Life - simple but, always complicated!!

My godmother was Jean Garvey,  the older sister of my father. Aunt Jean was the only girl in a family of three boys, a sister Claire died at the age of two. Of course Aunt Jean was very religious,  full of faith. Her mother , my grandmother was.  She was a bit worried about me after my father died and I was struggling with depression. 2012 was the year of death in the Schmitt family, Aunt Jean's husband, Frank Garvey died at the end of January. Her brother, my father died in the beginning of April. Then, the youngest brother Roger died in the beginning of November.  She felt like she was abandoned.   But, I now know what sustained her. She received the Christopher News Notes (www.christophers.org ) on a regular basis. As a gift to her godson Aunt Jean signed me up to receive the newsletter.  Here is the latest;  My top three tha...

The Catholic Church calls marriage between a husband and wife as a vocation.   Our professional vocations; teacher, police official,  lawyer, medical professional, accountant, truck driver, business woman, chef, barber, farmer require 40 hours or more of work each week. We dedicate years of skills preparation , years of college or trade school,  and on going education to keep our skills up todate If we have a hobby such as golfing, pickleball, playing a musical instrument, dancing , tennis, how many hours do we practice to maintain or improve our skill. Now, how many hours do we dedicate to improving our marriages.  Communications,  money management,  child rearing, faith development, human awareness,  respect & kindness towards partner.  Being keenly aware that its most important to value our spouse above all others; children,  parents, siblings,  and siblings.  Marriage is more important than your job, or hobb...

Peace is wanted & preached by God, look it up in the BIBLE.  was first introduced to the JUST WAR THEORY @ St. John Fisher College  in 1978/79. Fr. Jack Murray taught a theology course " The Just War Theory " Excellent !  David French NY TIMES April 22, 2026 What fighting an unjust war really means By David French The feud between the pope and the Trump administration over the justice of the Iran war may be the most important theological debate of my lifetime. It reveals the moral bankruptcy of the war, it illuminates the risks to our alliances and it exposes the hollow core of the new right’s Christian nationalism. When push comes to shove, there’s not much Christianity in Christian nationalism. As I wrote last Sunday, it’s not unusual for popes to disagree with presidents. John Paul II opposed the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is unusual, however, for presidents to attack popes, especially through lies and per...

Before all earthly worships...

Article 5 The Fifth Commandment THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT You shall not kill.54 You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment." But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. 2258 "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being." He Didn’t Kill . Alabama Is About to Execute Him Anyway. By  Elizabeth Vartkessian Ms. Vartkessian has investigated death penalty cases on behalf of defendants for over two decades Sonny Burton is not a killer. No one disputes this. Yet he has spent nearly half his life on death row. At age 75, he spends most of ...

Perseverance helped me battle and defeat depression multiple times. That perseverance was built upon faith. We all need perseverance at different times over our lifetimes. Besides the people listed below, there are many others to remember who persevered during tough times; the Apollo 13 crew and the NASA team in Houston,  Jackie Robinson, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Billie Jean King, Madeleine Albright, and   Marie Curie whose most famous quote on perseverance is:  " Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves " . Sam Darnold was on 5 NFL teams, let go by 4 of them before he won a Super Bowl as starting QB.  It took John Wooden coached basketball for 11 years in high school, and 18 years in college before he won the first of 10 national championships at UCLA.  Brock Purdy was the last NFL draft selection in 2022, a few years later the was a starting QB in Super B...

LINK Indiana-QB-ZWins-Heisman-Trophy & Catholic-faith.html Did you know Coach Vince Lombardi & Coach Don Shula, who both won multiple NFL championships,  regularly attended daily Mass? The former Brooklyn Dodger & NYM manager was a devout Catholic,  he never missed Mass .   Emerson Boozer a starting running back on the 1969 SB champion NYJ was a regular lector at St. Hugh's Catholic Church in Melville NY. Kobe Bryant & Caitlin Clark regularly attended/attend Mass.  Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzula says the rosary daily.  Jordan Speith professes his Catholic faith.  Basketball HOF Coach, Coach K..& College basketball analyst Bill Rafferty both value & practice their Catholic faith.  Teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge