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  Year A   All Quiet on the Western Front  (1930), ending For you yourselves are fully aware that  the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (1Thess 5:2).   [Second Reading] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 25:14-30 or 25:14-15, 19-21  [Omit]  ( English Standard Version Anglicised) Jesus told his disciples this parable: “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.   To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.   [ He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.   So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.   But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. ]   Now

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    Christ and the Wise Virgins German Mediaeval Sculptor [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 25:1-13 ( English Standard Version Anglicised) Jesus told his disciples this parable: “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.   Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.   For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,   but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.   As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.   But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’   Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.   And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’   But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not b

I read about "loss of identity" and "information overload" the other day.... ..."Information overload" is well on its way to becoming a cliche. Or cliché, for folks who like their English with a dash of diacritics, and that's another topic. I keep seeing warnings against "information overload," the Internet's "hive mind," and suchlike threats. But I don't feel overloaded, informationally or otherwise, even after being online for hours. That gives me the task of deciding whether I react to "information overload" — and how I react, if I choose to do so. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  Some people are rule followers.   They have a mindset that works better in black and white spaces.   Gray is a challenge for them. In my younger days, I was educated and had experience in the legal field as a legal secretary.   Legal language is very precise and detailed.   I always felt those foundational skilled served me well in advocating for our son over the years. But, I have also found that if a legalistic mindset is adhered to too closely in ministry, it might not always be so good. I was reminded of all of this in today’s reading.   Paul is writing to the people of Philippi, giving his “autobiography.”   In his description of his past, he acknowledged that he was a Pharisee, observing the law.   He had a lot of zeal and persecuted the church “in righteousness based on the law I was blameless” he admitted. He goes on to say, however, that whatever gains he made from this were actually losses when it comes to being with Christ.   In fact, it was all “rubbish” he says