatic Gifts Altar de Maiz: Corny? Yes! — Appealing? To Me, Yes!! Photos: Views of the "Altar of Corn" It's Art, It's Sculpture, and Now It's Recycled Pope Leo XIV: ...

Pope Leo XI V [ Source ] You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the nether world shall not prevail against it. To you I will give the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven  (Matthew 16:18-19; Entrance Antiphon, Mass for the Pope). Collect, Mass for the Pope O God, who in your providential design willed that your Church be built upon blessed Peter, whom you set over the other Apostles, look with favour, we pray, on Leo our Pope and grant that he, whom you have made Peter's successor, may be for your people a visible source and foundation of unity in faith and of communion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)  Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John...

    I typically put off watching big Hollywood movies of Catholic events like the Passion. I know, I'm like the only person left that hasn't seen Mel Gibson's movie. But, the problem is, when I see something so powerful and thought-provoking, it tends to stick with me, and I'd prefer to have the actual gospels running through my head, rather than Hollywood's version of them. (Although, I do like "The Chosen.") When "The Conclave" came out, I thought it might be interesting, but then I read some (misinformed as it turns out) opinions about the ending. Nope, I decided, not interested. Another typical bait-and-switch movie, creating naive, Catholic leaders. But then, one of my brothers saw it and he encouraged me to see it, contradicting what I had read online. Since I trust him, I decided to see it. I'm glad I did. It was quite good. And the ending wasn't anything like I had heard it was going to be, so I was not offended at...

    Like so many of you, I suppose, I was disheartened to see the President post a picture of himself as Pope. Some people identified it as a joke, others were offended. I think the lesson for all of us has to do with respect. Respect for the living, respect for those who have died, and respect for the leader of the Church. I was at a church meeting many, many years ago and I watched as an adult man made a disparaging remark towards a member of our parish, who is not of American descent. I was shocked. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. The lack of respect that was exhibited due to this person's ethnicity was sickening.  And what was the response of the attendees at that meeting, including myself? Silence. Nobody held him accountable. Everyone just let it slide and moved on.  Which is worse, what he said, or our silence? Today, I believe, I would never let something like that slide, but I wasn't as mature as I am today, and I wasn't even s...

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More than 130 Cardinals will start voting on who gets Simon Peter's job — the job he had before becoming St. Peter — after Pope Francis, starting next Monday.... Viewpoints and Background Expectations Cardinals: Not Just European The Catholic Church: Unchanging Basics, Changing Details A Millennium of Cardinals: Very Briefly The Last Supper: da Vinci, Dali, and Me Newfangled Architecture, Old-Fashioned Attitudes — — and a Reasonable Request More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The College of Cardinals, 1050 to now. Paintings by da Vinci and Dali, newfangled architecture. Something I like about being Catholic. A prayer request.)

      In the 38th chapter of Sirach, there is an outline of the "Vocations of Skilled Workers." As it describes the farmer, the engraver, the iron smith and the potter, it says, "All these are skilled with their hands, each one an expert at his own work; Without them no city could be lived in and wherever they stay, they do not go hungry." Further, it says, "they maintain the fabric of the world, and their concern is for exercise of their skill." The key, I think, is that we ask God to help us adopt a spiritual, supernatural way of living. No matter what we do, if we are aware of God walking beside us, our lives will be transformed. Instead of allowing material things & work to distract us, let them become secondary to us living in the presence of God. As we do what we must, let us do it out of our love for others. The more we see God in each other, the more we will develop a supernatural way of living. If you pour your love out into the wo...

The Crucifixion of St Peter Caravaggio [ Web Gallery of Art ] Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.   (John 21:18, today's Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)  Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 21:1-19 [or 21:1-14]  (English Standard Version, Anglicised) After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.   Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.   Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishin...

  Oh my gosh, you have got to be kidding me. I could not believe what Trump had to say over the weekend . . . "There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days."  The last few days? Really? It's almost like the war just started, if you listen to Trump. And there's more . . . "It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!"  Really? He's kidding, right? He is just now realizing that maybe, just maybe, Putin doesn't want peace and has been playing him? He is just now recognizing that Putin has--for a long time--been shooting missiles at civilians and people are dying? How is it that what the rest of us have known for months, make that years, Trump is just now realizing? I join you in hoping for a "Francis" miracle from the...

    As we conclude the Octave of Easter on Sunday (although the season of Easter continues until Pentecost, May 11th) I have a meditation that I hope you will spend some time on. Imagine you have seen Jesus die on the cross on Good Friday, and nothing else happens. There is no resurrection. Jesus is not present to his apostles afterward. Imagine that his death and entombment are the end of the story. How would it feel to live in that space? What would be lost if that were the reality?  You see, if we do not know what would have been lost if Jesus died but did not rise, then we certainly do not know what was gained by his life and resurrection.  If we do not know what was gained by his life and resurrection, then we simply cannot know what it means to be a Christian. One of my favorite prayers comes from St. Padre Pio. It's called "Stay with Me Lord."  In it he prays: "Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor." ...

It's two tales and two customers, actually. But that title was too cool to pass up. Anyway, I worked at a place called Pellegrini Refrigeration for most of the time I spent in San Francisco. 1 Part of my job was taking service calls. Some of the service calls were routine. Some, like the customer who apparently wouldn't or couldn't believe what a technician said each time, were mildly frustrating. Mildly for me: I don't think that customer was having a good time. And one was in its own category. Make that two calls and two categories. A Difficult Customer I am the Office Girl A Calm, Even Jaunty, Customer Monday Morning, Flowing Mush More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (From my time as an office clerk: surprising, maybe shocking, a blustering customer; remembering a ton of melted ice cream and a remarkably cheerful manager.)

" Funeral for Pope Francis: Vatican News Links "  I linked to the Vatican News article, added a few words, and that's all I'm doing today. Doing here, that is. The point in posting this is that the Vatican News article includes lists to several options for viewing/watching/participating in their broadcast of the funeral for Pope Francis. It's been quite a week.

  The Incredulity of St Thomas ,  Rembrandt [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)    Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 20:19-31  (English Standard Version, Anglicised) On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is...

[posted Thursday, April 24, 2025. It's been an eventful week] Most headlines in my news feed don't involve the death of Pope Francis, or what's happening in Vatican City, now that we're in the process of mourning one pope and selecting another. That's fine by me, since a number of headlines I did notice a number that were (over-) dramatic. Others, apparently linking to op-eds, struck me as reflecting a — limited — view of the Catholic Church. I'll leave it at that. A few, from yesterday evening and this morning (Thursday, April 24, 2025), involved how cardinals — specifically, the College of Cardinals — are selecting our new pope. As I said the other day, we've been doing this for two millennia now.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The College of Cardinals is choosing our next pope. I've got my views. More important, I posted a link to and excerpt from an overview of the process.)

[posted Wednesday, April 23, 2025. It's been an eventful week] Noted: " Cardinal Farrell officially ascertains death of Pope Francis " Vatican News (April 22, 2025) [includes embedded YouTube video] " Pope Francis' body to lie in state until funeral on Saturday morning " Vatican News (April 22, 2025) We've been handing the death of popes for something like two millennia now, so we have procedures for this sort of thing. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Another part of our process for handling the death of a pope: a ceremony. Includes a short embedded video from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta.)

    Online photo; credit unknown                                           If you think of evangelization as the Church's way of getting people to become Catholic, you would be wrong. The goal of evangelization is to invite those who do not know Jesus, to come and meet him. Jesus is the head of the Church, so it makes sense that the invitation to meet him leads to his Church. I'd like to share with you a short video by Fr. James Mallon (Divine Renovation) which I really like.  ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpB-itQl9XY ) Fr. Mallon's work was inspired by Pope Francis' body of writing (which he details in the video), so it is particularly fitting that he reflects on the Pope's work this week. He caught my attention in this video, when he said: "Our ministry, is...

    With the passing of Pope Francis this week, the world has focused its attention on the protocols in the Catholic Church.  What will his funeral look like? Where will he be buried? Who will be our next Pope? And, rightly so, we have had an intense look at the life and practices of Pope Francis. I can't help but be inspired by his humility. In fact, as a small step, I decided to clean out some closets and make some donations to our local Catholic Charities (they give things away, never charging for them.)  You can't help but want to do SOMETHING when you hear how the Pope lived. He just never forgot the poor and tried to live simply in the midst of opulence. I am shocked at the people who cling to the idea that he was somehow a heretic and who make ridiculous proclamations that he was bad for the Church. The reality is, he tried so hard to teach us how to live like Jesus by loving everyone. He chose to ignore the noise of the self-righteous. He was r...