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      As we enter this third week of Advent, may God continue to bless you and your family with joy and give you time for quiet reflection in this holy season. Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy   

Dunseith, North Dakota, Frontage Road SW My memory, like my father's, is occasionally creative. I remembered a someone writing that England's public schools were dedicated to the idea "...that Tennyson would never happen again...." Then, recently, I started re-reading a Wodehouse book. "...It was almost as if these [English public] schools, founded in the 1830s, had it for their main objective that Shelley and Byron would never happen again...." (Introduction by Wilfred Sheed (1975) to "Leave in to Psmith", P. G. Wodehouse (1924)) That both corrected my memory of the passage and, along with something my oldest daughter showed me, started me writing this post. I'll get to that, after a clarification or three. "Public" Schools, Puritans, Progressives, and Attitudes My Year as a Teacher The Curious Case of the Vanishing Counselor A Student Newspaper and 'Problem' Students Making a Difference ... More at A Cath...

St John the Baptist in Prison Juan Fernández de Navarrete [ Web Gallery of Art ] Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”' (Matthew 11:2-3; Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland, India)   Readings  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 11:2-11   (English Standard Version, Anglicised) Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples   and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”   And Jesus answered them,  “Go and tell John what you hear and see:   the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and ...

Central Minnesota, including Stearns County/St. Cloud area. (Google Maps) No matter how it turns out, this is not good news. And it's uncomfortably close to home.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My brief reaction to a priest being charged with of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, stalking, three counts of threatening violence.)

    Today we get to celebrate a beautiful woman, Mary, the Mother of God. On this day the Church expresses the understanding that Mary was conceived without sin. From the day of her conception in her mother's womb, God fully prepared her to be the Mother of Jesus. We do not adore Mary. We know she is not God. But we do give her honor. At a very young age, she agreed to carry Jesus in her sinless, holy body. Let us take her ensuing Yes! as inspiration for us to always give God our Yes!, even when what he asks seems impossible.  Mary, Mother of God, pray for us! Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy   

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      Do you beat yourself up because of your sins? Would you prefer to dismiss the idea of sin altogether? I just love the following, beautiful approach to sin.  This very short reflection by Father Dave from Franciscan University ("Why We need to Repent") reveals the connection between penance and Advent. Please take a few minutes to watch this very timely video as we close in on the 2nd Week of Advent beginning tomorrow. Here is the link:  https://faithandreason.com/episodes/why-we-need-to-repent/  Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy 

My folks had a 1957 Pontiac Chieftain four-door sedan, not unlike this one. The house next door north from 818 went through several owners, residents at any rate, while my folks and I were living there. I don't remember anything about the folks or person who owned Freckles, but I remember the mid-sized dog. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Nobody could approach the back yard next door without knowing that Freckles was there.)

St John the Baptist Preaching Rembrandt [ Web Gallery of Art ] In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,   “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”  (Matthew 3:1; today's Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland, India)   Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 3:1-12   (English Standard Version, Anglicised) In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” ’ Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all th...

Loren Capobres addressing Pope Leo XIV in Lebanon I came across this video yesterday, Tuesday 1 December, and posted it on Facebook. When I opened Facebook this morning I found a message from Loren herself, whom I have never met, and one from a mutual friend in the Philippines, Gwen Llano, who has been involved in  Faith and Light  for many years. Gwen gave a seminar in Lebanon in 2020 and met Loren there. The website of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has a report on Loren's talk  here . The report by Roy Lagarde says:  Pope Leo XIV on Monday said migrants’ experiences must push Christians to oppose war and build communities where no one seeking safety feels unwelcome, after hearing a Filipino woman’s testimony. Continue at Bangor to Bobbio .

        Puhleeze. Are you telling me, seriously, that there is no one--NO ONE--around a certain president with the courage to stand up to him and tell him that it is NOT okay to call people garbage? Not only did he call immigrants from Somalia garbage, but he also called Ilhan Omar, a United States Representative , garbage, and her friends as well.  In case you missed it, I am including the clip below. Be warned, it is beyond disgusting. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior from any elected official, not to mention one who is supposed to be leading our country. I feel like we are watching a melt down before our very eyes. His name calling--like when he recently called a reporter "piggy"--is beyond my comprehension. We teach our children not to be a bully, not to call people names and not to swear, so why would an elected official get away with it? Why are the grown men and women around him allowing him to increasingly act this way? ...

    Today is the First Sunday of Advent. I invite you to dig deep into the beauty of this season, being careful not to be distracted from it by other things. This is a peaceful, reflective season that has the ability to turn our hearts to the birth of Jesus and his Second Coming. Gather around this wreath, sing songs, say some prayers, read some scripture. I guarantee it will change how you approach Christmas. Janet Cassidy Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com janetcassidy.com https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/ https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy   

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Today is the first day of Advent. Among many other things, this season is a good time for remembering that hope is always an option: no matter what's going wrong at the moment.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A (very) quick look at Advent, Jesus, and what we celebrate this season.) Plus links to: Advent resources My thoughts about Jesus Hope The most recent two millennia (summarized in 138 words)

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I've said it before. This isn't the world I grew up in. Today's focus on safety, for example, feels over-enthusiastic. But then, I'm one of those people who launched rockets in the basement. With the permission and cooperation of my father.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Two paperclips, two matches, a scrap of aluminum foil, and a pin. A happy memory involving a basement and time with Dad.)

Old Woman Dozing Nicolaes Maes [ Web Gallery of Art ] Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming  (Matthew 24:42; Gospel). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland, India) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 24: 37-44   (English Standard Version, Anglicised) At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, fo...

                                                     Photo Credit: BBC    I hope you are all enjoying a restful and joy-filled Thanksgiving holiday. I'm trying to work on my self-discipline overall, so I didn't do too much damage on Thanksgiving Day, but I must say, I think it is the days following I need to be extra careful about because of all the leftovers! Everywhere I look, though, there are ads screaming at me that they have the best price or the thing I cannot live without. Everyone gets into it. From Catholic book sales online to retail stores, everyone has a deal. Since I'm not a big shopper, it doesn't take all that much self-discipline to resist the ads. In fact, it all seems a bit over-the-top to me. If I'm going to enjoy a Black Friday sale, it is going to be for something I need. The spending glut has gotten way out of c...

"...[NOT] the perfect time to start hauling a fishing boat...." From my news feed this morning: " Hundreds of crashes, spinouts as heavy snow impacts Minnesota travel " Adam Uren, Bring Me The News (November 26, 2025) "...Among those off the road is this driver in west-central Minnesota, who decided a blizzard is the perfect time to start hauling a fishing boat ...." [emphasis mine] I don't know who made that decision, or why. But I'm glad it wasn't me.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Someone learned why a blizzard is not the perfect time to start hauling a boat. Good news, though: so far, nobody died in this storm.)

Noted in my news feed this morning: " One spouse is enough, Vatican tells world's Catholics " Joshua McElwee, Reuters (November 25, 2025) "Happily ever after doesn't require any complicated maths, the Vatican said on Tuesday -- for Catholics, one spouse is enough. "In a new decree approved by Pope Leo, the Vatican's top doctrinal office told the world's 1.4 billion Catholics they should seek to marry one spouse for life and should not have multiple sexual relationships. ... "The document does not discuss divorce, which the Church does not recognise as it views marriage as a lifelong commitment. " The Church however has an annulment process, which evaluates whether marriages were properly contracted , and stresses that partners are not expected to stay in abusive relationships. " [emphasis mine] This is not what I'll be talking about this week. But it's got the potential for becoming 'breaking news!', so I'll ...

        Photo Credit: Creative Outlet Years ago we ferried our car, pop-up trailer and kids to Beaver Island in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was really the first time I experienced what it meant to work without electricity and specifically for your daily sustenance. I'm being a bit dramatic, but seriously, we had to do what was needed during the daylight hours because it was very black at night in the woods, and we had to figure out how to manage things without electricity. Even lanterns do not quite do it. But we did manage to get in some wonderful day trips and I fell in love with the island and the super friendly people that would give a warm wave as we passed by. I recently read a headline in our local paper that someone had figured out a way to make single-dwelling, rental housing units for the island. My first thought was, "Why? Why would they do that and ruin the pristine nature of that beautiful island?" Then, after reading the article, I ...