Hopes and Prayers for the New Year-2023

I can hardly believe that soon we will usher in a New Year-2023..... My prayers and hopes for the New Year...first and foremost I pray for an end to war, most especially the war in Ukraine.  It's hard to believe that world leaders have not tried harder to stop this destructive and senseless war that is adversely affecting the world's economy, killing innocent people and children and harming the environment.  It doesn't make sense to me. So I will continue to pray as I have been doing faithfully, for an end to this war, to this craziness. And God weeps.....

I pray for the Catholic Church that the Holy Spirit will continue to strengthen the Church and all leaders in the Church and most especially give all in power the ability to make common sense decisions that will bolster belief in God, belief in the importance of a faith community and rituals,  the importance of preserving the Eucharist as paramount, and to find new and effective ways to evangelize.

I pray for parents who have such a difficult job in today's modern world instilling faith, and promoting positive values and keeping their children safe and away from harmful drugs and violence.

My parish has a prayer group that prays for people's intentions and I pray as all the other faithful Catholics on the prayer chain do, for all those who ask for prayers and believe in the power of prayer to make a difference in their lives. 

Merry Christmas!

A Blessed New Year!

Peace in our World! Amen!

NJA

"The Church is Just Sad" The Church in Poland in Crisis-Yet Beauty Still Exists

Another disturbing article about failures in the Catholic Church published in the New York Times, which I read online this morning. Very upsetting indeed. The title, "Amid scandals and Politics, Polands Youth Lose Faith in the Catholic Church."It begins..."The Catholic Church in Poland is in deep crisis as its authority is sapped by cascading sexual abuse scandals ...."

The article then goes on to list why young people are turning away from the Church in a heavily Catholic country such as Poland. Young people for the most part still believe in God but it's the institution that is troubling them because of sexual abuse cover-ups, the transfer of priests known to be abusers (which happened in the past)......the same repulsive story that has played out in other parts of the world. Failures of the hierarchy to realize the evil and "cancer" that sexual abuse is and the damage it does to those affected and the credibility of the church. In these modern days of social media and the 24- hour news cycle, the damage will be compounded and long lasting and it threatens the very foundations of our religion. 

For those who make high level decisions in the Church, such as the pope, bishops and cardinals, I hope and pray they make necessary changes before its too late. If the Church loses young people around the world, there will be little left. Some people say, a smaller church is not such a big problem.....but that's not what Jesus said. "Go therefore and make disciples," was his command. 

So business as usual will not work, it's not working and it's damaging the Church. Radical changes are needed. 

As this Advent season began, I attended a beautiful liturgy at my Church, where a baptism took place at Mass. The best of Catholicism on display and lived out. The beauty of the sacrament of baptism, Catholic parents bringing their infant to be anointed, the Church does nothing better than the sacramental rituals. But the elephant in the room, the failures of the institution threaten the very foundation of Christianity. I don't think that's an exaggeration.

Wake up! Wake up Church and follow the commands of Jesus. 

NJA

Called To Be Saints

 We are all called to be saints, to walk a path to grow in holiness, to try each day to do a little better, to be a little kinder, to act with compassion and love. And yet, all around there are signs of depraved human behavior and the effects of original sin. It's hard to act saint-like, to act like Jesus, to be the best version of ourselves and yet that is what our faith calls us to be. 

I talk with friends, whose adult children are disrespectful, they tell me, "you have to watch what you say", "walk on egg shells" or they don't call or treat you respectfully. So much has changed. One of the Ten Commandments is "Honor your mother and father." What's happened to that? And yet in the midst of problems that families face, societal problems and tragic world events, we are called to keep focused on Christ, to keep faithful and to trust in God. Without faith in God, nothing makes sense. Without trust in God, life is difficult and unmanageable.

So another All Saint's Day is upon us. A day to dwell on the lives of the superheroes of our faith. Men and women from all walks of life, who put flesh and blood on the Christian way of life and succeeded against all odds, to become great men and women of faith and example. I hope they are praying for us.

NJA

The Destruction of Sanibel Island and the Beautiful Catholic Church

 Whenever I vacation I like to visit and attend Mass at the Catholic Church wherever I am. Many years ago I visited Sanibel Island on vacation with my family and attended Mass at St. Isabel Church. It was a beautiful church with a vibrant faith community. Of all the things that sadden me about the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, I am most saddened thinking of that faith community with a church, which I'm sure is devastated, like most of the island. I can't even imagine such loss, such human suffering, losing all your belongings, your home as well as your church. It's inconceivable and unimaginable. And of course, people lost their lives which is so tragic. My friend who lives in Naples, Florida near the Gulf of Mexico watched from her second floor condo as her car floated away....so many people have lost so much. But she was told to evacuate....I will never understand people who defy evacuation orders, it doesn't make sense to me. 

So as we pray for the people of Florida (and also some in South Carolina) who have lost so much, we have to think about the future. If climate scientists are right, they say storms will become more powerful and fierce as the climate warms. Its not happening in 50 years from now, the effects will be happening now and in the near future. 

How can God help us when we won't help ourselves?

NJA

The Right Age for Confirmation in the Catholic Church Is........

 The pastor of my church here in Connecticut always comes out after each Mass concludes,  whether he is the celebrant or not, and gives an update and other important information to parishioners. I like that about him, he's very visible and has a good rapport with parishioners, from what I can see. He'll be retiring next year, and seems he'll be a hard "act" to follow. In any event, one thing he shared yesterday is that some parishes in the Diocese of Bridgeport are part of a pilot program to move Confirmation from the 8th grade to the 6th grade. My parish is not in the pilot but from what he said, it seems like the entire diocese is moving in that direction and so in a few years, our parish will also make the change. The way he spoke about it, it seems some parishioners and religious educators are not sure about the new model, though they hope they can get the junior high schoolers interested in youth ministry and so keep them involved after 6th grade. He seemed unsure himself about the change.

I've read all the information about why some bishops feel the need to make the change, even some going as far as wanting to restore the order, used by Eastern Rite Catholics of administering baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the same time. For 99 percent of Catholics in the world, (Latin Rite Catholics), baptism is administered to infants, followed by Confession and Eucharist around age 7 and then Confirmation at the age of reason or after, usually between 12 to 17 years of age. 

So here is my opinion, if anyone cares....with all the social media pressures and societal pressures that preteens and teenagers have in the modern world, I think the practice of administering Confirmation should be EXTENDED to high schoolers. Sounds ridiculous...now wait......Junior high schoolers and high schoolers should spend their time in religious ed doing three things. Bible Study only.....yes spending time with the Bible and biblical commentaries which are excellent resources and also they should do service to help others and youth ministry programs can be encouraged too.  That's it. Immerse young people in The gospels, Acts of the Apostles.....and the Book of Revelation and the Psalms and  Book of Isaiah from the Hebrew Scriptures.....They won't be bored, they won't question the existence of God (not being immersed in the living Word of God) and let the Scriptures catechize them and living out the social justice ministry in the Church, which greatly appeals to young people and college students as well.  

NJA

Isn't It Time For the Church to Let Go Of Mandatory Celibacy for Diocesan Priests?

More scandal ridden news for the Church. This time coming out of Canada. It bothers me (if anyone cares) that the Roman Catholic Church holds onto mandatory celibacy for priests....In my humble opinion that man- made Church law harms the Church, lessens its credibility and its ability to help the poor.. Probably billions of dollars have gone to settling sex abuse cases in the U.S. alone and I think that money could have been better spent, obviously....certainly on the Church's many worthy charitable organizations. And of course the ruined lives caused by the sex abuse crisis is more important than the money, that is tragic. Would married priests,  lessen the cases of sexual abuse by priests? I believe so, though many deny that. Mandatory celibacy is also a contributing factor to the priest shortage.

Let religious order priests maintain their mandatory celibacy (for those that want and desire a strict discipline and asceticism) but at least give diocesan priests the option or choice to marry. It makes complete common sense to me. But the Church would rather hold onto this outdated and "harmful" discipline instead of opening the door to optional celibacy for diocesan priests. Why? There is a shortage of priests, overworked priests, some remote parishes with limited access to the Eucharist because of this priest shortage but none of that seems to matter to those who could change this. 

So that's how I feel today hearing another high profile Cardinal is being accused of sexual assault in a civil case. In the Canadian sex abuse case, "AFP reported that the class action suit includes testimony of 101 people..." over many years....many clerics included ......Eighty eight clerics face accusations in the suit....so its wide ranging.

Young people are just going to walk away from the Church.....its happening already.......when will common sense prevail and the Church care more about passing on the faith to future generations and preserving the Eucharist, rather than holding onto an outdated man made law. 

Now I'll go out and enjoy this beautiful summer day....swimming helps me calm down!!

NJA

Bishop Barron-A Churchman for the Ages

 To state the obvious, Bishop Robert Barron is a gift to the Church. His success on social media, his engagement with the religious and secular world should be a model for all priests and bishops. He doesn't do it alone, he has a team that helps him make his Word on Fire videos and posts so engaging but its his personality too. He comes across as authentic and of course he's very bright and knowledgable. I've learned a lot from his videos and talks on Youtube.  

His recent appointment as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and his installation on July 29th, is yet another honor in his remarkable priesthood. I think it was a sacrifice for him to have had to leave sunny California to go back to the Midwest, but he's familiar with Midwest winters as he is from the Chicago area. And as he was told at his installation Mass, he'll have to get his winter coat out of storage,,,,(I'm paraphasing!). But he will......its a big change in lifestyle for him. Part of the sacrifice priests make. 

And so what can other priests and bishops learn from Bishop Barron? I think they could learn a lot. Engage with the secular world, use social media to spread the good news, try to reach out to the "nones," as Bishop Barron always voices his concern about them and use the resources of the Church to evangelize and be creative. 

Catholics all over the world, who follow him on social media are praying for him and rooting for him. The people of Minnesota are thrilled!

NJA

Summer Can Be Both Joyful and Tragic

 Summer is a wonderful time to relax and enjoy the sunshine and flowers and I've been doing a lot of planting and caring for flowers. Gardening is good exercise but it is also rewarding in other ways..But I just saw a large black snake in one of my small gardens today so I will have to be mindful of that going forward. I live in the country now!!

Unfortunately, Summer can also be tragic for some because of children being near swimming pools. Sadly two children, one in my town in Ct and in another nearby town drowned this summer. I've decided to try to get the word out, with some women who are going to help me, that parties and swimming pools can be disastrous for children who can't swim and who wander into dangerous situations unknowingly. Parents can get distracted before, during and after a party and more has to be done to remind parents to be extra diligent at parties, especially where there is a swimming pool. 

The Monsignor at my parish was brought to tears this weekend at Mass, as it was a rough week for him and others.  One of those children who died from drowning, a 2 year old, had a Funeral Mass at the parish last week. There was a lot of crying and sadness, of course. There were other deaths as well, one personal that he had to deal with. We are praying for our pastor and for the families affected by tragic loss. 

Life is so paradoxical. Good and bad. Sorrow, pain and yet joy. War and peace. Gardening helps to get my mind off the seriousness of life and the problems that can arise so quickly. 

NJA

July 4th 2022-The Land of the Free.....And the Home of the Courageous

 On this July 4th 2022 I am grateful for my ancestors who came to America from Italy and made that courageous journey across the ocean, even though they were unsure of the path before them. They paved the way for me and my family to realize the American dream. With faith in God and hard work, they succeeded in America, because it was possible. 

I am indebted to my grandfather, a painter, who came to America in 1925 with a small amount of money in his pocket, as did most immigrants and who worked hard so that my father and his siblings could begin to climb up the ladder of success here in America. He bought a brownstone in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn and we had it in our family until a few years ago. 

Faith in God, prayer and hard work, I believe is the formula for success and advancement in life. It worked for my family over the decades, it has worked for me......The story continues...

Happy 4th of July!!

NJA

"If you trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure. If you delight in the Lord, the Lord will grant you your heart's desire...." (Ps.37:3)

Valuable Gold Tabernacle Stolen from Church In Park Slope, Brooklyn

Crime is up in major cities, that's not a secret. And now brazen thieves have stolen a $2 million silver and gold tabernacle from St. Augustine Church in Park Slope, Brooklyn. It was made of silver and 18 karat gold and had jewels as well. Why wasn't a replica made and put in the Church instead of the real thing? In this day and age, nothing is sacred to some people and obviously the thieves did not care about the sacredness of the tabernacle or the Body of Christ within it. What a sacrilege! How dare these criminals desecrate this holy Church and tabernacle and the Body of Christ....Sickening. I hope they are caught. But let this be a lesson to the Church, to all houses of worship.  Any object or religious article that is known to be very valuable, should be replaced by a replica, sooner than later.  Even security systems fail or can be deactivated. The tabernacle survived since 1888, when the Church was built. But this was the year...unfortunately, that it would be stolen. 

The Diocese of Brooklyn (which encompasses Queens as well), issued a statement, calling the burglary "a brazen crime of disrespect and hate." They should also add that the criminals who planned this horrible act and carried it out, will rot in Hell if they don't bring it back.

NJA

UPDATE: According to Church officials it was insured. 

"Love One Another As I have Loved You"

If only humankind would have heeded Christ's words, "Love one another as I have loved you," this world would be such a better place. A simple and clear statement about loving those in our immediate family, our neighbors and those who are far away and yet in this century we still unfortunately, see hatred, war, violence, misunderstanding,  misinformation and even lies. So sad..as we approach the greatest of Christian feast days, the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, humankind struggles to love, to be noble, to give the benefit of the doubt, to be forgiving, to be compassionate, beyond measure. Not all people of course, there are those who know how to be kind, how to love those near and the unlovable, to give of themselves generously and heed Christ's words. 

If only there was love instead of hate, peace instead of war, kindness instead of harshness, goodness instead of wickedness, we would be closer to the world Jesus' imagined for us, a world close to the Reign of God. 

People of good will from all the religious faiths keep praying for peace, we keep praying for conversion of hearts and for love to overcome hate .....Lord, hear our prayer, during these holy days of the Triduum. The world needs an Easter Miracle. May the Easter Season be filled with hope and peace.

Happy Easter!

Nancy 

God Weeps-Tragedy in Ukraine As War Destroys

We all pray for a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the crisis between Ukraine and Russia. At any moment, this whole tragedy can spiral out of control. It is truly frightening. Compromise must be achieved and agreed upon. God weeps, of course God is weeping whenever innocents are killed and bombs destroy and disfigure.

It is with sadness that I begin this Lenten journey. Being compassionate my thoughts are never too far from the people of Ukraine who are being forced to leave their beloved homeland, with little. These refugees are on the move, and thank God other countries of good will are accepting them. I especially feel for the poor innocent children, who don't understand war or bombs or evil intentions.

So during this Lent we are all praying for a ceasefire and peaceful solution to this crisis. I am sure God is not distant from this and God weeps with the men, women and children of Ukraine who have witnessed the worst case scenario unfold. May God Bless them and be near to them. 

NJA

Brave Ukrainian Soldiers-Some Giving Their Lives for Good

People of good will, all over the world are condemning Russia's aggression and war against Ukraine. Ukrainian Americans are worried and rightfully so about their relatives in Ukraine. People are praying, holding holy hours, attending Mass, begging God to turn Putin's stony heart and mind towards negotiation and peace. Brave Ukrainian soldiers are fighting for their freedom and their homeland. 

We are witnessing human bravery play out in Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting for their country and for democratic principles, to the death.  God bless them for such bravery and love for their fellow neighbors, their relatives, their home. 

There is so much good in the world, so many brave and courageous people, so many people that live out Jesus' teachings whether they are Christians or not. 

I pray that this war ends quickly, that negotiations begin and peace reigns in Ukraine once more. 

Please God hear our prayer for peace.

NJA

"I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."  (Ezekiel 36:26)

"May the weapons fall silent. God is with the peacemakers, not with those who use violence ... It is the people who are the real victims, who pay for the folly of war with their own skin."  Pope Francis (2/22)

Peace Is A Fragile Thing

 We should all be praying for peace, for a peaceful, negotiated agreement between Russia and Ukraine...There is a solution without war, without blood being shed.  War is destructive, evil, and you would think by now, in this time of human history that threats of war and aggressiveness, would be something of the past. But humankind keeps making the same mistakes over and over again. This is serious and I pray that French President Emmanuel Macron is able to de-escalate the situation when he meets with Russian President Putin next week and also with President Zelensky of Ukraine. 

Pray, Pray, Pray for a settlement and the withdrawal of troops from the border of Ukraine. Let everyone go home. World leaders should be collectively coming together in peace to combat the extreme weather and prolong droughts that the planet will have to deal with because of climate change, and not wasting money and resources on war and most especially innocent lives. 

Please God, no more war. Please God let a solution everyone can agree on, be brought forth and accepted. And may President Putin have a change of heart. 

NJA

Are You Prepared If The Lights Go Out?

One of the things that keeps me up at night (of course I should have total trust in God and nothing should worry me, but having a tendency towards worry is a real thorn in my side!) is the thought that Russia could if they wanted to, hack our power infrastructure and turn the lights off.....Do they have that capability? Most probably......but a solar flare or sudden solar eruption could also cause disruptions to the electrical power grid...it's rather fragile to some extent. And of course, severe storms can sometimes cause black-outs, which I've experienced. 

So before I go to bed, I watch the Mass on TV or on my computer, I do breathing exercises and put lavender oil underneath my nose, drink my chamomile tea and repeat, "Don't think! Don't think! But does that mean I will necessarily fall asleep quickly. Nope! I wonder what's inside the head of President Putin of Russia...Is he going to invade Ukraine?.....Will we retaliate? And then will he have his team of expert hackers turn off the lights in our country or parts of it.....even for a day that would cause chaos.....

It seems news outlets have reported that the DHS has warned banks, corporations and governments offices, to be prepared just in case, President Putin decides its in the best interests of his beloved country to invade Ukraine...and then retaliate if we put sanctions against him personally or Russia, that upset him. 

I'm old enough to remember the Cold War. Diplomacy is the only way out of this mess. 

Let's pray that ego's will get out of the way and real diplomacy will save the day. 

In the meantime, you should always have gallons of water on hand, canned foods and plenty of lanterns, it's good to be prepared for every scenario.

NJA

James Webb Telescope Hopes To See The Universe's Beginnings-God's Genius On Display

 The James Webb Telescope launched on Christmas Day hopes to see into the past, our past. The $10 billion dollar telescope is not only the largest but the most expensive telescope ever built and launched.  With a price tag of 10 billion let's hope it reaches its final destination and then is able to do what scientists and engineers have built it to do.....see into the past after the Big Bang. 

As religious believers, we believe that God initiated the Big Bang and then afterwards created the "environment" for stars and galaxies to form. Matter after the Big Bang, accelerated and that's puzzling to scientists because they don't know why that happened. We know why that happened but they are trying to find out. Scientists are trying to figure it out from a scientific perspective but as believers we know by faith that God set the Big Bang into motion and then created a favorable environment for life. We live on the Goldilocks planet of Earth, (not too hot, not too cold) with the exact and necessary materials and elements to sustain life. The exact amount of carbon was necessary for life on Earth and it was there from the very beginning. Scientists and astronomers are hoping to find more Goldilocks planets in the Universe. We'll see...

We live on a beautiful, life-sustaining planet in a sweet spot in the Milky Way Galaxy because of a good merciful and generous God. 

I'm open to learning more about the Universe. I think ten billion dollars is way too much money to spend on anything but let's see if it proves to be worth the money, because that amount of money could have been life changing for poor people on Earth. But if we learn about the origins of our Universe, many will think it worth it.

NJA

UPDATE: The James Webb Telescope has reached its intended destination in space (one million miles from Earth!)..an amazing engineering feat! Pictures won't be coming until June......