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The Virgin Mary El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] 'The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the  depth of the Gospel message in its entirety , of which it can be said to be a compendium. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial  Magnificat  for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people  sits at the school of Mary  and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.' [St John Paul II,  Rosarium Virginis Mariae , No 1. ]  The Rosary here is the formula prayed by members of the  Legion of Mary , the way I prefer. There are various ways of beginning and ending the Rosary but the Five Mysteries are the heart of the prayer.  In the name

I was finishing up a puzzle one day and I saved the last two pieces for my husband to put in when he came back to it.   He had done most of it anyway and I didn’t feel right putting in those last pieces. There’s something about putting in that last piece that seems sort of triumphant. I am hoping that by telling you how nice I was in leaving those pieces for him, you won’t judge me when I tell you the thing I did that wasn’t so nice. Our oldest daughter is home for a little while and she and my husband were working diligently to finish up a 1500 piece puzzle.   I had helped here and there, but this thing was massive and extremely hard. So anyway, as they were down to the last 10 pieces or so, I walked up and leaned over the table to look at it.   The devil came over me and I simply could not resist his powerful draw.   As I leaned over the table, with a quick sleight of hand, I pocketed one of the pieces, unbeknownst to them, and innocently returned to my place

I like the example set by Gov. Andrew Cuomo regarding the paying forward of gratitude. When Oregon supplied New York with 140 ventilators, so that New York could get through its peak of the coronavirus, Gov. Cuomo stated that he would pay it forward.  Since then, New York has shipped ventilators to multiple states. Finding ways to pay forward your gratitude is a virtue worth emulating. Pay Forward Your Gratitude When you feel grateful, how do you express your gratitude? There are many ways to do it, from sending a thank you note, to paying it forward. Think of the cancer survivor, filled with gratitude for having been cured of cancer. What does that person want to do? That cancer survivor wants to help those who come after them get to where they are at – free of cancer.  How do they do that? They mentor those going through the process now. Why? Well, they appreciated those who were there for them, when they needed assistance most. They pay it forward. What about the students,

Have you caught John Krasinski’s SGN videos online?   One of the stars of the show “The Office” decided we need Some Good News so he started making funny videos that only report the good things happening around the globe. And speaking of the globe, he begins each episode by spinning a small globe.   As he began his latest episode, he started joking about how people were being so mean to him online.   Apparently some careful viewers realized he was spinning his little globe backwards! I always find it amazing when people notice things like this.   I’ve watched several episodes of his show, and not once did it occur to me that the globe was being spun backwards.   Admittedly, I’m not sure I would have even realized that was the case, even if I had been paying that close of attention. On Krasinski’s SGN show, he recently took the bad news that kids are not having proms and decided to put on a virtual prom for them.   He also gives uplifting reports of people doing good, rec

  I re-watched the Bishop Robert Barron video about people who are considered unaffiliated.  These are people who do not see a need for church and sometimes do not even believe in God at all.  They just don't see the connection between God and their life. The video also reveals that too often, people think that science and religion cannot coexist.  This is not true, of course, and it is not what the church teaches at all.  But for those for whom science provides the ultimate truth, they do not recognize the possibility that the church always seeks the truth, and in doing so, is not separated from science. I think an important point made in the video is that science and religion are not one and the same.  They cannot be exchanged, one for the other.  They coexist, but they do different things.  It is not wise to take up one without the other. The picture above reminds me of the chaos of the world coming into being.  For many people today, this beg

Apostle St Philip El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.' (John 14:8). Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)           Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   John 14:1-12 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada) Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe [ a ]  in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’   Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I a