Association Of Catholic Bloggers

     This week’s bible readings have been quite a rich collection!   Here’s a taste of some of the fantastic tidbits that speak right to the heart: First, the pleading, from Psalm 51:14, 16, 17 “Restore my joy . . . Rescue me from death . . . Open my lips” And this, one of my favorites, from the 36 th Chapter of Ezekiel (23-28): “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” And we can’t forget the passage about the dry bones ( Ezekiel 37 :1-14) which gives a prophesy that is so uplifting!   In this passage, the prophet is led by the Spirit into a land where he is

  Have you heard the idiom “Ignorance is not an excuse?” Well, there is some truth to that when it comes to understanding the depths of one’s sins. In the Catholic faith, we even have a specific name for it: Vincible Ignorance. We define Vincible Ignorance as the “lack of knowledge regarding some aspect of the moral law because of a failure of due diligence on our part.”  1  Vincible Ignorance applies when we fail to seek the necessary knowledge and understanding to grasp the consequences of our actions and the negative impact said actions will have on ourselves and others. We are still culpable, but to a lesser extent for lack of knowledge. Let’s take an example and apply it to the concept of Vincible Ignorance: As a bank auditor (in my past life), I audited several different departments of the bank. On this hypothetical assignment, I had to hit the ground running, with no time to learn the business. As I progressed through my work, I saw something that looked odd to me. However, I ne

    A word of warning from the Book of Ezekiel (Chapter 34, Verse 15) for all of those who are entrusted with leading others . . . care for them!   A sure path to chaos is when we “pasture” ourselves while the sheep are running wild! How is that relevant to those of us who have no sheep? Well, every one of us has sheep in our lives.   Whether you are a factory worker, a parent, or a cook, God has given you a job—but I don’t mean one that requires you to earn a paycheck. Can you think of any role that is without some level of responsibility?   You may not have authority, but you do, indeed, have a responsibility. Today’s scripture passage makes it quite clear that we should “strengthen the weak” and “heal the sick” and “bind up the injured.”   We are supposed to be bringing back those who have strayed, and seeking out the lost. Here’s the great news—When we are the sheep who are scattered everywhere, wandering aimlessly, “unpastured,” the Lord will come and claim us.   In f

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    As we were visiting my mother-in-law at her residential living place recently, we stood to leave.   As she started to walk back into her building, a sock-footed elderly gentlemen that we did not know came out. He looked over at us and asked if we could stay.   We couldn’t because we were leaving to meet someone, but we stayed for a minute and tried to talk with him. I say tried because he was nearly deaf.   He couldn’t hear a thing we said.   But what he said was disturbing and so indicative of the problem we have today. He told us he was bored.   In fact, he actually said, “I’m lonely.”   It broke our hearts.  He was so vulnerable. You see they have been quarantined on the grounds of their residence since the pandemic started.   Their home has done a terrific job of keeping the home 100% virus-free, but it is a double-edged sword, as is obvious by our exchange with this man. It was so sad to hear him talk about being lonely.   I wish we could have stayed, but the home’

  Expressing greediness, at the expense of others, is a lonely existence. All you care about is how much money you have, or how you can get more. You erroneously think that money can take the place of love to fill the gaping hole in your heart. You spend too much energy looking in the wrong place. And it does not make you look good. Why? Because greediness is an insidious, unsightly trait. So, rather than living a life filled with greed, become gracious. Become Gracious To move from a life of greediness to a life of graciousness, the first step is to acknowledge that you cannot achieve happiness with money. In 1959, Frederick Herzberg proposed his Theory of Motivation, stating that money is a satisfier, but not a motivator. It is the desire for money that is the motivator, but the actual money, itself, once received, quickly loses its power over the human psyche. A greedy person is infatuated with the desire for more money. A greedy person will never have enough money. And money cannot

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      Una reflexión indispensable en esta "Nueva Realidad" de mucha higiene, protección y desinfección para cuidar nuestras vidas y las de los demás. Y es que en la Vida Interior , que es la Vida de nuestra alma, sucede lo mismo. Para proteger nuetra alma y vida interior hay que aprender a vivir en la Nueva Realidad Interior. Y el peso de la pandemia nos hace también buscar esa fuerza interior que en pasado ha detenido calamidades y pestes, para pedir a Dios el fin de la del COVID 19.  Por P. Daniel Heenan. 

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    Recently our piano started getting a buzz in a few of its keys.   Time to call the piano tuner! In the past (pre-electronic tuning), whenever the tuner came to the house, the process was—by necessity—quite an assault on the ears. Bang, bang, bang.   On it would go for about an hour.   The house was filled with so much noise I could hardly here myself think!   But, thankfully, when the tuner was finished, the noise was always replaced by sweet music! I’ve been accused over the years of having a house that is too quiet.   Our television is in the basement, which means our main living space upstairs has very little, if any, noise going on around us.   I know that some people would say they cannot stand the quiet.   They need background noise in order to function.   They say that silence is deafening. But for me, the opposite is true.   It can be hard for me to have a conversation if a television is blaring in the background.   When I work, I’m a huge fan of silence.   I don’

The Canaanite Woman Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry [ Wikipedia ] The Solemnity of the Assumption, 15 August, is a Holy Day of Obligation in Aotearoa New Zealand, England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland, USA. However, this year it is not a Holy Day of Obligation in the USA. In Aotearoa New Zealand, in England & Wales and in Scotland when 15 August falls on Saturday or Monday the Assumption is celebrated on Sunday, this year 16 August. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 15:21-28 ( English Standard Version Anglicised) Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon.    Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’  But he did not answer her at all. And his dis