Dear Loving and Compassionate God,
Giver of all gifts,
we pray especially today for the mercy and love You give
us.
Open our hearts and minds to You.
Give us the grace to accept your mercy.
As we live each day,
we pray for those less fortunate,
especially those who are hurting,
and whose wounds need to be healed.
Help us become involved in ways that show them how deeply we care.
Give us the personal courage to listen to their concerns
and help them find the …
Kamala Harris’s lack of traction with unionized blue-collar workers has emerged as one of her biggest challenges to winning key states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, as polls show her significantly underperforming Joe Biden’s performance with union workers in 2020. Harris’s tenuous relationship with elements of organized labor is reflected by the decisions of the Teamsters and…
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Today we celebrate a saint who was never canonized and who wanted to live in solitude and prayer. Saint Bruno was a Carthusian monk who took great steps to find a quiet place to live in spite of being asked to assist the Pope in Rome.
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Andrew Holleran (pseud.) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer and a significant contributor to post-Stonewall literature. He was a member of the Violet Quill, a group of gay writers who assembled in the early 1980s to critique each other’s work and to develop strategies to overcome corporate publishers’ reluctance to publish gay-themed novels. The Rare Book and Special Collections Division collects the works of the Violet Quill writers, including Andrew Holleran, and holds the first editions of their works in the Gene Berry and Jeffrey Campbell Collection.
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Love, or infatuation, can sometimes shield us from reality. We put on our rose colored glasses and in the words of BoJack Horseman, “All the red flags just look like flags.” You don’t see people for who they truly are, you want to see the best in them. We think that the reason they’re not texting us back is because of that insane Verizon outage, not that he’s just not that interested. We believe them when they say they’re going to change, for real this time. It happens to the best of us, and we really can’t be blamed. Sometimes we need the harsh light of say, a Reddit thread, to show us that we’re actually being taken advantage of.
This thread is a prime example of that. A dude, blinded by affection, fails to see the scam a woman is running on him. Read on for the wild details.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is perhaps one of the most known and best loved saints in the Catholic calendar. A young Carmelite nun who wanted to go to the missions, she remained within the cloister yet became the patron of the missions.
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He that strives to withdraw himself from obedience, withdraws himself from grace. Thomas à Kempis My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18 The New King James Version Time spent on the right things is never wasted. Charles Swindoll Visit Our Website | Subscribe | Make […]
The post This Day’s Thought-Wednesday appeared first on This Day's Thought.
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Almighty God, our Father,
you who have given us life
and intended us to have it forever,
grant us your blessings.
Enlighten our minds to an awareness
and to a renewed conviction
that all human life is sacred
because it is created
in your image and likeness.
Help us to teach by word
and the example of our lives
that life occupies the first place,
that human life is precious
because it is the gift of God
whose love is infinite.
Give us the strength to …
Known mostly for his translation of the Scriptures into Latin, Saint Jerome was also an inspiring writer of letters and commentaries. He was said to have had a bad temper, yet he was a man of prayer and penance. A combination of conflicting qualities, Saint Jerome stands out as one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church.
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The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God; and this can be done only by means of the acknowledgment and profession of the truth by each one of us. Leo Tolstoy You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities […]
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Govern by all Thy Wisdom, O Lord,
so that my soul may always be serving Thee as Thou dost Will,
and not as I may choose.
Do not punish me, I beseech Thee,
by granting that which I wish
or ask if it offended Thy Love,
which would always live in me.
Let me die to myself,
so that I may love Thee.
Let me live to Thee,
Who art in Thyself,
the True Life.
Dear St. Therese,
guide me in your Little Way,
so that I may ascend to the heights and happiness of Heaven.
I love a funny sci-fi movie. The Coneheads? Count me in. Palm Springs? Way ahead of you buddy. Weird Science? Don’t play with me like that. We don’t necessarily think of sci-fi as being funny since the high-flying adventure movies with big themes immediately come to mind, but who says you have to be humorless if you have lasers and robots? Lasers and robots can actually be extremely funny.
Even the more serious sci-fi films are improved by dashes of humor in them. Think of all the C3PO moments in Star Wars. Nobody would really classify Star Wars as a comedy, but dang it if I didn’t laugh out loud when R2D2 and Yoda are fighting over the candy bar in Empire. And you know what highlights those moments more than anything? Sci-fi memes. Sci-fi memes combine everything we love about the genre and amp up the funny. So it’s a good thing you’re here.
Remember when Tesla first came out with the Cyber Truck and it quickly went downhill? There were so many problems with it, raccoons kept confusing it as actual dumpster, and (our favorite outcome) the memes exploded. There’s nothing we love more than a serious thing becoming a pivotal moment in meme culture. Obviously, we LIVE for that. We’re Cyber Truck fans simply for that reason. Please, Elon Musk, keep coming out with ridiculous things. We’re gluttonous for the absurdity you mega-rich idiots produce! You could be feeding and housing the poor or saving our oceans, but nope. Gotta invent the most childlike vision of a futuristic car. Yes! Bravo! Keep it going, Musk! And bravo to the people who actually are buying those things. Wow. You… Uh… You really keep our vision of society on its toes. Right when we’re thinking there’s a collective conscience upgrade you hit us with the Cyber Truck and we get put back in our place and remember humanity is ridiculous. Thank god for the memes!
I salute thee, holy Angel who didst comfort my Jesus in His agony, and with thee I praise the most holy Trinity for having chosen thee from among all the holy Angels to comfort and strengthen Him who is the comfort and strength of all that are in affliction. By the honor thou didst enjoy and by the obedience, humility and love wherewith thou didst assist the sacred Humanity of Jesus, my Savior, when He was fainting for very sorrow at seeing the sins of the world and especially my sins, I …
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It is late September, and you know what that means. As she does every season, Mariah Carey is beginning her meteoric rise to the top of the Billboard charts. There is no Christmas song as iconic as All I Want For Christmas Is You; at this point, I wonder if there ever will be. Part of the appeal of Christmas songs is that they come back every year, which is why we’re still listening to Christmas songs from the 50s on the radio and why a song released in 1994 is still topping the charts. If Mariah beat Bing Crosby, maybe someday in the future, someone might beat Mariah. I doubt it, though.
While I do respect the lambs, some of us don’t want to start celebrating Christmas this early. After all, we still have Halloween and Thanksgiving to look forward to, and I don’t want to max out on my Christmas spirit too early. If you’re a casual fan of Christmas, you’ll love these amusing but mostly unseasonal memes.
My soul,
dilate thy heart;
thy Jesus can give thee every good gift;
He loves thee ardently.
Hope, then,
for great favours from this Lord,
Who, through an impulse of love,
comes to thee all love.
Yes, my Jesus, my hope,
I trust in Thy goodness,
that in giving Thyself to me this morning,
Thou wilt kindle in my poor soul
the flames of Thy pure love,
and of an ardent desire to please Thee,
that, from this day forward,
I may wish only what Thou wishest.
Amen.
Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts. Søren Kierkegaard And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” Joshua 24:24 The Revised Standard Version Could we with ink the oceans fill and were the skies of parchment made and every stalk on […]
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A conversation with Patrick Hastings: writer, educator, bibliophile, and the new Education Outreach Specialist in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division.
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A reading from the Letter to the Ephesians Eph 4:1-7, 11-13
Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner…
First reading from the Book of Numbers NM 21:4B-9
With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you…
Saint Cyprian played an important role in the development of Christian thought and practice in the early Church. He was a noted speaker who became a Christian as an adult. He was ordained a priest within two years of his conversion, and was then chosen to be bishop of Carthage.
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A native of Spain, young Jesuit Peter Claver left his homeland forever in 1610, to be a missionary in the colonies of the New World. He sailed into Cartagena, and began a ministry to the slaves brought there from West Africa, as well as becoming a moral force in the city of Cartegena.
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Affirming the humanity of Jesus, the Church celebrates the birth of Mary, his mother. While Scripture does not record the birth of Mary, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James notes the development of Christian piety around Mary’s parents and her birth.
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A reading from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 1 COR 4:6b-15
Brothers and sisters: Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond…
Mother Teresa was born in Albania, but is known for her work in India. A member of the Sisters of Loreto, she felt a call to live among the poor. While working with the poorest of the poor in India, she founded the Missionaries of Charity who continue her work.
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Born in Harlem on August 2nd, 1924, novelist and essayist James Baldwin (1924 – 1987) is regarded as one of America’s greatest writers. At the time of his death on December 1st, 1987, Baldwin was working with sculptor and printmaker Leonard Baskin (1922–2000) of the Gehenna Press to publish a fine press edition of an unpublished work. Gypsy and Other Poems features six of Baldwin’s poems that reveal an intimate, introspective side of the writer.
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Heavenly Father, I ask You in the name,
and through the Blood of Your Divine Son,
to rebuke Satan for taking captive
that which belongs to You.
I ask Jesus to place His Crown of thorns around
(Name the person)
so that those with wrong influences
will lose interest and depart.
Mary Mother of Jesus,
place your mantle of love around,
(your son and/or your daughter.)
Amen
St. Michael, protect them.
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A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor 1:26-31
Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were…
First reading from the Book of Joshua Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their elders, their leaders, their…
A member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, Saint Rose of Lima lived a life of penance and devotion to the poor at home under the disapproving eyes of her parents.
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All praise and glory are yours,
Lord our God.
For you have called us to serve you and one another in love.
Bless our sick today so that they may bear their illness
in union with Jesus’ sufferings and restore them quickly to health.
Bless those who have grown old in your service
and give them courage and strength in their faith.
Lead us all to eternal glory.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, …
Saint John Eudes was a noted preacher and confessor. He founded several seminaries because he saw the need for clerical formation. He also founded a couple of religious communities to address other needs that he saw. Saint John had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
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First reading from the Book of Proverbs Prv 9:1-6
Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed…
Stephen of Hungary was both a king and a Christian. So, he embodied both the civil and the religious aspects of life in his person. Saint Stephen expressed those aspects in the best way he knew how according to his culture and period of history.
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Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, we believe in your triumphant assumption into heaven where the angels and saints acclaim you as Queen. We join them in praising you and bless the Lord who raised you above all creatures. With them we offer you our devotion and love.
We are confident that you watch over our daily efforts and needs, and we take comfort from the faith in the coming resurrection. We look to you, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. After this earthly life, show …
Crockett Johnson (1906-1975), born David Johnson Leisk, had a career as a cartoonist and newspaper comic strip artist before he wrote children’s books, most notably “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” See where you can find his work in the journals and newspapers at the Library of Congress.
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Jane Frances de Chantal was a wife and the mother of six. When her husband was killed, Saint Jane Frances took a vow not to remarry and sought to join a religious community. She was dissuaded by her spiritual director, Saint Francis de Sales.
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First reading from the First Book of Kings 1 Kgs 19:4-8
Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and…
First reading from the Book of Exodus Ex 16:2-4, 12-15
The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “Would that we…
Peter Julian Eymard began his priestly life in the Diocese of Grenoble. His faith journey led him to the Marists, and finally to founding the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament.
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Founder of the Society of Jesus Ignatius of Loyola, like Francis of Assisi, had a conversion experience while recuperating from a serious illness. Being a military man, the Rule of Life that Saint Ignatius wrote for his followers shows the discipline and rigor of a soldier, but a soldier of faith with the mercy and compassion of the Gospel.
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God of Love,
I thank You for the people in my life
who are easy to love.
I thank You for my family and friends
who understand my actions,
who support me in my decisions,
and whose presence can lift the burden of a thorny day.
Help me with those who are difficult to love.
When they come at me with criticism
and wild expectations,
when they ignore me
or try to bend me to their will,
let me recognize their flaws and their dangers.
But then let me remember …
A readsing from the Book of Jeremiah JER 13:1-11
The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth; wear it on your loins, but do…
A mild-mannered Dutch Carmelite professor, Saint Titus Brandsma became a fierce critic of the Nazi movement and was put to death by lethal injection at the Dachau concentration camp in 1942.
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Father in Heaven,
We praise You for giving us Your Son
To be our Saviour and Lord.
Bless us all as we gather here today, (tonight)
And let us live happily in Your love.
Hear our prayer, loving Father,
For we ask this in Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
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A reading from th the Song of Songs SGS 3:1-4B
The Bride says: On my bed at night I sought him whom my heart loves– I sought…
Saint Camillus de Lellis was rejected by the Capuchins because of an ongoing medical condition. Against the advice of a friend, he founded a religious community on his own to care for the sick. These men proved to be invaluable during the plague, caring for the worst of its victims.
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