Oct 2 – Memorial for The Holy Guardian Angels The term ‘guardian angels’ refers to the belief that each soul has an angel who is available to shepherd the soul through life, and help bring them to God. Belief in the reality of angels, their mission as messengers of God, and Man’s interaction with them, goes... Continue Reading →
1 October, Sunday — Confess or justify?
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Ez 18:25-28Phi 2:1-5Mt 21:28-32 "…tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the Kingdom of God before you." Well that’s a thought (a reality) most of us don’t like. All those ‘bad’, lawless, self-involved selfish people, criminals from all walks of life in line, IN FRONT of us at the... Continue Reading →
28 August, Monday — The influence of a prayer
Aug 28 – Memorial for St. Augustine, bishop, doctor After investigating and experimenting with several philosophies, Augustine (354-430) became a Manichaean for several years; it taught of a great struggle between good and evil, and featured a lax moral code. A summation of his thinking at the time comes from his Confessions: “God, give me chastity and... Continue Reading →
27 August, Sunday — The question
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 22:19-23Rm 11:33-36Mt 16:13-20 "But you, who do you say I am?" That indeed, is THE question that we will each answer for ourselves at the time of our death. Our knowing the answer, I believe, oftentimes begins with prayers from our mother. So today as we recognize St. Monica, the mother... Continue Reading →
26 July, Wednesday – Cultivating the soil
Jul 26 – Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of the Virgin Mary By tradition Joachim and Anne are considered to be the names of the parents of Mary, the Mother of God. We have no historical evidence, however, of any elements of their lives, including their names. Any stories about Mary’s father and mother come... Continue Reading →
22 March, Wednesday — Choosing whose will?
Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent Isa 49:8-15Jn 5:17-30 "…my aim is to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me." I recently learned that Jesus calls God as My Father; except when he is teaching the disciples how to pray. ‘Our’ is general. ‘My’ is personal. The intimacy... Continue Reading →
21 March, Tuesday — The call to go on
Tuesday of the 4th Week of Lent Eze 47:19,12Jn 5:1-16 ...for the waters had risen so high I was recently in the Holy Land and experienced again, the waters of the Jordan and the waters of the Dead Sea. The contrast of the two is startling; though today the one thing they have in common is... Continue Reading →
20 March, Monday — Immediately
20 Mar – Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary St. Joseph is a descendant of the house of David. A layman and a carpenter, he was the earthly spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and foster and adoptive father of Jesus Christ. He was a visionary who was visited by angels,... Continue Reading →
10 February, Friday – Spiritual Works of Mercy
10 Feb – Memorial for St. Scholastica, virgin St. Scholastica (480-543) was the twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia. Born to Italian nobility, her mother died in childbirth. She became a nun and led a community of women at Plombariloa near Montecassino. Patron Saint Index From her earliest years, she had been consecrated to... Continue Reading →
9 February, Thursday — One Flesh
Thursday of Week 5 in Ordinary Time Gen 2:18-25Mk 7:24-30 "It is not good that the man should be alone." If you’re ‘doing’ Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz and me (and 142 million others!), then on Day 23 you heard “NO ONE BUILDS A CHAIR ON THEIR OWN”. That line really resonated... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 