The refrain from the Responsorial Psalm from yesterday’s Mass of Tuesday of the First Week of Lent reads: “From all their distress God rescues the just.” via USCCB. It is derived from Psalm 34:18. For all of us suffering from some sort of distress, these are comforting words. Just don’t forget the qualifier: whom does …
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The Gospel Reading for the Mass for this past Monday of the First Week of Lent lays it out quite clearly as what one must do in order to be saved. The passage is at the end of this post as it’s rather long, but it is one that all Christians should know. It is …
The Gospel reading from today’s Mass is from Luke. In this excerpt (Luke 5:27-28), we read about the call of Levi, the tax collector: After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and …
An excerpt from the Gospel Reading for today’s Mass: Luke 9:23-25: “Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will …
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Today is Day 8 in our The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots. We ask Mary’s intercession for us “to practice the virtues of courage, joyfulness, humility and faith…” It has never been easy to be a Christian, even in supposedly Christian countries. The pressing needs of daily living stress us to the point of …
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Today we cover “sins of egoism, pride, rancor and … lack of generosity and humility…” in our daily walk with The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots. These sins blind you. The more of your “self” that you are bound up in, the less you are open to God’s graces, the less you see Jesus …
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Way back in the day when I lived in California I was introduced to the phrase “fat, dumb, and happy.” It is said after you’ve eaten a particularly large and sumptuous meal. I have no idea if that saying is a “California-ism,” but that’s where I first heard and used it. The thought ocurred to …
UPDATE: Thanks to a few readers and friends, I have received enough in donations to renew the hosting account, as well as the domain names, for three years. I am very grateful to them that they think enough of this work. So, the Sober Catholic bleg drive is over. If you were thinking of donating, …
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Lent began today. Traditionally, people give up stuff for Lent as a sign of repentance. That’s nice but it may be a downer, especially if it isn’t combined with something that may help you grow in holiness. Giving up something to achieve something is tough. Ask an athlete, especially an Olympian or a champion. Another …
To bury the dead is the last of the Corporal Works of Mercy. It is an act of kindness, and of hope in the resurrection of all when Jesus return to judge the living and the dead. The graves remind us always of our last end, and that there is an eternity afterwards. Time spent …