A number of articles/posts have recently been published on a variety of New England-related subjects worth considering.
To access some of these, please visit:
WPRI-TV: Smithfield Halloween display created by autistic teen (17 OCT 25)
The Patriot Ledger: Retire and relax, right? Unless you have a whole town to watch over (4 OCT 25)
Only in Connecticut: This Completely Free Bookstore in Connecticut Is a Booklover's Dream
Only in Vermont: Here Are 14 Things You Can Only Find In Vermont
Birthday greetings to (great) nephew Christopher Kirch, who birthday is today!! May this day, and each day of the upcoming year, be richly blessed!!!
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!!!
October is being observed as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is designed to be a time of raising awareness of domestic violence throughout the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities. It is also a time to remember those who have died because of domestic violence and to recommit to efforts to end violence within homes and communities.
Domestic violence refers to a violent confrontation between family or household members involving physical harm, sexual assault, and/or fear of physical harm. Family or household members include spouses, former spouses, those in (or formerly in) a dating relationship, adults related by blood or marriage, and those who have a biological or legal parent-child relationship.
Domestic violence may include acts of violence intimidation, threats, psychological abuse, and/or isolation to coerce and to control the other person. Violence itself may not happen often, but it may remain a hidden and constant terrorizing factor. Domestic violence may also include psychological violence, such as intense and repetitive degradation, creating isolation, and controlling the actions or behaviors of the spouse or other individual through intimidation or manipulation to the detriment of that individual.
Although a look at statistics indicates that domestic violence is a major problem, we don’t really know how common it is because people often do not report it. Domestic violence occurs among women and men of all ages and all levels of income and education. Many times victims of violence suffer in silence because they do not know where to turn, where to find guidance and support.
In a related initiative, a number of celebrities, athletes, corporate leaders, and advocates are collaborating, via a series of public service announcements, to generate awareness for domestic violence and sexual assault and encourage bystanders to help. This NO MORE campaign is designed to galvanize greater awareness and action to end domestic violence and sexual assault.
For more information about this initiative, please visit:
Background information and resources:
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Network to End Domestic Violence
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Maine Coalition To End Domestic Violence
Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
In his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul wrote, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience. . . . And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." These virtues are not easy to practice, but they are key to making God's kingdom more present on earth. So, how can we approach this task?
Singer-songwriter Sarah Hart finds inspiration in a pivotal moment from monk and author Thomas Merton's life. While standing on a street corner one day in Louisville, Kentucky, Merton was suddenly overwhelmed by a divine sense of love for all the people around him, even though they were strangers. "They were mine and I theirs," he wrote. In her newsletter, Hart acknowledged that it can be hard to see our fellow human beings like this. Still, she noted that this experience reminded her of a famous quote from Saint Mother Teresa: "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
"In this crazy world with all of its ample causes for frustration and division," Hart observed, "we are called to treat each person with equal dignity and respect, to see Christ there, and to see our . . . sacred belongingness to one another. . . . Here is where one person can make a difference. We each have the power within us to try . . . to know someone, to truly see someone, or even just to work at it. The way of love is paved one thought, word, gesture, or kindness at a time."
In other words, the way of love is paved by making the next right choice based on what is going on in our lives. Passionist priest Father Robert Joerger shared a story about this kind of decision in The Sunday Mass Prayer Guide. He recalled his grandmother giving him a particular piece of advice when he was a young boy. She would say, "Bobby, don't ever look down at a beggar on the street. He could be Christ come back."
These words came to mind again years later on a frigid day as he was leaving a meeting and walking toward his parked car on the street. A "disheveled" man in tattered clothes approached Father Joerger. The priest braced himself for the financial appeal that he knew was coming, but then he remembered his grandmother's words, "He could be Christ come back."
"Father, please help me, I am so hungry," the beggar implored. Father Joerger took out his wallet and discovered that all he had were a $50 bill and a $1 bill. It took him a few seconds to decide, but the priest ultimately handed the man the $50. The man hugged and kissed Father Joerger, declaring, "You are the best priest I've ever met!"
Father Joerger reflected, "Maybe Christ kissed me today and encouraged me to be faithful to who I say I am."
Seeing the image of Christ reflected in individuals we may be tempted to look down on can be a challenge. It's easier to simply judge them based on their appearance or status in life. But Father Joerger came to see the man who approached him not just as "a beggar,”"but as a fellow human being "that could be Christ come back." He remembered, in Mother Teresa's terms, that "we belong to each other." Wouldn't our world be better if we all remembered that?
This essay is a recent "Light One Candle"
column by Tony Rossi, Director of Communications, The Christophers; it is one of a series of
weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current
events.
Background information:
The Christophers
"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it." - Arnold H. Glasow
Today the Church celebrates the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The assigned readings are 2 Kings 5:14-17, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, and Luke 17:11-19. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 85 (Psalm 98:1-4).
For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:
YouTube: Spirit & Psalm - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2022 - Year C - Psalm 98 - Blakesley
The Gospel reading is as follows:
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
Reflections related to these readings:
Benedictine College: This Sunday: Your Chance To Be the Leper Who Returns (9 OCT 25)
Word on Fire: Sermons: The Gospel Is Jesus Christ (Cycle C * 28th Week * Ordinary Time)
"For better or worse, my childhood days were lived before the age of the
digital camera. So, the stories of my early life are preserved in
shelves full of photo albums. As is likely the case for many, Halloween
photographs are plentiful.
"While Halloween had not yet morphed into the mega-holiday it is now, I
took my Halloween costumes very seriously. There were the challenges of
picking a character, brainstorming the costume that would bring that
character to life, and then making that costume in a way that would
somehow marry an imagination that was fairly good with crafting and
sewing skills that were decidedly bad. . ."
In a recent commentary, writer/Professor Lucia A. Silecchia reflected on some of the reasons why one dresses up and on the opportunity to dress up with virtue.
To access Professor Silecchia's complete post, please visit:
The Pilot: Echoes: Lucia A. Silecchia: Dressing up for Ordinary Time (8 OCT 25)
"The Risen Lord walks alongside each of us, as we journey every day. With infinite care, he asks to let Him warm our hearts. He waits patiently for the moment when our eyes will open to see His friendly face, so He can transform our resignation into hope." - Pope Leo XIV
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