Blessed and Happy Sunday Digital Neighbors! It is my favorite day of the week. Worship is the wellspring of my life, I don’t do it because God needs it, but I do. It is my ultimate grounding in reality, it is my deepest longing for future growth and potential, it is my clarity of thought and invitation to growth through patience humility. At the heart of it for me is the sense of gratitude I have for the gift of life and faith.
I am not trying to change God through my prayer, bend Him to my will, or find some way to placate Him so my wishes are fulfilled. I am asking Him to change me, to deepen my trust, strengthen my perseverance and help me become a more mature disciple. I am asking Him to bless the people I love and that His grace will touch them in ways obvious and hidden. I pray for all sorts of things in my great calling for intercession, but all in the context of "Thy will be done" and trust that whatever answers I receive, even apparent "NOs" and disappointments will be understood when in is revealed on the day of my homecoming.
All of that underlies what it means for me to be a Catholic and a Christian. Sundays are for gratitude. It is a day of praise, gratitude, adoration and communion with God and the people I love. It is a day of rest, renewal and reflection. If any day should be seasoned with joy and trust, it is Sunday for me. God gives us the sabbath out of His love for us, and as an invitation to seek Him. I hope you have something to be thankful for this day. I hope you have someone to thank. On to the prayer and something beautiful.
Peace, Your friendly digital neighborhood friar.
HOLD MY HAND
Deliver me from my own shadows,
O God, from the wreck and confusion of my days,
for the night is dark and Your pilgrim is blinded.
Hold my hand.
Deliver me from despair.
Touch with Your flame the lightless lamp of my sorrow.
Waken my tired strength from its sleep.
Do not let me linger behind, counting my losses.
Let the road sing to me of the house at every step.
For the night is dark, and Your pilgrim is blinded.
Hold my hand.
Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore
Autumn River - Spenser Sembrat - Unsplash
Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” (r. 1643-1715), Voltaire suffered tragedy at a young age when his mother died. Never close with his father or brother, Voltaire exhibited a rebellious attitude toward authority from his youth. His brilliant mind was fostered in the care of the Society of Jesus, who introduced him to the joys of literature and theater. Despite his later criticisms against the Church, Voltaire, throughout his life, fondly recalled his dedicated Jesuit teachers.
Although he spent time as a civil servant in the French embassy to the Hague, Voltaire’s main love was writing—an endeavor where he excelled in various genres, including poetry, which led to his appointment as the royal court poet for King Louis XV. Widely recognized as one of the greatest French writers, and even hyperbolically referred to by ...
Happy National Best Friends Day Y'all!
I strongly suggest combining celebrations for this with National Name Your Poison Day and National Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day. Think I'll have to wash a custard doughnut down with a cold beer later.
Padre - Tom Miller invites you to a Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.
https://teams.live.com/meet/93792382189049?p=DiBHsYfuECPgDrG7vO
2026 Coffee Talk with the ADD Irregulars
Thursday, January 1, 2026
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM (CST)
Occurs every day starting 1/1 until 12/31/2027
Coffee Talk - Daily beginning at 6:00 AM Central Time Zone - USA
White Pilled Wednesday - A break from the heaviness of news and current events to focus upon things more personal & positive for the first hour of Coffee Talk.
Afternoon Chats - Most Tuesday, Friday & Sundays 2:00 PM Central
Other chats as posted in the community.
