31 December, 2018
30 December, 2018
29 December, 2018
28 December, 2018
27 December, 2018
26 December, 2018
25 December, 2018
24 December, 2018
Some wisdom on what's truly important in how we live our lives
From an interview with Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember, she's the wife of Todd Beamer who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane over Pennsylvania that was heading for Washington, DC back on 9/11.
She said it's the little things that she misses most about
Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came
Home, and her children running to meet him.
Lisa recalled this story: "I had a very special teacher in
high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there.
With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused
and said, 'Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment.
Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day. Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, 'So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice.
It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a
scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of
someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted.
The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our
books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon,
I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.
Take notice of something special you see on your lunch
hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.
22 December, 2018
21 December, 2018
20 December, 2018
19 December, 2018
18 December, 2018
17 December, 2018
16 December, 2018
15 December, 2018
14 December, 2018
13 December, 2018
Requests for MAiD have not always appeared to come after an exploration of other options as professional practice guidelines recommend
This study, published this week in the Journal of Medical Ethics, concludes that doctor-assisted suicide is becoming pro-forma as the first option presented to patients suffering from serious medical conditions. This was predicted to happen by advocates of the pro-life cause, a prediction that was belittled as irrational scaremongering by advocates of MaID when it was legalized in 2015. The facts are that once euthanasia is “normalized,” the next logical step is for it to simply become a “banal bureaucratic” process. This seems to be sadly coming true in Quebec.
https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2018/11/22/medethics-2018-104982
https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2018/11/22/medethics-2018-104982
12 December, 2018
11 December, 2018
10 December, 2018
09 December, 2018
08 December, 2018
07 December, 2018
06 December, 2018
05 December, 2018
03 December, 2018
02 December, 2018
01 December, 2018
Kids say the darndest things... at Mass
My favorite experience was while helping a neighboring pastor handle his first confession and first communion celebrations. He asked the children during his homily what their favorite part of the Mass was. One young lad shouted out that it was 'COMMUNION TIME'! Feeling quite satisfied that he had impressed this lad with the significance of the Eucharist he made the mistake of walking over to him with his microphone to ask why communion was his favorite part of the Mass to which he replied: "That means there are only five more minutes before this whole thing is over and we can go outside to play!"
Not only did that answer bring the entire church to laugh, but it was also the last time that pastor every used a 'dialogue' homily when kids were in attendance!!
Kids say the darnedest things... at Mass — Aleteia
Not only did that answer bring the entire church to laugh, but it was also the last time that pastor every used a 'dialogue' homily when kids were in attendance!!
Kids say the darnedest things... at Mass — Aleteia
30 November, 2018
29 November, 2018
28 November, 2018
27 November, 2018
Conservative order of nuns on verge of destruction following Vatican interventions | News | Lifesitenews
I rarely (and I mean RARELY) post anything from LifeSiteNews as it has been my experience that they sometimes play pretty loosely when it comes to presenting the facts about various issues and events in the Church. But this article - if correctly presented - is something that should concern all religious communities. If the Vatican can intrude into the life of an order simply because its members choose to live their lives as nuns in a traditional manner, then it can do the same to any order for any reason it so chooses. In this case, it is wrong IMHO. So long as an order is not doing anything in contravention to the Canons of the Church or violating Church teaching, doctrine, or dogma, they should be free to live out their vows in whichever way they decide supports their founding charism.
Read the article and decide for yourself whether or not the Vatican has overstepped its rightful role in the life of this French religious order of nuns.
Conservative order of nuns on verge of destruction following Vatican interventions | News | Lifesitenews
Read the article and decide for yourself whether or not the Vatican has overstepped its rightful role in the life of this French religious order of nuns.
Conservative order of nuns on verge of destruction following Vatican interventions | News | Lifesitenews
26 November, 2018
Friendship is Rooted in Charity
I will soon be pausing my parish ministry to take advantage of the opportunity of a sabbatical for the first time in my almost 30 years as a priest. I will be attending St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, MD to research the topic of 'Friendship as a model of the moral life' with the aid of an academic advisor. An article such as this one is right up that alley. I hope to find many more just like it during the first five months of 2019. I trust you will enjoy reading it as much as I have.
Friendship is Rooted in Charity
Friendship is Rooted in Charity
25 November, 2018
24 November, 2018
23 November, 2018
22 November, 2018
21 November, 2018
The art of taking offense
I was brought up to believe that you should never give offense if you can avoid it; the new culture tells us that you should always take offense if you can.
The art of taking offence
The art of taking offence
20 November, 2018
19 November, 2018
18 November, 2018
17 November, 2018
16 November, 2018
15 November, 2018
14 November, 2018
13 November, 2018
12 November, 2018
11 November, 2018
10 November, 2018
A classic response, two months after leaving hospital for being shot in an assassination attempt.
Hard for me to believe that the current resident in the White House could do nearly as well. Evidently, he's even afraid of a little rain in France.
https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/10/donald-trump-cancels-visit-to-ww1-military-cemetery-because-its-raining-8125310