Tony Bennett: "Because of You"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of Tony Bennett presenting "Because of You":

 

Belated Birthday Blessings, Amy!!!

Belated birthday greetings to niece Amylynne Moore (brother Richard's daughter), who recently celebrated her birthday!!! May each day of the upcoming year be filled with the Lord's choicest blessings!!!

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of crisp autumn days.

Daniel Esparza on Reclaiming Your Attention

"There is a word embedded in Leo XIV's theme for World Communications Day 2027 that rewards unpacking. Attention, he notes, comes from the Latin ad-tendere - to stretch toward. Not to consume, not to scroll, but to reach deliberately toward something outside yourself, something worth the effort of sustained regard.

"The platforms that now mediate most of human communication are engineered around the opposite movement. They stretch toward you. They learn your triggers, sharpen your compulsions, and serve you content calibrated to hold your eyes for another few seconds. The business model is not communication. It is the harvesting of attention as a raw material, sold to advertisers, through the engineering of psychological states - outrage, anxiety, craving - that make the harvest most efficient.

"Leo named this a spiritual crisis. He is right. But the tradition he represents has been running a counter-practice for a very long time."

In a recent commentary, writer/scholar Daniel Esparza reflected on how the Rule of Benedict is structured almost entirely around the discipline of attention.

To access Mr. Esparza's complete post, please visit: 

Aleteia: Daniel Esparza: How to reclaim your attention before it's gone (15 OCT 26)

Reflection Starter from Albert Schweitzer

"Seek always to do some good somewhere. You must give some time to other persons. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own." - Dr. Albert Schweitzer

"Worthy Is the Lamb"

As we continue our Sunday celebration, I offer this version of "Worthy Is the Lamb":

 

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates the Twenty-eigth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The assigned readings for the Mass during the day are Isaiah 25:6-10a; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; and Matthew 22:1-14. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 23 (Psalm 23A:1-6 ).

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

YouTube: Spirit & Psalm - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2023 - Year A - Psalm 23 - Anderson

The Gospel reading is as follows:

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast."' Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.' The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.' Many are invited, but few are chosen."

Reflections related to these readings:

Benedictine College: This Sunday, Only Those Who Won't Change Can't Come (8 OCT 26)

Word on Fire: The Invitation Has Been Offered (Cycle A * Ordinary Time * 28th Week)

The Pilot: Echoes: Scott Hahn: Dressing for the feast (9 OCT 26)

The Pilot: Echoes: Deacon Greg Kandra: A wedding garment of mercy (7 OCT 26)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for Your Presence in the mysteries we reflect on.

Msgr. Pope on the Meaning of Mystery

"In the secular world, a 'mystery' is something that baffles or eludes understanding, something that lies undisclosed. And the usual attitude of the world toward mystery is to solve it, get to the bottom of, or uncover it. Mysteries must be overcome! The riddle, or 'who-done-it' must be solved!

"In the Christian and especially the Catholic world, 'mystery' is something a bit different. Here, mystery refers to the fact that there are hidden dimensions in things, people, and situations that extend beyond their visible, physical dimensions."

In a recent commentary, Msgr. Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on how, for the Christian .""mystery is not something to be solved or overcome so much as to be savored and reverenced

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: What Do We Mean by the Word "Mystery?" (10 OCT 26)

Reflection Starter from Poe Leo XIV

"In the Gospel of the Day, Jesus speaks of the wedding feast prepared by a king for his son (cf. Mt 22:1–14). The wedding feast is ours, and the banquet hall is our churches and homes, the places where we live and where the King's Son, Jesus Christ, continues to declare His love for us and await our 'yes.'" - Pope Leo XIV

Dinah Shore: "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of Dinah Shore presenting "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)":

 

Belated Birthday Blessings, Elisabeth!!!

Belated birthday greetings to niece Elisabeth Altshuler, whose recently celebrated her birthday!!! May each day of the upcoming year be filled with the Lord's choicest blessings!!!