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The Gospel for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is the passage in which Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the Beloved Disciple, both stand at the foot of the Cross. Some Catholic artists have depicted Mary sobbing, prostrate on the ground but  the women and the Beloved Disciple stood together with courage, at the foot of the Cross. continue reading

St Peter in Penitence, El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India, Ireland) Gospel Matthew 18:21-35 ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Ed ) Then Peter came and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. ‘For this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him th

The Cassini-Huygens mission ends this week, after 13 years in orbit around Saturn. Scientists found answers to some questions they had, and uncovered new questions. I think they'll be studying Cassini's and Huygens' data for years. Decades. I'll take a quick look at what we've learned, and why scientists want follow-up missions to the Saturn system. The Enceladan subsurface ocean wasn't a complete surprise. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  Para muchos jóvenes, no parece fácil hablar de matrimonio, pareciera que no tienen en entre sus prioridades casarse, quizá, por rehuir al compromiso, quizá por tener altas y diversas expectativas. Quizá ambas o alguna otra…. La verdad es que los jóvenes que llegan al matrimonio son siempre menos.   Esto es un hecho: los jóvenes ¡no quieren casarse! ¿Por qué los jóvenes no se casan? ¿Por qué a menudo prefieren una convivencia y tantas veces “a responsabilidad limitada”? ¿Por qué muchos – también entre los bautizados – tienen poca confianza en el matrimonio y en la familia? Es importante tratar de entender, si queremos que los jóvenes puedan encontrar el camino justo para recorrer. ¿Por qué no tienen confianza en el matrimonio?  

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Adultery has no place in God’s plan for how He defines marriage. That is why it is clearly spelled out in the Sixth Commandment: “ You shall not commit adultery ” (Ex 20:14). We can go all the way back to Genesis, and read about the creation of man and woman. It is here that we learn of God’s plan for marriage. We see that Adam and Eve were created in a state of union and love with God. God blessed them, saying to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis 1:28)   By God’s design, through the complementarity of male and female, along with the gift of sexuality, humans may procreate. This design is further clarified later in Genesis, where it states: That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two become one body (Genesis 2:24).   Not only do the couple become one body through the conjugal act, but they unite their love for each other, as Adam and Eve’s love was united with God, before the fall. Also, take note of the usage of the word

My newest book is out: “I Am Going . . . : Reflections on the Last Words of the Saints” (89 of them!) published by ACTA Publications.  It has lovely full-page portraits of 14 of these saints. I thought you might enjoy reading the introduction . . . and be interested enough to purchase the book, which is $12.95!  By the way, the intriguing title “I Am Going” is taken from the last words of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity: “I am going to Light, Love, and Life.” Click to continue

I'm not really a comic-book geek or anything, and yet I admit that I was fairly excited for the Netflix original “The Defenders” series to premier. Mostly I think I was just hoping for some more of the material I loved in the “ Daredevil ” series, and hoping for none of the cheesiness that I very much didn't love in the “ Iron Fist ” series. As for the two other characters featured in “The Defenders,” we never watched “Jessica Jones” after hearing that there was a scenario in it that totally condoned abortion and would have really pissed me off; and “Luke Cage” we tried but didn't get through a whole episode before deciding that it just wasn't appealing enough to go back to. So, as excited as I was for “The Defenders,” I wasn't quite sure what to expect... Continue Reading

Hi there, ya'll! =) Don't you just love it when your favorite store has a huge sale??? Few things make me happier (okay, that may be a  slight  exaggeration, haha) than seeing an email in my inbox telling me about a big sale coming up somewhere that I love to shop.  A couple of weeks ago, Neesee's Dresses sent me one of those oh-so-happy emails to let me know they were having some great deals to celebrate Labor Day.  I had originally intended to only get one Maxi dress for my family's upcoming vacation, but when I saw all the prices and deals (including TWO FREE DRESSES, YA'LL), I ended up with several Maxi dresses, and two new Midi dresses.  I've never written a haul post before, but I think this will qualify nicely, and I can share some of my ideas for styling each dress with you all!

Oh, there are so many ways to violate the Fifth Commandment! Did you know that? Besides murder, we can violate this commandment as follows, via showing a disrespect for others in the form of …anger, hatred, abusive language, resentment, omissions in service, racism, and failures to treat enemy oppressors with love. Revenge or vindictiveness also has no place in the heart of a Christian .” 1   After reading this list, are you like me? Are you having a “whoa” moment, thinking about all the times when you got unjustly angry because of greed or pride? Are you saying “ouch” when you realize that you think you’re better than others, only to learn that you are not (hatred and racism)? How about when you resented someone for getting something you wanted, and envy reared its ugly head? More Ways to Violate the Fifth Commandment! It gets even worse! We can violate the Fifth Commandment by showing a disrespect for ourselves, when we commit... Read more...

The good news is that folks on the Gulf Coast probably won't be affected by Hurricane Irma. Not directly. Cleanup and rebuilding there is taking a back seat to news of this weekend's hurricane and Mexico's major earthquake. I'll be talking about this week's disasters, and how folks deal with them. Also faith, reasonable and otherwise, and a little science.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

ARE YOU STUBBORN? ALWAYS DOING WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT? NEVER DO AS SUGGESTED TO YOU? WELL ... I BET YOU WILL NOT CLICK ON THIS

Marie Constantin, the photographer, and author of  Finding Calcutta: Memoirs of a Photographer understands   images have power, more power than words alone to impact lives. I recently spoke with Marie Constantin, who has photographed some of the world’s worst slums in Calcutta, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Tijuana where she discovered beautiful nuns, serving with joy. “Mother Teresa and all the nuns I was privileged to be around or write about stole my heart forever.  I gave it back in this book”. continue reading

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Prayer before a Meal, Adriaen Jansz van Ostade[ Web Galle ry For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them (Matthew 18:20). Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 ( NRSV, CatholicEdition ) Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever

  Seguro que todos estamos orgullosos de ser mexicanos. Pero actuamos de manera incongruente.   Nos denigramos unos a otros por nuestra diferente forma de demostrar nuestra mexicanidad. Cualquiera que nos mira sin saber nuestras particularidades podría decir que somos un país singular. Y es muy cierto: ¡todos somos guadalupanos! Somos un pueblo de múltiples costumbres, diferentes tradiciones, diversas herencias culturales, distintas lenguas, heterogéneas maneras de vestir, interesantes maneras de expresión artística, amenas tertulias y entretenidas maneras de divertirnos.   Contamos con una cocina mundialmente famosa, con una música que nos caracteriza, con un folklor muy particular, con increíbles coloridos en nuestros trajes regionales, con bailes y fiestas muy reconocidas según la región en las que se celebran. Tenemos también un gran bagaje antropológico y colonial, una diversidad de lenguas y costumbres y una historia, que aunque en ocasiones ha sido malamente reseñada

I nearly missed an interesting development in SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Interesting, and as newsworthy as most Stephen Hawking stories, but probably not significant. Professor Hawking didn't start chatting with aliens over the Labor Day weekend. That would be major news. But an outfit he's connected with will be listening to FRB 121102. I think it's likely that they'll collect useful data, and that this isn't a prelude to 'first contact.' Other scientists say they've spotted several planets orbiting Tau Ceti. Two of them may be just inside that star's habitable zone. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

In his book,  Small is Beautiful,  Schumacher said, "Although people go on crying out for solutions, they become angry when they are told that the restoration of society must come from within and not from without." The evil that we read about daily in our newspapers or see on our television screens is but the outward projection of the evil that is firstly conceived and spawned within the human heart and mind. That is why, when she was asked how to combat the woes of the world, St Catherine of Siena said, "The trouble with the world is me." It is all too easy to blame God, or ask why he does not prevent evil when it tears our lives apart, or the lives of the innocent for whom we can do nothing but offer sympathy. But the truth of the matter is that God is at all times poised to possess anyone who is open to receive the love that only he can give. It is this love that brings the profound inner peace that Jesus promised on the night before he died, so that it can

WHEN DISASTER STRIKES HURRICANES FLOODS EARTHQUAKES FAMINES WARS ILLNESS AND DISEASE Why does a merciful God allow such things to happen? CLICK HERE TO FIND THE ANSWER

Whenever I intercede, I first ask the Lord how he is interceding regarding a situation. Jesus intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34). When Jesus was on earth, he also only did what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19). In the same way, I want to seek what he is doing and partner with him instead of getting in the way and praying the opposite of what he is doing. I also ask Jesus to show me where he is at in a given situation. Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns>

For anyone to effectively honor one’s father and mother, it involves much more than doing everything you’re told to do. Yes, fathers and mothers deserve respect from their children, as the Fourth Commandment states. However, children also deserve respect from their parents. Everyone in the family is expected to imitate Christ’s love, affection and kindness, as well as the spirit of service. As Adults, How Do We Stack Up? The demands of work, society and other outside influences can override the time that we should be spending with family. When we should be giving our time to our family, we are working late. Or, when we should opt for spending time with family, we opt instead for dinner out with friends. If we are choosing to place our family second to personal interests, then how can we expect our children to respect us in the manner we would like? It starts with us, as the adults. How to Teach Children to Honor One’s Father and Mother So how do we make it all happen? We st

Because I am quite overwhelmed with work these days, I’m resurrecting a previous post. Hope it is new to you or that you have forgotten it! It’s called “Work: Grace in the Daily Grind.” Click on the link here: http://www.kathleenglavich.org/2015/02/11/work-grace-in-the-daily-grind/

As I celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa of Calcutta, I'm reminded of a film about her from a couple of years ago. I enjoyed The Letters when it came out, but the best thing about the film was the way it inspired me to pick up the book on which it was based. The film is about her. The actual letters, cited extensively in the book, are by her. Read the rest of the post at Leaven for the Loaf .

I started watching "Malcolm in the Middle" by myself on a whim, a couple years ago, when my oldest kid was too tiny to have a clue about anything inappropriate it might contain if he was listening nearby. And then my husband saw it in my Netflix “Continue Watching” list and reminisced about watching it occasionally on TV in his adolescence. So it became our go-to nightly show for some time, as we watched through the seven seasons of hilarity and family conflict... Continue Reading

WHO IS JESUS? WHY DO YOU SAY SO? CAN YOU JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWER? DO YOU KNOW HIM ONE-TO-ONE? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT ABOUT JESUS

Hi there, ya'll! =) Habits are part of life, both good and bad ones.  All of us struggle with bad habits we have acquired and are trying to break, but we often forget to form good habits to replace them.  I've noticed that when I focus on developing good habits instead of being so fixed on breaking the bad ones, it is much easier and less tiresome to overcome the habits I wish to rid myself of.  It takes approximately twenty one days to make something habitual to you, and there's no time like the present to begin. 1. Early To Bed, Early To Rise

Molly McBride and the Purple Habit , by Jean Schoonover-Egolf is the first in a series of charming books about a five-year-old girl, named Molly McBride. Molly loves imitating the Children of Mary Sisters, by wearing their purple habit, specially crafted, for her, by her mom. She loves it so much, that she wants to wear it to her big sister’s First Communion! Why can’t she, when the Children of Mary Sisters will be there, and they will be wearing their purple habits. Oh, can you imagine the havoc that would ensue in dealing with that on such a busy morning? You’ll need to read the story to see whether Molly gets her way. Molly McBride – the Character The character of Molly is strong in her faith in Jesus. At five years-old, Molly is well aware of who Jesus is, and what type of relationship she wants to have with Him throughout her life. I love this character, who comes across the page, filled with conviction! Molly McBride is a great role model for any child learning to grow in

WHAT DOES GOD LOOK LIKE? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT

We are involved in a war which was raging when the current event, which we call the universe, began its existence. This war's origins are in a place where space and time are not, and many of its soldiers are beings whose nature and mode of existence we can only infer from their dealings with us. When the first humans walked Earth, they quickly became involved in this war. On the wrong side. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: Because He lives..... : A gift ( from Canadian farmer ) to my vegan son. 'The labourer is worthy of his wages.' 'Because He lives I can face tomorrow...