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The only reason to exalt the cross is because of the work of salvation Jesus accomplished on that piece of wood and our unending , incredulous  gratitude. If we really stop and think about it, this sacrifice  is ‘ mind blowing’  because the Almighty God of the Universe suffered agony and humiliation to save us from ourselves, our guilt, shame and utter failure to save ourselves. read more and delight in more art>

Studying Art history in college, I wondered why we spent a good chunk of the semester concentrating on Catholic church architecture. This was especially puzzling because I was in a State University, and the teacher was outspoken about her own atheism. In time, I understood. Churches are built to "speak." They are intended to offer, along with the printed or spoken words uttered within them, a special language of their own... (continue...)

Between spending my teens in the '60s and stubbornness worthy of a mule, my attitude toward "authority" had been less than fawning. Happily, I married a woman with a very low tolerance for nonsense. She pointed out that I had no problem with authority. It was pompous nitwits who claim authority that set my teeth on edge. ( December 2, 2012 ; March 30, 2011 ) That helped explain why I became a Catholic , and that's another topic. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus says that to be His disciple, we must deny ourselves, and take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). When Jesus took up His Cross, He knew He was on His way to die. Taking up my cross and following Him means I must be willing to die to myself in order to live more fully for Jesus.  It’s a call to absolute surrender. Read more...

When I learned who currently held the authority my Lord gave Simon Peter, recorded in Matthew 16:13 - 19 , I didn't have much choice: I had to join the Catholic Church. In a sense, I 'knew too much.' I could either claim to follow Jesus and acknowledge the Son of God's authority, passed along in unbroken succession through the rise and fall of kingdoms, empires, and civilizations — or not. As Simon Peter said, it's a simple choice.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I have been told that I have "a flare for language", a "talent for writing", a "gift for the word."  For many years, family members and friends have at times "commissioned" a piece of writing from me.  In fact, my grandmother has told me that she has in her will that I must compose a poem for her funeral.  I have tried to explain that it doesn't work that way, that I can't just make myself write.  She will hear none of it, she says that she has it in writing and since it is her final wish, I must obey.  (She is a feisty one!) However, it is true.  There is nothing that I have written that has come solely from me.  When I have attempted to force the gift, it has failed miserably.  That is because the gift, is not my own, but the LORD's.  I am only His instrument.  I never feel this more acutely than when an entire essay, poem, or story comes to me in an instant, like a stiff breeze blowing into my mind, yet I cannot nor

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Christ in Agony on the Cross , El Greco, 1600s Art Museum, Cincinnati, USA [ 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   John 3:13-17  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition ; Canada)    Jesus said to Nicodemus:  No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.   And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,   that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.   “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “ Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Nicodemus ,  Unknown Master, Flemish Museum voor Schone

We're learning more about life on Earth: and finding that there's more to learn. For example, those aren't mushrooms. Scientists think they're animals. Probably.... ...God Thinks Big If you've read other posts here, you probably know why I think God works on a cosmic scale, isn't overextended, and doesn't mind if we use our brains. ( September 5, 2014 ; June 6, 2014 ) If you haven't: here's what I think about God's universe.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Our oldest son was a senior in high school on September 11, 2001.  In his valedictory speech on his graduation day in June of 2002, he mentioned the tragic event that forever scarred the hearts of  all Americans.  In part, here is what he said:  ...this year we looked on in disbelief on September 11th as innocent lives were taken by the evil of terrorism.  The pain we felt...was acute, but strength is often forged in the fires of misfortune...through the 9/11 tragedy, I hope, we learned to respect and protect life, every human life.  It is this that our society needs most today.  Our society's moral values have been in a downward spiral for quite a while, and this trend shows no sign of getting better unless there is a change in the way we think.  At the heart of this moral decline is a cheapening of human life.  Pope John Paul II has called this the "Culture of Death."  Choices once unanimously considered criminal and rejected by the common moral sense are gradual

I changed history.  Actually, it wasn’t anything that I did, it was the gift my mother gave me.  She gave me life instead of an abortion.    I was born.  Even though she was an unwed mother, she knew that life was a gift from God.  She protected my life, and I was born.  If I hadn’t been given the gift of life, history would have been different.  By being born, we change  “what could have been,” into what is.  There are no “what ifs.” Abortion changes history.  We don’t know what might have been.  The “what if’s” are always there.  The “what could have beens,” we will never know.  All we have is the grief of not knowing.  The child who could have been is gone and will not be able to come back.  As opposed to many adoptions, there is no child who will be looking for their birth parents in 20 years where there might be a glad reunion.  The “what if’s” and “what could have beens” are empty words when an abortion is performed. “A voice was heard in Ramah,     wailing

On this  most difficult day  I am thinking about death. Last night, on my way out of my graduate class in Jersey City, a friend texted me to let me know our next door neighbor's infant son had died suddenly. I spent the long drive home talking to Ruth. When I got home at 11 p.m., I sat in my car in the driveway, crying and still talking with her and noting that all the lights were on in the family's home and all the shades drawn. My friend and I were grieving, trying to make sense of the unimaginable. "There has been a lot of death lately," I told her. Keep Reading...

Saint John Paul II states in Mulieris Dignatem "Each woman inherits her femininity as an expression of the image and likeness of God that is hers."  We could say likewise about each man's masculinity.   Therefore, when man or woman thinks that one is somehow "less than" the other, they are also showing disdain for that which is part of the essence of God.    Masculinity and femininity, fully expressed, can teach mankind much about it's relationship to God and to each other.  Humanity suffers when women choose to squelch their feminine virtues in favor of masculine ones.   It also suffers when men feel they have to hide their masculine traits in our feminized culture.  The fact is, that the best of both  masculine and feminine virtues should be developed in both men and women rather than one in favor of the other.  Their expression, however, will differ.  St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) wrote  " Christ embodies

I wrote this post on the tenth anniversary of  September 11. Ten years ago today, our country was viciously attacked like no other time in history.  Like the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert and Martin Luther King Jr., the day will ever be in my memory along with where I was and what I was doing. You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

About 3,000 folks died in attacks on New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon on this date, 13 years ago. The death toll would almost certainly have been higher, if passengers and surviving crew of United Airlines Flight 93 had not attacked their hijackers. They died, probably because the Al Qaeda pilot deliberately flew into the ground. Depending on their views, folks have commemorated the 9/11 attacks in many ways. Some have declared that the attacks were justified, because America is a big meany. They usually express the idea in more sophisticated terms, of course. Others say that Muslims are to blame: all Muslims. Still others take the more sweeping view that all religion is to blame. I think there is a tiny element of truth in 'all of the above.' Al Qaeda's leader at the time, Osama bin Laden, almost certainly had sincerely-held religious beliefs: and chose American targets in response to this country's profound lack of fidelity to his

On the anniversary of 9/11 every year, when I am watching the footage of the twin towers being hit by planes on TV, I am reminded of a dream I had exactly three years earlier in September of 1998. At the time I had the dream and until 9/11 happended in 2001, I did not realize the dream was going to be somewhat literal. I even prayed about and came up with a symbolic interpretation.  Continue Reading at Beautifulthorns >

Last week I lost my good umbrella, the compact one that pops upon immediately when you press a button. I’ve had it for many years, and I miss it. This is not the most valuable thing I’ve lost. I suppose the umbrella is in a special universe “lost and found” room along with my mysteriously missing driver’s license and my ID tag. Losing anything is annoying, not to mention sometimes expensive. Searching high and low for a lost item eats up valuable time. Click to continue

It's time. This is what I saw.  The words underneath the vision of the Eucharist is what I heard.  A man's voice, gentle, but with authority to it that you did not question.  Now the history.... TO READ MORE CLICK HERE.

It’s good to be posting again! I was in an unexpected blogging break because we moved on short notice from Iraq to the U.S. (Pittsburgh area). We aren’t fully settled in yet, and are still job hunting, hoping we find something soon so we know we can definitely stay in the area and start getting put together. It’s been an absolute whirlwind of a month, with so many unknowns and unexpected changes, hopes and disappointments, sad goodbyes and happy hellos as we left our friends, family and community in Iraq, and have started making new connections and renewing old ones here in the U.S. We are still praying so hard for the community we left behind in Erbil, and are so deified by the solidarity with which they have welcomed all the refugees that have come to the city from other places in Iraq. I think it’s going to take a long time to fully process everything that’s just happened (and still is happening as we try to keep getting settled on this end). God was blessing us so much

Looking for a spiritual read which is so interesting that you can hardly put it down but has the potential to change your life as well?  Trusting  God with St. Therese   by  Connie Rossini more than satisfies both these prerequisites. Connie delves not only into the biography of the Little Flower but also grapples with the ramifications of these facts as they affected her spiritually and psychologically. Connie then applies these in-depth reflections on the saint to her own struggle to trust God, applying the same magnifying glass to her life. The result is a unique book which  captures the reader’s curiosity, holds our interest and at the same time touches our heart and inner spirit, triggering a yearning for our own inner healing and spiritual growth. Because Connie humbly reveals both her own and St. Therese’s weaknesses and struggles, she connects personally with the reader, helping us understand that sanctity is possible for everyone.  To make it easier to apply her insights