Yesterday I had to have one of my cats put to sleep. I had found out back in February that she had a mass in her abdomen and that there was the option of spending $7,000 for surgery to have it removed or leaving it alone and administering various herbs and supplements in the hopes of shrinking and/or healing it. I chose the herb and supplement option, but unfortunately, the mass continued to spread. Over the past several days my cat had seemed to be losing energy and appetite, and a couple of days ago I came to the sad conclusion that the only humane thing to do would be to put her out of her misery. I have a final memory of her in the vet’s examination room as the technician held her in her arms so that I could say goodbye while she was still alive vs. having to sit in on the euthanasia procedure.
I was going … [Read More...]
Selin is one of our readers from El Salvador who also occasionally writes for this blog. I really enjoyed reading this piece, and I hope you do as well.
What are you looking for?
According to the Gospel of John, that was the first question Jesus asked to his first two disciples. One of them was Andrew, the brother of Simon, who became St. Peter the first Pope. Upon hearing how John the Baptist spoke like fire about Jesus when he saw him pass, they followed Him. When Jesus saw them He asked that question: What are you looking for? So that’s John the Evangelist tells it in his first chapter.
I just watched Moneyball this movie where Brad Pitt plays something like the CEO of a small team of Major League Baseball, the Oakland Athletics. He is Billy Beane, the “failed” baseball player who became the boss of a humble team. Also I just watched one more time the … [Read More...]
Originally posted on January 16, 2011
In our daily struggle to maintain a strong faith and love for our neighbor, it is very easy to accidentally slip into a state of false compassion. It seems that we often find ourselves more bothered and preoccupied by the suffering of someone that we know and love rather than by our own suffering. Why is that? Why do we risk losing our peace of mind and heart over the problems of someone else? Is it because we are truly saddened by the other person’s suffering or is it because that person’s suffering is inflicting us with the fear of suffering ourselves?
Compassion for our fellow human beings is a necessary virtue in order to advance toward our salvation. As Christians, we are all called to prayer and works of charity; we’re all called to love one another as ourselves. But when this true compassion is mistaken for false compassion and fear and anxiety … [Read More...]
This post was written by one of our readers from El Salvador named Selin. I think it’s the perfect subject to speak of this time of year, as January is the first month of the year and we have our goals and New Year’s resolutions fresh in our minds. With the frenzied fast pace of our day and time, it is important to keep in mind that every moment is precious and every day is worth savoring, moment by moment. Sometimes we almost have to take a step back in order to remember to take one step at a time.
Carpe diem
First, hello everyone. I hope Our Blessed Mother dwell in your minds and hearts. May She guide you closer to our Lord Jesus. I hope these few words be light in your life. And here we go. Carpe diem is a Latin expression that means “seize the day”. It was coined by the roman poet Horace, who … [Read More...]
I have a few updates and some information that I’d like to pass along to all of you….
Emails
I appreciate the time so many of you are taking to reach out and either leave comments under the posts or send me private emails. It has been such a pleasure getting to know you through the many months that I’ve had my blog, and your input is welcomed and greatly appreciated.
Please continue to leave your comments and send me emails as often as you like, but also please know that I’m at a point where I cannot possibly answer all of the emails as quickly as I used to. Not only has there been a weekly increase in the amount of emails I receive relating to this blog, but I am also continually juggling my time between writing blog posts, career work, home work and personal projects, responsibilities and family stuff.
I got to the point where I needed … [Read More...]
This is the time of year when parents and teachers of children are often asked the burning question: Is there really a Santa Claus? I remember asking that same question somewhere between the ages of nine and eleven when I first presented my mother with my Santa Claus doubts.
Along those same lines, what if a child asks about the existence of God? The other day I heard from a reader in Malaysia who is preparing himself for a career in education; he’s going to be a teacher. He asked me to either post his question on the blog for anyone to answer or to answer him privately. I don’t have any children and I’ve never been asked that question, not even by any of my six younger brothers and sisters when we were kids. It’s an excellent question, and I’m hoping there will be some feedback.
His name is Aaron Lee, and his question is:
Well, let … [Read More...]
The other day I received an email from someone in Ireland by the name of John. His email is in response to an entry I posted last week called A Question from a Reader which addresses the issue of praying to the saints for intercession. I am pleased to see that there are some interesting comments on that post, and I’m hopeful that you will provide some thoughts and insights on this post as well, especially given the fact that John had intended his email to be for all of us. Here is his message:
Hi Rosary Trail Fellowship.
Praying to the “dead” is clearly wrong. The Saints alive in Heaven are clearly not “dead”. Anyone who reads the Holy Bible can clearly see that. Here in Ireland I have seen and heard people praying to dead parents and granparents for intersession, these people who have lost loved ones are not using their best judgement at these times. I`m sure … [Read More...]
I received a question via email from one of the readers asking if this site called catholic.com is official, Church-approved, etc. This reader attached a link to a page on that site which is all about praying to the saints, and the article explains that while more than three quarters of Christians accept and believe in the saints interceding for us, this concept still comes under attack from many people within the Protestant movement.
When you have the time, please take a few moments to read or at least skim through the paragraphs in the above-mentioned article. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts, and I’m sure this reader will appreciate any perspective or feedback that anyone may want to offer.
… [Read More...]
True Devotion to Mary Series
First of all, I’m happy to say that several readers have requested that the True Devotion to Mary series not be discontinued. I will be working on Part 9 of the series which will be posted in a day or so. If you recall, in this post I said this:
I would love to get your opinion as to whether I should continue with this series or instead, leave the category on the sidebar so that people can still access the ones I’ve already written and, if they choose, read the book on their own time. There seems to be a lack of interest on this topic and I guess I’m just trying to figure out where people’s thoughts and preferences are.
So, we will continue with the series and thank you for your thoughts on this. In all honesty, I don’t think I would have discontinued the series, regardless of what sort of feedback … [Read More...]
I was originally going to make today’s post be a follow-up to Spiritual Attacks which I wrote the other day. In fact, there is so much to follow-up on that I’m afraid I will forget some of it if I don’t start writing about it soon. The priest who came to my home in June had advised that I keep a journal of incidences and dates as they occur; you can read about it in this post. I will resort to that journal when I write my follow-up post, but for now there is another spiritual attacks issue that I’d like to address which is equally important.
God Is in Charge, Not Us
As you can see, the comments are still coming in on my (Father) John Corapi posts, the newest (post) of which isn’t so new anymore, as it was written almost a month ago. I’ve appreciated receiving the comments, and there is always something that can be … [Read More...]
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Hello, my name is Margo. When I was 23 years old and working as a part-time nanny in New York City I had the pleasure of caring for a little 5-year-old boy named Alexander. One day I had been overcome with sadness and in a weak moment, I found myself confiding to this little boy about a friend I couldn't find because he was lost. Alexander, quickly responded without missing a beat, “Follow a trail!” [