The name of this Catholic blog is taken from the story of the women in the Gospel who brought expensive perfumed oil to Christ in an alabaster jar that she "broke" open to anoint his feet and head. In order to offer God all that we have, and in fact to encounter him fully, we have to be broken and emptied out - like that jar. The scriptures give us other images to ponder this mystery. Think of the wheat that is thrashed, the seed that must fall to the ground and die, and Jesus' example of self-giving love on the cross -broken and poured out for all, "This is my body, broken for you..."
For a deeper reflection, read "Broken Alabaster," by Br. Jordan Herboth, LC
Augustine on the Need to Know Hebrew and Greek
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"The great remedy for ignorance . . . is knowledge of languages. And men
who speak the Latin tongue, of whom are those I have undertaken to instruct,
need...
7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 73)
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As those of you who follow me on Twitter know, our El Paso vacation turned
out to have much more excitement than we'd planned. Here's the short ...
Solemnity Of St Joseph
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* *Scripture does not tell us much about this glorious saint, but St Joseph
is a model of purity, chastity, humility and strength. In this day and age
whe...
Coffee Bowl Browsing
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The once Grand Dame of American ecclesial communities, The Episcopal Church,
continues its suicidal experimentation with the *Zeitgeist*. TEC has always
b...
Requiescant in pace Father Leon
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The Rev. Antonio G. Leon, pastor since 1974 of Jacksonville’s oldest
Catholic Church, Immaculate Conception, died Saturday at St. Vincent’s
Medical Center....
Theocracy, anyone?
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I've read and enjoyed retired Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters' political columns for years, and I am also a fan of his novel writing--specifically, the grimly-ent...
Consequential Rage
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Looks like this unpopular health care bill will pass, which helps to show
the folly of anger. Voter anger at George Bush was such that we voted for
Obama a...
3rd Luminous Mystery.....March 18
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I'm happy to introduce you to
"A Blessing To Read",
excerpts about the Eucharist.
Please click HERE.
This will be a daily addition for your enrichment.
...
Viaticum: Words for the Journey
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Here's a couple of quotes from books I'm reading.
"The prairie is not a topography that shows its all but rather a vastly
exposed place of concealment, lik...
Lent Retreat - Week 4, Thursday
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Readings: Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 106; John 5:31-47
God is the source of all being, and so all creation is good because he made
it and continually holds all ...
A TIMELY THOUGHT FOR LENTEN REFLECTION
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"They shall judge no one. If they see anyone doing something, even though it
appear evil, they shall suppose that it is good or done with a good
intention,...
Oh Hello, Blog and Some Pretty Patterns on Tuesday
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Oh Lent. It never fails to be Lenty. The whole year so far has been weird for my family. It became downright gloomy with Lent peppered with the hopefulness o...
Christ Meets the Samaritan Woman
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During my last two years of high school and first of college, I was deeply
involved with the pro-life movement. I helped at a counseling center
located i...
The Great Prayer Project - End Abortion
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[image: The Great Prayer Project - End Abortion]
We believe that an end to abortion is very possible! Scripture tells us that
nothing is impossible when ...
Chaput's ecumenism
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This speech is an astoundingly good assessment of the ripple-effects of Kennedy's cowardice as well as an inspiring example of what fearless outreach to othe...
Is Reading Prayers "Honest"?
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I returned to the Catholic Church nine years ago. The last Mass I attended
before then, and that, as an altar boy in that Mass, was at age thirteen on
the...
Weakness of Faith and the Irish Church Scandal
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The Pope's meeting with the Irish bishops over the pedophilia scandal did
not bring closure to the crisis. Nor could it. This is the long task for
the ...
Ask Father Tom
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I’ve been getting a fair number of questions about the faith recently,
through email in particular. As an experiment, I’ve set up a Q&A message
forum to ha...
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Christmas 2009 from Pope Benedict Source: http://www.zenit.org/article-27943?l=englishDear Brothers and Sisters!"A child is born for us, a son is given to us...
Regnum Christi, Familia and Hope
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By Marjorie Campbell I've been offline from Deal's blog for a while - working, as many of you know, on my canon law thesis. What a bear - thank you for your ...
Important Catholic Spiritual Direction Update
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Dear Catholic Spiritual Direction subscribers, readers, and followers:
Well, this blog started out as an experiment this winter and wow - there are
thousan...
A Summary Defense of John Paul II
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… and why he should be canonized a saint. It is practically a foregone
conclusion that John Paul II will be canonized a saint in the coming years.
This mak...
New Blog Address!
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My friend Melissa pointed out to me that she and some others missed the fact
that there is a new blog address for Blessed Is The Kingdom. For those of
you ...
Is There a Prayer for the President?
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In a scene from the movie Fiddler on the Roof, the rabbi is asked an important question: "Is there a prayer for the Tsar?" After some reflective thought, the...