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Today marks the 20 th  anniversary of the passing of my father. I never stopped missing my dad over these past twenty years. He was a quiet man of little words, but when he did speak, I would listen. I learned at a young age, to not ask for my dad’s opinion, unless I really wanted it. You see, he kept things to himself, unless asked. I remember writing a fifth-grade essay, for which I was very proud of my efforts; so proud, that I asked my father to read it and tell me what he thought. Of course, he would love it because I thought it was so good. NOT! Oh, did he give me an earful of commentary. Humbly, I went away making the corrections. I don’t remember the grade for that essay, but I do remember the value I placed upon my father’s opinions. I treasure them. My dad’s words of wisdom greatly impacted my life. Today, I am a published author and editor of self-published manuscripts. My Dad and His Words of Wisdom From fifth grade on, I listened well to my father, and took his w

Las mujeres lesbianas han captado la atención por décadas , pero solo como un apéndice de los movimientos LGBTI, que parecieran haber logrado solucionar los problemas de discriminación de esta pequeña parte de la población, pero sacrificando la salud de muchos. Pequeña, sí, pues a nivel mundial, solo el .0012 de la población son mujeres lesbianas , de la cual , el .0008 mas bien son bisexuales (1). Estos movimientos politicosociales, al ser sobrerepresentados han derivado en mayor exposición a riesgos de salud y de vida de muchas jóvenes y niñas a las que ahora se les presenta como una “ opción liberadora” de un “menú” de como ejercer su sexualidad y además glamorosa y sin mayor repercusiones. leer más...

As you may know by now, I like to collect quotes.   Well, as might be expected, I found a piece of paper the other day with a quote on it from the movie As Good as it Gets .   I have no idea how it ended up on my desk because I don’t remember watching the movie recently, but then again, I don’t really remember yesterday, so no surprise there. Anyway, it comes from the character Jack.   He says, “I’m drowning and you’re describing the water.” Isn’t that a great quote? I have no idea of the context of his line in the movie, but whenever lines like that jump out at me, I have to write them down. Jack’s line makes me think of how unhelpful we can be sometimes to those who are in crisis. If you take his drowning metaphorically, it could mean any number of things. Maybe the person you work with is drowning emotionally.   Maybe the stranger you meet on the street is struggling just to get by.   Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or desperate. Then there are those th

The Corn Harvest (detail) Pieter Bruegel the Elder  [ Web Gallery of Art ] The land of a rich man produced abundantly (John 12:16). Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Luke 12:13-21 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)     Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’  But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’  And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’  Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly.  And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?”  Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and bui

Have you ever been faced with a change that was hard for you to accept?    Would you agree that sometimes change can be pretty messy? In today’s episode of Cassidy Comments I recall a change the Catholic Church made in regards to standing after receiving Holy Communion and then I move into the current difficulty we have today as a civil body struggling to become unified. I highlight the most important thing we can do if we really want to achieve unity. As I mentioned in this podcast, here is the link to the TED talk by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.  Be sure to check it out!  Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.blubrry.net johnseven38@yahoo.com

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  I found myself trying to speak rationally to someone the other day that was being irrational.   Why do we try to do that?   It never gets us anywhere and you’d think I’d know that by now. It really only causes frustration.   It doesn’t usually end with any worthwhile resolution. I have found there are times when walking away is really the only way to stay civil if, after a sound attempt, you are moving toward the point of no return. In my recent exchange, I found myself asking the person, “Why are you mad at me?   Why are you talking to me like that?” which quickly spiraled into, “Why do you have such a bad attitude?” As you might have guessed, that really didn’t work out so well, so, taking my mother’s advice, I turned her wheelchair around and together we left. Now the only reason I bring this up is because it is important for us to have the wherewithal to recognize when we are on the edge of sinning.   When we think in those terms, it helps us stop from go

My husband held the nest out to me. "Feel how soft it is inside." I touched the coarse pine needles woven into a perfect shallow bowl. The exterior felt rough, like bark, and blended into the trunk and boughs of the nectarine tree where the parent birds had painstakingly built the nest. Inside, the softest grasses, layered with moss, formed a lovely cushion for their young nestlings. I don't think it's a coincidence that my husband found the nest and presented it to me just minutes after I returned home from church after hearing Luke 11: 1-13. Parent birds know to give their children good things like a soft nest -- how much more does God care for us, His children? A few thoughts today on The Gift that He Gives at Writer Jeanne Grunert .

Today is the Feast of Saint Martha, sister of Lazarus and Mary, and friend of Jesus. Martha always gets compared to her sister, Mary, for Martha was the diligent sister who attended to the household chores. Mary, on the other hand, cast those chores aside to sit at the feet of Jesus, whenever He spoke. From today’s passage, however, both women cast aside their chores to grieve the death of their brother, Lazarus. When Jesus arrives to visit with Martha and Mary, Jesus conducts an interchange with Martha that should enlighten the faith within us all. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:23-26). Saint Martha and the Testimony of Faith On the heels of this major declaration, Jesus asks this piercing question: “Do you believe t

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I was talking to someone the other day who I am fast considering to be the king of analogies.   In our conversation about faith, he offered this one—off the cuff—to describe the challenges of introducing others to Jesus who are not interested in testing the waters of faith. He said it is like getting a grandchild who insists they do not like gravy, to try it.   It goes like this: Grandpa:   Why don’t you try some gravy on those mashed potatoes? Grandson:   I don’t like it. Grandpa:   How do you know?   Have you tried it? Grandson:   No, I haven’t tried it, but I know I don’t like it. Grandpa:   Here, just try a little bit. Grandson tries it and decides he likes Grandpa’s gravy.    What a perfect analogy!   How many people have made a decision that they want no part of “religion” without even knowing what it means to have faith? Like Grandpa, people of faith struggle with how to offer that small, bite-sized portion.   Too often, we pile it on and sm

I was talking to someone the other day who I am fast considering to be the king of analogies.   In our conversation about faith, he offered this one—off the cuff—to describe the challenges of introducing others to Jesus who are not interested in testing the waters of faith. He said it is like getting a grandchild who insists they do not like gravy, to try it.   It goes like this: Grandpa:   Why don’t you try some gravy on those mashed potatoes? Grandson:   I don’t like it. Grandpa:   How do you know?   Have you tried it? Grandson:   No, I haven’t tried it, but I know I don’t like it. Grandpa:   Here, just try a little bit. Grandson tries it and decides he likes Grandpa’s gravy.    What a perfect analogy!   How many people have made a decision that they want no part of “religion” without even knowing what it means to have faith? Like Grandpa, people of faith struggle with how to offer that small, bite-sized portion.   Too often, we pile it on and sm

Man Praying , van Gogh  [ 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   Luke 11:1-13 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)     Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name.      Your kingdom come.      Give us each day our daily bread.        And forgive us our sins,          for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.      And do not bring us to the time of trial.’ And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.”   

If we struggle with impure thoughts, then the first thing we need to do is to develop respect for another’s dignity, as well as our own dignity, and not partake in illicit sexual fantasies. For some, refraining from engaging in impure thoughts can be a daunting task, as lustful behavior can be addictive. Anyone who suffers from any kind of addiction knows how hard it is to break the habit. Yet, it must be done to move from lustful behavior to a state of purity. To break any bad habit, we call on the Holy Spirit for some extra strength and assistance to break the chains and bondage of lust and seek purity. Seek Purity To seek purity, we must first embrace the virtues of Modesty and Temperance. We embrace Modesty because Modesty demonstrates self-respect. If we can’t even respect ourselves, then how can we respect the dignity of others?  We also embrace Temperance because Temperance... Read more...