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Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Hope

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(From Philippe de Champaigne/Tessé Museum, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) Life in my mid-60s requires caution that wasn't necessary in my youth. Considering the alternative, though, being alive is pretty good: even in moments of loss. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Aging World with an aging heart by self centered culture.

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    In recent decades Europe, leader of modern secular culture, and other countries of the Asian continent have aged and the stress of their population control principles has already affected entire economies, after having swept the Christian social culture of Europe. The problem is now so serious that Governments have adressed the emergency, but with the same bureaucratic methods   used to solve other social problems: campaigns advertising and incentives so that couples have children. But it seems that these marketing efforts are not working and the answer and solution are, paradoxically, in the Christian culture that they spurned in the past.

As the Morning Rising: Our Lady of the Rosary

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As the Morning Rising: Our Lady of the Rosary : Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. http://saintpatricksbelfast.org.uk/ The statue was presented to the priests and people of St ...

'He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.' Sunday Reflections, 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

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Peasant Girls with Brushwood , Jean-François Millet, c.1852 Gospel Luke 17:11-19 ( NRSV, Catholic Ed , Canada) On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” I've told this story before but the incident in question had a profound impact on me. It happened on the morning of Holy Thursday

Faith That Matters

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Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2016: Habakkuk 1:2 – 3 , 2:2 – 4 2 Timothy 1:6 - 8 , 13 - 14 Luke 17:5 - 10 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2016 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas October 2, 2016 I'm sure we are all saddened to hear that by this time Father Tom is back home. ... He will be missed! There is one word that is repeated in all of the readings for this day. That word is Faith.... ...Now we can't just let this word Faith hang out there alone without some support.... ...If now we should take our Catechism and referred to paragraphs 142 through 165 we get a far more complete explanation of Obedience and Faith.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Bioethics and a Three-Parent Baby

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A Jordanian couple have a baby boy: who does not have a lethal genetic disorder, thanks to DNA transplanted from a third person. Four of his siblings did not survive the procedure. I'll be talking about the decisions involved in that procedure, research involving "tiny brains" grown from human cells, genetically modified humans grown as research subjects, and water bears.... ...After discussing recent genetics news, I'll share why I take human experimentation and medical ethics personally, and what I see coming in the near future.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: Rosary Poem

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As the Morning Rising: Rosary Poem

Laugh Even When You Must Die to Self

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We Christians should laugh at ourselves as we go through the inner transformation because most of our inner anguish is self-inflicted and really quite ridiculous.  Of course dying to self is not all fun and games but a sense of humour helps put our pain in perspective. continue reading

As the Morning Rising: The Cross

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As the Morning Rising: The Cross : The Cross is the hand of God that I dare not let go of.

Images and Quotes= Insights Into St. Francis of Assisi

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All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. continue reading

Trusting Feelings: Within Reason

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(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) Anger is bad, right? Yes, sort of, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Emotions, anger include, are good; in the sense that they're part of being human. They're "...the connection between the life of the senses and the life of the mind...." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1764 ) In another sense, emotions aren't good or bad by themselves. What matters is what we decide to do about them. (Catechism, 1762 - 1770 ) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: Mary's Way

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As the Morning Rising: Mary's Way : Mary’s Way No foot of ours could fill the shoe of Mary But we can follow on the path she trod Keeping to the stepping st...

Gluttony Will Harm You Physically, Spiritually: Time to Do Something About It

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We continue with the fourth installment of our seven-part series on the seven deadly sins. Today we discuss Gluttony. Gluttony, the overindulgence of eating/drinking to excess, will physically and spiritually harm you if left unchecked and unaddressed. Overeating/drinking can result in physical illnesses such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and liver disease, just to name a few. Gluttony robs you of the life you were meant to live, because you become the slave to the object of your temporal desire. You become fixated on the food and/or the drink. Gluttony causes you to use food and/or drink to ... Read more...

Year of Mercy, part 3: Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

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Jesus is the Face of God: He is God made visible. He is the incarnation of mercy. Moreover, mercy is the principle theme of his preaching and is manifested in how he treated people. We could say his middle name was Mercy. Jesus met people’s physical needs. In a synagogue he read his job description: “He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:18). When John’s disciples asked who he was, Jesus replied, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Matt 11:4-5). Click to continue

As the Morning Rising: St Faustina

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As the Morning Rising: St Faustina : Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for...

Wear your crown of thorns

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" Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved. " - Saint John Chrysostom For a very long time, despite reading and hearing wisdom to the contrary, in the depth of my being, i equated holiness with the lack of discomfort. You know that state with  the  absence of those disconcerting moments when you know deep down you have done wrong/are doing wrong yet continue to banish the thought. When you don't want to deal with, nay even acknowledge,  your own weakness. When you think having being a renewed Christian means having only pure and holy thoughts. From experience i tell you, thats a load of bladderdash. No one can ever hope to become saint overnight. It truly is a long winding journey acknowledging and being fully aware of the grossness of  one's  sinful soul. All through th

As the Morning Rising: St Francis of Assisi

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As the Morning Rising: St Francis of Assisi

St Francis of Assisi - 1. The Second Christ

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For the feast day of St Francis on the 4 October, I am beginning a series of blogs on the life of St Francis of Assisi. In 1209 St Francis of Assisi who the medievals called The Second Christ presented his first rule, totally based on the Gospel, to the great Pope Innocent III in Rome. No saint has ever had such an impact on the history of Christian Spirituality. He was born towards the end of 1181 or at the beginning of 1182. The date might mean little, so let me put it in the context of English History. Henry II was on the throne of England with his equally famous or infamous wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. He is remembered by most of us from our school days for three things. Firstly, he was the first of the Plantagenets. Secondly he was the first to set up law courts or assizes for all. Thirdly he was the first to have a blazing row with the church that culminated in the famous murder, when Thomas Becket the Archbishop of Canterbury, was savagely cut to pieces by three knights in

Lust Will Enslave You: Break Free From the Chains!

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We continue with the third installment of our seven part series on the seven deadly sins. Today we discuss Lust. Lust causes you to objectify the “object” of your desires, rather than to see the individual as a human being deserving dignity. When you remove human dignity from the equation, it becomes very easy to lose respect for others and for yourself. Lust is disordered desire for, or inordinate enjoyment of, sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes . 1   Lustful behavior is addictive.  Repeated over and over again, it deludes... Read more... 

As the Morning Rising: Blessed Columba Marmion

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As the Morning Rising: Blessed Columba Marmion : http://www.catholictradition.org/Passion/lent7.htm http://www.benedictinemonks.co.uk/ http://vultuschristi.org/index.php/2011/...

Love ... Love?

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WHAT IS LOVE? ARE YOU INTERESTED ENOUGH TO FIND OUT? THEN CLICK HERE

Angels Saved My Son’s Life.

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Angels saved my son’s life. The phone call comes on a Saturday night. I listen to the police in shocked silence. “Your son has been in a serious car accident.” “No, we have not ascertained the extent of his injuries.” “We did use the jaws of life to extract your son and his girlfriend from the vehicle.” “No, I told you, I cannot tell you the extent of his injuries but if you head over to Trauma 1 at the Civic, they will give you an update.” “All I can tell you is it seems that the vehicle did flip end over end and then barrel-rolled down into a ditch filled with water.” “Off the record, I will say that in 25 years of service, I have never seen a car look as bad as his does and not have someone dead on arrival.” continue

Pope Francis: Love those who struggle, but don't push gender theory on kids

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As I have been struggling to draw the fine line between mercy and truthful compány when adressing an homosexual person I want to share with you the best balanced advice I have found yet and it comes from the recent words of Pope Francis in this regard. Very clear and useful. taken entirely from CNA Catholic News Agency site:   Aboard the papal plane, Oct 2, 2016 / 03:55 pm ( CNA/EWTN News ) .- On his way back from Georgia and Azerbaijan Pope Francis criticized what he called the “wicked” push of gender theory in schools, but stressed that individuals who struggle with their sexual identity ought to be treated with mercy, as Jesus would do.

"Wait For It"

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(From Radomir Vrbovsky, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission.) (دروازه ایشتار, Ishtar Gate, eighth gate of Babylon's inner city: a reconstruction using original bricks in the Pergamonmuseum , Berlin, Deutschland.) Prophets had their bad days, too — like Habakkuk, from today's first reading ( Habakkuk 1:2 - 3 , 2:2 - 4 ): " 1 How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you do not intervene. "Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord. "Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision Clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. "For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late." ( Habakkuk 1:2 - 3 , 2:2 - 3 ) This was about 26 centuries back, and not a good era in our Lord

10 Minute Daily Retreat October: Spiritual Gift of Knowledge

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'From the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.'  Colossians 1: 9 Reflection by Malcolm Davies When I was  first a Christian I was convinced that I would grow so rapidly that I would be totally mature and integrated within a few years. The reality was  that each small part of growth would be followed by a challenge where I realised that my growth would be very slow. One book that  helped me on my journey was Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila. In that book Teresa describes the journey to spiritual maturity and how long it would take.  I felt encouraged  because I could see in my own life some growth that she described and challenged because there were insights that I could not embrace at this part of my journey.  I have come  to realise that God is patient and I have to be patient with myself, and others, as well. Read on:  http://susannetimpa

Love, Neighbors, and Voting

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(From Wiley Miller, via GoComics.com, used w/o permission.) (Wiley Miller's January 16, 2016, Non Sequitur. The field of major candidates has narrowed considerably since then.). I have no great enthusiasm for November's election, but I plan to vote with whatever prudence and wisdom I can muster. Being a good citizen, contributing to the good of society and taking part in public life, is part of being Catholic: or should be. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1915 , 2239 ). In my country, that includes voting intelligently: thinking about issues and candidates, voting for whoever and whatever is best; or likely to do the least damage, in some cases. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Be Wholly

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From The Cloistered Heart

As the Morning Rising: Showers of Roses

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As the Morning Rising: Showers of Roses

As the Morning Rising: October - the Month of the Rosary

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As the Morning Rising: October - the Month of the Rosary : “ In trial or difficulty I have recourse to Mother Mary, whose glance alone is enough to dissipate every fear.” St Therese of the C...

Patience, Patience

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(from The Breadbox Letters)

Europa, Mars, and Someday the Stars

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Scientists think they've detected more plumes of water, shooting up from near Europa's south pole. It's early days, but we may have found a comparatively easy way to collect samples from the Jovian moon's subsurface ocean. Stephen Hawking says humanity needs to keep exploring space. I agree, although not quite for the reasons he gave. SpaceX tested an engine they plan to use on their Mars transport, and Gaia's data seems to have raised as many questions as it answers. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: Little Flower - St Therese of the Child Jesus

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As the Morning Rising: Little Flower - St Therese of the Child Jesus : All over the world today and tomorrow and indeed every day in many vastly different places, minds and hearts will be given over to ...

'We have done only what we ought to have done!' Sunday Reflections, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

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Boy ploughing with water buffalo, Laos  Gospel Luke 17:5-10 ( NRSV, Catholic Ed , Canada) The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’” In the summer of 1964, after my third year in the seminary, I spent a couple of weeks working in the Morning Star Hostel in Dublin. It was within walking distance of my home. I had been in the
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Playing with the SAINTS! blog post #13 Today’s saint has quite a long story.  I hope you enjoy it! Saint Brigid: Many 100’s of years ago Saint Brigid was born in Ireland.  The year was 452. Her mother was a Christian slave baptized by Saint Patrick;  her father, a pagan chief. Thus when Brigid was born, she too was a slave.  When you are a slave, you must do whatever your master tells you to.  At any time your master may decide to sell you to another family and you must go–most likely never seeing your own family again!  Before Brigid was born her mother was sold to another pagan man.  Luckily for Brigid, she was able to stay with her mother for her first ten years of life. Stories about her growing up are filled with her being a pure and holy child.  She fed the poor and also healed the sick.  One time she gave away all of her mother’s butter that she had stored up.  Later, after Brigid had prayed, the storage area was miraculously refilled with butter. Continue rea

As the Morning Rising: Bright Roses

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As the Morning Rising: Bright Roses

As the Morning Rising: In His Angels and in His Saints

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As the Morning Rising: In His Angels and in His Saints : Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.

Laughing Through The Transformation?

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Discovering that it is possible to become Christ’s presence on earth was an epiphany for my husband and me about 30 years ago. We suddenly understood that resurrected life  was not just for a few saints.  Every normal Christian can come to the point where they shout with St. Paul,              “No longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me.” What an awesome thought, mind-boggling, actually. We should be begging Christ to complete His work in us. So, I f this journey is so exciting, why do many of us experience periods of depression and anxiety?  continue reading

Envy Will Disappoint You - Every Time! Be Content!

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We continue with the second installment of our seven part series on the seven deadly sins. Today we discuss envy. How many times have you wished that you could buy a fancy new car like the neighbors? Or take a vacation to an exotic place like some friend? Or get a big raise, like your older sibling just got? When you go down this road and allow envy to take hold in your heart, you only set yourself up for disappointment and sorrow – every time! How so? Envy is wanting what others have, that you do not. It is the opposite of contentment. Rather than counting one’s blessings, the envious person... Read more...

Year of Mercy, Part 2: Jesus Teaches about God's Mercy

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Even if we didn’t have the Old Testament, we would still know that God is merciful from the teachings of Jesus. The very motto of the year of mercy is from his lips: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful.”  Jesus revealed the incredible Father’s mercy through not just one, but several parables, in particular, the prodigal son, the lost coin, and the lost sheep.  These are found in Luke, which is dubbed the Gospel of Mercy. In each parable, rejoicing is the response to finding what was lost. Jesus says that the angels rejoice when just one sinner changes his or her ways and God forgives them.  Click to continue

CCD WEEK 2

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I have to be honest and say that  I never really thought I would enjoy teaching CCD as much as I do. I still talk to my old CCD teacher on occasion and I remember how much of a difference she made in my life. I hope one day I can make a difference in a kid's life as much as she did for me. But enough of that sappy stuff. So because today is St. Francis of Assisi's feast day today, we made Pet Prayer Cards. I used the following prayer of Catholic.com. Sadly I lost it and so I can only credit them and not supply a link.  "Blessed are you Lord God maker of all living creatures. You call fourth the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, and the animals on land. You inspired St. Francis to call them his brothers and sisters. Bless this pet (enter kids pet names here). By the power of love enable my pet to live by your plan. My we praise for for all you beauty" -Amen.   We also learned from our Old Testament Reading of Amos 6:4-7 Since the story is about social