Another Advent Filled With An Evil Virus Lurking

 This should be a joyous time of waiting and preparing. I love Advent and the Christmas season.  But unfortunately, members of my family and my extended family have fallen ill with the Delta variant of Covid. The virus that just won't give up its grip. It mutates and it finds new hosts. An evil virus for sure. It has caused such calamity and suffering and loss. And it's not done with us yet, I'm sorry to say. That's not my opinion but those who study viruses. 

All I can do to help is to make homemade soup. At least that gives me a purpose, so I make soup and deliver it and feel like I'm useful. And give some nutritional edge to loved ones who are sick. Tomorrow I will make "Jewish Penicillin" (Chicken Soup). Oh and of course I pray and ask others to pray. Without prayer, I could not live. I try to distract myself by reading historical novels, which I find entertaining. So I cook and I read and I pray and talk to friends.

This was a difficult week because I had workmen in my house. The worse kind of torture for me, having to deal with people in and out of the house, doing work, making noise, upsetting my peace. I have no right to complain about that but I will. My son says, I have a lot of nerve, I should be grateful I can afford to do repairs and renovations. Sure. 

So I hope Christmas will be OK and everyone will get well, so we can celebrate as a family. I can only pray it will.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas! 

NJA

Surviving the Move and Re-Learning Evangelization

 As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have moved, to be closer to my grandchildren. Moving is hard when you have a lot of stuff, many religious books, children's books etc. I've been busy unpacking but also I've found time for gardening, I'm blessed to have a rock garden in the front of my house, so I am planting in between the rocks. So many rocks and even boulders in Connecticut, I never knew that til I moved here!

Now I live close to my granddaughters and I can help when needed. I like my new Church and have already joined a Women's Enrichment Group. We are reading, "The Contagious Catholic-The Art of Practical Evangelization" by Marcel Lejeune. Not sure where it will lead, but I'm sure by the end of the book, we will all have some new ideas on how we can help evangelize.  

Come Holy Spirit Come! Being open and receptive to the power of the Holy Spirit is the only way to begin evangelization, stay with it, and bear fruit that will last. We can do nothing on our own, but with God's help, miracles can happen! Receptivity, positivity and the Holy Spirit and all will be well.

NJA

Moving Is Hard But Sometimes It Has To Be Done

 I'm very busy, too busy to write. We are moving...leaving Long Island after almost 18 years. It's a beautiful island but we're moving to be closer to our granddaughters. Granddaughters tug at your heart and it's important to be close to them. 

I have a lot of stuff. I hate moving. It's the worst. And I have a lot of books. I love the written word and its hard for me to part with my books, especially my religious books. I have given some away, and its only because it's for a good cause. Otherwise I couldn't part with them. But I am sending some books to Africa, I've been doing that for awhile. 

But most of my library will travel with me. All my Carmelite books and all the other ones too.

I love to garden and I will have a place to garden, to grow roses and plant wildflowers for butterflies and bees. 

I wouldn't be going, if I couldn't bring Jesus with me. But Jesus will come along. As He always does in my life. 

And of course, I will be near a Catholic Church, as I couldn't live without Eucharist or Bible Study and luckily they have Scripture Study there. 

So God is good. And I pray that this will be a good move for us. 

Nancy

Be A Light!

 I love quotes...I often use quotes for journaling. I vacationed recently in Mattituck, NY .....the North Fork of Long Island. Once potato farms, it is now filled with vineyards which produce award-winning wines. I love wineries, as vineyards are so orderly, useful and pleasant in the warmth of summer. 

I like this quote.....It is useful for journaling...

"You Are The Light of the World"

"Ask yourselves: 'Do I believe these words of Jesus in the gospel? Jesus is calling you the light of the world. He is asking you to let your light shine before others. I know that in your hearts you want to say: 'Here I am Lord. Here I am. I come to do you will.' But only if you are one with Jesus can you share his light and be a light for the world."  St. John Paul II

People Quick To Ask, "Where Was God?" In Aftermath of Building Collapse in Florida

 One of the rabbi's who spoke on TV, following the catastrophic collapse of the residential condo building in Florida, said people were asking him, "Why did God allow this to happen?" Of course he was quite upset as many congregants and even lifelong friends were in that building. Faith ministers and chaplains from all faiths are helping relatives and friends of those who were in the ill-fated building, to cope with the unimaginable. 

But God can't be blamed for everything. Yes, we live in a fallen world and yes there is evil in this world but God gets blamed for so much. I often find myself defending God.

As it turns out, according to a news article, God isn't to blame. People are to blame. People who didn't take warnings from engineers seriously. Engineers according to a New York Times article, which came out this morning wrote in 2018 that the building had serious structural problems with corrosion, crumbling concrete and cracking which needed to be addressed in a "timely manner." So why weren't the recommendations acted upon immediately or people warned so they could have acted accordingly?

All human error, misunderstanding, lack of knowledge of the severity of the problem? As one engineer being interviewed said, "It was like a perfect storm." There is probably more than one reason the building came crashing down in a pancake fashion, which made it more difficult to survive the collapse. 

And so friends and family of the missing, wait and pray. Very heart-breaking, no one should have to go through such pain and agony. And to think it could have been avoided........that's even worse. 

NJA

All Those Aliens Will Have To Be Baptized!

 Stories of UFO's or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP's) like the government prefers to call them are everywhere in the news these days.  It became mainstream news (and out of the fringes) when navy pilots began talking, years ago, about encounters with UFO's that can defy gravity and move through space, our atmosphere and water at speeds that would kill humans.....Some of these UFO's can be explained but some cannot. And now the government shortly will release a report which will basically say, some phenomena is not explainable. They just don't know what they are. But some navy pilots report that they are flying close to navy jets, in restricted U.S. airspace. So even some congressmen are saying, we should know what they are. That makes sense. 

I've listened to these navy pilots talk (on 60 Minutes) about chasing UFO's at high speeds and they've also shown up on radar and on cockpit cameras.  So what are we as Christian believers suppose to think about all this? It fascinates me. 

Many Vatican astronomers and scientists will say, the probability is we are likely not alone in the Universe. Statistically it's beginning to look like there might be many other planets orbiting stars that have some life form on them. We will have to see what the interstellar satellites find, they're going into deeper and deeper space.  

If we are not alone, though our planet is probably the most beautiful of God's creation, (there is so much symmetry, order, diversity and beauty on our planet, solar system and in our Milky Way Galaxy) that God took a special interest in us. We are greatly favored! Yes, I do believe that. 

But if there are other intelligent life forms out there and if they are smart and more advanced and have figured out how to travel though space without conventional propulsion then if they ever stop darting around the skies and land (now that would be the biggest news story ever) and say, "Hi, we'd like to introduce ourselves." Well then what? Of course that could open up dialogue and the opportunity for evangelization and the offering of baptism, looking at it from a Christian perspective.

So who knows, maybe in our lifetimes or perhaps in the next generation we will find extraterrestrial life, or they'll find us and just maybe we'll find they too worship and believe in God and maybe they will need some catechizing.

Fun to think about all this..

NJA

The Epidemic of Violence And Other Signs of Decay in Society

 We've all become numb to the rising violence in our country. It's so sad what has happened. It seems everyday now you read about a stabbing, or mass shooting somewhere in the country. No where seems to be immune. More Americans now are stating that violent crime is a very big problem in our country. More than Covid, since those deaths and hospitalizations are falling, thank God. It is no surprise that people view violence as a big problem. If you watch the news, it's filled with stories of death and injury from violence.  Gun sales are also rising because people don't feel safe anymore and want to protect themselves.  Perhaps they are right. 

So it seems the commandment ...."Thou shall not kill," is not taken seriously by some....as crazy as that seems. 

Then there is 'Thou shall not steal," another commandment which is ignored by many. In San Francisco, California some chain stores had to close because people were blatantly walking out with merchandise, in full view of others. Stealing and not caring if they are caught, since the penalty was not severe and so stores can't make money and they are closing. So when honest people try to go shopping, the stores they frequented are closed, too much shoplifting is the cause. 

And so the list goes on......The world I grew up in, though not perfect of course, was a lot more sensible, kinder and wholesome than what the world is becoming. And it doesn't seem to be getting much better. 

People of good faith,  keep praying, we keep hoping, we keep wondering if things will improve and yet if God's laws are ignored as well as civil laws and some people in addition, just don't care about civility or decency, where will it all go? To hell in a handbasket?

What is God thinking about this mess? A fallen world? Fallen natures? 

Looks like I need a little sunshine...all this rain, is making me too negative!

NJA

The Holy Land Is Filled With Violence Once Again *

 In the Holy Land, the holiest of places, where Christ walked, once again there is war. Pope Francis appealed for peace and an end to the hostilities. But it's a tinderbox. Pope Francis called for an immediate cease fire but is anyone listening, anyone with the power to stop this continuing madness on sacred ground?

They blame each other, and yet in reality all parties are to blame. Who started this latest escalation? Read the news reports and you can ascertain the truth. But no one wants the blame. And yet innocent children, who have done nothing but try to live in this uncertain world, get caught in the insanity and are dead. Truly horrific. 

We pray for peace on earth. We pray that there can be a solution in this part of the world. Many proposals have been made over the years and yet there is still no peace, no real action to promote lasting and sustainable peace. It can happen, of course peace is possible, but there is no will to end this madness, once and for all. 

Why is lasting peace so elusive in the holiest of places, in a land revered by Christians, Jews and Muslims?.....Consecrated ground, it's terrible that even there, peace cannot endure. 

Nancy

*Update-Cease Fire in Effect...Thank God!! Now a true and lasting solution is needed!

Msgr. William Koenig Named Bishop of Wilmington Delaware-Congrats!!

 I needed some good news this morning and I got it when I looked at my phone and saw the special announcement from the Diocese of Rockville Center. I'm so happy for Msgr. William Koenig who was named by Pope Francis, the 10th Bishop of Wilmington Delaware. 

I knew Bishop-elect Koenig's mother from volunteer work I did at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. She was also a volunteer there before she passed away some years ago. I attended her funeral Mass, with other volunteers from the Seminary and the way Msgr. Koenig spoke about his mother and family at that Mass was very touching. I also often watch the weekday Masses celebrated at St. Agnes Cathedral via the Catholic Faith Network, and while Msgr. Koenig was the Rector, for many years, I would be a part of that virtual community. (I like to stay up late, I have always been a "night owl," so watching the Mass at midnight when it is re-broadcast is common for me.)

He's a very good choice for a Bishop. As was stated by Bishop Barres and Msgr. Vlaun during the announcement video, Msgr. Koenig has special qualities for a priest and now Bishop-elect. He has a kind, gentle, compassionate presense, and a humble spirit. I would add he has a good sense of humor too, usually starting his homilies with a joke!

I've met him a few times in person, and always that gentle priestly spirit comes across. 

So Congratulations Bishop-elect Msgr. Koenig, you deserve the appointment and the Catholics of Wilmington are greatly blessed and in for a pleasant surprise!

Nancy

"Planet Earth Is Not That Special"....Really?

 There are some scientists, among them astronomers who've I've heard being interviewed on podcasts who assert that planet Earth, our beautiful, diverse planet, is not that special. They claim (and these are very smart people) that in our enormous Universe, even our own galaxy, there might be thousands of planets like Earth that can support life (some form of it).  I understand that our sun is one of two billions stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone, not to mention the billions of others in the Universe. But we do have the perfect conditions here, as is quite obvious. We, of course, have liquid water, perfect amount of the right gas in our atmosphere to support life (primarily nitrogen and oxygen). The atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation and burns up most of the meteoroids. The temperature is hospitable for life. Earth is sometimes referred to as the Goldilocks planet, meaning its position in the Solar System and movement makes it not too hot and not too cold, just right!

And yet, you have these esteemed scientists saying, "It's not that special." Well, that just drives me crazy, when I hear that. I think it is pretty special, I think the beauty, diversity and complexity of life on Earth is amazing, extremely unique. I can look at a wildflower and be amazed at its uniqueness and beauty. 

Is there life on another hospitable planet, somewhere else in the Universe? Perhaps.....it is possible. Statistically scientists believe it has to be, even if its some form of microscopic life. Some people even believe that extraterrestrial life will be discovered in the coming years, as technology keeps advancing.

But even so, I would still believe that Earth is a magnificent, special creation and one that was perfected to the last atom, by a good, super intelligent and generous God. Intelligent design is everywhere, if you look with the eyes of faith. 

Nancy

"Evil Sneakers" Sell Out Immediately

 You can't make this stuff up! How do people even think of these ideas?.....Crazy world we live in. "Satan shoes," or sneakers advertised as modified Nike Air Max 97's with a single drop of human blood placed in them, (in the soles) as well as a pentagram pendant and a Bible reference about the devil's fall from Heaven (Luke 10:18) sold out immediately at $1,118. Some people just had to have them, at any cost.  But it seems the company selling them has run into trouble, not surprisingly. 

Nike has brought a trademark infringement lawsuit against the company MSCHF. It seems Nike doesn't want anything to do with "evil sneakers," with a drop of human blood in them. You really can't blame them. A judge has now ruled that the company must stop selling the sneakers, which of course makes them more valuable. And now more people want them, are thinking about them.  Have to have them I suppose. 

The release of the evil shoes coincides with a new music video......so they are promoting a music video and using the evil one to do it. All during Holy Week, a company using the most sacred week of the year for Christians, to promote a product that glorifies evil. 

 Holy Week is about Jesus' willingness to save humanity from stupidity and failure and sin by His sacrificial death on a Cross. Jesus's sacrificial gift to us brings grace, forgiveness and a bridge to the Father and establishes his Kingdom on Earth and a path to salvation through the Church....But we as Christians, as believers keep having to deal with the 7 deadly sins which keeps evil "in our face,"...It goes on and on.

Thank God for Easter Sunday. Thank God for the resurrection and hope and springtime. Where would we be without hope and Christ's resurrection? Have a Happy Easter!! 

Nancy

Very Insensitive Decree and Harsh Statements on Gay Relationships Comes From the Vatican

 I was very close to my brother Arthur, my only sibling. He was brilliant, an esteemed psychiatrist, who worked at a Catholic hospital upstate as well as having a private practice. In later years he became a forensic psychiatrist, who would testify on court cases. When he died of melanoma over twenty years ago on the same day that Princess Diana died, I was heartbroken. I lost my brother, my best friend and my "therapist" all at once. Pretty devastating to say the least. 

When my brother came out as gay when he was in college, my family was shocked. We had no idea as he did have a girlfriend some of the time. We just had no clue. And we were a very close Italian family. 

My parents who were both alive at the time, but who preceded him in death, were open-minded people. They just accepted it, even at that time. Arthur was the star of our family, the first doctor in our immediate family and he had won awards and scholarships all his life. He was not only smart, he was witty, and a very good person. 

I was sad that I wouldn't have nieces or nephews, but I like my parents loved my brother unconditionally and so little changed in our relationship after he came out as gay. 

I rarely share this story and definitely never on social media but I was so struck by Pope Francis' decision to approve a harsh statement on gay relationships that I thought it was time. The March 15th decree from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith instructed priests not to bless same sex couples. What I found particularly insensitive was the statement, "God does not and cannot bless sin." There certainly could have been a more compassionate way of dealing with the situation. When issuing a decree, of such sensitivity, words have to be chosen carefully and studied and debated and then issued. Some Vatican journalists say that Pope Francis may not have realized what he was approving. I'm not sure. But I do know, going forward, as I've said, more sensitivity needs to be taken, when issuing decrees, especially when speaking for God. 

NJA

We Are Living Through Strange Times-Digital Art File Sells for $69 Million

 If you need anymore proof that the modern world we live in is strange and getting stranger by the day, try to get your mind around this.....Someone paid 69.3 million dollars for a digital file, of artwork by an artist named Mike Winkelmann (Beeple). The work of art does not physically exist.....it's a computer file. It was paid for with cryptocurrency and the online sale was handled by Christie's. The buyer who goes by the name Metakovan thinks he got a bargain....yes, he thinks it was "a steal." 

The work of art is entitled, "Everydays-The First 5000 Days," and it is a collage of images that have been posted online by the artist since 2007. 

I love art and one of the things that I missed doing during the pandemic is going to museums. Hopefully I can start to do that again soon. Art makes people happy, beautiful artworks make me happy.  I especially love religious art.

But a digital file that sells for $69 million, I can't understand it. I don't quite understand cryptocurrency either. 

What I do know is that that amount of money could really have made a difference in helping people in the developing world. That kind of money could have changed lives and lifted people out of poverty and fed many hungry children, in many places in the world. 

The world is just getting too strange and out of whack....and hard to understand.

Nancy

Doomsday Preppers and Survivalists Go Mainstream For Good Reason

There have been many articles in the last couple of years about preppers or survivalists (people who stockpile food, water and other necessities in case of a calamity, the apocalypse or something like that happens) are no longer fringe groups. People from all walks of life, are interested in being prepared. Preppers have gone mainstream and there are millions of them. When I watched what happened in Texas last week and read about it, (such a sad situation of people losing electricity for days in extreme cold and then water problems) it becomes very evident that in the event of a natural disaster or weather related catastrophe, the government cannot mobilize fast enough or deal with the situation adequately. You are on your own for awhile, that seems to be what happened there. So it seems the preppers have been right all along, it's best to be prepared, even if it means just having plenty of canned foods, first aid kits, a portable generator and battery operated heaters on hand. 

I'm not running out to buy any freeze dried food (which can last for 20 years or more) but I am starting to think about how important it is to be prepared for any scenario. If the climate scientists are correct, we are going to be having more violent and unpredictable storms in the future, because of climate change. (Pope Francis has tried to warn us.) 

What does this all have to do with God? Well, God gave us a beautiful creation, but we keep abusing it. That has consequences as Pope Francis has stated in Laudato si. Environmental degradation is causing terrible problems and this will only get worse if we don't turn the situation around. Human beings tend to be stubborn and self-centered. Pride is a deadly sin for good reason. I hope young people will take this seriously enough, to make a difference. 

Maybe a good thing to do this Lent would be to think about what more we can personally do to help the environment. Think about and work towards reducing your carbon footprint. Churches should have that on the agenda too. I have to do the same. And start thinking about what constructive ideas you can take from the preppers, without retreating to a bunker.  

Nancy

According to Genesis, "Be Fruitful and Multiply"- Three Times for Emphasis

 The Church universal has been reading and listening to the Book of Genesis being read at Mass......I also listened to Fr. Mike Schmitz, reading on his podcast, "The Bible In A Year," from the  Book of Genesis. (Fr. Mike's podcast is amazing and I highly recommend it!) It is the first podcast I have listened to everyday! What a great idea!

But getting back to the first book of the Bible, it has struck me that three times in the Book of Genesis, God commands us through God's inspired Word, "Be fruitful and multiply." Be fruitful and multiply-- three times. 

Where do these three demands from God appear? In the first chapter of the Bible, "God created man in his image, in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them saying to them, 'Be fertile and multiply', fill the earth and subdue it.."  (Gen.1:28)

According to the Great Flood story in the Bible, Noah and his family and all the animals were on the open waters in the Ark for 150 days and then on dry land (Mt. Ararat) for another 100 days and then...." God said to Noah, 'Go out of the ark, together with your wife and your sons and your sons' wives. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you-all bodily creatures, be they birds or animals or creeping things of the earth and let them abound on the earth, breeding and multiplying on it." ((Gen.8:17)

In Chapter 35 of the same book, God says to Jacob, "Jacob is your name, but your name shall no longer be Jacob, Israel shall be your name. So he named him Israel. And God said to him: 'I am God almighty- 'Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed an assembly of nations shall stem from you...." (Gen. 35:11)

I never realized until recently that this command was given three times in Genesis.  I find that interesting. It makes me think......

Nancy

I Don't Want To Be Humble

I don't want to be humble, like you 

You're so good!

Chanting that sacred litany on Tik Tok

"O God take away my desire for esteem"

Well what if I want to be esteemed

What if I choose to be consulted

I like admiration and praise

You pray to be saintly and that's virtuous

I don't doubt your goodness or pure intentions

But please don't doubt mine!

NJ Azzaro

Moving Towards Herd Immunity and What We Have Gained from the Pandemic Year

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though in darkness, the Lord will be my light!" (Micah 7:8-9)

I love that quote from Scripture...I love to journal using Scripture passages and I will certainly use that one. My friend who is a psychologist recently wrote an article for the Church bulletin beginning her article with that quote so I'll borrow it! She wrote about surviving the pandemic and 2020 and what we have lost and what we have gained. There have been some silver linings, for those of us who have survived. It was an unimaginable year, but prayer and my deep faith (and my granddaughters who give me joy), helped me through it.  Everyone got through it in their own ways. Sadly, tragically there was too much loss and sadness. 

This Sunday I will attend a virtual baby shower on Zoom, its a whole new world and so many of us were "forced" online for Scripture study, meetings and celebrations. 

The Lord is certainly my light, my go to friend, the one I can trust in good times and bad. And so as we all march forward into the future, hopefully a future full of hope (and herd immunity!) we can breathe a sigh of relief that the worst is behind us and a technologically advanced world is coming quickly and we will all have to adjust to the "new normal." We will just have to bring God with us into this new future that awaits. 

Nancy

UnExplained Light in the Universe-What Is It? Look in Genesis

I just loved the subject of the last blog entry about scientists finding unexplainable light in the Universe. Light where there should be darkness. As I explained in the previous blog post on January 1st of this new year, I got very excited about it. It seemed to me that astronomers and physicists had stumbled upon the "light" of the Cosmic Christ. I have studied (and given talks) on the works of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (French Jesuit priest, theologian, scientist, author and more) and of course he wrote and spoke a lot about the Cosmic Christ and his explanations have given me great hope on the spiritual journey. He died in 1955, but his thought through his works is very much alive. He found a way to integrate science with religion, especially Christianity. 

So unexplained light in the Universe had me thinking, Jesus said clearly, "I am the light." "I am the light of the world." 

I belong to a couple of Scripture study groups. I love Scripture study and couldn't live without the "nourishment" I get from them. One of the groups that meets on Zoom (for the present time), has just begun reading "Genesis." And so right there in the opening words of the Bible, "The Story of Creation," begins like this...

"In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth-and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters-Then God said: Let there be light and there was light. God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day: and the darkness he called "night". Evening came and morning followed-the first day."

The first day in the opening words of the Bible we find the creation of light. Light in the Universe, light in our world. Light. Thousands of years later, after God's inspired Word was written down, scientists find unexplainable light in the dark recesses of the Universe......Love it!!

Nancy

Perhaps God's Glow Found In The Universe-Cosmic Christ is Light

 I termed the phrase God's glow, I thought it fit the description of what I read about. It seems astronomers according to a New York Times article I read ("In the Darkness of Empty Space, Unexpected Light" 12/8/20) have found empty space in the Universe that was about twice as bright as would be expected. Unexpected light they say, "four billion miles from the sun, far from bright planets and light scattered by interplanetary dust..." "There's something out there unknown....."

Right away my mind started thinking about this. Because you know, when Jesus said, "I am the light of the world," He wasn't just speaking metaphorically. Jesus, the Cosmic Christ is light and so it would seem natural for me, to think the unexpected light they've found is the light of Christ or God's glow as I termed it.

Sounds a bit crazy......maybe, maybe not. Light deep in the Universe of unknown origin and astronomers and particle physicists have no idea where it's coming from. 

"This kind of measurement really pushes our understanding of both the instrument and the brightness of the light from all the stuff between us and the distant universe, Dr. Zemcov said in an email. 'People have posited a variety of sources, but the jury is still out on what it could be.'" 

They should give me a call, I'll tell them what it is. 

Nancy