Notre Dame Cristo Rey High to acquire Presentation of Mary properties

Notre Dame Cristo Rey High to acquire Presentation of Mary properties: LAWRENCE -- The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) and the Sisters of Presentation of Mary announced today that formal proceedings have begun for the SNDdeN sponsored Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School has bought PMA.



I'm a graduate of Presentation of Mary Academy.  I'm happy to see the property being sold for another high school.



Everything changes.  Only God abides.

Blue Collar Prepping: Guest Post: Pandemic? Don't Panic!

Blue Collar Prepping: Guest Post: Pandemic? Don't Panic!: by Dr.  Cathaleen Madsen Dr. Madsen holds a PhD in Bioscience with a concentration in Microbiology and Infectious Disease. This article (click on the link) is something everyone should read.  It's commonsense advice and information on just getting sick, nevermind just coronavirus.

Archbishop Naumann calls Senate rejection of pro-life bills 'appalling'

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., delivers the homily during the opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life Jan. 23, 2020, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. In a Feb. 25 statement, Archbishop Naumann, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said, by blocking two pro-life bills, the U.S. Senate has rejected "two critical human rights reforms" strongly supported by most Americans. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

Archbishop Naumann calls Senate rejection of pro-life bills 'appalling': WASHINGTON (CNS) -- By blocking two pro-life bills from going to the floor of the U.S. Senate for a vote, senators speak against life.  Click on the link to read the article.

Covering Statues

Tonight I received ashes in a church outside my parish.  I was surprised to see that a cross was covered in purple.  It was hidden. I was surprised because

(1) Since Vatican II the church was encouraged not to cover the statues
(2) Even when statues were covered, they weren't covered on Ash Wednesday

The purpose of covering the statues was to symbolize the change of liturgical season.  It was Lent.  Since it was very noticeable and dramatic, it heightened the anticipation and high drama of Passiontide.  All the statues were covered on Passion Sunday.  The cross was uncovered on Good Friday.  Everything was uncovered for Easter Vigil.

LFSD Region 1: Lenten Invitation

Teacher and Student

The School of Athens is a famous painting by Raphael.  It depicts many teachers of various disciplines.  In the center of the painting are Plato and Aristotle.  Our Western philosophy and genus of Western civilization's ideas are depicted in this one painting.  If you google the painting, you can see the names of the people depicted.  I think God that He has given such talent to man.

Mercy Exemplified

My Dear Sisters Life of Bl. Jean-Joseph Lataste, OP Apostle to Prisoners by Jean-Marie Gueullette
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"My Dear Sisters" by Fr. Jean-Marie Gueullette, O.P. and translated from the French by Fr. George G. Christian, O.P., was originally entitled "Ces femmes qui etaient mes soeurs..." is the definitive story of Pere Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., the Apostle to Prisoners.

This is and will be an important book when Blessed Lataste is canonized as a saint. He already is considered one by many involved in prison ministry. This biography of Lataste's singular life shows how spirituality evolves into service. As a young preacher, Father Lataste enters a women's prison and he is converted. He was timid and approached these inmates with much trepidation. The women, themselves, didn't want to be there. But when Father began his preaching by calling them, "My Dear Sisters..." Their heads lifted, their ears opened, and their own hearts were converted. The preacher himself was touched by this encounter. These women's lives were ruined by crime yet he could see the change the Holy Spirit had made. When he heard their confessions he cried along with them. Their sins were forgiven; God forgave them; would the world?

Through the mercy and providence of God, Father Lataste founded the Dominican Sisters of Bethany. The Holy Spirit provided the perfect co-founder in Mother Henri-Dominique,O.P., who carried on and help preserve the charism of mercy, when Father died too young. He was only 37. His community of rehabilitated sisters was only a few years old. But the foundation was solid and stands today.


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Prisoners of the Past

Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What do I think of this story? I didn't go to bed until 4:00 AM and then I was too jazzed to fall asleep. And all day I can't stop thinking about it.

The story begins with the death of Orhan's grandfather. Among the distribution of goods in the will was a strange and disturbing codicil. The family home was given to someone no one knew. This is the story. Who is the heir to the house and why?

Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian is the story of the Armenian genocide. The time varies from 1990 and goes back to 1915, and back and forth. Lucine and Kemal play together as children. She is Armenian and he is Turkish. War breaks out and all the Armenian men are shot and the women and children are forced to march to the Syrian desert. Along the way, the Armenians were deprived of food and water, raped, and many were just shot. One incident stands out. A pregnant woman went into labor. The Turking soldiers bet on the sex of the baby. But the labor was not quick, so an impatient soldier slit open her stomach to see the sex of the baby and then they walked away and collected his winnings.

Lucine's family was in this forced march. Kemal had joined the Turkish army. During the march unimaginable deprivation, cruelty and death occurred. But Lucine somehow was saved by a whore who operated an inn. It was at the inn that Lucine and Kemal meet again. Their love is consummated but Kemal is in the army and has some unfinished duty to attend. Lucine's uncle appears and takes her to a safe place in Syria to meet up with their family.

How Kemal and Lucine connect again would spoil the story so I will just tell you that the Armenians' history is not forgotten. Their diaspora lives on in the following generations. Transgenerational grief is real.

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Passing the Basket

Support the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe on February 26 #BuildTheFuture Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season and reminds us of our call to pray, fast, and give alms to those in need. The Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) will be taken up in many parishes on February 26 (Ash Wednesday). Funds support our brothers and sisters as they rebuild the Church in over 25 countries in Central and Eastern Europe after 70 years of communist rule. You can help make an impact in these four simple ways:  Volunteer to read the bulletin announcements and parish appeal at Mass to educate fellow parishioners about the Collection and the people it supports. Pray and encourage others to join you in praying for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe—that God will give strength to those who serve the Church. Share information about the CCEE collection on your social media channels from the CCEE social media toolkit in English and Spanish. View and share the following videos and resource guide on the Enduring Faith in Georgia and how CCEE is Changing Lives in Georgia. Join the conversation on Twitter #1Church1Mission, #BuildTheFuture and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. Participate in the CCEE collection when it is taken up in your parish. Visit www.usccb.org/RestoreTheChurch2020 for more information.

A Teacher’s Worst Nightmare, by Michael Gallagher

A Teacher’s Worst Nightmare, by Michael Gallagher  is an article from These Stone Walls, that Father Gordon MacR
ae writes.  It is about the arrest of a teacher and the mental, emotional, and financial anguish he went through until he was exonerated.  Deo Gratias.

Do As He Says

LECTIO:
LV 19:1-2, 17-18

The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

“You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”

STUDIUM:

"The LORD said to Moses" is eyeopening.  God, Himself spoke.  The capitalization is copied from the scripture. God is telling us what to do.  You are to make yourself holy because He is holy. "Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy."  God wants us to be like Him.  God is giving us some guides.  And they involve "love."

MEDITATIO:

Verses 17-18 is difficult.  We are told not to harbor grudges.  That's hard when you're Irish.  Did you know that Purgatory is a special place for the Irish?  It seems that we hold grudges longer than most.

   Do you think I'm just making up excuses?  Maybe.  Leviticus helps with the instructions that we may reprove.  So it's okay to tell people off.  But not plot revenge.  That we will leave to God.

ORATIO:

Lord, help me reproach with love.  Don't let me habor hate like a cancer in my heart.  After all, I strive to be holy as You are.

CONTEMPLATIO:

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me.  Help me to love You and love others as You love them.  (Father Aniello's prayer)

RESOLUTIO:

In my nightly Examen, I will pay close attention to how people made me feel.  I will make a concerted effort, not to habor hate.

Just Wondering

You know how divided everyone is.  People are fighting over politics, religion, resources, etc.  What if God allowed the corona

virus to happen to get the world to work together to eradicate it?

Just a thought.

Messianic Secret

St. Mary's Claddagh

The minute someone tells you that this is a secret, "Don't tell.", your ears perk up.  Well, Jesus was always telling the people "See that you say nothing anyone..." (Mark 1:44)  There are too many examples to list them all, but if you must have some reference: Matt 8: 3-4, Matt 9: 29-30, Matt 12: 15-16, Mark 5: 42-4, Mark 16: 20, Matt 17:9, Mark 9:9, Luke 9:21, Matt 27: 12, Matt 27: 14, Mark 14: 61, etc.

Jesus knows human nature. He knows some secrets are just too juicy not to share.  And something like a healing!! Well, it would be inhuman to keep something like that to yourself.  But why does Jesus keep telling people not to tell.  The catechism gives one reason  CCC 439 

439 Many Jews and even certain Gentiles who shared their hope recognized in Jesus the fundamental attributes of the messianic "Son of David", promised by God to Israel. Jesus accepted his rightful title of Messiah, though with some reserve because it was understood by some of his contemporaries in too human a sense, as essentially political.

In other words, people might place their political aspirations on Him.  If He's the Messiah, He will overthrow the Roman government and free us Jews.

Another reason might be that Jesus didn't want people to only focus on His healing, but rather His teachings. Or maybe because it just wasn't time.

Then again, maybe it's all of these reasons and more. 

Maybe Mary was Prettier than Martha

There are certain scriptures that I'm pretty sure resonate with all women.  One is the poor woman who was suffering from hemorrhages.  I know that I thought of her every time I menstruated.  (Mark 5: 25-34) There is another story that comes to mind more often.  This is the story of Mary and Martha.  (Luke 10: 38-42) I know the point Jesus was making.  Faith is important and work can wait.  But I would have had a different ending.  I would have Jesus saying, "Oh Martha, you are right.  One person should not be left out of my teaching and company.  Let us all (including Jesus [after all, He broke rules, why not this one] and Martha) and prepare our meal together.  We can talk in the kitchen and carry on while we eat and enjoy each other's company.
     But alas, I'm not Luke relating the story.  This came to mind while I was cleaning.  My cleaning consists of cleaning out my magazines.  And that means I'm doing more reading than cleaning.
   In Adam Cooper's poem in January 2018, First Things, he depicts Martha as emotionally hurt.  Yes, Jesus wasn't on her side, even though she was correct.  She needed help.  She wanted to listen to Him.  She wanted to sit at His feet, too.  She wanted His companionship.  She felt ignored.  She felt left out. She thought Jesus would understand.  Instead...Jesus rebuked her.

Here's Adam Cooper's take:

Saint Martha and the Dragon

Never a housewife weary and embattled
Looked up with more heartfelt dismay to hear
Her Lord's rebuke.  Her eyes are startled blear,
And every straining nerve of her is rattled:
She'd fought and butchered cows and bucking goats,
And hammered out the gristled-knotted flesh
(She looked for burns and bruises and the rest),
But words so hard from his mouth catch her throat.
And yet she girds her loins for this one thing,
To sit beside her sister at his feet,
While dishes burn and stewpots, seething, spill.
And later, when the serpent made a spring
At her, she stood her ground, by one thing stilled,
Lassoed it fast, and watched its eyes go sweet.

Friends Coming and Going

Time flies.  This is a picture from a while

ago.  Two friends have moved on.  I guess we wouldn't have room for new friends if we kept the old.  But it's just natural.  People move on.  Circumstances change.  Nothing remains the same.

Little Sisters' Faithful Practice of their Religion

Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial Of The Denver-Based Little Sisters Of The Poor, Speaks To The Media Outside The U.S. Supreme Court In Washington March 23, 2016 After Attending Oral Arguments In The Zubik V. Burwell Contraceptive Mandate Case. CNS Photo/Joshua Roberts, Reuters

The background of the Little Sisters' faithful practice of their religion: On Jan. 17, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it had agreed to review a decision of a federal appeals court in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania that overturned a Trump-era exemption for contraception.  The Little Sisters of the Poor are a Catholic religious order and as such are opposed to artificial contraception.  The law is forcing them to pay for their employees' birth control, which goes against their religion.

Read the rest of the article by clicking on the link.  What do you think?  Birth control is not necessary for health.  If someone wants it, let them pay for it.

Don't Befriend Your Hero

Today my "cloistered brothers" started to read The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.  We spent an inordinate amount of time on chapter 8: 

Michael Kelley 

SHUNNING OVER-FAMILIARITY

DO NOT open your heart to every man, but discuss your affairs with one who is wise and who fears God. Do not keep company with young people and strangers. Do not fawn upon the rich, and do not be fond of mingling with the great. Associate with the humble and the simple, with the devout and virtuous, and with them speak of edifying things. Be not intimate with any woman, but generally commend all good women to God. Seek only the intimacy of God and of His angels, and avoid the notice of men.
We ought to have charity for all men but familiarity with all is not expedient. Sometimes it happens that a person enjoys a good reputation among those who do not know him, but at the same time is held in slight regard by those who do. Frequently we think we are pleasing others by our presence and we begin rather to displease them by the faults they find in us.


 Everyone had a story of how they once thought someone was really cool, but once they got to know them, they were anything but!

Deeds of Compassion

Lectio:
IS 58:7-10

Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.

Studium: 

These verses come after the Babylonian exile.  This prophet urges the Hebrews to be faithful to the covenant by obeying all that the Lord commanded. When they follow the Lord, God's saving actions will come.  Those follow the covenant will experience God's bounty for light will dismiss the gloom.

Meditatio:

Why didn't the Lord share His bounty with His people when they were in exile? Well, He didn't abandon them.  Their prophets were there.  In fact, their advice was to tally up their assets and help each other.  Stay true to the Lord and hang in there.  This too will pass.  Jeremiah 29: 4-6

Oratio:

Lord, grant me the grace of perseverance.  Help me to not be a fair-weather follower.

Contemplatio:

The face of Christ is in everyone.

Resolutio:

I need to examine my conscience every night by going through the Corporal Works of Mercy.

The New Orientalism: Iran As A Political Commodity

The New Orientalism: Iran As A Political Commodity: Orientalism can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient.  One used to define Orientalism as a Western patronizing view of the Near East.  This article by Hamid Yazdan Panah that now it means using the Near East, politically and economically.  Click on the link to understand.

Rum, Romanism, Rebellion

U.S. Supreme Court tackles anti-Catholic bigotry: The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments on a case that could upend anti-Catholic laws.

When a large wave of Catholic immigrants was coming in, a lot of animosities arose.  The slogan "Rum, Romanism, Rebellion, was used to stir up ill-will against Catholics.  Lawmakers responding to the anti-Catholic sentiments enacted laws to restrict the Catholics.  One of these laws is known as the "Blaine Amendments," which are still in effect in 37 states. These statues deny funds to religious schools, even though taxes come from all the taxpayers, religious and non-religious.

Please click on the link to read the article written by the Superintendent of Boston Catholic Schools, Thomas Carroll.