Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Reading Psalm 97, I got stuck on this verse (7): “All who serve idols are put to shame, who glory in worthless things.” When you prayerfully read scripture there is a form of prayer called Lectio Divina that involves meditation and contemplation.   Bishop Robert Barron explains it in his video on the Coronavirus, but there are others who do so also. Anyway, I got stuck on glorying in “worthless things.”   If I asked you—“Quick, describe any worthless things in your life”—what would you say?   Take a minute to think about it. In Lectio Divina, there is nothing quick about exploring these things.   You take time, sitting in silence, open to any word or prompting that might rise to the surface. It is hard for us, I think, to identify what we might imagine to be worthless, because if we truly thought something was worthless, we wouldn’t give it our time or attention, right?   It might not even be in our life, because everything we give glory to has value, right?

Back in the 4 th century there was a Roman emperor who received training as a Christian but, recalling a “massacre of his kinsfolk,” became severely anti-Christian. The reason I mention him is because I find it fascinating that this Julian (known as Julian the Apostate) recognized the good that Christians were doing and urged the pagans of the time to copy their values. Julian formed a hierarchy.   He wanted pagans to practice the Christian values of charity and mercy.   He instituted a permanent Roman priesthood.   He started hospitals and had his Roman priests care for the poor and sick.   He wouldn’t allow Christians to do charitable works and forced Romans to give alms. But here’s the problem.   While having pagans imitate the works and practices of Christians, he did not share the Christian motivation for the gospel.   It was all smoke and mirrors, with very little substance in regards to genuine Christian charity and love of God. In today’s gospel (Matthew

When faced with difficult moral choices, where there seems to be only sinful options, prayer and discernment will see you through. Take for example, a relative dying from cancer. Everything that could be done to save this relative’s life has been done. Death is immanent. A decision needs to be made as to whether to give a heavy dose of morphine to the relative. If you allow the doctor to give the morphine to your dying relative, death will surely hasten. If you do not allow the doctor to give the morphine to your relative, death will eventually come, but the patient will die in excruciating pain. What do you do? Making Difficult Moral Choices We can apply the Principle of Double Effect to the decision-making process. If you can answer yes to all four of the following questions, then the Principle of Double Effect applies, and the resulting decision does not create a sin. Let us use the example above to explore this concept: Question #1:... Read more...

Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art] First Reading,  Jeremiah 20: 10-13 Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Matthew 10:26-33 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) Jesus said to the Twelve: ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.  What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.  Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.     Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father.  And even the hairs of your head are all counted.  So do not be afraid; you are of more valu

How would you feel if God treated with compassion and mercy—equal to that which he has given you—those people in your life that have not been very nice to you, or worse yet, have intentionally caused you harm? Isn’t there just a little part of you (or more) that would feel betrayed if someone who has “persecuted” you didn’t get their just reward?   It is almost ingrained in us that justice is something accomplished through punishment, or sometimes, determined by our emotional response. But justice in the eyes of God looks different than we might hope—unless of course it is being applied to us! As we continue in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5 , we learn from Jesus that we are supposed to love those who work against us and pray for them as well. Does that mean that God’s form of justice is just letting everybody off the hook, a sort of universal lovefest? Well, not exactly.   Jesus says that the sun rises on the bad and the good and rain falls on the just and the un

With all that we see on the news these days, it is easy to slip into despair, a feeling of hopelessness. Yet, we cannot lose hope! No matter how bad things seem, the light is ahead of us; the darkness will ebb. As Winston Churchill so aptly exclaimed: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” There are better days ahead. So, keep looking forward and move toward God. Despair or hope – It is your choice! I choose hope. Despair or Hope God wants nothing but good things for us. He tells us as much in Scripture: For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe!  Plans to give you a future full of hope . (Jer. 29:11). So, do not despair. Know that God has plans for you, and a purpose worthy of honor. Therefore, you will do great things for the glory of God. So, no matter how gloomy life may seem, hold onto hope, a hope in Christ. We Make A Series of Choices Daily Each day, we wake up and make a series of choices. We can aw

I’m really stuck on a Josh Groban song called Granted .   The lyrics are so powerful and very fitting for anyone pondering their life.   In fact, a couple of years ago, someone named Daniel Gillis left a comment under this video.   H e said: “This song means so much to me. I used to be suicidal, and I nearly threw almost my entire life away. Today, I'm living with the knowledge that, in my darkest night, God sent me light. When I was about to give up, God loved me enough to send help. He sent me an angel in the form of a new friend. My life was a storm that almost drowned me, and He calmed it. I was blind to all the happiness and blessings in my life, but He restored my sight. Because my life almost ended, I've seen the joy that I almost left behind, and I'm seeing more of it everyday. I am now fighting every day to take nothing for granted. Life is a time to learn, to chase dreams, and to discover yourself. There's simply no time to take anything for granted. Th