RIP, Garry

Years ago I had written about my old AA friend Garry. I had been looking up stuff at random on Facebook and one thing lead to another and I discovered that he had been arrested for DWI in my old hometown. You can read about that here and here. This first link tells about our friendship …

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Our Lady of Sorrows

September 15th is the the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It honors the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which are: First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon Our Lady and St. Joseph took the child Jesus as was customary under Mosaic Law after her 40 days of purification were over. They were to …

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Mother’s Day and Polka Music

When I was growing up, my Mom played polka music every Sunday before Mass. I lived in central New York State, and there were a number of ethnic radio programs from the various Syracuse, Utica and Rome stations. With a relatively large Polish-American populatiion, there were a few hours of polka programming each Sunday. Mom …

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Things said at funerals

Today is my birthday. And I’m going to discuss funerals. I’ve been to a number of funerals, as we all. One thing I’ve noticed, and this has been commented upon quite often in the Catholic blogosphere and social media: the deceased are canonized. It’s understandable, but it its also uncharitable. If you are attending a …

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A Vision of the Judgment Seat of God

In her diary, ‘Divine Mercy in my Soul,” St. Maria Faustina Kowalska writes of when she was given the gift of appearing before the judgement seat of God: 36 Once I was summoned to the judgment [seat] of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesusappeared such as we know Him during His Passion. After …

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St. Faustina’s Vision of Purgatory Part 2

In Paragraph 21 of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska’s diary: “Divine Mercy in My Soul,” the Saint writes of when she was visited by a suffering soul : 21 …My superiors [probably Mother Leonard and MotherJane] sent me to the novitiate in Cracow. An inconceivable joy reigned in my soul. Whenwe arrived at the novitiate, Sister …

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Shutting out the fear of Death

An excerpt from “The treatise of St Cyprian on mortality, ‘Let us shut out the fear of death and meditate upon immortality’” contained in the Office of Readings for Friday, 34th Week of Ordinary Time: has encouraging words for those who long for Heaven: “We ought never to forget, beloved, that we have renounced the …

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Litany for a Good Death

There is a prayer that you should add to your inventory of prayers, especially during November. This one is courtesy of Joseph Karl Publishing’s Blog and is entitled Litany For A Good Death. Litany For A Good Death O Lord Jesus, God of goodness and Father of mercies,I draw nigh to Thee with a contrite …

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Are You Prepared to Die?

Someday you will die. Me, too. No one is exempt. It will happen, guaranteed. If you have been recently exposed to death because a loved one has passed away, the possibility was brought to your attention. Most everyone is uncomfortable with it and will routinely brush it off.  An article from long ago asks us …

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Dying, One Day at a Time

Quite often you read or hear about how we Christians are supposed to keep our “eyes on the prize.” In other words, be mindful of death. (In Latin, that is “Memento Mori.”) We should try to keep our minds on our ultimate goal, Heaven, and remember that we will be judged upon our death. Doing …

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