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Several decades back, while I was living with my parents in Moorhead, Minnesota, a radio announcer read the day's weather forecast.... After finishing the official forecast, the announcer paused before rhetorically asking "what? No burning hail?" Or maybe it was "fiery hail." Something like that.... ...Maybe it's the sudden and temporary sunshine, but I'm even almost upbeat about the COVID-19 pandemic. Folks here in Minnesota aren't dying of the disease nearly as fast as we were a month or two ago.... ...The politics thing is pretty much inevitable. There's a presidential election on, so sound and fury is the order of the day.... ' More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Are you a faithful church go-er? Do you dutifully say your prayers, read the bible and so forth? Doing all, or most of these things, is about half of the equation.   If you are doing them, good for you, but don’t let pride trick you into thinking you’re done growing in faith. If you do not do these things, maybe it is time to get going!   Explore what you do not know or understand! The reason I say this is because in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah (Chapter 29, Verse 13) the Lord indicates there is a problem if we honor him with our lips alone, or if our heart is far from him, or if our reverence for him has become a “routine observance” of precepts. In other words, it is dangerous for us to simply go through the motions, disconnected from God and others.   If you are doing everything you have been taught to do in order to be a good Christian, but you are doing it without love for your neighbor, purposefulness, or in relationship with Jesus, you are really only be

As so many of you undoubtedly discovered a few months ago as the pandemic unfolded, there is something unnatural about having to stay away from your parents, children and grandchildren. While keeping our distance from family and friends can be hard, responsibly doing so is an act of respect.   Ethically speaking, putting the needs of others before our own is a great sign of Christian charity. Everyone is experiencing Covid fatigue.   We are all tired of it, but it is an unhealthy response to give in to temptation and simply do whatever we feel like, regardless of its impact on others. But I digress. I read something the other day that made me so sad.   An author used the term “the untouchables” when referring to residents in nursing homes. It can be so lonely for the residents, as well as their families, when they cannot be in physical contact with their loved ones. When I was a young adult, I was standing in my mom’s kitchen, receiving a well-needed hug.  

It’s July and the year is half over. So, why does it feel like this year is taking forever to slog through? Could we be suffering from the summertime blues? I, for one, dislike the heat. However, I think it is more than that. Our country has had to deal with an impeachment of a President (forgot about that already?), a deadly virus, civil unrest, massive unemployment, and an unsteady stock market. With all this upheaval, what can we count on? Uncertainty! Summertime Blues As we move to the second half of the year, I think the summertime blues will continue. Governmental corruption continues. The deadly virus resolutely waits to pounce. Systemic racism requires time and hard work to address properly. And unemployment and stock market movements sputter up and down. How can we cope in such times as these? Turn to God I’m the type of person who feels compelled to fix things. I’m a problem solver. However, with all this uncertainty and upheaval, I’m overwhelmed. So, in times lik

The Sower (June 1888) Vincent van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] Listen! A sower went out to sow . .  . Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 13:1-23 or 13:1-9 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake.  Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.  And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.  But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away.  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the