Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Because I watch the news, and Caitlin Clark has been in it lately, I've been picking up on how talented she is. In case you don't know, as a basketball player for Iowa's women's team, she has a resume like no other. She is amazing on the court and fun to watch, as it appears she sinks every three-pointer she attempts. I read that she is "the first Big Ten women's basketball player to record 500+ 3-pointers in a career." She's a real stand out. She is unique and has a special role to play. In today's reading from the Gospel of John (Chapter 5), the emphasis is on the communion of Jesus and the Father. Jesus talks about how much the Father loves him, what the Father does, and the fact that the Father gives him life, as well as power to "exercise judgment." Here's the clincher: "I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me."

    At our penance service last night, the priest pointed out that Confession isn't so much about our sins, but about the mercy of God. While it is important that we name our sins and face them, and confess them to a Priest, we have nothing to fear in doing so.  Jesus took our sins upon him, on the cross, and he loves us so much, that his forgiveness is poured out on us freely, as a gift. The importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation ("Confession") in the Catholic Church, is that through the transforming power of God, we are able to chip away in this life all that is preventing us from being all that we can be as a child of God.  This is very liberating. In today's reading from the Gospel of John (Chapter 5), Jesus heals the man who had been ill for 38 years.  He did so on the Sabbath, which was against the law. Jesus didn't let the law of not working on the Sabbath interfere with the good he could do. The only thing Jesus asked for was an acknow

  When I read passages from the bible that give the names of geographic locations, I like to look up the places on a map. It gives me a real sense of the ground Jesus covered and the people he encountered. Take that idea and make a map of your life, up to this point. And beyond the notion of location, look at where you have been on a different level.    What did you believe at an earlier time in your life? Who were your peers? What did you dream of doing? What did you want to accomplish? What did you fear? Now, put on your map where you are today. Then, put on this map what you hope for in your years remaining. What you will likely (hopefully) notice when doing this exercise is your personal growth. Your ideas, hopes and dreams, shift as you age. What was once important, may be less so today, with other things taking a primary spot. Everyone's life map will look different, depending on their experiences and personality, but creating one will help you get a broader perspectiv

Our number-two daughter starts radiation therapy this week.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Cancer treatment for one of our daughters starts today. Besides health concerns, I realize that this will take a great deal of time out of each week.)

Wood generally doesn't last long if left out in the open. That's why finding interlocking logs near the Kalambo River is such a big deal. Well, part of the reason. They've been submerged, it that's the right word, in wet sediment. For something like a half-million years. Which makes them part of the oldest known wooden structure. Ancient Builders on the Kalambo River Luminescence Dating and Carbon 14: a Nerdish Digression Finally Finding Kalambo Falls Cavemen, Labels, and Me Lincoln Logs Long Before Lincoln This Doesn't Change Everything : But It's a Big Deal 'Friends, Romans, Hominins...' Good News, Bad News, and (Slowly) Changing Attitudes We're Learning More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The Kalambo River structure: interlocking logs that are a half-million years old. New data leads to rethinking old assumptions about "humans".)

Entombment Blessed Fra Angelico [ Web Gallery of Art ] Nicodemus is supporting the body of Jesus in the painting. Readings  (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) https://www.universalis.com/20240310/mass.htm Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 3:14-21  ( English Standard Version Anglicised, India) Jesus said to Nicodemus:   As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,   that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.   For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.   Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.   And this is the judgement: the light has

How's your Lent going? Are your sacrifices feeling a little empty?  Take a couple of minutes to see what you can do about it.  Here's the link:   https://youtu.be/rztT7MlWDuE Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassi dy    

            I went down a rabbit hole the other day and watched an interview with the world-renowned model, Gisele Bündchen (Tom Brady's ex.) She said when her kids ask her what their religion is, she tells them "love is your religion and nature is your temple."  Oh brother. She's got it wrong if their love "religion" means following questionable practices that exclude God, which seems to be the case. Apparently, Bündchen and Brady are both Catholic and were married in a Catholic Church, but from what I read, she encouraged him to rely on "special" "healing and protection stones," to win his football games.  Add to that a necklace she had him wear, drops she had him take and mantras he had to say, and things start to go off the rails. ( ncregister ) I know a lot of athletes have their superstitious practices, but what we need to be careful about is when we start to believe that these prac

    I typically don't write about politics here (although it is a great interest of mine), but I have to bring it up because of what I read recently in Liz Cheney's book (Oath and Honor). This woke me up as to how naive I have been. You see, the image in my head has always held onto the hope that even though our parties have differences, they share a love of our country and strive, together, to work for our betterment. (They actually did attempt to do this recently with a bi-partisan bill about the boarder, but it couldn't get passed, because of the "politics" game being played.) Anyway, here's an insider's description that snapped me into the reality of how things really work. I found it very sad: "It's hard to overstate the extent to which Democrats and Republicans inhabit different worlds in Congress. Our parties meet separately and organize separately . . . . This is not to say that bipartisanship doesn't exist; it does .

Today's podcast may just have you singing! Check it out!  It's under 2 minutes! You can find it at: https://youtu.be/xFoa6rY7TgA While you're there, be sure to check out Part 2 of my conversation with Deacon Art on Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail.  It's a good one!  All of my videos and podcasts can be found on my YouTube Channel link below. Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy   

  I was listening to a Christian radio station the other day and they played the song "Counting My Blessings" by Seph Schlueter. I was unfamiliar with the song, but these lines jumped out at me: "The more that I look in the details The more of Your goodness I find Father on this side of Heaven I know that I'll run out of time" On this side of Heaven . . . I'll run out of time . . . reminded me that every day God gives us is a gift, and I asked myself, "How am I spending this gift of time?"   It's a good question.   Do we spend our days making pleasure, leisure, wealth and contentment our main goals, or are we striving to follow God's will for our life?   Personal pleasure is not opposed to the gospel, of course, but we have to be able to recognize goals that satisfy our earthly existence, versus goals that will lead us to eternal life.  They don't have to be mutually exclusive, but the latter brings everything together, for there is gre

  I heard the actor George Clooney say he was raised with this mindset: "Challenge people in power and defend people with less power." Seems like two good principles to me! I'm half way through the book "Oath and Honor" by Liz Cheney and it is very clear that the first principle from Clooney's family was not--and still is not--taken seriously when it comes to politics.   The intimate details of what happened leading up to the January 6th attempted takeover is a real eye-opener. You should read it, no matter what party you favor. It is a thought-provoking read. Still today, too many people bow down to people in power, regardless of whether they deserve their respect, and in the process, they throw away their personal integrity. I'll never understand it. How can one's position and power be more important than honesty and doing the right thing for the common good? Cheney's book offers a first-hand account of the lies and scheming that took place

  We visited an Air Zoo recently, and it was phenomenal. In case you don't know, an air zoo is a huge Smithsonian-type place with tons of old airplanes and even some NASA stuff. We really enjoyed it, but I suppose in different ways. My husband stood and listened to a docent talk about engines and propellers; I am more of the "Isn't that a pretty yellow color on that plane?" kind of person. All of us were amazed at the size and power on display at the exhibit, and we did enjoy the historical content offered. The day before we were walking a trail at a nature center. As we were leaving, a Porsche pulled in next to us. I'm about as good with cars as I am with planes. "What's that red thing on the wheel?" I asked my husband, who explained it to me. It's kind of like religion. There is a lot more than what meets the eye, and unless you take the time to learn more about it, you don't really know anything other than what you guess it is about,

    Today I'm publishing a very short audio reflection about the importance of giving your testimony about your faith in Christ.  Especially for parents, this reflection is a good reminder of the importance of passing on the faith to your children, and what you can do to help them. Using the Gospel of John, Chapter 4, The Samaritan Woman (at the well), we can learn about what made a difference to the townspeople she spoke to. Here is the link to today's audio reflection: https://janetcassidy.blubrry.net/2024/03/03/for-parents-woman-at-the-well/ Don't forget to check out my other social media, including my recent interview with Deacon Art Miller on Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail.   Here is a direct link to Part 2 of this interview:  https://youtu.be/_IACHopqBoI Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy            

  Are you angry at someone or something? Why? Is it righteous anger or are you just being your usual self? Is it ever right to be angry? Read more HERE .

"Any landing you can walk away from is a good one." (Gerald R. Massie, photographer, following the crash-landing of his B-17 (1944) ( from " Stayin alive — 16 favorite aviation quotes ", Dan Littmann, Air Facts (August 25, 2016) ) So far, this has been a good year for Lunar exploration. Both JAXA's SLIM and Intuitive Machines' Odysseus made good landings. Not perfect: and that's what I'll be talking about this week. Tipped, Tilted and Maybe Tripped: But Successful! The IM-1 Odysseus Mission: a "Spicy" Experience and Serendipity Odysseus: On Target and "Still Kicking" First Successful Commercial Flight, Farthest South Landing SLIM: Another Good Lunar Landing NASA News Conference: In Case You're Interested More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Two successful Lunar landings: SLIM and Odyssey. First successful commercial flight to the Moon, scouting for south polar Lunar base.)

Christ Cleansing the Temple Luca Giordano [ Web Gallery of Art ] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple  (John 2:15; Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 2:13-25  ( English Standard Version Anglicised, India) The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things

I am excited to share with you, Part 2 of my conversation with Deacon Arthur Miller! Following up on our previous discussion about Emmett Till and the significance of his murder to the Civil Rights Movement, we now go in-depth and discuss Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." I hope you find it as thought-provoking as I have. Deacon Art's insights shed so much light on Dr. King's convictions about just and unjust laws and his determination to stand up for what is right. This letter is worth a good study! Here is the link to our conversation, on my YouTube Channel. I hope you will share it with others as well. I welcome your comments. https://youtu.be/_IACHopqBoI Have a blessed Lent! Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith