Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many ways You have guided the development of the foods we eat.

on Medieval Benedictine Monks and Chicken Dishes Today

"For the past six thousand years, humans and chicken have shared an intricate common existence. Today's chickens provide us with plentiful meat and eggs and are the most common form of poultry consumed across the world.

"Our current cultivated chickens descended from an ancestral species of Asian jungle fowl, bred to be very passive with little fear of humans and an ability to lay many eggs quickly. However, chickens were not always the easy-going birds they are today. If you can't get enough of chicken or eggs, you should probably thank medieval Catholic monks."

A recent uCatholic post offered an insight in the practices of Benedictine Monks during Medieval times and our chicken/egg dishes today.

To access the complete post, please visit:

uCatholic: Enjoy Chicken? Thank Medieval Catholic Monks. (20 SEP 17)

Reflection Starter from St. Thomas Aquinas

"It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes." - attributed to Saint Thomas Aquinas

Band of Spencers: "God of Grace and (God of) Glory"

As we continue to live this week, I offer this version of Band of Spencers presenting "God of Grace and (God of) Glory":

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the foretaste of Heaven You offer us, whether we are aware of it or not, as we celebrate Holy Mass.

David Mills on Mass as "Heaven on Earth"

"A couple of rows in front me at Mass, sitting at the outside end of the row, was a man caring for another, severely disabled, man. The second made abrupt loud noises and sometimes jerked his legs or arms. The row in front of them and to their right ended at the pillar, leaving an empty space between the pillar and the aisle. There they weren't pinned into the pew, though they were denied a view of the altar.

"At the Eucharistic Prayer, the first man held the second man as they together stood up and shuffled a few steps up to the kneeler. As they knelt, he wrapped his right arm around his friend's back. His left arm must have gone around the man's chest and locked arms with the other one, probably with his left hand holding the top of the pew. . . .

"I missed most of the prayer because I was just looking at the two men, and our Savior, and His Mother. At the altar beyond the end of the aisle was the picture of a royal, eternal triumph, symbolizing the world from which God has wiped away the tears from every eye, where there is no more death, or mourning, or pain, or sorrow. Those things will have passed away."

In a recent commentary, writer David Mills reflected on how, at this Mass, he witnessed "Heaven enacted, in that man who held his friend so tightly as they worshiped their Lord."

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

Aleteia: David Mills: The day the Mass truly became "Heaven on Earth" for me (17 SEP 17)

Reflection Starter from Thomas Merton

"You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope." - Thomas Merton, OCSO

SEISConn and the Seismic History of Connecticut.

"Fifteen seismographs placed in forests, farms and backyards across northern Connecticut picked up the vibrations of a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea on Jan. 22.

"That information arrived from 200 kilometers - 124 miles - under the Earth's surface, deep within the planet's upper mantle, below its crust. It will help geologists at Yale University and elsewhere better understand what lies underneath Connecticut. It will also help explain why the supercontinent Pangea split about 200 million years ago, forming the Atlantic Ocean and creating the continents of North American, South America and Africa.

"The data might also help explain why 'the Atlantic basin is opening and getting bigger and the Pacific Ocean basin is getting smaller' and why the continents rimming the Pacific are likely to bash into each other and form a new supercontinent hundreds of millions of years from now, according to Maureen Long, a Yale professor of geology and geophysics who is overseeing the Seismic Experiment for Imaging Structure beneath Connecticut, or SEISConn."

A recent Middletown Press article profiled various aspects of the work of SEISConn.

To access the complete Middletown Press report, please visit:

Middletown Press:  Scientists using series of seismographs to study what's under Connecticut (10 SEP 17)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many ways You reach out to Your people through broadcast media.

Donna L. Halper, PhD, on Boston's "Radio Priest"

"On a Sunday afternoon, Sept. 15, 1929, an event occurred that would have a lasting effect on greater Boston's 800,000 Catholics. On that day, nearly 88 years ago, Father Michael J. Ahern, S.J. did something no priest in Boston had ever done before: he introduced a weekly radio program specifically for Catholics. While that may not sound very remarkable in our internet, cable television, and social media age, back in 1929, it was a very important occasion. Back then, radio was the dominant mass medium, and being on the air could turn a previously unknown performer or announcer into a celebrity.

"Radio became an obsession for Bostonians during the 1920s; families gathered in their 'radio room' to listen to their favorite programs. The most popular shows were the radio dramas (which would later be called 'soap operas') and people were also delighted to hear their favorite songs. Boston stations also provided news, sports, and weather, and as far back as 1922, there were inspirational messages and Bible readings from ministers and rabbis; there were even live broadcasts from area houses of worship. But if you were a Catholic in those formative years of radio, there were no programs that featured a priest.

"Then as now, Boston was overwhelmingly Christian, yet one of the most popular radio preachers of the 1920s was Jewish: Harry Levi, the rabbi of Boston's Temple Israel. An eloquent speaker, he developed a large following of both Jews and non-Jews. For most Bostonians, in that era before interfaith events became more common, listening to a rabbi was a new experience; to Rabbi Levi's surprise, there were many non-Jews tuned in to his broadcasts over station WNAC (today WRKO), and they enjoyed hearing him discuss the Old Testament; in fact, many sent him fan mail and asked for autographed copies of his sermons. The same phenomenon occurred for some Protestant ministers, including Rev. Henry Knox Sherrill; he broadcast over station WEEI, and he never expected that the power of radio would turn members of Boston's clergy into radio stars.

"But for whatever reason, and despite radio's growing influence, it wasn't until 1928 when the Catholic church became more active in broadcasting. That year, there were a few radio programs of interest to Catholics -- usually on special occasions. For example, on May 20, there was a Mass to honor military veterans, held at Fenway Park, and on Christmas day, there was a Mass from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross; both were officiated by Cardinal O'Connell. Undoubtedly, these broadcasts led Boston's Catholics to hope for a more frequent presence on the air. They finally got their wish in mid-September 1929 when Father Ahern debuted the weekly 'Catholic Truth Hour,' also called the 'Catholic Truth Period.'"

In a recent commentary, Donna L. Halper, PhD, reflected on the ministry of Father Ahern (who came to be known as the "Radio Priest"), on his friendship with Rabbi Levi, and on his scientific endeavors as professor and as a researcher.

To access Dr. Halper's complete essay, please visit:

The Pilot: Echoes: Father Michael J. Ahern: Boston's First 'Radio Priest' (1 SEP 17)

Reflection Starter from Pope Francis

"In the Cross our hope is reborn. Hope born of the Cross is different from that of the world, because it is born of the love of Jesus." - Pope Francis

The Alley Cats: "The Duke of Earl"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of The Alley Cats presenting "Duke of Earl":

Note: The Alley Cats are appearing this weekend at The Big E (the Eastern States Exposition) in West Springfield, MA.