Later this month we will gather with friends or family to give thanks for all the blessings we have received throughout the year. Yet the gifts don't just come once a year, so try these tips for living gratitude all year:
Say it out loud. Saying the words out loud will keep you from taking your blessings for granted. Let words of gratitude be the last ones on your lips at night.
Avoid complaining. How can we be thankful and still gripe when things don't go our way? When you find yourself feeling stressed or depressed, stop and list five blessings instead.
Don't shop or buy. Try putting off what you don't absolutely need. Instead, clean out a closet, drawer, or storage area you have been ignoring and rediscover the good things you already have.
Live thankfully. Each day, look for small blessings and pleasures. Noticing them will help you remember that God makes all things well and deserves our thanks.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Celebrate the human saints
Sometimes we forget that the saints were people like us. They had similar weaknesses and sinned just like us but overcame it all for love of God. Getting to know them gives us role models we can follow to Heaven.
For example :
St. Francis of Assisi -- didn't start out saintly. He was a spoiled rich boy who loved a party. When God asked him to "repair my Church", Francis literally repaired church buildings by hand. Eventually, he became one of the great reformers of the Church, founding the Franciscan Order that thrives today.
St. Jerome -- was known for his bad temper. It was probably with some relief that the pope sent Jerome off to the solitary task of translating the Bible into Latin. St. Jerome gave himself up to prayer, penance, and study to produce this labor of love. The result was that the Word of God became accessible to anyone who spoke the common language, not just the educated few.
St. Marianne Cope -- could seem heartless in her work managing a leper colony in Kalaupapa, Hawaii. She was steely in maintaining sanitary and health conditions for those with Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) to avoid spreading the frightful disease. Yet, Mother Marianne's optimism, serenity, and her considerable abilities brought the love of God to the islands of Hawaii.
For example :
St. Francis of Assisi -- didn't start out saintly. He was a spoiled rich boy who loved a party. When God asked him to "repair my Church", Francis literally repaired church buildings by hand. Eventually, he became one of the great reformers of the Church, founding the Franciscan Order that thrives today.
St. Jerome -- was known for his bad temper. It was probably with some relief that the pope sent Jerome off to the solitary task of translating the Bible into Latin. St. Jerome gave himself up to prayer, penance, and study to produce this labor of love. The result was that the Word of God became accessible to anyone who spoke the common language, not just the educated few.
St. Marianne Cope -- could seem heartless in her work managing a leper colony in Kalaupapa, Hawaii. She was steely in maintaining sanitary and health conditions for those with Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) to avoid spreading the frightful disease. Yet, Mother Marianne's optimism, serenity, and her considerable abilities brought the love of God to the islands of Hawaii.
Devotions for each of us
The graces we get from the Mass are essential, but sometimes we feel called to do more to keep God always in our thoughts throughout the day. That's when we can draw on devotions --- external religious practices not part of the official liturgy of the Catholic Church. There are so many from which to choose and can be as unique as we are.
Something for everyone. The more devotions we know, the more we can use. Popular choices include the Rosary, novenas, adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, and celebrations in honor of Jesus and the saints. There are seasonal devotions, such as lighting an Advent wreath or praying the Stations of the Cross during Lent.
Grow in love. Devotions are designed to help us experience God in everyday life. Their regular use help us to see God anew and fall in love with him more each day. Find one --- or more --- that works for you.
Note : for ideas, try A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions (Loyola Press, 800-621-1008, loyolapress.com).
Something for everyone. The more devotions we know, the more we can use. Popular choices include the Rosary, novenas, adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, and celebrations in honor of Jesus and the saints. There are seasonal devotions, such as lighting an Advent wreath or praying the Stations of the Cross during Lent.
Grow in love. Devotions are designed to help us experience God in everyday life. Their regular use help us to see God anew and fall in love with him more each day. Find one --- or more --- that works for you.
Note : for ideas, try A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions (Loyola Press, 800-621-1008, loyolapress.com).
Choose to live a free life
God gave us free will so we can make our own choices and be free. Popular culture tells us freedom means doing whatever we choose even if that includes sin. Yet, true freedom is being open to God's love and closed to sin. "Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil" (1 Peter 2:16). We are at our freest when we choose for good.
Don't give away your freedom. Sin can overtake us without our noticing. For example, sharing one juicy secret may make us feel popular but over time, gossip can become a habit we can't control. A nightly examination of the day can help identify sinful actions before they become habits. Monthly visits to the Sacrament of Reconciliation will also sharpen that sense of sin.
Freely choose love. God won't force us to love him; he hopes we will choose it. Often, we don't approach him because we feel unworthy, guilty, or distant. Instead, choose to believe that God's love is stronger than our sin or guilt. When we have faith that he loves us, we are free to love him back.
Choose for good. Consistently making good and moral choices in today's society is hard but it leads to great reward. The more we choose good, the freer we become.
Don't give away your freedom. Sin can overtake us without our noticing. For example, sharing one juicy secret may make us feel popular but over time, gossip can become a habit we can't control. A nightly examination of the day can help identify sinful actions before they become habits. Monthly visits to the Sacrament of Reconciliation will also sharpen that sense of sin.
Freely choose love. God won't force us to love him; he hopes we will choose it. Often, we don't approach him because we feel unworthy, guilty, or distant. Instead, choose to believe that God's love is stronger than our sin or guilt. When we have faith that he loves us, we are free to love him back.
Choose for good. Consistently making good and moral choices in today's society is hard but it leads to great reward. The more we choose good, the freer we become.
Carry the Eucharist with you
During the Mass, Jesus comes to us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist to nourish us, heal us, and draw us closer to him. The graces we receive from the Eucharist help us follow Christ more perfectly if we are open to them. The good news is these "sacramental graces" remain even after Mass. They help us become Christ to the world.
Cultivate grace. Grace is a share in God's divine life. Being open to Eucharist grace involves spending time with God in the Eucharist. Is there a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel nearby? Does your parish offer First Friday Benediction? Practicing a Eucharistic devotion will make the Mass less like a duty and more like a visit with a Friend.
Take the Eucharist on the road. We take Christ with us when we communicate his love through our actions and words. Grace from the Sacrament inspires us and strengthens us to show Christ-like love to the world. "As I have loved you, so you also should love one another" (John 13:34).
Cultivate grace. Grace is a share in God's divine life. Being open to Eucharist grace involves spending time with God in the Eucharist. Is there a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel nearby? Does your parish offer First Friday Benediction? Practicing a Eucharistic devotion will make the Mass less like a duty and more like a visit with a Friend.
Take the Eucharist on the road. We take Christ with us when we communicate his love through our actions and words. Grace from the Sacrament inspires us and strengthens us to show Christ-like love to the world. "As I have loved you, so you also should love one another" (John 13:34).
Discover God's plan of love for you
A vocation is a call from God to love him throughout your life. Whether you are called to be married, a priest or deacon, a religious brother or sister, or committeed to staying single, your vocation will bring you the most joy you can experience on Earth. It will help you and others to grow closer to God.
Here are some ways you can better discern God's plan for you:
Personally meet him. The Church's sacraments are opportunities to meet God personally and receive his grace. We can meet him often in the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sacred Scripture is another opportunity for personal encounter. The more we open ourselves up to Our Lord, the more easily we can discern his voice.
Follow in another's footsteps. Find role models in the different vocations. See if you can picture yourself doing what he or she does each day. Ask for details of their vocations stories to see how God chose them. That will give you clues to how you are being called.
Keep in touch. Keeping a prayer journal is a good way to spot patterns that may show God is working in your life. Pick a prayer buddy and pray for each other's vocations. Spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament when you can.
Here are some ways you can better discern God's plan for you:
Personally meet him. The Church's sacraments are opportunities to meet God personally and receive his grace. We can meet him often in the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sacred Scripture is another opportunity for personal encounter. The more we open ourselves up to Our Lord, the more easily we can discern his voice.
Follow in another's footsteps. Find role models in the different vocations. See if you can picture yourself doing what he or she does each day. Ask for details of their vocations stories to see how God chose them. That will give you clues to how you are being called.
Keep in touch. Keeping a prayer journal is a good way to spot patterns that may show God is working in your life. Pick a prayer buddy and pray for each other's vocations. Spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament when you can.
Still waiting for God to say "Yes?"
Even the most faithful Christians can get discouraged in prayer. It can be dishearting when you have your heart set on something, pray hard for it, but the hoped for result doesn't happen. It is important to remember that God hears you and he always answers prayer. He loves you more than you can imagine and wants the best for you. In fact, he knows what you need better than you do.
Answers to prayer usually fall into one of three responses:
1. Yes
2. Not right now
3. I have a better idea
The best approach is to make your request, trust him to do the right thing, and then look for his answer. Try not to get set on any one answer.
Perhaps God wants you to wait to increase your appreciation or because he doesn't think you are ready yet.
Perhaps he has something better in mind.
Whatever the answer --- and there is always an answer --- remember that it comes from his incredible and personal love.
Answers to prayer usually fall into one of three responses:
1. Yes
2. Not right now
3. I have a better idea
The best approach is to make your request, trust him to do the right thing, and then look for his answer. Try not to get set on any one answer.
Perhaps God wants you to wait to increase your appreciation or because he doesn't think you are ready yet.
Perhaps he has something better in mind.
Whatever the answer --- and there is always an answer --- remember that it comes from his incredible and personal love.
Polish your Catholic compass
Our Catholic faith is like a compass that can point us to a clear path to Heaven. If we aren't careful to keep our compass in working order, however, we can get pulled off course and lose our way.
Keep a sharp lookout. God made us in his image and likeness and we will be happiest when we avoid temptation and do what is good and loving in his eyes. The Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments are roadmaps we can follow.
Follow the well-worn path. We don't have to forge our own path. We have the Catholic Church to guide us. For example, an excellant source of answers to puzzling questions is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is a summary of what Catholics throughout the world believe in common. The Church also offers us thousands of saints as models.
Pack for the trip. Jesus knew we would need extra strength so he gave us the Sacraments. They are encounters with God and provide sanctifying grace. Fortify your traveler's spirit with the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as possible.
Journey toward God's voice. While God speaks to us in many ways, his voice is most clearly discerned in Scripture. A daily dose of the Word of God is a sure way to stay of the path to Heaven.
Keep a sharp lookout. God made us in his image and likeness and we will be happiest when we avoid temptation and do what is good and loving in his eyes. The Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments are roadmaps we can follow.
Follow the well-worn path. We don't have to forge our own path. We have the Catholic Church to guide us. For example, an excellant source of answers to puzzling questions is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is a summary of what Catholics throughout the world believe in common. The Church also offers us thousands of saints as models.
Pack for the trip. Jesus knew we would need extra strength so he gave us the Sacraments. They are encounters with God and provide sanctifying grace. Fortify your traveler's spirit with the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as possible.
Journey toward God's voice. While God speaks to us in many ways, his voice is most clearly discerned in Scripture. A daily dose of the Word of God is a sure way to stay of the path to Heaven.
Ever heard this one?
An elderly married couple were attending church one Sunday when halfway through the sermon the wife turned to her husband and whispered, "I just let out a long, silent toot!
What should I do?" The husband replied, "Replace the battery in your hearing aid!"
What should I do?" The husband replied, "Replace the battery in your hearing aid!"
Fwd: A Parable
An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey, and the old man walked.As they went along they passed some people who remarked "What a shame, the old man is walking, the boy is riding." The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.Later they passed some people who remarked "What a shame, he makes that little boy walk". So they decided they'd both walk.Soon they passed some more people who remarked "They're really stupid to walk when they have a decent donkey to ride." So they both decided to ride the donkey.They passed some people who shamed them by saying "How awful to put such a load on a poor donkey." The boy and the man figured they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey.As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the donkey, the donkey fell into the river and drowned.The moral of the story: If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye.Have a nice day.
Fwd: Black and White
Hope you enjoy this
Black and White TV's.... You could hardly see for all the snow, Spread
the rabbit ears as far as they go.
My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting
board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food
poisoning.
My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and I used to eat it raw
sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown
paper bag, not in ice pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.
Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a
pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.
The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a
pager was the school PA system.
We all took gym, not PE... And risked permanent injury with a pair of high
top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes
with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any
injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we
are now.
Flunking gym was not an option... Even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be
much harder than gym.
Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and
staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.
We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we
had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.
I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed
to be proud of myself.
I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station,
Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.
Oh yeah... And where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that
bee sting? I could have been killed!
We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction
sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of
mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine
did) and then we got our butt spanked.
Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49
bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor
for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.
We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either; because if we did we got
our butt spanked there and then we got our butt spanked again when we got
home.
I recall the kid next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front
stoop, just before he fell off.
Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house.
Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a
neighborhood run amuck.
To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were
from a dysfunctional family.
How could we possibly have known that? We needed to get into group
therapy and anger management classes.
We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even
notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac!
How did we ever survive?
LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA; AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T, SORRY FOR WHAT
YOU MISSED. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING!
Pass this to someone and remember that life's most simple pleasures are very
often the best.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Questions & Answers
What is "Stewardship" ?
Remember the parable of the three servants who looked after the master's money while he was gone? The first two servants invested the money wisely, but the third was punished for having done nothing with what was given him. (See Matthew 25:14-30.) He was a poor steward of his master's goods. A steward is someone trusted to manage an employer's affairs and possessions. We have each been trusted with talents and strengths to use in God's service and to further his mission. He expects us to use these gifts to help others know him, love him, serve him, and be happy with him in Heaven.
Today, stewardship means committing the best portion of our time, talent, and treasure to the mission of the Church. Generous sharing of resources, including money, is central to caring for God's Church and his people. When you realize that everything you do is from God, then you want to give back to God in thanksgiving. That's modern day stewardship in action.
If Jesus paid for our sins, why is Confession necessary?
Jesus' sacrifice paid the price for our sins "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10), and made it possible for us to go to Heaven. It did not make us sinless. We retain the inclination to sin. Fortunately for us, God's mercy is greater than our sins. On Easter evening, Jesus gave to his Apostles the power to forgive (or not forgive) sins in his name. "He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained'" (John 20:22-23). "Christ has willed that.......his whole Church should be the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and reconciliation that he acquired for us at the price of his blood" (CCC 1455).
In Confession, we receive God's loving mercy, his forgiveness, and the grace to make a fresh start. Although we experience Confession with the priest, he is acting in the person of Christ. Rather than deny the redeeming power of his sacrifice, the sacrament of Confession continues its effects.
What is the difference between feast days and solemnities?
Feasts and solemnities differ in terms of their importance.
Solemnities are the highest rank of celebration in the Church. Christmas, Easter, All Saints Day, the Ascension, Corpus Christi, and other celebrations of events in the life of Jesus are solemnities. There are fewer solemnities than feast days. These days are like Sundays but they aren't always Holy Days of Obligation. We say both the Gloria and the Creed on such days. "Thus recalling the mysteries of the redemption, (the Church) opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord's powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present in every age" (CCC, #1163). Far from being "solemn," solemnities are joyful occasions to celebrate.
Feast days honor important saints or events from the lives of Jesus and Mary. The Catholic Church celebrates these feasts because they are snapshots in the history of the Church and of God's saving love for us. They call to mind sacred mysteries or events recorded in the history of our redemption.
Does Original Sin make us sin?
The effects of Original Sin are frustratingly familiar. For example, who hasn't had the temptation to ignore our conscience? That is always a red flag that something is a sin. Maybe it was because the temptation looked like fun, because it was easier than doing the right thing, or because someone cool was doing it. This desire to do things that are contrary to what our conscience tells us is called "concupiscence." St. Paul says it well: "For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want" (Romans 7:19).
The good news is that God's love is bigger than our sin. Christ set us free from the power of sin and death. Through his death and Resurrection, he healed humanity's broken relationship with God. "Just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19). Fighting against the temptation to sin is hard, but not impossible.
Is Purgatory a real place?
Purgatory is imagined as a place, but it refers to the state and process by which a soul is purified before going to Heaven. Someone who dies in God's grace, but who still needs purification before he or she can see God is in Purgatory. "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified.......... undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (CCC#1030).
Church tradition has described Purgatory as a purifying fire that purges us of any venial sin on our souls for which we have not repented. "If someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15). Another comparison can be the pain of St. Peter's repentance after he denied our Lord. When we see God we will experience shame and remorse for having denied him in others. Only after this purifying pain will we be able to see God face to face.
Remember the parable of the three servants who looked after the master's money while he was gone? The first two servants invested the money wisely, but the third was punished for having done nothing with what was given him. (See Matthew 25:14-30.) He was a poor steward of his master's goods. A steward is someone trusted to manage an employer's affairs and possessions. We have each been trusted with talents and strengths to use in God's service and to further his mission. He expects us to use these gifts to help others know him, love him, serve him, and be happy with him in Heaven.
Today, stewardship means committing the best portion of our time, talent, and treasure to the mission of the Church. Generous sharing of resources, including money, is central to caring for God's Church and his people. When you realize that everything you do is from God, then you want to give back to God in thanksgiving. That's modern day stewardship in action.
If Jesus paid for our sins, why is Confession necessary?
Jesus' sacrifice paid the price for our sins "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10), and made it possible for us to go to Heaven. It did not make us sinless. We retain the inclination to sin. Fortunately for us, God's mercy is greater than our sins. On Easter evening, Jesus gave to his Apostles the power to forgive (or not forgive) sins in his name. "He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained'" (John 20:22-23). "Christ has willed that.......his whole Church should be the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and reconciliation that he acquired for us at the price of his blood" (CCC 1455).
In Confession, we receive God's loving mercy, his forgiveness, and the grace to make a fresh start. Although we experience Confession with the priest, he is acting in the person of Christ. Rather than deny the redeeming power of his sacrifice, the sacrament of Confession continues its effects.
What is the difference between feast days and solemnities?
Feasts and solemnities differ in terms of their importance.
Solemnities are the highest rank of celebration in the Church. Christmas, Easter, All Saints Day, the Ascension, Corpus Christi, and other celebrations of events in the life of Jesus are solemnities. There are fewer solemnities than feast days. These days are like Sundays but they aren't always Holy Days of Obligation. We say both the Gloria and the Creed on such days. "Thus recalling the mysteries of the redemption, (the Church) opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord's powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present in every age" (CCC, #1163). Far from being "solemn," solemnities are joyful occasions to celebrate.
Feast days honor important saints or events from the lives of Jesus and Mary. The Catholic Church celebrates these feasts because they are snapshots in the history of the Church and of God's saving love for us. They call to mind sacred mysteries or events recorded in the history of our redemption.
Does Original Sin make us sin?
The effects of Original Sin are frustratingly familiar. For example, who hasn't had the temptation to ignore our conscience? That is always a red flag that something is a sin. Maybe it was because the temptation looked like fun, because it was easier than doing the right thing, or because someone cool was doing it. This desire to do things that are contrary to what our conscience tells us is called "concupiscence." St. Paul says it well: "For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want" (Romans 7:19).
The good news is that God's love is bigger than our sin. Christ set us free from the power of sin and death. Through his death and Resurrection, he healed humanity's broken relationship with God. "Just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19). Fighting against the temptation to sin is hard, but not impossible.
Is Purgatory a real place?
Purgatory is imagined as a place, but it refers to the state and process by which a soul is purified before going to Heaven. Someone who dies in God's grace, but who still needs purification before he or she can see God is in Purgatory. "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified.......... undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (CCC#1030).
Church tradition has described Purgatory as a purifying fire that purges us of any venial sin on our souls for which we have not repented. "If someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15). Another comparison can be the pain of St. Peter's repentance after he denied our Lord. When we see God we will experience shame and remorse for having denied him in others. Only after this purifying pain will we be able to see God face to face.
From Scripture
John 6:1-15; loaves and fishes.
Jesus' fame spread largely due to the healings and other signs he performed. People came from all over hoping to share in the material benefits he offered. With the famous miracle during which he multiplied a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands, Jesus met peoples' material need and introduced the eternal bread --- himself.
After witnessing the miracle, the crowd wanted to make Jesus king. They thought that this sign was proof that he was the "Prophet, the one who is to come into the world," in the final days" (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18). After all, the great prophet Moses fed people too. But Jesus wasn't fooled by their enthusiasm and left quickly. He knew that their zeal was not true faith in him.
The material for this miracle was provided by a boyan insignificant child. By choosing him, though, Jesus showed that nobody is insignificant when it comes to proclaiming the Gospel. So, what bread or fish can you offer to God? If you have true faith in the real Bread, your offering just might become a miracle, too.
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Clean hearts vs. clean hands
The religious leaders sent investigators to check up on Jesus and didn't like what they saw. Not only were Jesus and his followers ignoring some traditional rituals, Jesus scolded the leaders for being hypocrites when they did observe them. They were outwardly obedient so they could look holy instead of taking steps to actually be holy.
For example, devout Jews performed a cleansing ritual before each meal. The Pharisees liked to believe this ceremony kept them from being considered unclean. They were critical because Jesus' followers didn't perform this ceremony. Jesus told them that they were wrong to think being clean on the outside made them acceptable to God. God cares more about the state of our hearts than our hands.
Hypocrisy is when we pretend to be something we aren't and have no intention of becoming. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they went through the motions of worshipping God so they could appear holy in the eyes of the Jews. We become hypocrites when we follow religious practices carefully but allow our hearts to remain distant from God.
Mark 9:38--48, Be ruthless with sin
The disciples were jealous of an unfamiliar man who healed in Jesus' name. It seemed that they were more concerned about losing the spotlight than in healing. Yet, we do the same thing when we refuse to participate in good works because the people are unfamiliar, those in charge don't do things the way we'd like, or we fear our efforts won't get recognized. Competitiveness and ego have no place in the Christian community.
Jesus was very clear; we must be ruthless in removing sin from our lives. Giving up a relationship, job, or habit that keeps us from God may seem just as painful as cutting off a hand, but the consequences of our choices last forever. Being lukewarm toward Jesus is not possible. "For whoever is not against us is for us." Not all of Jesus' followers resemble each other or belong to the same groups. But all who are on Jesus' side have the same goal to build up the kingdom of God. Our differences should never interfere with the work of the kingdom.
Mark 10:46-52, a blind man leads
Bartimaeus was a blind beggar who saw Jesus clearly. When he heard that Jesus was near he cried out, "Son of David," a title reserved for the Messiah. Although people tried to quiet him, Bartimaeus persisted until Jesus noticed him and called him over. Immediately, Bartimaeus threw off his cloak and ran to Jesus' side. Even the little he had was discarded to get to Jesus. Bartimaeus stood before Jesus humbly, but he was confident that Jesus had the power to do whatever he asked. The only person in Mark's gospel to call Jesus, "Master," Bartimaeus asked Jesus for his sight. When his prayers was answered, Bartimaeus followed Jesus as his disciple. It is this profound trust that Jesus wants to elicit from the crowd --- and from us. The difficulties of being Christian in a secular world can blind us to the joys of following Jesus. Try to approach Jesus with excitement and humble confidence. When we trust him as Bartimaeus did, we become true disciples who can tackle the difficult task of leading others down the road to God.
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36, the Advent of hope
The virtues of patience and perseverance aren't strengths for most of us. Often the concerns of daily life overshadow our pursuit of holiness. We can get lured into sin by the comforts and pleasures the world has to offer. We can forget our ultimate goal is Heaven. Knowing this, Jesus warned his followers about the end times, hoping to shake them (and us) out of "drowsy" complacency.
Imagine the terrifying scene Jesus described -- the shaking of the earth, sea, and sky and people dying of fright. In the midst of that terror, though, people living in God's friendship will have no reason to fear. The key is, he said, to stay on guard against sin and wordly pleasure.
Advent is a time of waiting for the coming of Christ. God has promised us that if we are faithful to him, we will be rewarded. This is a time when we must pray for patience and perseverance to keep us ready for the arrival of our Savior. Then we can hold our heads high and stand confident expecting our promised reward.
Jesus' fame spread largely due to the healings and other signs he performed. People came from all over hoping to share in the material benefits he offered. With the famous miracle during which he multiplied a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands, Jesus met peoples' material need and introduced the eternal bread --- himself.
After witnessing the miracle, the crowd wanted to make Jesus king. They thought that this sign was proof that he was the "Prophet, the one who is to come into the world," in the final days" (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18). After all, the great prophet Moses fed people too. But Jesus wasn't fooled by their enthusiasm and left quickly. He knew that their zeal was not true faith in him.
The material for this miracle was provided by a boyan insignificant child. By choosing him, though, Jesus showed that nobody is insignificant when it comes to proclaiming the Gospel. So, what bread or fish can you offer to God? If you have true faith in the real Bread, your offering just might become a miracle, too.
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Clean hearts vs. clean hands
The religious leaders sent investigators to check up on Jesus and didn't like what they saw. Not only were Jesus and his followers ignoring some traditional rituals, Jesus scolded the leaders for being hypocrites when they did observe them. They were outwardly obedient so they could look holy instead of taking steps to actually be holy.
For example, devout Jews performed a cleansing ritual before each meal. The Pharisees liked to believe this ceremony kept them from being considered unclean. They were critical because Jesus' followers didn't perform this ceremony. Jesus told them that they were wrong to think being clean on the outside made them acceptable to God. God cares more about the state of our hearts than our hands.
Hypocrisy is when we pretend to be something we aren't and have no intention of becoming. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they went through the motions of worshipping God so they could appear holy in the eyes of the Jews. We become hypocrites when we follow religious practices carefully but allow our hearts to remain distant from God.
Mark 9:38--48, Be ruthless with sin
The disciples were jealous of an unfamiliar man who healed in Jesus' name. It seemed that they were more concerned about losing the spotlight than in healing. Yet, we do the same thing when we refuse to participate in good works because the people are unfamiliar, those in charge don't do things the way we'd like, or we fear our efforts won't get recognized. Competitiveness and ego have no place in the Christian community.
Jesus was very clear; we must be ruthless in removing sin from our lives. Giving up a relationship, job, or habit that keeps us from God may seem just as painful as cutting off a hand, but the consequences of our choices last forever. Being lukewarm toward Jesus is not possible. "For whoever is not against us is for us." Not all of Jesus' followers resemble each other or belong to the same groups. But all who are on Jesus' side have the same goal to build up the kingdom of God. Our differences should never interfere with the work of the kingdom.
Mark 10:46-52, a blind man leads
Bartimaeus was a blind beggar who saw Jesus clearly. When he heard that Jesus was near he cried out, "Son of David," a title reserved for the Messiah. Although people tried to quiet him, Bartimaeus persisted until Jesus noticed him and called him over. Immediately, Bartimaeus threw off his cloak and ran to Jesus' side. Even the little he had was discarded to get to Jesus. Bartimaeus stood before Jesus humbly, but he was confident that Jesus had the power to do whatever he asked. The only person in Mark's gospel to call Jesus, "Master," Bartimaeus asked Jesus for his sight. When his prayers was answered, Bartimaeus followed Jesus as his disciple. It is this profound trust that Jesus wants to elicit from the crowd --- and from us. The difficulties of being Christian in a secular world can blind us to the joys of following Jesus. Try to approach Jesus with excitement and humble confidence. When we trust him as Bartimaeus did, we become true disciples who can tackle the difficult task of leading others down the road to God.
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36, the Advent of hope
The virtues of patience and perseverance aren't strengths for most of us. Often the concerns of daily life overshadow our pursuit of holiness. We can get lured into sin by the comforts and pleasures the world has to offer. We can forget our ultimate goal is Heaven. Knowing this, Jesus warned his followers about the end times, hoping to shake them (and us) out of "drowsy" complacency.
Imagine the terrifying scene Jesus described -- the shaking of the earth, sea, and sky and people dying of fright. In the midst of that terror, though, people living in God's friendship will have no reason to fear. The key is, he said, to stay on guard against sin and wordly pleasure.
Advent is a time of waiting for the coming of Christ. God has promised us that if we are faithful to him, we will be rewarded. This is a time when we must pray for patience and perseverance to keep us ready for the arrival of our Savior. Then we can hold our heads high and stand confident expecting our promised reward.
Don't take a vacation from Mass
The lazy days of summer can make it tempting to be lazy on Sunday and stay home from Mass, but here are four reasons to fit Mass attendance into our summer schedules :
1. After Jesus' resurrection, his followers came together to keep his message alive and became the early Church. Every time we attend Mass, we help to keep Jesus' message alive --- but that can only happen in church.
2. At Sunday Mass, millions of people we don't know are praying for us and with us. Where else can we get that kind of help?
3. Attending Mass connects us to the Communion of Saints --- the saints in heaven, the souls in purgatory and believers on Earth. That's powerful company.
4. Mass is the way a Catholic fulfills the 3rd Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day --- instructions straight from God. If God says to do something, we should do it.
Note : to find a Catholic Church or Mass time anywhere in the country, call 858-207-6277 or visit www.masstimes.org
1. After Jesus' resurrection, his followers came together to keep his message alive and became the early Church. Every time we attend Mass, we help to keep Jesus' message alive --- but that can only happen in church.
2. At Sunday Mass, millions of people we don't know are praying for us and with us. Where else can we get that kind of help?
3. Attending Mass connects us to the Communion of Saints --- the saints in heaven, the souls in purgatory and believers on Earth. That's powerful company.
4. Mass is the way a Catholic fulfills the 3rd Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day --- instructions straight from God. If God says to do something, we should do it.
Note : to find a Catholic Church or Mass time anywhere in the country, call 858-207-6277 or visit www.masstimes.org
Why Do Catholics Do That ?
What is Anointing of the Sick ?
The Sacrament, "Anointing of the Sick," strengthens those suffering a serious illness or infirmity of age. Anointing can be received more than once in a lifetime. "Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14).
This sacrament also has the effect of uniting the sick to the passion of Christ, giving peace and strength, and forgiving sins.
Why do Catholics gesture before the Gospel reading?
God created us to know him, to love him, and to serve him. In Mass, when we make the three Signs of the Cross on our foreheads, lips, and hearts before the Gospel reading, we are dedicating ourselves to God. We pray, "Lord, be on my mind, be on my lips, be in my heart." We ask God to be in us as we hear the Gospel, so that we can truly" love and serve the Lord" by our lives.
Why do Catholics only get baptized once?
The Catholic Church tells us that Baptism is the gateway to the Church, and the beginning of a lasting communion with God. At our Baptism, God adopted us as his children and "marked" us as his forever. This spiritual mark of Christ opens us to grace, helps us resist the temptation to sin, and inspires us to love God and neighbor more perfectly (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1121). This mark is permanent, so we are only baptized once.
Why do Catholics call the Church the "Body of Christ"?
On the first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and united them as one Body to continue Christ's saving work. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (Corinthians 12:13). The Church is made up of all God's people, united by Baptism, each with a unique role. We act as Christ's Body on Earth, with Christ as our head.
Why do Catholics pray the Rosary?
The Rosary is a simple prayer adapted from the complex set of prayers of medieval monks. It's a powerful prayer because in it, we ask Mary ---- whose prayers are never refused ---- to pray for us. In addition, through the mysteries of the Rosary, we meditate on the life of Jesus which always bears fruit. For example, the fruit of the mystery of the Annunciation is humility. Praying the Rosary opens us to graces that help us be more Christ-like.
The Sacrament, "Anointing of the Sick," strengthens those suffering a serious illness or infirmity of age. Anointing can be received more than once in a lifetime. "Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14).
This sacrament also has the effect of uniting the sick to the passion of Christ, giving peace and strength, and forgiving sins.
Why do Catholics gesture before the Gospel reading?
God created us to know him, to love him, and to serve him. In Mass, when we make the three Signs of the Cross on our foreheads, lips, and hearts before the Gospel reading, we are dedicating ourselves to God. We pray, "Lord, be on my mind, be on my lips, be in my heart." We ask God to be in us as we hear the Gospel, so that we can truly" love and serve the Lord" by our lives.
Why do Catholics only get baptized once?
The Catholic Church tells us that Baptism is the gateway to the Church, and the beginning of a lasting communion with God. At our Baptism, God adopted us as his children and "marked" us as his forever. This spiritual mark of Christ opens us to grace, helps us resist the temptation to sin, and inspires us to love God and neighbor more perfectly (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1121). This mark is permanent, so we are only baptized once.
Why do Catholics call the Church the "Body of Christ"?
On the first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and united them as one Body to continue Christ's saving work. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (Corinthians 12:13). The Church is made up of all God's people, united by Baptism, each with a unique role. We act as Christ's Body on Earth, with Christ as our head.
Why do Catholics pray the Rosary?
The Rosary is a simple prayer adapted from the complex set of prayers of medieval monks. It's a powerful prayer because in it, we ask Mary ---- whose prayers are never refused ---- to pray for us. In addition, through the mysteries of the Rosary, we meditate on the life of Jesus which always bears fruit. For example, the fruit of the mystery of the Annunciation is humility. Praying the Rosary opens us to graces that help us be more Christ-like.
Are you a new creation ?
When sin first entered the world, God's perfect plan of creation went awry. Instead of being inclined to do good, humans now choose sin. This is not what God intended, so he gave us a chance to become new creations. "So whoever is in Christ is a new creation : the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Are you ready to become something new?
Our new life begins now.
Jesus did not die on the Cross so that our new life could begin someday. Our new life begins now. We start by working to become a living, breathing example of the teachings of Jesus Christ. We start by trying to look like him.
Immediate perfection is not required.
It is important not to wait until we think we can get it completely right. All that matters is to make a start. God will help us with the rest.
Use the Lord's strength.
Jesus knew that once lost, we couldn't make it to Heaven on our own. We need his help so he left us supports such as the Sacraments where we can seek his grace. When we stumble and fall, Jesus will pick us up and help us get back on track. Trying again is what makes the difference between the old and the new.
Our new life begins now.
Jesus did not die on the Cross so that our new life could begin someday. Our new life begins now. We start by working to become a living, breathing example of the teachings of Jesus Christ. We start by trying to look like him.
Immediate perfection is not required.
It is important not to wait until we think we can get it completely right. All that matters is to make a start. God will help us with the rest.
Use the Lord's strength.
Jesus knew that once lost, we couldn't make it to Heaven on our own. We need his help so he left us supports such as the Sacraments where we can seek his grace. When we stumble and fall, Jesus will pick us up and help us get back on track. Trying again is what makes the difference between the old and the new.
One Minute Meditations
St. Mary Magdalene
St. Mary Magdalene had reason to be grateful to Jesus. He freed her from seven demons that oppressed her (Luke 8:2). In turn, St. Mary helped to support Jesus' ministry from her own money, followed him faithfully, and stood at the foot of the Cross with Jesus' mother. Often mistaken for the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50, she was the one Jesus chose to inform the Apostles of his Resurrection. She is known as the "Apostle to the Apostles".
From Pope Francis
In his recent encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis challenges all of us to change our lifestyles to be gentler to the environment, the poor, and each other. Remember creation is a gift. "Find happiness in simple things : get-togethers, helping others, honing a talent, enjoying art and music, praying."
"The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it"
(Genesis 2:15).
St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Ordained a priest at a young age, Maximilian Kolbe was determined to combat religious indifference in his native Poland (now Ukraine) and published a successful magazine to preach the Gospel. When the Nazis invaded in 1939, they noticed Fr. Kolbe and he was eventually imprisoned at Auschwitz. One day, ten men were chosen to die as punishment for a prisoner escape. Fr. Koble offered himself instead of a family man. The man saved, Francis Gajowniczek, was present at Fr. Kolbe's canonization.
Hospital for sinners
It can be disappointing when fellow Christians don't seem to act Christ-like. Yes, the Church is made up of imperfect people who may let us down occasionally. Still, the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus, safeguards the Sacraments and helps us grow in holiness. And Jesus never disappoints.
"If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive." --- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
St. Robert Bellarmine
A Jesuit, Robert was a scholar devoted to studying and writing about church history, Scripture and the fathers of the Church. He taught against the divine right of kings and became unpopular. He worked to accurately record Church doctrine to explain and protect it from attack by Protestants. Although a cardinal and counselor to Pope Clement VIII, he lived and ate like the poor. He was canonized and declared a doctor of the Church.
Let go of the dream
Who wouldn't want to live the "good life?" Imagine having all the money you need, going on exotic vacations, and owning your dream home. Yet, people who have all the world can offer still say they don't have all they want. That's because the good life isn't here on Earth.
"We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
St. Teresa of Avila
Born in 1515, Teresa joined the Carmelites ---- over family objections --- in 1534. Soon after, she became so ill that the sisters dug a grave for her. Teresa recovered and wrote a book on prayer called The Interior Castle, based on her suffering. In 1563, she founded a stricter order whose nuns wore rough brown habits and sandals instead of shoes. St. Teresa founded more than 17 convents of Discalced Carmelites and helped reform the Carmelite friars.
Love in Action
When we see others suffering, we might think, "The Church should do something." Yet as members of the Church, it's our job to take action and share Christ's love. We can be a listening ear, a helping hand, or an encouraging voice to someone in need. Whatever it is, the Church can always "do something."
"Faith does not remove us from the world, but draws us more deeply into it" Pope Francis
St. Martin de Porres
Martin was born in 1579 in Peru to a Spanish knight and a freed Negro slave. He worked as a barber before joining the Dominicans in 1594, in a time when people of African and Indian descent were barred from joining religious orders. Despite this, he founded an orphanage and cared for the poor and sick, regardless of color, race, or social class. He was also a mystic, gifted with miraculous knowledge, instantaneous cures, and flight.
God's timing
Sometimes it seems like no matter how much we pray, God doesn't hear us. It can be tempting to give up hope, but remember, God always answers prayer in his time. Each day, decide to trust God; his timing is perfect.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ" (Ephesians 2:4-5).
St. Mary Magdalene had reason to be grateful to Jesus. He freed her from seven demons that oppressed her (Luke 8:2). In turn, St. Mary helped to support Jesus' ministry from her own money, followed him faithfully, and stood at the foot of the Cross with Jesus' mother. Often mistaken for the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50, she was the one Jesus chose to inform the Apostles of his Resurrection. She is known as the "Apostle to the Apostles".
From Pope Francis
In his recent encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis challenges all of us to change our lifestyles to be gentler to the environment, the poor, and each other. Remember creation is a gift. "Find happiness in simple things : get-togethers, helping others, honing a talent, enjoying art and music, praying."
"The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it"
(Genesis 2:15).
St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Ordained a priest at a young age, Maximilian Kolbe was determined to combat religious indifference in his native Poland (now Ukraine) and published a successful magazine to preach the Gospel. When the Nazis invaded in 1939, they noticed Fr. Kolbe and he was eventually imprisoned at Auschwitz. One day, ten men were chosen to die as punishment for a prisoner escape. Fr. Koble offered himself instead of a family man. The man saved, Francis Gajowniczek, was present at Fr. Kolbe's canonization.
Hospital for sinners
It can be disappointing when fellow Christians don't seem to act Christ-like. Yes, the Church is made up of imperfect people who may let us down occasionally. Still, the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus, safeguards the Sacraments and helps us grow in holiness. And Jesus never disappoints.
"If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive." --- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
St. Robert Bellarmine
A Jesuit, Robert was a scholar devoted to studying and writing about church history, Scripture and the fathers of the Church. He taught against the divine right of kings and became unpopular. He worked to accurately record Church doctrine to explain and protect it from attack by Protestants. Although a cardinal and counselor to Pope Clement VIII, he lived and ate like the poor. He was canonized and declared a doctor of the Church.
Let go of the dream
Who wouldn't want to live the "good life?" Imagine having all the money you need, going on exotic vacations, and owning your dream home. Yet, people who have all the world can offer still say they don't have all they want. That's because the good life isn't here on Earth.
"We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
St. Teresa of Avila
Born in 1515, Teresa joined the Carmelites ---- over family objections --- in 1534. Soon after, she became so ill that the sisters dug a grave for her. Teresa recovered and wrote a book on prayer called The Interior Castle, based on her suffering. In 1563, she founded a stricter order whose nuns wore rough brown habits and sandals instead of shoes. St. Teresa founded more than 17 convents of Discalced Carmelites and helped reform the Carmelite friars.
Love in Action
When we see others suffering, we might think, "The Church should do something." Yet as members of the Church, it's our job to take action and share Christ's love. We can be a listening ear, a helping hand, or an encouraging voice to someone in need. Whatever it is, the Church can always "do something."
"Faith does not remove us from the world, but draws us more deeply into it" Pope Francis
St. Martin de Porres
Martin was born in 1579 in Peru to a Spanish knight and a freed Negro slave. He worked as a barber before joining the Dominicans in 1594, in a time when people of African and Indian descent were barred from joining religious orders. Despite this, he founded an orphanage and cared for the poor and sick, regardless of color, race, or social class. He was also a mystic, gifted with miraculous knowledge, instantaneous cures, and flight.
God's timing
Sometimes it seems like no matter how much we pray, God doesn't hear us. It can be tempting to give up hope, but remember, God always answers prayer in his time. Each day, decide to trust God; his timing is perfect.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ" (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Weird News
The adult world of finance
Boston ------------------------- The words "free" and "fun" are not the first things that come to mind when talking about the Massachusetts Department of Adiminstration and Finance.
Yet a typo in a phone number on a news release issued by the agency sent media inquiries to a "free and fun party line" advertising adult hotlines.
The Boston Herald reports that the release declaring October as Cyber Security Awareness Month mistakenly substituted area code "617" instead of "857" in a spokesman's number.
Department chief of staff Dominick lanno says the error was an obvious typo since "nothing is free and fun in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance".
The mistake was quickly corrected.
The incorrect number also instructed callers on how to set up small businesses to receive commissions for satellite TV referrals.
Hamburgled statue returned home
Northhampton, Mass. ------- A Ronald McDonald statue taken from a western Massachusetts home during a teenage house party has been found.
The 3-foot high statue of the McDonald's mascot was turned over to Northampton police by a McDonald's employee who found it next to a trash bin outside a health club.
That person turned it over when he read about the missing statue in Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Mary Ryan says her husband bought the sculpture of a kneeling Ronald from an antique store years ago for $1,200. They think it dates to 1972.
It disappeared in August when their teenage daughter hosted an unauthorized party at their summer home in Leverett. It was seen in a tree and outside the health club, before the trail went cold.
DUI for reckless wheelchair shopper
Conyers, Ga. ------------------ A Conyers man has been accused of DUI and public drunkenness while operating a motorized wheelchair inside a grocery store.
Multiple media outlets are reporting that 48-year-old Danny W. Mitchell was cited at a Kroger supermarket.
According to an incident report, Conyers police who were called to the scene found a disheveled Mitchell backing into the building and driving over plants. Mitchell was cited after he submitted to a breath test. The results of the test were redacted from the incident report.
Police say Mitchell told officers that he had taken the anti-anxiety medication Valium, the anti-depressant trazadone and had drunk a pint of alchol.
Mitchell told WSB-TV that he can barely walk and was at the grocery store to get a prescription filled.
Boston ------------------------- The words "free" and "fun" are not the first things that come to mind when talking about the Massachusetts Department of Adiminstration and Finance.
Yet a typo in a phone number on a news release issued by the agency sent media inquiries to a "free and fun party line" advertising adult hotlines.
The Boston Herald reports that the release declaring October as Cyber Security Awareness Month mistakenly substituted area code "617" instead of "857" in a spokesman's number.
Department chief of staff Dominick lanno says the error was an obvious typo since "nothing is free and fun in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance".
The mistake was quickly corrected.
The incorrect number also instructed callers on how to set up small businesses to receive commissions for satellite TV referrals.
Hamburgled statue returned home
Northhampton, Mass. ------- A Ronald McDonald statue taken from a western Massachusetts home during a teenage house party has been found.
The 3-foot high statue of the McDonald's mascot was turned over to Northampton police by a McDonald's employee who found it next to a trash bin outside a health club.
That person turned it over when he read about the missing statue in Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Mary Ryan says her husband bought the sculpture of a kneeling Ronald from an antique store years ago for $1,200. They think it dates to 1972.
It disappeared in August when their teenage daughter hosted an unauthorized party at their summer home in Leverett. It was seen in a tree and outside the health club, before the trail went cold.
DUI for reckless wheelchair shopper
Conyers, Ga. ------------------ A Conyers man has been accused of DUI and public drunkenness while operating a motorized wheelchair inside a grocery store.
Multiple media outlets are reporting that 48-year-old Danny W. Mitchell was cited at a Kroger supermarket.
According to an incident report, Conyers police who were called to the scene found a disheveled Mitchell backing into the building and driving over plants. Mitchell was cited after he submitted to a breath test. The results of the test were redacted from the incident report.
Police say Mitchell told officers that he had taken the anti-anxiety medication Valium, the anti-depressant trazadone and had drunk a pint of alchol.
Mitchell told WSB-TV that he can barely walk and was at the grocery store to get a prescription filled.
Weird News
Dino forever encoring in suburban tree
Brookline, Mass. --------------------------- A cockatoo with the screech of a dinosaur is vexing residents of a tony Boston suburb.
The white bird, named Dino because of his annoying call, flew away from his owner in July and into the trees of Brookline.
He's been gnawing on the woodwork of the Nancy Gertner's historic home. Gertner is a retired federal judge and senior lecturer at Harvard Law School.
The Boston Globe reports animal control officials were called and no one will trap the bird. Gertner may have to make peace with Dino; she's run out of ideas to get rid of him.
College goes the limit for retired math whiz
Amherst, Mass. ---------------------------- A Massachusetts college has changed all the speed-limit signs on campus to honor a retired mathematics professor who spent his career fascinated by the number 17.
The speed-limit change from 15 mph to 17 mph at Hampshire College was made at the request of the professor, David Kelly. He didn't want a retirement party when he stepped down after 45 years on the faculty at the college in Amherst.
Kelly knows countless facts about 17, the seventh prime number. He says it has had broad applications in mathematics and other disciplines. There are many fun facts about 17, including that there are 17 columns on the long side of the Parthenon in Greece.
Ultimate frequent flyers : Bees
Grapevine, Texas ------------------------- A cargo crew found hundreds of bees under the right wing of a Boeing 767 that landed at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. The plane had arrived from Las Vegas and was headed to Frankfurt, Germany.
American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said a beekeeper and the airline's team did a "sweet job" taking care of the situation. No one was stung.
Huguely says the beekeeper safely removed the queen and the swarm. But the queen's scent apparently lingered. Bees quickly headed for the same spot.
The beekeeper returned and removed those bees, allowing the flight to eventually take off.
Her clothes are clean, but not her record
Shenandoah, Pa. -------------------------- A Pennsylvania woman has been jailed on charges she broke into a neighbor's home, where she was caught doing her laundry in the bathtub.
The Pocono Record reports Kelly Bancroft, 44, of Shenandoah, was charged with burglary and criminal trespass.
A woman who lives down the street from Bancroft told police she went to use the bathroom about 4:30 p.m. and found Bancroft next to the tub, which was full of water, clothes and shampoo.
When the woman asked Bancroft how she got in the apartment, Bancroft locked the bathroom door and the resident summoned a neighbor to help. When that person arrived, Bancroft had run away, leaving wet clothes everywhere.
Online court records don't list an attorney for Bancroft, who faces a preliminary hearing.
Brookline, Mass. --------------------------- A cockatoo with the screech of a dinosaur is vexing residents of a tony Boston suburb.
The white bird, named Dino because of his annoying call, flew away from his owner in July and into the trees of Brookline.
He's been gnawing on the woodwork of the Nancy Gertner's historic home. Gertner is a retired federal judge and senior lecturer at Harvard Law School.
The Boston Globe reports animal control officials were called and no one will trap the bird. Gertner may have to make peace with Dino; she's run out of ideas to get rid of him.
College goes the limit for retired math whiz
Amherst, Mass. ---------------------------- A Massachusetts college has changed all the speed-limit signs on campus to honor a retired mathematics professor who spent his career fascinated by the number 17.
The speed-limit change from 15 mph to 17 mph at Hampshire College was made at the request of the professor, David Kelly. He didn't want a retirement party when he stepped down after 45 years on the faculty at the college in Amherst.
Kelly knows countless facts about 17, the seventh prime number. He says it has had broad applications in mathematics and other disciplines. There are many fun facts about 17, including that there are 17 columns on the long side of the Parthenon in Greece.
Ultimate frequent flyers : Bees
Grapevine, Texas ------------------------- A cargo crew found hundreds of bees under the right wing of a Boeing 767 that landed at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. The plane had arrived from Las Vegas and was headed to Frankfurt, Germany.
American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said a beekeeper and the airline's team did a "sweet job" taking care of the situation. No one was stung.
Huguely says the beekeeper safely removed the queen and the swarm. But the queen's scent apparently lingered. Bees quickly headed for the same spot.
The beekeeper returned and removed those bees, allowing the flight to eventually take off.
Her clothes are clean, but not her record
Shenandoah, Pa. -------------------------- A Pennsylvania woman has been jailed on charges she broke into a neighbor's home, where she was caught doing her laundry in the bathtub.
The Pocono Record reports Kelly Bancroft, 44, of Shenandoah, was charged with burglary and criminal trespass.
A woman who lives down the street from Bancroft told police she went to use the bathroom about 4:30 p.m. and found Bancroft next to the tub, which was full of water, clothes and shampoo.
When the woman asked Bancroft how she got in the apartment, Bancroft locked the bathroom door and the resident summoned a neighbor to help. When that person arrived, Bancroft had run away, leaving wet clothes everywhere.
Online court records don't list an attorney for Bancroft, who faces a preliminary hearing.
Weird News
Free Brady, free coffee
Lewiston, Maine -------------------- A Dunkin' Donuts shop in Maine is offering free coffee for life to the federal judge who lifted New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's suspension.
The Sun Journal reports the shop in Lewiston put the offer on a sign outside the store after U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman erased Brady's four-game suspension over Deflategate.
The offer quickly spread over social media.
Berman ruled NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell went too far in punishing the Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He says the suspension was "premised upon several significant legal deficiencies."
Robber who has priorities straight
Ypsilanti Township, Mich. ------- Authorities say frozen meat and a chain saw were the only things taken during a break-in a home in Michigan.
The Ann Arbor News reports deputies with the Washtenaw County sheriff's department were called to the home in Ypsilanti Township following the theft.
According to a summary of the investigation, the suspect or suspects likely entered the home through an open window. No suspects were identified.
Well, it smelled like pot.........
Adrian, Mich. ---------------------- A man who tried to sell a backpack of dirty socks as manjuana has been sentenced to at least one year in a Michigan prison.
Michael Suarez was sentenced for committing fraud through false pretenses. An unarmed robbery charge was dropped.
Police say Suarez was pursuing a marjuana deal in July when he showed up at a home in Lenawee County's Raisin Township. But instead of carrying pot, he had a backpack stuffed with dirty socks.
Police say a purse with $2,800 was stolen from the home. Suarez and others were stopped after speeding through a stop sign.
Defense attorney John Glaser says the "false pretenses" were the dirty socks. Suarez will be eligible for parole after a year in prison. His maximum sentence is 7 1/2 years.
Chicken, road ........... you know the joke
Oakland, Calif. -------------------- Three people are claiming ownership of the small brown chicken that fouled up rush-hour traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this week.
The Oakland Tribune reports that the Oakland Animal Shelter has the chicken that strutted between cars at the Bay Bridge toll plaza early.
She was eventually captured by the California Highway Patrol.
Animal Service Director Rebecca Katz says people claiming ownership of the chicken, named Chip in a nod to the CHP, need to come to the facility with proof, such as previous photos of the famous foul.
Two rescue groups are also interested in Chip.
Later in the week, Chip laid an egg. But the shelter will likely swap in a substitute egg for her to sit on, because it doesn't want any more chickens.
Lewiston, Maine -------------------- A Dunkin' Donuts shop in Maine is offering free coffee for life to the federal judge who lifted New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's suspension.
The Sun Journal reports the shop in Lewiston put the offer on a sign outside the store after U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman erased Brady's four-game suspension over Deflategate.
The offer quickly spread over social media.
Berman ruled NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell went too far in punishing the Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He says the suspension was "premised upon several significant legal deficiencies."
Robber who has priorities straight
Ypsilanti Township, Mich. ------- Authorities say frozen meat and a chain saw were the only things taken during a break-in a home in Michigan.
The Ann Arbor News reports deputies with the Washtenaw County sheriff's department were called to the home in Ypsilanti Township following the theft.
According to a summary of the investigation, the suspect or suspects likely entered the home through an open window. No suspects were identified.
Well, it smelled like pot.........
Adrian, Mich. ---------------------- A man who tried to sell a backpack of dirty socks as manjuana has been sentenced to at least one year in a Michigan prison.
Michael Suarez was sentenced for committing fraud through false pretenses. An unarmed robbery charge was dropped.
Police say Suarez was pursuing a marjuana deal in July when he showed up at a home in Lenawee County's Raisin Township. But instead of carrying pot, he had a backpack stuffed with dirty socks.
Police say a purse with $2,800 was stolen from the home. Suarez and others were stopped after speeding through a stop sign.
Defense attorney John Glaser says the "false pretenses" were the dirty socks. Suarez will be eligible for parole after a year in prison. His maximum sentence is 7 1/2 years.
Chicken, road ........... you know the joke
Oakland, Calif. -------------------- Three people are claiming ownership of the small brown chicken that fouled up rush-hour traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this week.
The Oakland Tribune reports that the Oakland Animal Shelter has the chicken that strutted between cars at the Bay Bridge toll plaza early.
She was eventually captured by the California Highway Patrol.
Animal Service Director Rebecca Katz says people claiming ownership of the chicken, named Chip in a nod to the CHP, need to come to the facility with proof, such as previous photos of the famous foul.
Two rescue groups are also interested in Chip.
Later in the week, Chip laid an egg. But the shelter will likely swap in a substitute egg for her to sit on, because it doesn't want any more chickens.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Weird News
Monk just can't fine alone time
Portsmouth, R.I. ------------------ A Benedictine monk who works at a private Rhode Island school has discovered that finding solitude is no easy feat, even 175 feet in the air.
Brother Joseph Byron was recently relaxing atop the Portsmouth Abbey School's wind turbine ---- as he often does ----- when a drone zoomed in.
Video taken by the drone, owned by a Californian on vacation, shows Bryon sprawled across the turbine's flat surface, with views of Narragansett Bay in the background. The footage was posted online this week.
Byron said he found the drone interesting at first but was annoyed after it zoomed by a second time.
He says he climbs the turbine, which was installed in 2006, because he enjoys the view.
Remain calm, girls
Indiana, Pa. ----------------------- If female students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania are going wild this weekend, they won't be doing it at the local Elks Club.
The bar manager of the club tells the Indiana Gazette that there is no event scheduled at the club despite fliers advertising "Girls Gone Wild: IUP Edition.
The fliers say the event is being run by a disc jockey named DJ Danger, whose real name is Chris Waters. A Twitter account in his name says the event won't be held, but claims the club canceled it. He hasn't returned calls from the newspaper.
Cops scope out the situation
Fargo, N.D. ----------------------- Two North Dakota State University students got a scare when armed police officers mistook their telescope for a rifle.
WDAY-TV reports that Levi Joraanstad and Colin Waldera were blinded by a bright light and told to stop moving.
They couldn't see who was shining the light and presumed it was a prank by other students.
An officer on patrol had spotted the two and thought the telescope was a rifle. He also thought Joraanstad's dark sweater with white lettering on the back looked like a tactical vest. He called for backup and the officers confronted the students.
Too tired to make a run for it
New Castle, Pa. ------------------ Police in Pennsylvania say officers found a couple asleep in a garage with the light on after a homeowner reported a burglary.
New Castle police tell the New Castle News that they found the couple shortly after the homeowner called them.
Police say the homeowner had gone downstairs and found a glass jar containing cash missing, some furniture moved and cabinets opened. She also found her safe on the back porch , her purse missing and her basement door forced open.
Police say they found the sleeping intruders after noticing the garage light was on.
The woman found with Peak hasn't been charged.
Portsmouth, R.I. ------------------ A Benedictine monk who works at a private Rhode Island school has discovered that finding solitude is no easy feat, even 175 feet in the air.
Brother Joseph Byron was recently relaxing atop the Portsmouth Abbey School's wind turbine ---- as he often does ----- when a drone zoomed in.
Video taken by the drone, owned by a Californian on vacation, shows Bryon sprawled across the turbine's flat surface, with views of Narragansett Bay in the background. The footage was posted online this week.
Byron said he found the drone interesting at first but was annoyed after it zoomed by a second time.
He says he climbs the turbine, which was installed in 2006, because he enjoys the view.
Remain calm, girls
Indiana, Pa. ----------------------- If female students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania are going wild this weekend, they won't be doing it at the local Elks Club.
The bar manager of the club tells the Indiana Gazette that there is no event scheduled at the club despite fliers advertising "Girls Gone Wild: IUP Edition.
The fliers say the event is being run by a disc jockey named DJ Danger, whose real name is Chris Waters. A Twitter account in his name says the event won't be held, but claims the club canceled it. He hasn't returned calls from the newspaper.
Cops scope out the situation
Fargo, N.D. ----------------------- Two North Dakota State University students got a scare when armed police officers mistook their telescope for a rifle.
WDAY-TV reports that Levi Joraanstad and Colin Waldera were blinded by a bright light and told to stop moving.
They couldn't see who was shining the light and presumed it was a prank by other students.
An officer on patrol had spotted the two and thought the telescope was a rifle. He also thought Joraanstad's dark sweater with white lettering on the back looked like a tactical vest. He called for backup and the officers confronted the students.
Too tired to make a run for it
New Castle, Pa. ------------------ Police in Pennsylvania say officers found a couple asleep in a garage with the light on after a homeowner reported a burglary.
New Castle police tell the New Castle News that they found the couple shortly after the homeowner called them.
Police say the homeowner had gone downstairs and found a glass jar containing cash missing, some furniture moved and cabinets opened. She also found her safe on the back porch , her purse missing and her basement door forced open.
Police say they found the sleeping intruders after noticing the garage light was on.
The woman found with Peak hasn't been charged.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Weird News
Halloween decorations or murder scene?
Detroit ------------------------------------------- A dummy placed face down in a Detroit woman's front yard as a Halloween prank has prompted repeated visits by police.
Larethia Haddon says police showed up the first day she put the dummy out. Officer Jennifer Moreno told the Detroit News that officers arrived again the next two days.
Haddon says she puts the dummy face down in a different location in her yard every morning and watches the reactions from passers-by as she sips coffee. She says some have attempted CPR and "once they find out it's a dummy, it's so hilarious."
Department fighting fires, domestic violence
Altoona, Pa. ------------------------------------- A central Pennsylvania volunteer fire company is using a purple fire truck to raise awareness of domestic violence.
The Newburg Fire Company in Logan Township uses the truck in parades and other public events, but it's no longer uses to fight fires. Although many people know October is a month when pink objects call attention to breast cancer, it's also the month designated to raise awareness of domestic violence.
Tory Schwarze, a Newburg EMT, says that other fire departments in the country have purple trucks, but officials believe the Newburg vehicle is the only one painted that color for domestic violence.
Elvis' height measures in at 8-10
Orlando, Fla. ----------------------------------- Elvis the king cobra put up a fight, even briefly escaping, as animal control officers tried to lure it from underneath a dryer in an Orlando woman's garage.
The snake had been missing from its owner's home since Sept. 1 and was found this week in the garage about a half-mile away. Three animal control officers went there to capture Elvis.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the snake suddenly escaped their grasp, extending his body as tall as officer Jenifer Porter ----- 5-6.
Porter backed away. Kirsten Smith stepped on Elvis' tail, and Billy Ledford grabbed the head with snake tongs. The box that usually holds snakes was too small, so officers put Elvis in a cat cage.
A report says the snake is 8-10.
Mountainous Mac gets a name update
Soldotna, Alaska ----------------------------- The name change of North America's tallest mountain is rippling down to a fast-food chain.
The extra-large sized McKinley Mac available at Alaska McDonald's restaurants will now be marketed as the Denali Mac.
The change comes after President Obama in August renamed Mount McKinley to its traditional Athabascan name of Denali ahead of his three-day visit to the state.
A local McDonald's owner, Scott Cunningham, tells Soldotna, Alaska, radio station KSRM that new promotional materials are being created for the Denali Mac, which has two quarter-pounders between the buns instead of regular hamburgers.
Detroit ------------------------------------------- A dummy placed face down in a Detroit woman's front yard as a Halloween prank has prompted repeated visits by police.
Larethia Haddon says police showed up the first day she put the dummy out. Officer Jennifer Moreno told the Detroit News that officers arrived again the next two days.
Haddon says she puts the dummy face down in a different location in her yard every morning and watches the reactions from passers-by as she sips coffee. She says some have attempted CPR and "once they find out it's a dummy, it's so hilarious."
Department fighting fires, domestic violence
Altoona, Pa. ------------------------------------- A central Pennsylvania volunteer fire company is using a purple fire truck to raise awareness of domestic violence.
The Newburg Fire Company in Logan Township uses the truck in parades and other public events, but it's no longer uses to fight fires. Although many people know October is a month when pink objects call attention to breast cancer, it's also the month designated to raise awareness of domestic violence.
Tory Schwarze, a Newburg EMT, says that other fire departments in the country have purple trucks, but officials believe the Newburg vehicle is the only one painted that color for domestic violence.
Elvis' height measures in at 8-10
Orlando, Fla. ----------------------------------- Elvis the king cobra put up a fight, even briefly escaping, as animal control officers tried to lure it from underneath a dryer in an Orlando woman's garage.
The snake had been missing from its owner's home since Sept. 1 and was found this week in the garage about a half-mile away. Three animal control officers went there to capture Elvis.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the snake suddenly escaped their grasp, extending his body as tall as officer Jenifer Porter ----- 5-6.
Porter backed away. Kirsten Smith stepped on Elvis' tail, and Billy Ledford grabbed the head with snake tongs. The box that usually holds snakes was too small, so officers put Elvis in a cat cage.
A report says the snake is 8-10.
Mountainous Mac gets a name update
Soldotna, Alaska ----------------------------- The name change of North America's tallest mountain is rippling down to a fast-food chain.
The extra-large sized McKinley Mac available at Alaska McDonald's restaurants will now be marketed as the Denali Mac.
The change comes after President Obama in August renamed Mount McKinley to its traditional Athabascan name of Denali ahead of his three-day visit to the state.
A local McDonald's owner, Scott Cunningham, tells Soldotna, Alaska, radio station KSRM that new promotional materials are being created for the Denali Mac, which has two quarter-pounders between the buns instead of regular hamburgers.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Weird News
Hide your eyes and count your blessings
Old Bridge, N.J. ------------------------------ An 8-year-old boy fell from a second-story window during a game of hide-and-seek, sending him to a hospital, police said.
The child suffered a head injury and was flown to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ.com reported. His condition was not immediately available, but police said he was expected to survive.
The boy was hiding behind window blinds inside a bathroom at an Old Bridge home, police said.
"His 11-year-old brother went to tag him and pushed a little too hard," a police spokesman said.
The 8-year-old went through the screen and landed on a shingled overhang. He then rolled off and hit the concrete sidewalk headfirst.
'I do' want to get off probation
Austin, Texas --------------------------------- A group that advocated for the seperation of church and state has filed a complaint about a Texas judge who ordered a man to marry his girlfriend as a condition of probation.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation said it filed the complaint against Smith County Court-at-Law Judge Randall Rogers a day earlier with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct in Austin.
Rodgers gave Josten Bundy 30 days to marry 19-year-old Elizabeth James or face 15 days in jail on a guilty plea for misdemeanor assault. Bundy, 21, admitted he punched James' ex-boyfriend twice in the jaw for "saying disrespectful things" about her. Rogers also ordered Bundy to scrawl a Bible verse 25 times daily.
Leaf blower not OK to bring to flick
Newport Beach, Calif. ---------------------- Newport Beach police questioned four people in connection with a scare at a movie theater that occurred when someone started a leaf blower that many mistook for a chainsaw.
The Orange County Register reported that no arrests had been made but the four are cooperating with investigators. Police say they turned themselves in for questioning after surveillance photos were released.
Three people had minor injuries in the panicked rush to get out of the theater during the showing of "The Gift" last weekend. Police responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls.
The suspects fled through an emergency exit.
Young EMT dies while performing CPR
Effort, Pa. ------------------------------------- A Pennsylvania emergency medical technician has died after falling ill while performing CPR at the New Jersey Jaycee Camp, a camp for the developmentally disabled.
Samantha Agins' mother told the Pocono Record the 22-year-old EMT died after suffering a series of strokes while performing CPR on a woman who went into cardiac arrest at the camp in Effort. The woman Agins was trying to help died. Agins died days later at Thomas Jefferson Hospital.
Old Bridge, N.J. ------------------------------ An 8-year-old boy fell from a second-story window during a game of hide-and-seek, sending him to a hospital, police said.
The child suffered a head injury and was flown to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ.com reported. His condition was not immediately available, but police said he was expected to survive.
The boy was hiding behind window blinds inside a bathroom at an Old Bridge home, police said.
"His 11-year-old brother went to tag him and pushed a little too hard," a police spokesman said.
The 8-year-old went through the screen and landed on a shingled overhang. He then rolled off and hit the concrete sidewalk headfirst.
'I do' want to get off probation
Austin, Texas --------------------------------- A group that advocated for the seperation of church and state has filed a complaint about a Texas judge who ordered a man to marry his girlfriend as a condition of probation.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation said it filed the complaint against Smith County Court-at-Law Judge Randall Rogers a day earlier with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct in Austin.
Rodgers gave Josten Bundy 30 days to marry 19-year-old Elizabeth James or face 15 days in jail on a guilty plea for misdemeanor assault. Bundy, 21, admitted he punched James' ex-boyfriend twice in the jaw for "saying disrespectful things" about her. Rogers also ordered Bundy to scrawl a Bible verse 25 times daily.
Leaf blower not OK to bring to flick
Newport Beach, Calif. ---------------------- Newport Beach police questioned four people in connection with a scare at a movie theater that occurred when someone started a leaf blower that many mistook for a chainsaw.
The Orange County Register reported that no arrests had been made but the four are cooperating with investigators. Police say they turned themselves in for questioning after surveillance photos were released.
Three people had minor injuries in the panicked rush to get out of the theater during the showing of "The Gift" last weekend. Police responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls.
The suspects fled through an emergency exit.
Young EMT dies while performing CPR
Effort, Pa. ------------------------------------- A Pennsylvania emergency medical technician has died after falling ill while performing CPR at the New Jersey Jaycee Camp, a camp for the developmentally disabled.
Samantha Agins' mother told the Pocono Record the 22-year-old EMT died after suffering a series of strokes while performing CPR on a woman who went into cardiac arrest at the camp in Effort. The woman Agins was trying to help died. Agins died days later at Thomas Jefferson Hospital.
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