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Very early in the Judaeo-Christian tradition the number 40 begins to take on a significance that will broaden and deepen as God continues to reveal his plans for mankind through celebrated Biblical …
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2/27/20
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There’s a parable about a man and his young son who set out from their tiny village to go into town to buy provisions. When they started their journey, accompanied by their little donkey, the …
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2/25/20
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Recently I came across a survey sponsored by psychologists from Cornell University that reported on the biggest regrets that people have in life. The survey said, “It’s not the things you …
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2/20/20
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Although St. Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” and St. Luke’s “Sermon on the Level Stretch” closely parallel one another, St. Matthew’s account stretches to …
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2/20/20
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In 1982, sociologists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling introduced the “broken window theory” in “The Atlantic Monthly” magazine, suggesting that when small acts of …
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2/20/20
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After a ceremony in one of our parishes, I went to the social hall to meet people, moving table to table to do so. Some of the folks very respectfully stood up to greet me, a gesture sincerely …
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2/13/20
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In the United States, when one refers to “the Duke,” the allusion suggests John Wayne, the great cinematic hero of the last century. In the United Kingdom, when one mentions “the …
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2/13/20
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When Mother Teresa visited New Bedford, Massachusetts, in June 1995, she told those of us gathered at St. Lawrence Martyr Church: “Abortion is the greatest evil of today.” Never one to …
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2/13/20
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St. Valentine’s Day seems to have been taken over by the greeting card companies, the candy-makers and the florists. Even when we live with people who know we love them, there is something …
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2/13/20
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May the God of peace make you perfectly holy, and may you entirely, spirit, soul and body, be reserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and …
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2/6/20
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When President Kennedy left the Massachusetts Senate for the White House in Washington, he advised his fellow senators, “We must always consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill – …
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2/6/20
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February 2nd marks a beautiful Feast Day in the Catholic Church, the Presentation of the Lord. When Mary and Joseph, in fulfillment of the law, presented Jesus in the Temple, it was a very special …
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1/30/20
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Within weeks of my ordination, after the celebration of Mass at St. Charles parish in Woonsocket, a woman approached me at the altar rail and requested the ceremony of “churching.” This …
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1/30/20
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Among the countless vulnerable human beings in our world, none are more vulnerable than millions of unborn babies threatened by abortion. Even a new-born baby is less vulnerable.Hardly anyone could …
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1/30/20
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It seems that lots of people avoid having their picture taken, in either formal or informal settings. They’ll do almost anything to avoid posing, even with family and friends – feign …
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1/23/20
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The Scriptural Holy Land, today most generally known as the Republic of Israel, was, in the time of Christ, easily divided into three portions. Judea, on the south bordering Egypt, was quite solidly …
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1/23/20
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A couple times a year I visit the ACI, our state prison. I always welcome the opportunity to do so, although the visits are as emotionally challenging as they are spiritually rewarding.During one of …
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1/16/20
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Certainly, St. John the Baptist had plenty of time and much family history to be able to proclaim in the very first chapter of the Gospel of St. John, “Now I have seen and testified that he is …
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1/16/20
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“Two wrongs don’t make a right.”Just think how much better each one of us and the world would be, if we held fast to this morally correct common sense proverb. But unfortunately, …
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1/16/20
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January 1 was the 53rd World Day of Peace in the Catholic Church. Having begun by Pope St. Paul VI in 1967, every Pope since then has continued the tradition of writing a pastoral letter on Peace on …
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Sister Patricia McCarthy
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1/16/20
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