Blackjack!

Another milestone in this infinitesimal corner of the universe.

I have added another year of existence in the 'blogosphere.

Perhaps you are thinking I should stay down for the count.

God's grace is not allowing me to do that, either personally or pixelly.

The "DR Squared" Project is drawing more eyeballs. While new content is few and far between, I do get a few hits. Besides, I have my reputation as the World's Greatest Re-poster to uphold.

Yes, I have had my struggles both at and away from the computer screen. Perhaps it is more proof God can write straight with crooked lines. It would help if I would keep giving him fewer crooked lines. As I have said many times, this 'blog and its author are a work in progress.

But now is a time to be grateful. Grateful that I still live, move, and have being. Grateful for the gifts God has bestowed on me. Grateful for the opportunities to bless Him in my own quiet way. And grateful that you peruse whenever I put my thoughts and words into the internet.

I shall Go Forward with this.

Perhaps I can be bolder.

But here's to reclaiming my spot as a 'blogger.

The welcome mat is ready.

DR Squared: Optional Memorial Of The Most Holy Name Of Mary

First Reading:  Galatians 4:4-7

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law:  That he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father. Therefore now he is not a servant, but a son. And if a son, an heir also through God.

Responsorial Psalm:  Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

R.  Luke 1:49

     Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his             name. 

OR 

R.  O Blessed Virgin Mary, you carried the Son of the eternal Father. 

V.  My soul doth magnify the Lord. 

     And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

V.  Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;

     for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

     Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me;

     and holy is his name.

V.  And his mercy is from generation unto generations,

     to them that fear him.

     He hath shewed might in his arm:

     he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

V.  He hath put down the mighty from their seat,

     and hath exalted the humble.

     He hath filled the hungry with good things;

     and the rich he hath sent empty away.

V.  He hath received Israel his servant,

     being mindful of his mercy:

     As he spoke to our fathers,

     to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 1:39-47

And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:  And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 9/12/2025.

DR Squared: Saturday Of The Twenty-Third Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  1 Corinthians 10:14-22  (DR--14-22a)

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, fly from the service of idols. I speak as to wise men: judge ye yourselves what I say. The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? For we, being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread. Behold Israel according to the flesh: are not they, that eat of the sacrifices, partakers of the altar? What then? Do I say, that what is offered in sacrifice to idols, is any thing? Or, that the idol is any thing? But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils. You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord, and the chalice of devils: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 116 (115):17a; V. 12-13, 17-18

R.  I will sacrifice to thee the sacrifice of praise,

V.  What shall I render to the Lord,

     for all the things he hath rendered unto me?

     I will take the chalice of salvation;

     and I will call upon the name of the Lord.

V.  I will sacrifice to thee the sacrifice of praise,

     and I will call upon the name of the Lord.

     I will pay my vows to the Lord

     in the sight of all his people:

Gospel Reading:  Luke 6:43-49

For there is no good tree that bringeth forth evil fruit; nor an evil tree that bringeth forth good fruit. For every tree is known by its fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns; nor from a bramble bush do they gather the grape. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. And why call you me, Lord, Lord; and do not the things which I say? Every one that cometh to me, and heareth my words, and doth them, I will shew you to whom he is like. He is like to a man building a house, who digged deep, and laid the foundation upon a rock. And when a flood came, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and it could not shake it; for it was founded on a rock. But he that heareth, and doth not, is like to a man building his house upon the earth without a foundation: against which the stream beat vehemently, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Friday Of The Twenty-Third Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22b-27 (DR--16-19, 24-27)

For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me, for a necessity lieth upon me: for woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation is committed to me:  What is my reward then? That preaching the gospel, I may deliver the gospel without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more. Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain. And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one. I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air:  But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 84 (83):2; V. 3, 4, 5-6, 12 (DR--3, 4, 5-6, 12-13a)

R.  How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

V.  My soul longeth and fainteth

     for the courts of the Lord.

     My heart and my flesh have rejoiced

     in the living God.

V.  For the sparrow hath found herself a house,

     and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones:

     Thy altars, O Lord of hosts,

     my king and my God.

V.  Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord:

     they shall praise thee for ever and ever.

     Blessed is the man whose help is from thee:

     in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps,

V.  For God loveth mercy and truth:

     the Lord will give grace and glory.

     He will not deprive of good things

     them that walk in innocence:  

Gospel Reading:  Luke 6:39-42

And he spoke also to them a similitude: Can the blind lead the blind? do they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one shall be perfect, if he be as his master. And why seest thou the mote in thy brother's eye: but the beam that is in thy own eye thou considerest not? Or how canst thou say to thy brother: Brother, let me pull the mote out of thy eye, when thou thyself seest not the beam in thy own eye? Hypocrite, cast first the beam out of thy own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to take out the mote from thy brother's eye.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

A Tarnished Silver Anniversary

Celebrations of anniversaries divisible by 25 are supposed to be grand occasions. Case in point--this country's semiquincentennial anniversary of its founding. It truly was (and is, as we come upon Constitution Day and perhaps more as we conclude the year) a spectacle to behold.

Sometimes, they are not. Case in point--what we commemorate today. Yes, sometimes tragedies have to be remembered as well, painful as the memory was (and, for some, still is).

Has it only been a quarter of a century since this happened?

New York, NY. Washington, DC. Shanksville, PA. Three cities where evil made its mark in all its ugliness as well as when heroism showed itself in all its glory.

The most unforgettable number:  2,996.

Yet still after two-and-one-half decades, we have kept a promise. We have created an unofficial holiday to mark this moment in our history, borrowing a name from another state holiday. We give it all the solemn services it deserves. We eulogy it in print in ways small (like this post) and large (just search for them). We have added to it opportunities to serve our local communities as a reminder we are not isolated from our fellow human beings. 

Our remembrance goes beyond honoring the dead. It is also a reminder, in a very subdued way, of the cost of freedom. This experiment of civilized societal living, unlike the world has ever experienced, is so fragile yet so strong and resilient. It is realizing the motto of this country. It is continuing to choose, despite and in spite of our differences, to live as one.

We continue to mourn. But we also continue to celebrate the ever ongoing process of uniting. It is a reminder we are stronger together. It is both/and today.

Never Forget.

DR Squared: Thursday Of The Twenty-Third Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  1 Corinthians 8:1b-7, 11-13

Knowledge puffeth up; but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he hath not yet known as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known by him. But as for the meats that are sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. For although there be that are called gods, either in heaven or on earth (for there be gods many, and lords many). Yet to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. But there is not knowledge in every one. For some until this present, with conscience of the idol: eat as a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ hath died? Now when you sin thus against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat scandalize my brother, I will never eat flesh, lest I should scandalize my brother.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 139 (138):24b; V. 1b-3, 13-14ab, 23-24

R.  (A)nd lead me in the eternal way.

V.  Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me:

     Thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up.

     Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off:

     my path and my line

     thou hast searched out.

V.  For thou hast possessed my reins:

     thou hast protected me from my mother's womb.

     I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified:

     wonderful are thy works,

V.  Prove me, O God, and know my heart:

     examine me, and know my paths.

     And see if there be in me the way of iniquity:

     and lead me in the eternal way.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 6:27-38

But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you. And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every one that asketh thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again. And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner. And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also love those that love them. And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also do this. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much. But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Memorial Of Saint Peter Claver, Priest [In The Dioceses Of The United States]

First Reading:  Isaiah 58:6-11

Is not this rather the fast that I have chosen? loose the bands of wickedness, undo the bundles that oppress, let them that are broken go free, and break asunder every burden. Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy own flesh. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall speedily arise, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee up. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall hear: thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou wilt take away the chain out of the midst of thee, and cease to stretch out the finger, and to speak that which profiteth not. When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry, and shalt satisfy the afflicted soul then shall thy light rise up in darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the noonday. And the Lord will give thee rest continually, and will fill thy soul with brightness, and deliver thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R.  Psalm 40 (39):5a

     Blessed is the man whose trust is in the name of the Lord;

OR

R.  Psalm 1:2a

     But his will is in the law of the Lord,

OR

R.  cf. Psalm 92 (91):13-14

     The just shall flourish like the palm tree:...in the courts of the house of our God.

V.  Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly,

     nor stood in the way of sinners,

     nor sat in the chair of pestilence.

     But his will is in the law of the Lord,

     and on his law he shall meditate day and night.

V.  And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters,

     which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.

     And his leaf shall not fall off:

     and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.

V.  Not so the wicked, not so:

     but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.

     For the Lord knoweth the way of the just:

     and the way of the wicked shall perish.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 25:31-40

And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:  Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 9/9/2025.

DR Squared: Wednesday Of The Twenty-Third Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  1 Corinthians 7:25-31

Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord; but I give counsel, as having obtained mercy of the Lord, to be faithful. I think therefore that this is good for the present necessity, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound to a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But if thou take a wife, thou hast not sinned. And if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned: nevertheless, such shall have tribulation of the flesh. But I spare you. This therefore I say, brethren; the time is short; it remaineth, that they also who have wives, be as if they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as if they used it not: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 45 (44):11a; V. 11-12, 14-15, 16-17

R.  Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear:

V.  Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear:

     and forget thy people and thy father's house.

     And the king shall greatly desire thy beauty;

     for he is the Lord thy God, and him they shall adore.

V.  All the glory of the king's daughter

     is within in golden borders, Clothed round about with varieties.

     After her shall virgins be brought to the king:

     her neighbours shall be brought to thee.

V.  They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing:

     they shall be brought into the temple of the king.

     Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee:

     thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 6:20-26

And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples, said: Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for you shall laugh. Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Be glad in that day and rejoice; for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For according to these things did their fathers to the prophets. But woe to you that are rich: for you have your consolation. Woe to you that are filled: for you shall hunger. Woe to you that now laugh: for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when men shall bless you: for according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets.

The readings from the USCCB can be found 

DR Squared: Feast Of The Nativity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

First Reading:  Micah 5:1-4a (DR--2-5a)

AND THOU, BETHLEHEM Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Juda: out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.  3 Therefore will he give them up even till the time wherein she that travaileth shall bring forth: and the remnant of his brethren shall be converted to the children of Israel.  4 And he shall stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the height of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall be converted, for now shall he be magnified even to the ends of the earth.  5 And this man shall be our peace,

OR

Romans 8:28-30

And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints. For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of his Son; that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. And whom he predestinated, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified.  

Responsorial Psalm:  Isaiah 61:10; V. Psalm 13 (12):6ab, 6c

R.  I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

V.  But I have trusted in thy mercy.

     My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation:

V.  I will sing to the Lord, who giveth me good things:

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 OR 18-23

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:  Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse. And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of Urias. And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa. And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias. And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias. And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias. And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of Babylon. And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot Zorobabel. And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor. And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud. And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying:  Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 9/8/2025.

DR Squared: Monday Of The Twenty-Third Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  1 Corinthians 5:1-8

It is absolutely heard, that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as the like is not among the heathens; that one should have his father's wife. And you are puffed up; and have not rather mourned, that he might be taken away from among you, that hath done this deed. I indeed, absent in body, but present in spirit, have already judged, as though I were present, him that hath so done, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus; To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven corrupteth the whole lump? Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened. For Christ our pasch is sacrificed. Therefore let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 5:9a; V. 5-6, 7, 12 (DR--5b-6, 7, 12)

R.  Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice:

V.  (B)ecause thou art not a God that willest iniquity.

     Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee:

     nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes.

     Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity:

V.  Thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie.

     The bloody and the deceitful man

     the Lord will abhor.

V.  But let all them be glad that hope in thee:

     they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shalt dwell in them.

     And all they that love thy name

     shall glory in thee:

Gospel Reading:  Luke 6:6-11

And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And there was a man, whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched if he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts; and said to the man who had the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising he stood forth. Then Jesus said to them: I ask you, if it be lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy? And looking round about on them all, he said to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored. And they were filled with madness; and they talked one with another, what they might do to Jesus.

The readings form the USCCB can be found here.