WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22TH, 2023
 “Lent is a time of grace to the extent that we listen to Jesus. He speaks to us in the Word of God and through our brothers and sisters, especially in the faces and stories of those who are in need. In God, no act of love, no matter how small, and no generous effort will be lost.”
Pope Francis

Please go to this link to view Jeanne’s latest book: “Fable in the Pandemic” on Blurb.com

You can read the whole book in this animated preview: https://www.blurb.com/b/11452455-a-fable-in-the-pandemic-soft2

Biden by Neil Waldman

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21TH, 2023
 “Brothers and sisters, the Lord invites us to step out of the logic of self-interest and not to measure love on the scales of calculations and convenience. He invites us not to respond to evil with evil, to dare to do good, to risk in the gift, even if we receive little or nothing in return. For it is this love that slowly transforms conflicts, shortens distances, overcomes enmities and heals the wounds of hatred. And so, we can ask ourselves, each one of us: do I, in my life, follow the logic of recompense, or that of gratuitousness, as God does? The extraordinary love of Christ is not easy, but it is possible; it is possible because He Himself helps us by giving us His Spirit, His love without measure.
Let us pray to Our Lady, who by answering “yes” to God without calculation, allowed him to make her the masterpiece of his Grace.

Pope Francis

Communism in a Democracy

It’s the birthday of English poet W.H. Auden (1907), who once said, “A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.” Auden published around 400 poems in his lifetime, including haikus, villanelles, ballads, sonnets, and limericks.
T.S. Eliot is quite at a loss
When clubwomen bustle across
At literary teas
Crying, “What, if you please,
Did you mean by The Mill On the Floss?”
One of his most famous poems is “September 1, 1939,” written in a bar in New York City on the eve of World War II. The poem became very famous for the line “We must love one another or die,” but Auden disliked the line and the poem; he tinkered with both throughout his life, finally disavowing the poem entirely. He said it was “infected with an incurable dishonesty.”
In 1939, Auden was sailing to New York with his friend, writer Christopher Isherwood. They had known each other since they were eight years old and both attending boarding school at St. Edmund’s.
Auden landed at a somewhat shabby, funny-looking brownstone in Brooklyn Heights with other writers like Carson McCullers and Benjamin Britten. They called it the “February House” and it became a notorious haven for intellectuals, bohemians, and hangers-on, though Auden was very fussy about everyone’s writing time and instituted regular working hours before debauchery was allowed to start. He even made sure everyone had a good dinner every night, delighting in announcing, “We’ve got a roast and two veg, salad and savory, and there will be no political discussion.” Even striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee lived in the house for a time. She paid a good rent for her room in exchange for writing lessons. She began her book The G-String Murders (1941) at February House. And after a conversation with Auden, Carson McCullers started the book that would become The Ballad of the Sad Café (1951). Sometimes things got a little crazy: one boozy evening the writers raided the icebox and mistakenly ate cat food. Auden’s housemates called him “Uncle Wiz.”
W.H. Auden spent half of his 66 years living in New York City. He once said, “I adore new York, as it is the only city in which I can live and work quietly.” Auden won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection The Age]of Anxiety (1948). His books include Letters from Iceland (1937), The Sea and the Mirror (1958), and Thank You, Fog (1974).

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, 2023 “It is normal for us to love those who love us, and to be friends of those who are friends to us; yet Jesus provokes us by saying: if you act in this way, “what more are you doing than others?” Here is the point to which I would like to draw your attention today, to what you do that is extraordinary.“More”, “extraordinary”, is what goes beyond the limits of the usual, what exceeds the habitual practices and normal calculations dictated by prudence. Instead, in general we try to have everything more or less in order and under control, so as to correspond to our expectations, to our measure: fearing not to be reciprocated or to expose ourselves too much and then be disappointed, we prefer to love only those who love us in order to avoid disappointments, to do good only to those who are good to us, to be generous only to those who can return a favor; and to those who treat us badly, we respond in kind, so that we are even.If we remain in the ordinary, in the balance between giving and receiving, things do not change. If God were to follow this logic, we would have no hope of salvation! But, fortunately for us, God’s love is always “extraordinary”, it goes beyond the usual criteria by which we humans live out our relationships.”

Pope Francis

the road to sainthood is always:
forgiveness, love of enemies and immaterialism.
Garrison Keillor

A sun centered universe
Sometime between 1510 and 1514, Copernicus published his “Little Commentary” on his new model, a 40-page outline of his heliocentric — sun-centered — universe, which he sent to various astronomers while he continued working on a much longer, more detailed discussion of the idea. That work became On the Revolutions (1543), which Copernicus dedicated to Pope Paul III, hoping the Pope would protect him from vilification for having removed the Earth from its sacred place. On the Revolutions hardly created a revolution when he wrote it; it was groundbreaking and controversial but, contrary to popular lore, the Church didn’t immediately condemn him for it.

dream and fantasy are joined to the everyday world
In 1924, Breton wrote The First Surrealist Manifesto, recommending mankind put aside inhibition and prejudice and adopt a new state of being where dream and fantasy are joined to the everyday world. The manifesto was meant to be a revolutionary document and was signed by a number of French artists and writers.

Feminism alters the social fabric in America
On this day in 1963, journalist Betty Friedan published her first book, The Feminine Mystique, which begins: “The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the 20th century in the United States. Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night — she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question — ‘Is this all?'” That question would end up sparking a second wave of feminism in the United States, would permanently transform the American social fabric, and the book would come to be seen as a pioneering moment in American history and one of the most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century.

Take Action on this Message from Archangel Ariel

You may have been pushing yourself too hard and need a break.

The tarot card of the day is the reversed King of Wands.
You need some time to recharge. This is not a time to start new projects but rather to finish up old ones. So tie up loose ends and permit yourself to relax.

The King sits on his throne, looking off into the distance. He appears to be waiting for something, but it’s unclear what.
His staff is planted firmly in the ground in front of him, and his crown sits atop his head. The King’s clothing billows in the wind as if he’s been here for some time. On the throne, salamanders are crawling around, symbols of transformation.
You may be feeling burned out from working too hard or taking on too much responsibility. You can’t keep going at this pace forever and need to recharge your batteries.
This is a time to finish up old projects and tie up loose ends, not start new ones. Get some sleep, take a hot bath, or just put your feet up and relax with a good book.
Ignore any guilt you may feel for taking time off. You deserve it, and you need it. Instead, relax and recharge, so you can get back to your responsibilities with a clear head and a fresh perspective. Taking on all the world’s problems at once will not help anyone, least of all you.

ms at once will not help anyone, least of all you.

Patience Is Critical Right Now
The salamanders on the throne suggest that transformation is happening, even if you can’t see it yet. Your life is going through a significant change, and patience is essential. Things will eventually fall into place, but it will not happen overnight.
So be prepared for some bumps along the way.
Don’t worry about what other people are doing or what they think of you. This is your journey, and you must take it at your own pace. Then, the people who matter will understand and support you.
Go with the flow and let things happen as they will. Trying to force things will only make them harder. So instead, be patient and trust that everything will work out.
Be Considerate of Others
While you may be feeling burnt out, others are in the same boat. They may not be as vocal, but they’re struggling too. So be considerate of their needs and try to help wherever possible.

You may have been concentrating your frustrations on the people around you without even realizing it. If you’ve been snapping at your loved ones or being short with them, take a step back and try to see things from their perspective. They’re probably just as stressed as you are.
Being considerate of others doesn’t mean you have to take on their problems. You can’t fix everything, and you can’t be responsible for everyone. Just try to be understanding and supportive, and offer help when possible.
Remember that everyone is dealing with something, and we all need a little kindness.
Don’t Worry About What They Think
You may be trying to please everyone and meet everyone’s expectations, but you’re not doing yourself any favors. You may have been putting on a brave face and pushing yourself harder than you should. It’s time to let go of that and focus on what’s important to YOU.
Other people’s opinions shouldn’t matter, especially regarding your happiness. You know what you need to do, so trust your gut and go for it. What other people think is just noise. Tune it out and focus on what’s important to you.

Today’s Suggested Action
Starting today, think about what you need to do to take care of yourself. Make a plan and start taking small steps. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to be something. You can’t keep going at this pace forever, and you must take care of yourself before you burn out completely.
Apologize to the people you’ve been taking your frustrations out on and start fresh. Rest and recover your energy. Everything else can wait. When you begin to finally put yourself first, you’ll be surprised at how everything else will open up.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, 2023
 “Witnessing does not just involve the mind and saying something, the concepts. No. It involves everything, mind, heart, hands, everything, the three languages of the person: the language of thought, the language of affection, and the language of work. One cannot evangelize only with the mind or only with the heart or only with the hands. Everything is involved. Accepting God’s love is more difficult because we always want to be in the centre, we want to be protagonists, we are more inclined to do than to let ourselves be moulded, to speak than to listen. But, if what we do comes first, we will still be the protagonists. Instead, the proclamation must give primacy to God: the first place to God, and to give to others the opportunity to welcome Him, to realize that He is near. And me in the background.”
Pope Francis

On writing, he says: “Either you want to tell a story or you don’t. Do you want to draw attention to yourself and your own writing and your beautiful style or do you want to be invisible and let the story and the characters take over for the reader. That’s what it comes down to for me. What comes into it with crime is just conflicts. I like conflict in any kind of popular art. There is no greater conflict than life versus death, so there it is. I’m not that interested in the crime aspect of my books. I am interested in the characters.”

George Pelecanos The Night Gardener

The Idea of Living
by Joyce Sutphen
It has its attractions,


chiefly visual: all those
shapes and lines, hunk

s
of color and light (the way
the gold light falls across


the lawn in early summer,
the iridescent blue floating


on the lake at sunset),
and being alive seems


to be a necessity if you want
to sit in the sun or rub your


toes in the sand at the beach.
You need to be breathing


in order to eat paella and
drink sangria, and making love


is quite impossible without
a body, unless you are one

of those, given – like gold –


to spin in airy thinness forever.
“The Idea of Living” by Joyce Sutphen from Modern Love & Other Myths. © Red Dragonfly Press,

 “The proclamation of the Gospel does not begin from us, but from the beauty of what we have freely received: meeting Jesus, knowing Him, and discovering that we are loved and saved. It is such a great gift that we cannot keep it to ourselves, we feel the need to spread it in gratuitousness. In other words; we have received a gift and our vocation is to make a gift of ourselves to others; there is in us the joy of being children of God, it must be shared with our brothers and sisters who do not yet know it! This is the reason for the proclamation. Going forth and bringing the joy of what we have received

Pope Francis

You’re experiencing changes in your financial situation by letting your intuition lead you through.

Archangel Ariel is happy to announce that you finally opened your heart toward new beginnings that are full of potential for prosperity and abundance! And the great thing is, there are no strategies nor complicated mathematical skills included. It’s all within you and the way you feel you should be spending your money.
You’ve been letting your emotions decide what you should do with your money lately. You think you would feel better if you finally replaced your dishwasher with a new one? Or maybe you sense that it’s a great time to start an online business? Invest in a side one? Go ahead, do it! All your Angels have gathered to bless whatever choice you decide to make now.

The good thing is that your inner desires are well aligned with your current financial situation. You feel how much money you should be spending according to your bank account. That’s why your Angels will reward you with a positive outcome of your personal investment.

Keep in mind that good things happen when you wish well. Your inner voice and your Angels are your guidance. Lean on them whenever you’re in doubt about what to do. Ask for clarification when things are uncertain. You’re making plans for your better future and, with that thought in mind, be sure that you’ve taken the right path. Look for signs the Angels are giving, and trust your heart.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH, 2023
“Brothers and sisters, we might ask ourselves: how do I live faith? Is it a matter of calculations, formalism, or a love story with God? Am I content merely with not doing harm, of keeping the “façade” in good order, or do I try to grow in love for God and others? And every now and then, do I check myself on Jesus’ great commandment, do I ask myself if I love my neighbor as He loves me? Because perhaps we are inflexible in judging others and forget to be merciful, as God is with us.
May Mary, who observed the Word of God perfectly, help us to give fulfilment to our faith and our charity.”
Pope Francis

Susan B. Anthony was asked so often why she never married that she always had three answers at the ready. One was, “It always happened that the men I wanted were those I could not get, and those who wanted me I wouldn’t have.” Another was, “I never found the man who was necessary to my happiness. I was very well as I was.” And the third was, “I never felt I could give up my life of freedom to become a man’s housekeeper. When I was young, if a girl married poor, she became a housekeeper and a drudge. If she married wealth she became a pet and a doll. Just think, had I married at twenty, I would have been a drudge or a doll for fifty-nine years. Think of it!”
The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920, 14 years after Susan B. Anthony’s death. It prohibits any United States citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. Susan B. Anthony once lamented, “To think I have had more than 60 years of hard struggle for a little liberty, and then to die without it seems so cruel.”
On November 2, of that same year, more than 8 million women across the U.S. voted in elections for the first time. It took more than 60 years for the remaining 12 states to ratify the 19th Amendment; Mississippi dragged its feet until 1984.
from The Writers Almanac for Feb 15, 2017

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2023
“God loves us first, freely, taking the first step towards us without us deserving it; and so we cannot celebrate his love without in our turn taking the first step towards reconciliation with those who have hurt us. True love is never satisfied: love goes beyond, one cannot do without.”
Pope Francis