Book Selections

St. Mary's Book Club met last night and decided
which books to read for the coming year. 

June – Sept.       Wolf Hall                              by Hilary Mantel

October               The Nightingale                by Kristin Hannah

November          Life in the Jar:The             by Jack Mayer
                Irena Sendler Project

December           The 100 Year Old               by Jonas Jonasson
                                Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
January                                The Glass Castle                by Jeannette Walls

February              The Caning:The                 by Stephen Puleo
                                Assault that Drove American to Civil War

March                   The Soul of an Octopus:                by Sy Montgomery
                A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

April                      The Mayflower                 by Nathaniel Philbrick

May                       The Circle                             by Dave Eggers

June – Sept.       What Alice Forgot            by Liane Moriarity

Count Your Blessings

Gary

Another story one of my confreres related yesterday in chapter had to do with the way we look at the world.  Remember, we're discussing prayer.  Gary was thinking positive.  Too many people focus on what they don't have or what's missing, rather than looking at what they do have and should be thankful for.  His story:

A grandmother (why a grandmother I don't know) and her grandson were walking the beach.  The boy stopped to play in the waves and the grandmother sat down to watch and enjoy.  Suddenly, a rogue wave came and snatch the boy up and pulled him far out in the ocean.  The grandmother freaked!  She screamed to heaven, begging God to bring her grandson back.  Then just as suddenly as the grandson was snatched away, a wave brought him in and deposited him back on shore.
    Instead of thanking God, she said, "He was wearing a hat."

Faith

Nghia

We were talking about Faith in Chapter, this morning.  We actually were discussing prayer.  What makes prayer fruitful is Faith.  Not necessarily that we pray for a miracle and have faith that a miracle will happen, but that it could, if it were God's will.  Faith knows that prayers are heard, acknowledged, and we get what we ask for if it is good for us.  We trust that God, Who is omniscient, will allow what is good for us.  Anyway, you get the idea--how and what we were saying.  Nghia told us a story that hit the nail on the head.

There was a drought in the land. The people prayed for rain.  The village leaders decided to get together and all pray together, to pray for rain.  They decided on a date to do this.  The date came and everyone came out to pray together.  There they all were.  Only one of them had an umbrella.  He had Faith.

Pop Quiz

Winter Moths

You wouldn't believe the devastation. Yesterday, the trail hikers hiked the French Trail in Borderlands.  It was hot and sticky because even though we were in the woods, there were no leaves on the trees.  Why?

Our leaves are being attacked by the Winter Moths.   "In the spring, our communities have witnessed an astonishing number of small, green caterpillars defoliating maples, oaks and other deciduous trees. The major caterpillar pest thought to be responsible for this foliar destruction was initially thought to be the fall cankerworm. However, in 2003, by collaborative work done by Deborah Swanson of Plymouth County Extension (retired), the late Robert Childs of UMass Extension, Dr. Joseph Elkinton of UMass, and Dr. David Wagner of UConn it was discovered that the damage was done by a newly introduced insect called the winter moth (Operophtera brumata), a member of the Geometridae family.

Initially, the hardest hit areas were in Eastern Massachusetts, especially southeastern MA, including Cape Cod. The winter moth's known range in Massachusetts and beyond is now much better understood due to the extensive pheromone trapping that has been orchestrated by Dr. Joseph Elkinton at the University of Massachusetts. Winter moth is at its heaviest numbers east of Route 495, on the North and South Shores, including Martha's Vineyard and most of Cape Cod, as well as in towns in and around Boston. However, it is also found as far west as Worcester. Winter moth is now established throughout Rhode Island and has been picked up in traps, in southeastern NH, coastal Maine, southeastern CT and out on Long Island, New York. Massachusetts still appears to have the largest and most damaging populations of this pest." Source: https://ag.umass.edu/fact-sheets/winter-moth-overview  

Disgusting! They were in our hats, hanging from the brims!  Oddly, we reached an open field where there weren't trees, just high grass. Across, the tree leaves were fine.  The moths were there.  Yet!  We plowed through the grass.  Then we checked each other for ticks.  The ticks seem to attach themselves from the hips up, not our ankles.  Lastly, we found some picnic tables to lunch on.  But first, we had to brush off what looked like pepper (Winter Moth turds).  Ugh!

This was our last hike for the season.

Who Am I?

I am the only saint directly canonized by Jesus, Himself.  I was assured of a place in Heaven by Him.  I confessed to Him in an open confessional.  My face was closest to Jesus in His last hours of death than anybody else.  I offered Him words of comfort while He died in agony.  Who am I?

Answer: Dismas

Mercy behind prison walls | National Catholic Reporter

Mercy behind prison walls | National Catholic Reporter     Look the book my "cloistered brothers" wrote is plugged in the National Catholic Reporter.



WooHoo!