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Christ Healing the Blind (detail) , Lucas van Leyden  [ 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   Mark 10:46-52 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’  Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’  Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’  So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.  Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to d

Fr Thomas J. Vaughan 20 February 1928 - 13 September 2018 Fr Thomas J. Vaughan died peacefully on 13 September  2018 at St. Elizabeth Manor, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA. Cathedral of St Paul, Saint Paul, MN  [ Wikipedia ] Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, he was the son the late Patrick and Kathleen (Fuller) Vaughan. He is survived his sister Loretta Gallagher as well as many nieces, nephews, friends and brother priests. He was also the brother of the late Patrick Vaughan, Muriel Vaughan, Donna Marie Smith, Richard Vaughan, Jerome Vaughan, Mary Alice Vaughan,and Delores Gibbons. Cretin-Derham High School, Saint Paul   [ Wikipedia ] [Cretin High School and Derham Hall  amalgamated in 1987 ] Fr Vaughan was a graduate of Cretin High School, Saint Paul, and then  served in the US Army. He went on to graduate from the  College of St Thomas before joining the Society of Saint  Columban and was ordained in 1956. He served mainly in the Philippines but also in

In today’s Gospel, from Luke 12:39-48, we learn of the parable of the faithful and prudent steward. When the master is away, some stewards fulfill their responsibilities. The master deems such people as trustworthy and capable of performing more important tasks. Other servants use the opportunity to take advantage of their positions and treat the staff cruelly. We can apply this parable to how we act in the workplace when the boss is away on business. How trustworthy are we to faithfully fulfill our responsibilities? If Jesus were standing in front of you now, would He be able to declare you as a faithful and prudent steward of the gifts He has given to you? He has blessed you with prudence, courtesy, kindness and many other virtues. Do you make use of these gifts by always treating others fairly? Even when the boss is away? Or do you place little value on what God has blessed you with to do your job? Instead, you deem it too burdensome to care for, and cultivate God’s gifts. B

In the excitement of creating elaborate Halloween displays, designing costumes, carving pumpkins, and buying enough candy to last the night, the original meaning of Halloween might be forgotten or overlooked—except at schools where children dress up as saints! Halloween is the eve before the feast of All Saints. Hallowed means holy, as in the Our Father’s “hallowed be Thy name.” Halloween = Hallowed eve. November 1 is the day we celebrate all of the saints from the oldest to the youngest, the most popular to the forgotten, the powerful to the meek and humble, those canonized centuries ago, and those canonized this month like St. Pope Paul VI and St. Oscar Romero. We Catholics regard those who have shown the way to be holy on earth as models and inspirations but also as friends. We ask them to pray for us for trivial things such as losing our key for the umpteenth time and for serious matters like conquering cancer. Click to continue

We have all asked that proverbial question: Who am I? The answer can be telling. Do we describe ourselves by our profession (doctor, lawyer, banker, professor, etc.)? Perhaps we describe ourselves by our possessions, or lack thereof (rich, poor, educated, uneducated, etc.). Or, might we describe ourselves as a child of God, a loving spouse and parent, etc.? The answer you give to this question, and the basis upon which you draw your answer, shines a light on what you value. In today’s Gospel from Luke 12:13-21, Jesus wants to impart upon those listening that it is not the sum of your possessions that matter, but whether you value what matters to God. Read more...

I really wish Celeste Behe’s talk on  Forgiveness  for the  Catholic Conference 4 Moms  existed a long time ago. Before listening to her presentation, if a young mother came to me wondering how to teach her children how to forgive and how to be forgiven, I would be left scrambling for an answer with my mind blank for a more than a few minutes. However, Celeste makes it seem easy by presenting practical tips to help mothers teach even the youngest child about forgiveness. continue reading

If you were stopped in the street by Opinion Survey people and they asked you, "Who is Jesus?" What would you reply? CHECK YOUR ANSWER HERE

Call of the Sons of Zebedee , Marco Basaiti  [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   Mark 10:35-45 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’  And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my

CELEBRITY ATHEISTS WHAT? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT

ARE YOU WAITING? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING? HOW MUCH LONGER WILL YOU WAIT? BETTER CLICK HERE I THINK

The following prayer is entitled "17th Century Nun's Prayer" and its source is unknown.  Although it seems intended for nuns, the sound advice it gives in the form of a prayer is applicable to anyone on the face of the earth. See what gems you can cull from it for your own life: click to continue Lord, Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.

As a Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Coordinator, I get a lot of questions about marriage, divorce and the need for annulments. Unlike some of our Protestant brethren, Catholics believe that marriage is a sacrament, instituted by God, at the dawn of mankind (Gen. 2:24) and reaffirmed by Christ (Matt 19:6). We also believe that it is a covenantal commitment between husband, wife and God, meant to last for a lifetime. In that covenantal relationship, God blesses the union of man and woman, and seals it with an unbreakable marriage bond. Therefore, sexual sins, conducted outside of the marriage covenant, can be a real deterrent to getting to Heaven. Purposes and Properties of Marriage Based upon the Catholic understanding of marriage, Catholics see two purposes of marriage:  Read more...

Today is the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila, a 16 th  century Spanish nun, who with Saint John of the Cross, reformed the Carmelite Order. Together, they established eleven convents throughout Spain between 1567 and 1576. Then in 1580, Teresa of Avila received papal approval to establish the Discalced Carmelite Order, which adopted a more austere lifestyle than the Carmelites. With the establishment of this new Order, Teresa opened five additional convents, prior to her death in 1582. She received much scrutiny and disbelief for having claimed to receive visions from God. Not to be daunted, she put pen to paper, documenting her interpretation of her visions. As a result, today, we have one of the finest works on Catholic spirituality to draw from in her book,  Interior Castles . Her writings are inspirational. Because of the theological insights found within Saint Teresa of Avila’s writings, she has been named a Doctor of the Church. Read more...

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Mucho se dice que, dentro d e la Iglesia Cat ólica la equidad no se conoce, y menos la equidad de género. Mucho se argumenta que no hay lugar para las mujeres y que los hombres tienen los “nombramientos” más importantes. La reciente canonización de 7 beatos en el Vaticano nos deja ver lo contrario. Personas de las más diferentes características, orígenes razas, edad, sexo, color de piel, vocación, pero todas con un mismo anhelo de vivir en Cristo, fueron celebradas dentro de la Iglesia universal. (1) E l Papa Francisco canoniz ó a 7 beatos, entre ellos el Papa Pablo VI, Mons. Oscar Arnulfo Romero Arzobispo de San Salvador, Nazaria Ignacia de Santa Teresa de Jesús religiosa de Bolivia, P. Vincenzo Romano sacerdote italiano, María Caterina Kasper religiosa alemana, Francesco Spinelli sacerdote italiano, y el jóven italiano Nunzio Sulprizio . (2) ¿ Dónde más se ha podido ver que se entrega el máximo reconocimiento y premio de vida a la máxim

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This Sunday's Gospel in Filipino Sign Language Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Mark 10:17-30 [or Mk 10:17-27] ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’    Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.  You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.”’  He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’  Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;