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It's a sunny Tuesday afternoon here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It's 8°F outside, -13°C. At that temperature, water is a mineral. Which is normal for this time of year here in central Minnesota. The sun is setting, which again is normal for this time of place, day and year.... ...And my news feed is clogged with headlines about today's American president, and the chap who will become president tomorrow. Which may or may not be normal. But it's pretty much what I expected.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  I came across a phrase in a book titled Do Something Beautiful for God.   The book is a daily meditation on the teachings of St. Teresa of Calcutta.   On January 16 th , there was a paragraph encouraging us to do little acts of kindness because they are a way that we “give our love of God concrete expression.” What a beautiful sentiment.   How do you give your love of God “concrete expression”? There can be so many things that we can and should do in this life that challenge us, but they are often met with our internal conflict as we try to preserve our preferences over sacrifice. Maybe your whole schedule has been disrupted by a parent who needs your time and attention.   Or maybe the whole school schedule caused by the pandemic is requiring you to constantly adjust your plans.   Perhaps that needy friend wants to talk more than you have time for or you are picking up a coworker’s slack temporarily. Whatever it is, St. Teresa reminds us that doing these things is a way of

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I noticed "Research sheds new light on intelligent life existing across the galaxy" in last year's science news headlines. That, and "'Mirror Image' of the Earth and Sun Discovered 3000 Light-Years Away," started me writing about exoplanets, SETI and vaguely-related topics. About 8,400 words later.... ...So I saved what I'd written and proceeded with reading, writing and not going bonkers during an election-year pandemic. Some of the "...sheds new light..." material went into "My Top 10 Science News Stories For 2020." Most of it will (probably) go into this series. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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  In today’s reading in the Gospel of Mark (Chapter 2:1-12) we are drawn into a scene where Jesus was home, preaching to people.   So many people gathered around him that they were running out of room. Because of this, some had to open up a roof above Jesus and break through, letting a paralytic down through the roof on his mat. When Jesus saw the man, he recognized his faith, and said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes who were watching questioned what Jesus had done and challenged him.   Jesus, knowing what they were thinking, gave them the proof they needed, going beyond the forgiveness of his sins through the power of his spoken word to a physical healing they could actually see.   He said to the man, “Rise, pick up your mat and walk” to show them that the forgiveness he had given did take place and the man, who had been carried in, walked away as everyone looked on. Naturally, everyone was surprised and their response was to glorify God. If Jesus could

  From   The Gospel of John , directed by Philip Saville Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 1:35-42 ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India) The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,   and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”   The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.   Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them,  “What are you seeking?”  And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”   He said to them,  “Come and you will see.”  So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.   One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.   He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ)