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Happy feast day Blessed John Duns Scotus 8/11/2018 He saw so clearly that God had planned that his son, for whom the world was created, would be made flesh to live in and rule over that world as Christ the King. From this Duns Scotus argued that the very moment that God had made this decision, then that decision included a human mother, how else would he be made flesh? As Scotus put it – “If God wills an end, he must will the means.” This was obviously before creation had taken place in space and time, so his mother would have been conceived perfect in every way, as the mother of the Word to be made flesh, or if you like, Immaculate. read on.....

FREE ON KINDLE NOVEMBER 9-13. MY   CHRISTIAN NOVEL ABOUT TRUSTING GOD: "AMARANTH" https://www.amazon.com/Amaranth-J-Avila-ebook/dp/B00WSCJT64 Would you take an elixir that made you perpetually young and physically immortal? What if the price for it was your eternal soul? Billionaire Desmond Sceller acquires such a wonder drug. But when eighty-year-old Marie Long is rejuvenated by it against her will, she quickly discovers unending beauty and youth is not the paradise it seems. Sceller, however, intends on using the elixir to entice all mankind into submitting to his tyrannical control. When Marie and her grandson Peter unearth this evil scheme, they soon discover that only an extraordinary sacrifice on their part can free humanity from Sceller’s nefarious plan. For ages 13 and up.

The Widow's Mite , James Tissot  [ Wikipedia ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Mark 12:38-44 [or 41-44] ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)      [As Jesus taught, he said, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places,  and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets!  They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’ ] He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.  A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.  Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow h

One of the great mysteries of our Faith is the Holy Trinity. No matter how much we may scratch our heads, I doubt we’ll be able to understand it. Not that we are meant to, I suppose. This is because over the years we have treated the Holy Trinity as some sort of puzzle which we are meant to resolve, and once we do so, we gain a prize of some kind. Let’s see if I can shed some light on this mystery. CLICK HERE

Today would have been my parent’s 73 rd  wedding anniversary. I truly treasure them! Yet, there’s not much to celebrate, today, because they both passed away about 18 years ago. I lost my dad in August 1999, and my mom died 26 weeks later, on February 17, 2000. Together for 55 years, I can’t tell you the number of times my mom would say, “I’m going to leave him.” Yet, she never did! Then after he passed away, my mom felt lost without my dad. She didn’t want to live any more without him. She easily succumbed to an illness, and before I could catch my breath regarding my dad’s passing, I lost my mom too. It’s stunning how we tend not to appreciate what is right in front of us, until it’s gone. That was true for my mom, and it is true for me. My guess is that it just might be true for you, too. It is only in my parent’s absence, that I truly treasure the memories of their presence. For example, my dad was not a mushy, sentimental kind of guy. He was a man of little words. So, he was

Many people worldwide are gripped by fear. Maybe you fear something right now: a doctor visit, an impending hurricane, a performance or talk you must give, or the loss of a loved one. This strong emotion can be an asset when it protects us from danger. “Don’t go near the fire,” moms say. “You might get burned and end up in the hospital.”  Fear of falling keeps me from risking my life bungee jumping and scaling mountains. But most often, fear is negative—especially when it is fueled by imagination. Unfounded fears can keep us from being the best person we can be.  Fear have several harmful effects. They rob us of peace, erode our concentration, deprive us of sleep, and ruin our appetite. They take a toll on our mental and physical health. So how do we tame fears? Click to continue

VISIONS CLICK HERE

Charlotte’s Honor , by Ellen Gable, a sequel to  Julia’s Gifts , is set in wartime Europe during the summer of 1918. Here, we find Charlotte Zielinski, working as a nurse at a field hospital in France. In  Julia’s Gifts , Charlotte was a supporting character. Here in  Charlotte’s Honor , we see Charlotte, with her hopes and dreams, take center stage along with the reality of war. The days are long, and the work is hard, but Charlotte finds solace tending to the dying, as each takes their last breaths. Someone needs to be by their sides, as no one should die alone. As Charlotte tends to the dying, she meets young Dr. Paul Kilgallen. She’s smitten with him, and he’s smitten with her. However, there was this thing called a war that seemed to continuously get in the way of Charlotte and Paul’s developing relationship. Then, there is a third person, named Hannah, who was “determined to make him her own” (p. 25). Hannah would do anything to discredit Charlotte, so that Dr. “Tall and Ha

Nos está tocando vivir días inquietantes de atmósfera cargada, no solo por la contaminación, sino por tantos rumores encargados de desestabilizar al país y con él a sus habitantes. Nada tan nocivo como un bulo que empieza como chispa de un lugar oscuro en corazones perversos, en bocas malsanas que traman asustar, inquietar y destruir la paz y confianza de los hombres que con el esfuerzo cotidiano buscan dar empuje y un buen rumbo al país. leer mas...  

A YOUNG PROBLEM. YOU TRY AND SOLVE IT. IF YOU CAN !!! CLICK HERE

SHEMA YISRAEL ADONAI ELOHEINU ADONAI ECHAD [ U'SHEMO ECHAD ] V'AHAVTA ET HASHEM ELOHEICHA B'CHOL LEVAVCHA U'VCHOL NAFSHECHA U'VCHOL MEODECHA [YAIDA DAI YADA DAI YAIDADAI . . .] Hear, O Israel: The  Lord  is our God, the  Lord  alone. You shall love the  Lord  your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart (Deuteronomy 6:4-6). Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Mark 12:28b-34 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)      One of the scribes came near and asked Jesus, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’  Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;  you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and

  It is said that those who have been uncovering the truth about  the corruption in the Church, most particularly in high places, are the instruments of the devil because they scandalize the faithful. But the devil is the purveyor of lies not the truth. It is the Holy Spirit who is the purveyor of the truth, and those who speak the truth are acting in his  name, and those who refuse to listen are committing the sin against the Holy Spirit. read on.....

Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I believe that it is a holiday that has become completely distorted from its original intent. Halloween comes from the phrase, All Hallowed Eve, denoting the eve of All Saints Day; a day where we honor those who have journeyed before us, who won the crown of Heaven. In the 21 st  century, we now view October 31 st  as a day to trick or treat; to wear costumes hiding our real appearance and watch horror movies. I don’t like any of those things, as the root of how we spend the day is in glorifying evil. We do so by wearing fake blood with a fake hatchet sitting on top of our heads. We send our children out asking for candy from complete strangers; from the very people that we tell our children, on the remaining 364 days, to stay away from. Then we come home and turn on a horror movie like  Nightmare on Elm Street . Why do we do such things? Because evil is more understandable than the Divine. We can so easily relate to evil, as we are all sin

In Stephen Hawking’s last book, which will be published posthumously, he answers questions that he was asked most frequently. Among these is “Do you think God exists?” Hawking’s answer was essentially no, it is impossible that there is a god. This opinion of a renowned scientist contradicts what people of different cultures have believed down through the centuries. Humans have an innate sense that there is some high Being who created the world and has power over it. Primitive people worshiped spirits in trees and rivers, and some of them made their own gods out of wood and metal. The Romans and Greeks believed in a whole community of gods created in our likeness with Zeus Jupiter at the head. The Native Americans spoke to the Great Spirit. The Hindus have hundreds of “deities,” but these are only manifestations of the one God Brahmin. We Catholics, along with our Jewish and Muslim sisters and brothers, believe in one God. Click to continue

Discover that the Bible is not a collection of unrelated books, but one story. When I was asked to review  The Great Adventure Catholic Bible ,  I had no idea what I could possibly say about yet another version of Sacred Scripture. However, Ascension press managed to surprise me from the moment I received my copy. I had to laugh as I worked my through the weatherproof outer layer, not one but two boxes, and bubble wrap before I could lift the lid off a third box, a protective dust cover. Ascension Press ships this Revised Standard Version/Second Catholic Edition as if it is a precious gem, as they should. continue reading

In today’s Gospel from Luke 13:10-17, we see Jesus confronting synagogue leaders. They accuse Jesus of curing the sick on the Sabbath, as if that was a bad thing. Why? Because the leaders of the synagogue believe that such activity constitutes work, and work was forbidden on the Sabbath. Therefore, they think Jesus violated Jewish law. They did not correlate Jesus’ action to Jesus’ mercy. Jesus’ Mercy Abounds With great hindsight, and two thousand years of scriptural interpretation, we can look at this passage, and quickly come to judgment that the synagogue leaders were wrong in their thought process. The mercy that Jesus bestowed upon the woman that day was an act of love for neighbor on Jesus’ part. Through Jesus’ teachings, we have been trained to “love our neighbor” and to perform acts of charity. In today’s Gospel passage Jesus teaches us how to treat others. In verses 15-16 Jesus attempts to address the synagogue leader’s concerns by asking: Does not each one of you

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I heard few complaints when it was decided to have a 'Year of Mercy'. How could anyone complain about a year dedicated to asking God's mercy on us and on others. After all we are all sinners and Jesus himself was the first to be merciful to sinners - remember the story of the woman taken in adultery. However, I was not so happy with the idea when the editor of the international magazine for which I had been writing for the last fifteen years decided to begin this year of mercy by sacking me! read on....

Fr Gerard Dunn 15 December 1937 - 24 September 2018 With the passing of Fr Gerard (Gerry) Dunn on 24 September 2018 the Region of Britain of the Columbans lost one of its most memorable characters. Father Gerry was born on 15 December 1937 to a well-known Catholic family in Glasgow which had a mineral water business. He very much remained a Glaswegian at heart and in later years delighted in showing his fellow Columbans around his native city. St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow   [ Wikipedia ] After his early education, Father Gerry followed his father into the medical profession. Having qualified and practiced as a doctor in Glasgow for a relatively short time, he decided to embark on a different kind of healing ministry – as a Columban missionary priest. He went to St Columban's, Dalgan Park, County Meath, Ireland, in 1962 and was ordained on 21 December 1967.  Because of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain that year, ordinati