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Repent and Reboot and Do it FAST

I came across this latest little snippet... A bishop askes the people of God to consider how they use social media and calls for people to resist the temptation to enter into the 'grave matter' of sin: ...Using social media for abuse or to attack the reputations of other people was a direct sin against the Eighth Commandment, forbidding people from “bearing false witness” against their neighbours, he said in a pastoral letter released March 19. “We must exercise discretion, respect others and their privacy and not engage in slander, gossip and rash judgment,” the bishop wrote in the document that was to be distributed in parishes the weekend of March 22-23. I admit that I have, at times, used my other blog--Praylium--in ways that challenged the status quo of the church--both the clergy and laity. Problem was--it did nothing.   The same stuff still happens. Poor liturgies, disgruntled gossipy judgemental laity, premadonna clergy, and perhaps my greatest bug--clericali...
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Assisi

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A subway, a train and a bus....and I ended up in Assisi.  For years I have heard, "You will love it there.  It is so quiet and peaceful." Really? Well, talking to a shop owner today...he said the crowds reminded him of when Pope Francis came through.  I learned that this is not the time to come to Rome or Assisi! I still prayed.  I knelt in a little stone church built by the hands of St Francis.  It sat within the Basilica.  It was good to pray in a place where a saint communed with the Almighty. I walked the hills and grasses, the cobblestones, and the stairs.  I prayed before the famed Crucifix and walked on the spot where Francis returned his belongings to his father.  Of course Our Lady of Medjugorje was present throughout the town...from posters to pendants. It is all so very connected.   I would write more, and I will.... however I must ready for another day of pilgrimage.  This time to a place my lovely wife reminded...
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Canonizations, Crowds, and Angst.

As I ready myself for a jaunt to Rome and Vatican City I find myself experiencing more of a desire to stay home. Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of my family making the sacrifices for my trip. And I look forward to seeing a part of the world that has, in many ways been on the geographic periphery of my life (for obvious reasons). But it wasn't supposed to be this way.  I wasn't supposed to be heading there without my son and my lovely wife. While the friendship I share with my old classmate is what provided this opportunity--I am just a little out of place. Allow me to explain... The purpose of the trek is to go and participate as part of the cloud of witnesses to the canonizations of Popes John 23 and John Paul 2. My friend and old seminary classmate proposed this adventure a few months back. He had reserved space at a religious house in Rome and asked if I wanted to accompany him.  The plan is to be at the Vatican for a few days then on to visit his c...
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