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Join me for this thought-provoking reflection on what it means to work within a church environment versus how we serve God in ordinary ways in our daily life.   In this episode of Cassidy Comments I talk about a musician I met who works with youth in a “pop-up” church, consider what Jesus had to say about acting from a rock solid foundation, and finally, I offer the words of St. Theresa of Avila as evidence that disciples are needed today to do the work of Christ.   God Bless, Janet Cassidy johnseven38@yahoo.com janetcassidy.blubrry.net

COMING TO TERMS A helpful post for those having to deal with bereavement CLICK HERE

As a mother of a large family, struggling to wash, dry, and fold three or four loads of laundry every day, I secretly wondered if there was an obscure saint, with little to do, who could fill in as my patron saint of missing socks. Little did I know, God was using the dilemma of unpaired socks to purify me because I was trying too hard to be the perfect mother and housekeeper. read more

The quality of your deeds determines the goodness of the fruit that you produce for Christ. In today’s Gospel from Matt 7:15-20, we hear Jesus ask a tongue-in-cheek question. “Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles” (Matt 7:16)? With this question, Jesus is warning us to be on watch for false prophets. How might we identify false prophets? We will know by their deeds, because good fruit cannot be borne from bad acts. Good fruit can only come from a good source. That is why grapes do not come from thornbushes. They come from the vine. Figs, associated with prosperity, well being and security (all good things) come from a fig tree; not a thistle. Both grape vines and fig trees require care, time and attention, as do our souls.  If we are to produce good fruit, as true prophets of Christ, then our words and deeds must be good. Jesus Asks if You are True Prophets of Christ If Jesus stood in front of you today and asked you if you produced good fruit, and thus

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Our four year old grandson came over the other day.   He collected all of our wooden coasters and decided to “hide” them around the house.   As you might suspect, a four year olds’ idea of hiding something is to pretty much leave them in plain sight. Once all of the coasters were “hidden” the game continued with the only logical rule—he would go and find them himself!   Interestingly he only collected six of the seven coasters, overlooking the last one.   His little two year old sister saved the day by finding the last one hidden in another room. Kids are so funny. Whenever we get a big rainstorm, he comes over to help my husband collect all of the branches that have fallen in the yard.   It’s a thing.   An important thing that they do together.   But, again, because he’s four, when that job eventually becomes uninteresting to him, he resorts to sitting on a corner rail of our deck playing dinosaurs. If you have ever seen a kid and his dinosaurs, you will know of what

The discourse within our society has reached a level of vitriol that I have not seen in my 60+ years on this planet. We hear the barbs on the nightly news. We read the foul language on social media. And then there is the face-to-face disagreements. Everywhere we turn, we come up against rude behavior.  When we cannot be civil with each other and thus, resort to name-calling, cursing and arguments, we have lost our way. It’s time that we take that unwanted rude behavior and change our ways to seek Courtesy. Courtesy is polite and respectful behavior towards others. Courtesy requires us to be considerate of others in both word and deed. It all comes down to following the Golden Rule: “ Do unto others as you would have them do unto you ” (Matt 7:12). If you do not want to be on the receiving end of rude behavior, then first and foremost, don’t dish it out! That’s one way to make the world a better place. Secondly, if someone is rude to you, don’t ... Read more...

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I am living in a fantastical delusion when I see myself as the centre of the universe, viewing everything as it circles around me. As believers, we sing and recite prayers that proclaim that God is the centre of all but our psychological make-up screams the exact opposite. I view people, events, history and yes even God through my eyes, judging what is right, trusting my thoughts and my feelings as the final judge of what is real. Most of us live in delusion. Even when we become aware of our narrow world view, it is almost impossible to let go of our deeply rooted assumptions and see reality. Actually, we can only see reality when we live in, with and through God. continue reading

Pope Benedict elevating the Body of Christ at Mass   [ Wikipedia ] But when, holding the Eucharist, I say 'Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world', I feel His strength in me. When I hold the Host in my hands, it is really He who is holding me and all of us, challenging the terrorists and keeping us united in His boundless love (Fr Ragheed Ganni, Iraqi martyr). Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Luke 9:11b-17 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)     Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a

We all experience prejudice. Sometimes we deliver it, and sometimes we receive it. Either way – not good. Sometimes prejudice is unconscious and not deliberate. Yet, for the person on the receiving end – there’s no difference. The pain caused by such vitriolic speech, and behavior, still stings. In our society, and across the world, this insidious behavior is rapidly on the rise; becoming acceptable in our discourse. And that, is totally unacceptable. Prejudice is not restricted to rearing its ugly head only in cases of race, gender or sexual orientation. Oh no – it can be far more subtle, yet just as insidious as the more overt expressions. For example: When you consider yourself superior in intelligence to someone else simply because you have a degree and the other does not. You express prejudice against that person. You discount what that person contributes. What does he/she know? When you consider yourself superior in status because you have a lovely home, and the other do

What if we started thinking like the executive of a Fortune 500 company who compared the effort he put into his secular job to the effort he put into his faith? This executive decided he would be fired from his job if he approached it the same way he approached his responsibilities as a disciple. This is good food for thought.  Pause with me a moment on this edition of Cassidy Comments and see if you are giving like the widow whose contribution Jesus praised, or if you would be fired from your job as a disciple!! If you enjoy these podcasts, please be sure to subscribe and share with a friend.  Don't forget to check out my blog at janetcassidy.blogspot.com.   As always, I welcome your comments! God bless, Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.blubrry.net janetcassidy.blogspot.com

Do you feel compelled to always be right? Does the slightest offense send you on a warpath? Do you find yourself complaining, a lot? Your common sense tells you that no one likes to be around a know-it-all. Nor, do others appreciate interacting with people who get so easily offended. And let’s face it, chronic complainers have few friends. So, if you exhibit any of this unwanted behavior, then it’s time to seek Magnanimity! Seek Magnanimity What is Magnanimity? It is the pursuit of honor and greatness, even in the presence of adversity, in correlation to one’s own ability. It is a call to use the talents given to us by God, to the best of our ability. Magnanimity pursues perfection of soul. To pursue honor and greatness, rather than pettiness, consider that it might be better to... Read more...

Can I just say, from where I sit in Michigan, I think I am ready to start complaining about being too hot.   I know that over the years I have favored the 75 degree mark, complained about the over-80 heat and humidity.    But, I think I’m ready, if given the chance to say once again it is too hot.   I’m waiting for that opportunity.   I have confidence that it will one day soon be possible. I now have to accept that we have officially skipped spring, as summer is coming next week and I am yet to plant my beans.   Because of the overabundance of rain, I will have to pot my tomato plants this year, rather than plant them in the ground.   The special area where I unintentionally feed the rabbits with my budding bean plants every year will not be able to outlast the sogginess. Speaking of rabbits, when I am not mad at them for eating my bean plants, I appreciate their cute fuzziness. The other day as my husband was transplanting plants, he dug a good size hole in our front gar

Have you ever run into a pushy person, on fire with the Lord, who insists that you have to take up their devotional practice?  You HAVE to do the Divine Mercy Prayer!  You HAVE to pray the rosary twice a day!  You HAVE to read scripture! What they don't realize is that instead of attracting you to the Lord, or showing you a meaningful way to pray, they make you want to run for the hills! Join me today for a balanced perspective and see if you can answer my question about a young adult's reason for feeling like she didn't belong.   In this episode of Cassidy Comments I will give you a gentle way to respond to that person who just doesn't know how to "let it go." Don't forget to subscribe and share with a friend! God bless, Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.blogspot.com janetcassidy.blubrry.net