... a high-tech cleaning machine! This spider-looking drone was seen power washing rooftops. Using a large nozzle, a long water line, and a remote controller, this drone was swooping left and right, up and down, hosing down the roof. Sure beats a ladder, a sponge, and a bucket of water!  

But perhaps it's a little overkill. Sure, roof cleaning can be daunting, but is tackling this job with a drone worth the apparent expense?  

How often do you encounter a task or a problem, and try to cut it down with a chainsaw instead of just cutting it into small pieces with a knife?  

Ask God for his help. Ask Him to show you the way: the right, smart, and best way. He won't lead you astray.  

Guide of My Soul, show me what to do and how to do it. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.  

TAGS: Prayer, Story

Heavenly Father, as we begin this New Year, we place our lives, our hopes, and our intentions into Your loving hands.  
 
Grant us the grace to walk closer with Your Son, Jesus Christ, and to remain open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Heal our wounds, strengthen our faith, and help us to trust in Your providence in every joy and trial to come.  
 
Mary, Mother of God, watch over us and lead us ever closer to Your Son. Saint Joseph, protector and guardian, pray for us as we seek wisdom, peace, and courage.  
 
Lord, make this New Year a year of grace, a year of mercy, and a year of blessing. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  

TAG: Prayer

A Jesuit priest, Robert Southwell (ca. 1561–1595) was a poet and underground Catholic missionary to his native England. Arrested as a traitor, he endured three years of imprisonment, including torture, before his execution. He was canonized as a martyr in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.  

The following is one of his well-known poems entitled "New Prince, New Pomp."  

Behold a silly, tender Babe,  
In freezing winter night,  
In homely manger trembling lies;  
Alas! a piteous sight.  
 
The inns are full; no man will yield  
This little pilgrim bed;  
But forced he is with silly beasts  
In crib to shroud his head.  
 
Despise Him not for lying there;  
First what He is inquire:  
An Orient pearl is often found  
In depth of dirty mire.  
 
Weigh not His crib, His wooden dish,  
Nor beasts that by Him feed;  
Weigh not His mother’s poor attire,  
Nor Joseph’s simple weed.  
 
This stable is a Prince’s court,  
The crib His chair of state;  
The beasts are parcel of His pomp,  
The wooden dish His plate.  
 
The persons in that poor attire  
His royal liveries wear;  
The Prince Himself is come from heaven:  
This pomp is praised there.  
 
With joy approach, O Christian wight!  
Do homage to thy King;  
And highly praise this humble pomp,  
Which He from heaven doth bring.  

TAGS: Reflection

"The absence of someone God can fill; the absence of God no one can fill."  

Love.  

If you lose love, God is always there. But if you lose Love, no one is there.  

The message is simple, plain, succinct.  

Spread the word, and write it on the streets and sidewalks around the world. Spread the Word, and write it on the hearts of all you encounter.  

Don't know what else to say. The message is clear. We have work to do.  

Will you help?  

TAGS: Reflection

"... it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep." - Romans 13:11  

In Christ, all blessings God has promised are given. Advent invites us to open ourselves up to these awesome blessings!  
 
What gets in the way of our being open to the gifts with which the Lord wants to shower us? We look at the world around us, not with fearful or judging hearts, but being very much aware of the ways we have accommodated ourselves to its values. We look at our own lives and acknowledge how we have become, to use a word Pope Francis often used, “worldly.”  
 
It is easy to think of the sins that challenge others. The important thing for each one of us, though, is to think of our own sins. What are the challenges the Lord is making to me this Advent, so that I’ll be ready and awake to receive the gift he promises me, the gift of his Son?  
 
Our sins can keep us from receiving Jesus with an open heart, but allowing worry to infect our hearts can close us off as well. The uncertainty of the year that is about to end can certainly touch our hearts and make us be full of worry. The promise made in this holy season is greater than any worry we might have, though. As we prepare for Christmas 2025, be aware of what obstacles to receiving Jesus with joy there are in your life and in the life of your family.  

EXCERPTED FROM a reflection by Fr. Alfred Hernandez on the readings for Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025  

​TAGS: Reflection

"For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26  

Don't think this is what the turtle intended. Somehow he got himself beached on the tree trunk. He either got stuck on an ant hill or just got lost finding his way back to the water. Maybe, though, he has big dreams of being a bear and climbing trees!  

But he's just a turtle. We all have dreams and hopes and goals. Some want to fly to the moon; others dive to the bottom of the sea. Some want to be CEO of a major corporation; others want to help customers at the local retail store.  

No dream is too big, too silly, or too outlandish. For they are only dreams, hopes, and goals. Take a plan, add some hope, and mix in loads of faith. With God, all things are possible.  

Go, Mr. Turtle, run and climb as fast as you can. You have God behind you!  

Companion God, place me in the situations that will lead me to fulfill my dreams, hopes, and goals according to Your will. Amen.  

TAGS: Prayer, Reflection

Putting ourselves in different positions can sure change our perspective on things.  

Look at these birds. How did they ever get their necks entwined around each other?  

But if you stepped to the side, and looked at the birds from a different perspective, you would see that they were actually just sitting next to each other without even touching one another. An optical illusion; a matter of perspective.  

Next time you're in a jam, step away for a bit. When you come back to it, God will give you a whole new perspective, and things will be seen so much different than before.  

Loving Father, help me to see things as You want me to see them, and not as I want to see them. Amen.  

TAGS: Prayer, Story

"So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17  

Found this old, blank check register in the bottom of the drawer. Once a check register, always a check register, right? So it seemed good enough to use. For those who use check registers, you only use them to record checks, deposits and withdrawals in your account. So what difference does it make that the calendars on the back page of the register are from 1984 to 1986?  

Really? 1984 to 1986? That check register is 40 years old! A generation! But look at that: the 1986 calendar is the same as today's 2025 calendar, so it's relevant for this year!  

History has a way of repeating itself. The old is made new again.  

Have hope. Even if you lay low for years, just plodding through life, fallen by sin after sin, and lost along the way, God has a way of reinvigorating you, reigniting you, and bringing you to new life. Allow your "old" to be made "new" again.  

Thank you, God, for staying with me through my years and giving me the new life that you long for each one of us. Amen.  

​TAGS: Prayer, Story

This tree, nestled in the suburb close to the road, is so odd-looking. So straight, tall, and spindly. The branches look thin, stick out funny, and appear evenly spaced.
Makes you wonder, who ever would plant such a weird looking tree? What type of tree is it?  
​
There are a number of these trees planted along the road. So after passing them numerous times, you can no longer pass by without snapping a picture so its origin and species can be investigated.  

Where to start? How do you look up "odd spindly tree" on the internet?  

Then again, look close at the tree, particularly at the top of the tree. Do you see it?  

It isn't a tree at all. It is a masterfully concealed cell phone tower. You can see the antennas and electronic communications equipment mounted among the "branches" on a pole.  

Man's creation mimicking God's creation. Very clever. Very deceptive ... but with a nod toward the environment and nature.  

TAGS: Story