Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I did a Google search for [patron saint depression] the other day, and got this gem: How did the Saints deal with depression?" [redacted] [August 2023] "There is no evidence they had depression, they lived in faith, that Everything is controlled by God, and they accepted God's Will in all ..." Not long before, someone in an online conversation had said 'I'm dealing with depression, and need help'. Along with potentially-helpful responses, someone chastised the supplicant. Seems that good Christians trust God and never experience such things as depression. That gave me this week's topic. Dealing With Depression — and Suicide Depression, Faith, and Making Decisions Assorted Saints Teresa of Ávila: Mystic and Troublemaker Becoming a Saint Cultural Legacies and a Disclaimer João Duarte Cidade, AKA Saint John of God Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Poverty, Terminal Illness, and Ham Sandwiches Doing My Daily Prayers Dark Night of the Soul

Entry into Jerusalem (scene 1) Duccio di Buoninsegna [ Web Gallery of Art ] And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  (Mark 11:9). Palm Sunday, Year B The Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem Mark 11:1-10 .  (English Standard Version, Anglicised) Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus   sent two of his disciples   and said to them,  “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.   If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”   And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.   And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”   And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let

    Apparently I must be something of a dinosaur.   I needed to replace my watch, so I found another one just like it online, with a twisty flex band.  When it came, I had to have a few links taken out because it was too big. After calling around, we found ONE place that would shorten my band at a reasonable price. I guess nobody does this anymore. While I was lamenting this, it was pointed out to me that most people today--if they even wear a watch--have smart watches, or at least synthetic bands. It always bugs me when something like this happens and I am snapped into reality.  Times are changing.  My ways are becoming extinct. Things I never gave a second thought to--like a reasonably priced, service-oriented, local jewelry store--have disappeared. It's like you just wake up one day, and realize things are different.  If you've been coasting along, not really paying much attention, it can be a little unsettling. I suppose this is a good place to point out the o

  Are you tuned in? Or just broadcasting? Which channel are you tuned to? Consider this one HERE .

          I was talking with our son on a snowy day about the need to carry shoes.  It took me back to my youth when I walked to school (about a mile, barefoot, uphill) on snow-covered sidewalks, against blustery winds, carrying a heavy pile of books. Okay, the story might sound exaggerated, but except for the barefoot/hill part, the rest is true.  Boy, did those books feel heavy after such a long walk.  Sometimes they left a crease in my arm (we didn't have backpacks.) In my junior high (which I walked to), our teacher had a "swat club."  Whenever she had to leave the room, she would put one of my classmates in charge of writing the names of students who misbehaved on the chalkboard.  Then, when she returned, the offenders were taken out into the hallway to receive a paddling. It helped to make friends with the student in charge so as to keep your name off the board. Anyway, kids-in-charge often threatened to put names on the boa

The Coronation of the Virgin Blessed Fra Angelico [ Web Gallery of Art ] Compline, the official Night Prayer of the Church ends with an anthem  of antiphon to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In monasteries this is sung. In the traditional liturgical calendar there are four of these, all in Latin. Alma Redemptoris Mater  is sung from Saturday before the 1st Sunday of Advent through February 1. The anthem from 2 February, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, through Wednesday of Holy Week is  Ave, Regina caelorum . Regina coeli  is the Easter anthem, sung from Easter Sunday through Friday within the Octave of Pentecost. The best known and most widely sung anthem, sung on many occasions apart from Compline, is  Salve, Regina . It is the anthem for Compline from Saturday after the Octave of Pentecost through Friday before the 1st Sunday of Advent. Sung by the Choir of the Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans), Chevilly, France, conducted by Fr Lucien Deiss CSSp.   Ave, Regina caelorum , / Ave, Dom

    I was reading "Our Vocation To Love" in "Columbia" (the Knights of Columbus magazine), and the editor shared this quote from Father Jacques Philippe: "How sad it would be to cut oneself off from God's action and bury oneself in the narrow illusory world of one's own projects." Wow. And then, quoting St. Francis de Sales: "We all have a vocation.  God has placed us in this life to fill a special need that no one else can accomplish." The editor went on, making his point about vocations, that, as the Church has stated, we all share a "universal call to holiness--that is, the call to receive and share in the love of God." Recognizing that for many it may be difficult to know what their special call is, he quotes St. Therese of Lisieux, emphasizing that our call may not always be about the future, but about taking a "single step," in this moment, today. It is easy to be anxious if we struggle in these matter

      I was listening to a current United States Senator talking about the January 6, 2021 attack on our Capitol in Washington, D.C. She said that her "constituents have moved on" and don't think about it anymore, so, she has also. Is that true?  Have we just moved on from that domestic attack that killed and injured a number of people and attempted to prevent our vote from counting? I sure hope not. In fact, I think it is good to look at it again, in hindsight, especially in this election year.  Not to stir up hatred and division, but as a reminder to us of just how important our election process and the "peaceful transfer of power" is to our country. So, no matter who you support(ed) for President , I ask you to please watch this video of the Select Committee.  The Committee reported, in detail, everything that took place, not only on January 6th, but leading up to it. It's really a historical, factual account. If you think you know what happene

  I have a big question for you today, in my short podcast!   Listen in and tell me if you think you would stand on the right side of history!   You can find today's podcast at: https://youtu.be/a0CKZXcuerc   Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith For all other interviews & podcasts, go to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy

St. Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Ireland (Republic of and Northern), Newfoundland, Labrador, and Montserrat. It's a day when folks wear something green. I've heard that some even drink green beer. Why anyone would think green beer is a good idea is beyond me, and that's another topic. Chicago celebrates by turning the city's river green. If today's holiday post looks familiar, maybe you're remembering the one I wrote three years back. This one was going to be shorter. But aside from eschewing asides about Ptronius Maxiums, a Roman Emperor whose body got tossed in the Tiber, and Suffolk County's Evacuation Day 1 — fact is, I ended up adding a few paragraphs, and polishing the rest: Pick a Peck of Prickly Problems Protest, Perspectives, and — King Lear?! Previous Prickly Problems "...I am a Sinner" — St. Patrick, Shamrocks and All That Shamrocks Legends and a Forbidden Pit Saints Due Process New and Improved Fo

  Sheaves of Wheat Vincent van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] T ruly, truly, I say to you,  unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (John 12:24). In Ireland the Solemnity of St Patrick is celebrated this Sunday, with everything from the Mass for that feast including the Gloria. However, the readings are those of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year B. Readings  (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 12:20-33  ( English Standard Version Anglicised, India) Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.   So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”   Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.   And Jesus answered them,  “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.   Truly, truly, I say to you, unles

    Do you know someone who thinks that this is all there is, that there is nothing beyond this world? Maybe they think you might as well grab all you can right now and make the most of it?   Today's podcast talks about this very topic. Does scripture agree with them?   Be sure to check it out. Just click on this link:    https://youtu.be/xBvef0O1U-w   Janet Cassidy janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith For more videos on my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy

  I don't expect everyone to read what I write; or indeed to read what other authors here write. Some readers here are just passing through, quick reading here and there and rarely commenting. Some choose to return and read their favourite authors. Others never come back and leave for pastures new. I for one accept that of my readers. I will lose some by what I say but then, I believe that what I say is too important not to be said. Tell me what you think HERE .

      In Psalm 142 we read: "Lead my soul from prison, that I may give thanks to your name." Our soul, which was created to love, by God our Creator, who IS love, can find itself "in prison" when we close ourselves off from the outpouring of God's grace, by setting our hearts elsewhere. What is imprisoning your soul this Lent? What needs to be cleaned out and purified so that you may be free of sin and worldly desires? When we experience the Holy Spirit guiding us away from sin, it is then that we find ourselves most grateful for all of God's blessings. As Psalm 142 tells us, God is our refuge. When we feel we are being pursued, we need to cry out to God for help. Sometimes our "spirit is faint" within us and it is in those very moments that we must ask God to "thoroughly wash away my guilt; and from sin cleanse me." (Psalm 51) I hope we can all arrive at Easter, renewed in the Spirit, and prepared to set our hearts on God

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