Reflection Starter from the Gospel According to Matthew

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." - Matthew 5:14-16

Serge Prokofiev: Symphony No 5 in B-flat major

It's time for some classical music. This is a presentation of Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No 5 in B-flat major, Op 100, as played by the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev: 

 

National Farm & Ranch Safety and Health Week

This week, the week of 15-21 September, is being observed as National Farm & Ranch Safety and Health Week. This year's theme is "Don't Learn Safety by Accident."

Agriculture is recognized as one of the most hazardous industries in America and around the world. In the United States, over two million full-time workers were employed in the production of crops, livestock, and poultry in 2017.According to CDC – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 2016, 417 farmers and farm workers died from a work-related injury. Young workers and youth living on farms are also subject more frequently to injuries and fatal injuries. NIOSH reports that everyday approximately 100 agricultural workers will suffer an injury resulting in lost work time.

Presidential Proclamation: National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2024

Background information:

National Education Center for Agricultural Safety

National Education Center for Agricultural Safety: National Farm Safety and Health Week 2024

International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of trucks drivers and the ministry they provide.

Matthew Trovato, OSFS, oin Nothing Succeeding Like Failure

"A common motto heard in the business world says, 'Nothing fails like success.' In other words, once you peak, there is nowhere to go but down! When you finally reach the top, you are likely to stop doing those things that helped get you there. What I have learned recently is that, in the spiritual life, the opposite is true: 'Nothing succeeds like failure!' (Try pitching that as your company's motto at a board meeting…) It may not sound appealing at first, but when we look back we will almost certainly agree that our most transformative moments have occurred as a result of some failure."

In a recent commentary, Mr. Matthew Trovato, OSFS, reflected on how our failures can do us good by bringing us "closer to the knowledge of who we truly are and the humility needed to accept ourselves."

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

De Sales Weekly: Salesian Reflection: Nothing Succeeds Like Failure (19 SEP 24)

Reflection Starter from William Wordsworth

"All that we behold is full of blessings." - William Wordsworth

Petoskey Steel Drum Band: 'Brown Eyed Girl"

It's time for some steelpan (or steel drum) music, a type of music I enjoy. In this video, the Petoskey, MI, High School Steel Drum Band is presenting "Brown Eyed Girl":

 

Birthday Blessings, Paula!!!

Birthday greetings to sister Paula, whose birthday is today!!! May this day, and each day of the upcoming year, be filled with the Lord's choicest blessings!!!

Pollution Prevention Week

This week, the week of 16-20 September, is being observed as Pollution Prevention Week, an observance designed to be an opportunity for individuals, businesses, and government to emphasize and highlight their pollution prevention and sustainability activities and achievements, to expand current pollution prevention efforts, and to commit to new actions. This year's theme is "Together We Are One Planet."

Background information:

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable

US EPA: Pollution Prevention Week

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of apples.

Br. Gregory Santy, O.P., on Family Prayer and Famulies Staying Together

"In just over a week, thousands of pilgrims will make their way to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Whether by plane, train, bus, car, or even on foot, they'll gather in DC on September 28th for the second annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage.

"Preparations for the event are ramping up among the friars. So with the rosary on my mind, I found myself thinking about an old adage connected with it: 'The family that prays together, stays together.' The phrase, popularized in the 20th century by the Venerable Patrick Peyton, CSC, was a way of promoting family prayer, especially the family rosary.

"But the phrase isn't just a promotional slogan - it's a true statement, bearing on both the nature of the family and of prayer. And given the unfortunate decline of family life in our country over the past decades, it's worth pausing to ask: why? Why is it true that the family that prays together will stay together?"

In a recent commentary, Brother Gregory Santy, O.P., reflected on the meaning of a family and how family prayer helps keep the family together.

To access Br. Gregory's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: The Family that Prays Together (1p SEP 24)

Reflection Starter from Ai Weiwei

"Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be." - Ai Weiwei