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How is it even possible to be grateful during these dark days of the Coronavirus?   I mean, people are really suffering.   Some people are getting critically ill and thousands of people are dying. I was thinking about this today as I was reflecting on Psalm 149, which is the Responsorial Psalm for today’s Mass. During a Catholic Mass, we hear a reading from the Book of Psalms.   On weekdays, the “responsorial Psalm” comes between the first reading and the Gospel (there is no second reading during the week.)   On Sundays, the responsorial Psalm comes between the first and second reading. Psalm 149 is very thought-provoking and inspirational when you look at history. This song reflects back to Exodus when God’s people were saved as they left Egypt and had to cross the Red Sea.   Moses and the Israelites sang out to God in gratitude for his triumph over the Egyptians who had been chasing them (the Egyptians drowned by divine intervention).   They were so happy that the

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God created this world, and all that it offers, for the benefit of everyone, and not for a select few. This concept actually has a name: The Universal Destination of Goods. Its underlying meaning is that “created goods goes hand-in-hand with the moral obligation to help those in need.”  1  Therefore, it is important to share with others what you have in the spirit of generosity. Spirit of Generosity We’ve heard it all before, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” What does that result in? It results in income inequality, and a greater divide amongst the members of society. Do you think that God placed you on this earth to see how much money you could accumulate? Or, did He place you here, to see how much toilet paper you could hoard?  I think not! If we were to calculate riches based upon the number of virtues you could master, then we’re talking about what is important to God. Developing a spirit of generosity would be a good place to start. If we all mastered virtues

“ Y si Cristo no resucitó, vana es entonces nuestra predicación, vana es también vuestra fe.” 1 Cor 15:14. La resurrección de Jesús es la base de la fe católica y la certeza de la divinidad de Jesús. San Pablo bien hace en subrayar la importancia del hecho, pero ¿dónde encontrar pruebas históricas de este gran acontecimiento que cambia todo el sentido de nuestra vida y del mundo entero? Los propios Evangelios proveen evidencias de hechos que apuntan a la resurrección de Jesús como su única explicación. Pero supongamos por un momento, que solo fue una invención calenturienta de los apóstoles o de algún otro personaje de la época. Para lograr que su esfuerzo calculado de mantener la ilusión y probar que Jesús era el Mesías esperado debían tener elementos y argumento sólidos acordes al pensamiento de la época. Y en los sucesos se notan errores graves al plan:  leer más...  

The Last Supper Rubens [ Web Gallery of Art ] John 13:1-17:26 Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)             Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   John 14:15-21 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada) Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever.  This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.  In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.  They who have my commandments and

Do you love others like you love a pepperoni pizza, or do you practice a selfless love like Jesus did? What Jesus did for us, and what he asks us to do for each other, goes far beyond the way we think of love today. In today's episode of Opening God's Word I look at how our seemingly ordinary acts of service can be transformed into acts of genuine, sacrificial love. I hope you have a blessed day in God's Word! Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.blogspot.com janetcassidy.blubrry.net

Many years ago when we established our Lay Dominican group, we had to decide on a name.   We decided to pray about it and then put everyone’s suggestion in a bowl and whatever name we drew out was the name we agreed to use. Was this divinely inspired or a random selection? I was thinking about this today in light of the first reading from Acts of the Apostles (Chapter 1) where lots are drawn to replace Judas (who had betrayed Jesus). It does seem that we used a modern-day lots-casting to choose the name of our group.     Anyway, I started researching the practice of lots, which, as usual, led to more questions.   It was a practice used in the Old Testament for selecting leaders, but as I mentioned, was also used in today’s New Testament reading. I highly recommend this short video by Catholic Apologist Jeff Cavins on this subject and its practice. Is it something we should do today? Like our Lay Dominican group, prayer to the Holy Spirit should be our prac