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We hear from St Luke in the Gospel reading today (Luke 11:14-23) where Jesus is casting out demons with divine authority. Fast forward 2,000+ years. Jesus continues to cast out demons in our lives; those demons we call vice. What vices do you need driven out from your life? Is it one of the seven deadly sins? Do you suffer from unresolved anger that bubbles to the surface in a moment’s notice? Or perhaps you envy the nice things/attributes possessed by others? Let’s not forget greed and gluttony; an overzealous desire for money, power, fame or food/drink. Maybe your “demons” are more sexually oriented, due to lust. Perhaps you just don’t give a darn about anything because you suffer from sloth. And then there is pride – the root of all evil – deemed the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. With pride, we exhibit a lack of humility, thinking we can handle everything on our own. Well, that’s a surefire sign of pride. Driving Out Demons We may suffer from some, or all, of these v

On Saturday I spoke at my community's Solemn Eucharistic Adoration for five minutes. I thought I would get more mileage out of the talk and use it for my post this week!  I hope you find it inspiring. . . . At one of our schools, a teacher was taking her little ones to chapel. As they passed classrooms, the teacher said, “Children be very quiet, so quiet that no one knows we are coming, not even Jesus.” As the children filed into chapel, suddenly one little girl called out, “Surprise!” She knew Jesus was there. Pagans worshiped gods of stone and wood, and we wonder how they could do that. Well, some people wonder how we Catholics can worship bread and wine! Because are blessed with the gift of faith. We believe that Jesus is really, truly present physically, sublimely in the Eucharist. We call this miracle the Real Presence. It is real, not fake news. When Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood,” we take his word for it. A Protestant woman once remarked, “

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I have always heard the mother is the heart of the family, especially a stay-at-home mother with a crew of kids, who also helps with a hobby farm. So why was I not missed when I spent hours locked in the chicken coop? You must first understand that even if this was a subconscious belief, I behaved as if a mother   was the most important member of the family. It took a drastic experience to shake me out of my arrogance. God has a sense of humour and will use any and all experiences to teach us. continue reading

Molly McBride is back! I was so excited to see Molly McBride and the Party Invitation , by Jean Schoonover-Egolf hit the shelves. This is Egolf’s third installment, in the Molly McBride series. I’m a big fan of Molly McBride, as I love her spunky attitude. I’ve enjoyed reading all three books, courtesy of Egolf. You can read my review of the first two books here . Molly McBride and the Party Invitation Now, let’s talk about Molly McBride and the Party Invitation. In this installment, Molly’s birthday is about to occur, and of course, we must have a party! Yet, Momma says that ALL of Molly’s classmates MUST be invited to the party. That includes that mean boy, named Sam. If Sam comes to the party, he’ll ruin it! What is Molly to do? How can she have a great party, AND make sure that Sam doesn’t come? What ensues is a tale of... Read more...

I'm a Christian. I take my faith seriously. That's why I think part of my job is evangelizing. Which doesn't necessarily mean I'm an evangelist. For some folks, an evangelist is someone like Saints Mark , Luke and John . "The Evangelist" often gets added to their name. Saint Matthew is an evangelist, too. So are Saints like Augustine of Hippo , Francis of Assisi , Francis Xavier and Thérèse of Lisieux . 1 "Evangelist" has quite a few meanings. Merriam-Webster says it's a Protestant minister or someone who enthusiastically advocates something. Oxforddictionaries.com adds "...the writer of one of the four Gospels...." I don't know about the 'enthusiastic' part, but I think sharing what I believe is a good idea. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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  A Story Tellers Guide to a Grace-Filled Life Tony Agnesi is a successful broadcast executive and  radio host from the state of Ohio in the USA. He gives generously of his free time to working with prisoners, the homeless and to anyone in need of the compassion and empathy that are the hallmarks of this remarkable man. His wife, Diane, shares his commitment to Christian ministry, serving on the board of the local pregnancy centre and  being involved in Eucharistic Adoration every week for over 25 years.     read on.....

Year B Christ Driving the Money-changers from the Temple   Rembrandt  [ 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 2:13-25 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us

March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. This is dear to my heart because I have Cerebral Palsy. So, in spirit of the increasing awareness, I thought I would share what Cerebral Palsy is and how it has affected me. (A post I published last year). ... CONTINUE READING ...

Someone left stenciled handprints on Maltravieso Cave wall. Quite a few 'someones,' apparently. Marking a wall can leave adolescent graffiti or murals like Orozco's "Omnisciencia." I think it's a very "human" thing to do. So do scientists. That's why most figured the folks who made cave paintings were like us: Homo Sapiens. That may be so, but it's not what a new analysis shows. If those stencils are as old as the research says they are, we're going to be reevaluating what "human" means. That got me thinking about art, being human, and a new species of bird that really is new. They didn't exist until a few decades back. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Image by niekverlaan (2014) via Pixabay , CCO Public Domain With Lent comes an emphasis on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The rice bowls or other ministry containers come home and we are reminded to take the money we save from fasting and give to the poor. Some people take this seriously and some people don’t. However, almsgiving is an important part of Lent ... CONTINUE READING ...

The Battle Against Yourself is a gripping real-life story from Greg J. Vogt. In Vogt’s debut novel, a memoir, he takes us from despair to hope, from sadness to happiness. He tells us of his battle with depression and attempts at suicide. It started in high school; with what many might overlook as typical teen angst. Yet, if we were to peel away at the layers of the onion, so to speak, we would see that Greg’s depression, at its root, stemmed from an internal feeling of lack of control, coupled with external factors/occurrences that sent him “off the deep-end.” Greg Vogt artfully articulates his internal loneliness, his low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness, brought on by those eternal factors that exasperated his situation. Rather Than Battle Against Yourself, Take Control I found Vogt’s story extremely compelling, authentic and well written. He doesn’t sugar-coat the harshness of reality; nor does he gloss over trivialities. His story is down-to-earth, and uplifting a

Sister Margaret Kerry reviews Heart to Heart with Mary , a daily devotional that makes excellent Lenten reading.  You can purchase this book for $12.00 by emailing the author at kglavich@ndec.org. If you like the book, kindly please place a sentence or two review of it on Amazon.   Click to continue

The secular world desperately needs to hear the perspective of Catholics on pressing issues, especially on the sanctity of human life. However, most religious authors write in a small niche, read mainly by fellow Catholics and perhaps a few other critics we would secretly love to block. An amusing analogy came to me the other day which clarifies this dilemma. Consider the life of an ant, not a queen ant, a worker ant. continue reading

For approximately one year, I have been reading the Diary of Saint Faustina. It started out as a Lenten practice to learn more about Christ’s mercy. Usually, I can read a book within a few days. However, in this instance, it’s taking me quite a long time to work my way through this book. It is so jam-packed with information concerning Christ’s mercy. I read a few pages, at a time, on Mondays, when I attend Adoration. Then I reflect on what Saint Faustina is trying to convey regarding how Christ’s mercy works, and why we should all be seeking mercy. Seeking Mercy – A Few Tips as to Why We Should From what I have read to date, here is what I want to share with you: Christ’s mercy is readily accessible to everyone willing to seek it from Our Lord. Jesus wants... Read more...  

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  En esta temporada de Cuaresma, nuestro Maestro inicia un camino en ascenso y con alto grado de dificultad. No es fácil porque implica mucho esfuerzo y preparación. Pero Él está dispuesto a todo con tal de enseñarnos cuál es la manera de obtener el triunfo. Si están de acuerdo, y quieren triunfar también, preparémonos para seguirlo. Y como seguirlo no es fácil, ¡hay que ponerse en forma! Intentaremos aprender de Él: seremos sus discípulos. ¡¿Y qué es ser un discípulo?! Es ser aprendiz y alumno destacado del Maestro. Para esto es necesario conocerlo e imitarlo. Iniciemos pues como discípulos, con Jesús el Maestro, el ascenso. La Cuaresma es el camino hacia la Pascua. (Y por cierto, ¿has oído hablar de Cristo? ¿Lo conoces? O naciste “creyente” por cultura familiar. Porque sólo una verdadera conversión personal nos hace discípulos. Y la Cuaresma es el tiempo por excelencia para convertirnos.) Pensemos como atletas. Ellos necesit

Today's Gospel, Mark 9:2 through 10 , describes the Transfiguration. I'll be talking about that. Partly. Also Peter, perceptions, and laundry detergent. It seems like a better idea than getting upset that not everybody calls the second Sunday in Lent "Transfiguration Sunday." Or that some folks read this part of the Gospel on a different Sunday. Or that we had a different second Sunday Gospel reading last year. Or that our Feast of the Transfiguration is August 6 this year. And is a Monday. Occasions for angst abound. I'd rather look at what today's Gospel says and what's been said about it. Then think for a bit and see what happens. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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