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

Before 2020 is Over A Little More Craziness To Deal With

 Christmas is a week from today. Christmas in the midst of the pandemic. In all the years, in all the decades I've lived through, nothing quite compares with this year.  Though some good things happened in my family, overall it was a terrible, unpredictable, uncertain year that most people want to see behind them.

And if this year wasn't crazy enough now it seems a foreign government, an elite and very smart group of cyber experts, have hacked sensitive information from American government agencies and corporations and who knows what they'll do with the information they've stolen. The scary part is no one knows what they'll do next. No one. Most probably nothing, we pray it was just some good old espionage and nothing more sinister than that. Yet American Intelligence Agencies said, "the cyberoffensive was a grave risk to the federal government." 

 Churches should beware....if government agencies and corporations can be hacked so easily, with all the money they spend on cyber security, so can church databases. So many scams to beware of. I hope churches have cyber protections in place because there are cases where "bad actors" (from all over the world), freeze computer systems and ask for ransoms.....

Is this a crazy world or what? And yet in the midst of the on going uncertainties we live with in the modern world, faith is essential for believers. My faith and my prayer life got me through this difficult year. Catholic TV programming and the televised Mass was a great help in keeping me focused and spiritually-filled. The internet and you tube videos, especially those from Word on Fire were helpful.  

So I will pray as other people of faith will pray that 2021 will be a better year. We pray vaccinations protect us from the coronavirus and our lives go back to "normal." I can't wait to go shopping without a mask. 

And so as we leave this strange and absurd year behind us, let us be filled with Christian hope. Let us find renewed purpose in Christian values, charity and faith. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy Blessed New Year!! Let's remain in hope and pray the lights don't go out!

NJA

Congrats To America's First African-American Cardinal

 Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., is the first African-American Cardinal and this is what he is quoted as saying, that his appointment was an "affirmation of Black Catholics in the U.S." Black Catholics have certainly added greatly to the Church's mission, in the past and in modern times as well. Pope Francis elevated 13 Cardinals in Rome, including Cardinal Gregory, all of whom were wearing masks, in a sign of the strange times we are living through. 

Pope Francis warned the new Cardinals not to use their new titles for "personal gain or corruption," (God forbid!). The problem is their new title, "Eminence," makes it hard for these Cardinals and all the others to stay humble, like Christ. What's in a title? A lot. Their new title should be, "Servants of the Church," in my humble opinion, or something like that......I think the title "Your Eminence" should be done away with.  It makes it challenging for the Cardinals to stay humble and remember their roots.

Christ is so humble, without any pretense at all. 

So best of luck and God's blessings on America's newest Cardinal. May he bring many Black Catholics and others, who have drifted from their faith, back to it.

NJA

Who Knew What We Were Headed Into? A Coronavirus "Storm"

 Last Thanksgiving was a beautiful family holiday....sitting around my dining room table with relatives and my immediate family it was a memorable Thanksgiving. And yet in only a few months, everyone's world would drastically change as Covid-19 bore down on the world. Who could have known that 2020 would be such an anxious, surreal and tragic year?

I precisely love my deep faith because as the world plunged into uncertainty and despair I could rely on my faith in God, my deep prayer life and thank God too for Catholic TV programming, including the televised Mass which kept me grounded and growing in faith through it all. 

So this Thanksgiving will be a quiet holiday, no large family gathering. And we can only hope that the vaccine that is being developed will be safe, effective and readily available, so we can all put this "nightmare" behind us. 

My granddaughters give me great joy, but something else has given me happiness of late and it is something material. I purchased Andrea Bocelli's new CD, "Believe." It is excellent and I especially love his rendition of "Hallelujah." If you haven't heard it, please listen to it and be inspired as I have been. It's quite beautiful. Hallelujah or Alleluia means "Praise God." So listening to the song, enables you to praise God while listening to good music. I love being able to multi-task. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

NJA

Pandemic Fatigue is Real and Dangerous in Italy

 I watched a reality show on Friday called, "My Big Italian Adventure," starring American actress, Lorraine Bracco who bought a 200 year old home in Italy for about $1.00....and she renovated it, with the help of an architect and contractor.  There will be three more episodes. She bought the $1.00 house and the house next door to create a larger Sicilian home for her family, as a vacation home.  Small towns throughout Italy have been selling dilapidated homes for about $1.00 in an effort to get people to invest in their towns and beautify them.  It's an interesting idea and there are plenty of people willing to buy a home for a $1.00,  put down a $5,000 deposit and agree to finish the renovation within three years (or you lose the house and deposit).

Italy is a special place and I hope to return one day. I've made two trips there as an adult and there is no place quite like it. My grandfather came to the U.S. from Italy in 1925, and since my roots are there, there is a certain pull towards Italy.

Unfortunately, Italians are going through a great trial, another great trial, as the coronavirus is once again surging in Italy. Italians are not happy. Like most of us, they have pandemic and lockdown fatigue. We are all sick of it, this virus from Hell. You can't blame them, however some people are resorting to violent protests. In Naples, Italy, protesters set garbage cans on fire and protested because some cities are imposing restrictions and curfews again. Tourism is devastated and people are losing their jobs and incomes at alarming rates. Restaurants are suffering. Who can live like this? So tragic. As one restaurant owner was quoted as saying, "The money is gone." 

Everyday I pray for an end to this pandemic and a safe, effective vaccine as soon as possible, like millions of others are doing.  During this pandemic I have tried to be more charitable and have been doing more to help, "the poorest of the poor." That has given me focus and something constructive to do. We are all dealing with this unthinkable situation in our own way. But there is some hope. Fewer people are dying from the coronavirus, as doctors do have more therapeutics and medicines to give. There is a glimmer of hope that this will soon be behind us. 

"Hope is not an option for a Christian but essential to our faith." Whoever said that was a wise Christian!

NJA

Swiss Guards Test Positive For Covid-Pope Francis Needs To Be Careful

 Pope Francis needs to be careful. With eleven Swiss guards testing positive for the coronavirus and more testing to take place, it is certain there are others who will test positive. I pray the one guard who stands outside the door where Pope Francis stays at the Santa Marta guesthouse, is not positive. (Or the others who have had that shift.)

The Pope has so many challenges to deal with. He's trying so hard to straighten out the Curia, no easy task. There is a deadly, invisible virus, lurking all around him. Cases are trending up throughout Europe, unfortunately. The Pope should be careful, because of his age-83 and because he has another preexisting condition, a part of his lung was removed when he was young. Then he has all the stress he has to deal with. 

Maybe he should retire soon, as Pope Benedict did. It's all too much for an 83 year old to deal with in my opinion. Pope Benedict set a precedent for it, so it wouldn't be so shocking. 

May the Holy Spirit guide him and the Church through these unusual and stressful times we are living through.

NJA

Diocese of Rockville Centre, Long Island, NY Files for Bankruptcy

 On the Feast of St. Therese, the Little Flower, a much loved saint and Doctor of the Church, in a year that has been surreal so far, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Long Island, NY filed for bankruptcy. It's a sad day for Long Island Catholics. The Diocese apparently didn't have a choice, given they were facing over 200 lawsuits related to sexual abuse allegations. Seeking financial protection, the Diocese had few options. 

Rockville Centre is the largest diocese in the U.S.A. to declare bankruptcy. A video presentation prepared by the Bishop, Bishop John Barres, which I watched, stated, "the diocese was not going to be able to carry out its spiritual, charitable and educational missions because of the increasing burden of litigation expenses." How sad. How did it come to this? It's mind-boggling. 

I feel sorry for Bishop Barres. I get the impression from watching Mass on the Catholic Faith Network, and listening to his homilies, that he cares deeply for the Church,  he wants so much for there to be dramatic missionary growth on Long Island, and he's faced with this crisis. I feel sorry for the victims of sexual abuse. I feel sorry for all those who put their trust in religious leaders and are now disappointed and deeply hurt.  

It's a sad day on Long Island. It's a sad year with the tragic pandemic causing havoc. Bishop Barres mentioned the pandemic as not helping the situation. 

Today the Scripture reading that struck me from the gospel was, "The Kingdom of God is at hand." We need the Kingdom of God to manifest. 

NJA