Happy Birthday, Myrna!!!

Happy Birthday, Myrna! May the Lord shower you with an outpouring of special blessings this day and throughout the upcoming year!

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of Holy Scripture and for the many ways in which You touch our hearts through it.

Bishop Tobin on Eucharistic Adoration as Spending Quality Time with Jesus

"One of the devotional practices of the Church that was in danger of being lost for a while is the adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. But, thank God, it's a practice that's had an amazing comeback in our parishes, and has been welcomed by many, including lots of young people. And, by the way, it's clearly one of the keys in discerning a priestly vocation, experience has shown.

"Eucharistic adoration has a long and noble place in the life of the Church. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, of the Diocese of Providence (RI), reflected on Eucharistic adoration as an opportunity to spend quality time with Jesus.

To access Bishop Tobin's complete essay, please visit:

The Imitation of Christ: Eucharistic Adoration - Spending Time With Jesus (26 SEP 19)

Reflection Starter from St. Jerome

"The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever reaching the bottom." - Saint Jerome, whose memory the Church celebrates today (30 September)

On an Engineer Who Became a Nun, Praying (even for the Difficult), Giving the Prince of Peace a Chance, and Other Topics

A number of Catholic-related articles/posts have recently been published on a variety of subjects worth considering.

To access some of these, please visit:

Aleteia: The Deacon's Bench: The engineer who became a nun (14 SEP 19)

The Pilot: Echoes: Dwight G. Duncan. Redressing anti-Catholic bias in education. (2 AUG 19)

Aleteia: Daniel Esparza: Meet Melchizedek, one of the most intriguing characters in the Bible (23 JUN 19)

Crisis Magazine: A Great Catch: The 153 Fish (17 MAY 19)

Catholic Exchange: We Must Pray, Even for the Difficult (12 JUN 19)

The Deacon's Bench: On preaching: 'People will never believe in us if we do not show love and compassion to those whom we wish to believe in us' (8 FEB 19)

Aleteia: Patty Knap: Did you know as many as 25% of Native Americans today are Catholic? (19 AUG 19)

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Matt D'Antuono: To Stay Catholic in College, You Have to Do These 6 Things (10 AUG 19)

Catholic Answers: Give the Prince of Peace a Chance (18 AUG 19)

YouTube: It Is Well with My Soul: Historical Origins of the Hymn & the Tune

Word on Fire: The Stark Choice Before Us: Everything or Nothing At All (7 MAR 19)

Public Discourse: Faithful Living in a Fractious Age: Evaluating 'Fairness for All' in Light of Christian Theology (14 SEP 19)

Fr. Paul Scalia on Holy Shrewdness

"Many Catholics misunderstand our Lord's parables. We fall into a saccharine piety, thinking of them as fables, nice down-to-earth stories that teach religious lessons. This, by the way, accounts for a great deal of bad preaching. Suffering this superficial view of the parables, many priests think they can imitate the Master. Thus the banal personal stories or movie and cultural references that supposedly illustrate divine truths but in fact only empty them of significance.

"In fact, Jesus' parables always have more depth than a first - or second or third - reading reveals. Far from being merely homespun wisdom, they often contain a twist or a shock to upend conventional thinking.

"Particularly in Saint Luke's Gospel our Lord gives us some puzzling parables. Thus far in the Sunday reading of Luke, we have heard about a hated foreigner who was better than Israel's finest (Lk 10), cynical social advice on how to get ahead (Lk 14), and a shepherd with poor accounting skills (Lk 15). We will later hear about the unjust judge and the pious publican (Lk 18). The incongruity of these stories is meant stun us, precisely so that we will pay better attention to our Lord's teaching."

In a recent commentary, Father Paul D. Scalia, Episcopal Vicar for Clergy for the Diocese of Arlington (Virginia), reflected on Jesus' presentation of shrewdness as exemplified in the Parable of the Unjust Steward and the importance of the faithful being as practical in striving for heavenly glory as the unfaithful are for worldly comfort.

To access Fr. Scalia's complete post, please visit:

The Catholic Thing: Holy Shrewdness (22 SEP 19)

On a Police Officer Helping Move a Senior Citizen, Age 94, Across Country into His New Home

"A lot of police officers go above and beyond - playing basketball with kids, mowing grass for seniors - we see examples on the news all the time. But few officers have gone further out of their way than Sergeant Jeff Turney of the Glendale, Arizona police department.

"It started with a call to dispatch: 'I have a 94-year-old father. He's loaded up a trailer and thinks he can drive his vehicle and the trailer to Florida. And I'd like to have somebody talk to him, if they could.'"

A recent CBS News "On the Road" segment reported on the assistance provided by Sgt. Turney to this senior citizen on his move.

To access the complete report, please visit:

CBS News: On the Road: Police officer helps move a 94-year-old stranger into his new home (13 SEP 19)

"How Sweet The Name of Jesus Sounds"

As we continue our Sunday celebration, I offer this version of Aileen Gilchrist presenting "How Sweet The Name of Jesus Sounds":

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The assigned readings are Amos 6:1A, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:111-16; and Luke 16:19-31. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 146 (Psalm 146:7-10).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Psalm 146: Praise the Lord, My Soul

The Gospel reading is as follows:

Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

"And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'

"He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Reflections on these readings:

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (September 29, 2019) 

Community in Mission: Ignoring the Poor Is a Damnable Sin - A Homily for the 26th Sunday of the Year (28 SEP 19)

Rhode Island Catholic: The Quiet Corner: The measure of our Catholicism is our sensitivity to those in the greatest of need (26 SEP 19)

The Sacred Page: Does It Even Matter How We Treat Others? The 26th Sunday of OT (24 SEP 19)

The Sacred Page: The Parable of the Lazarus and the Rich Man (The Mass Readings Explained) (23 SEP 19)

Rhode Island Catholic: Sunday Scripture: Such a fine story (26 SEP 19)

St. Paul Center: A Great Chasm: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Word on Fire: Don't Forget the Poor (Cycle C * Ordinary Time * Week 26)

Catholic News Agency: At Mass for Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis says world is increasingly elitist (29 SEP 19)

National Catholic Register: Sunday Guide: May We Seek Out Every Lazarus Before Us (27 SEP 19)

Spirituality of the Readings: Rags and Riches (26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

In Exile: The Church's Economic-Social Teachings (26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

The Perspective of Justice: A Truly Human Life (26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Let the Scriptures Speak: Dives and Lazarus (26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

The Word Engaged: Problems with Corporate Wealth (26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Historical Cultural Context: The Rich and the Poor (26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary by John Chrysostom (26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)