Pope Francis’ suggestions for New Year Resolutions

Click above to see
Pope Francis’ Top 10 New Year Resolutions
from a list first published in 2014.

1. Don’t gossip
   “When you gossip, you are doing what Judas did, and begin to tear the other person to pieces. Every time you judge another in your heart or worse when
   you speak badly of that person with others, you are murdering him/her. There is no such thing as innocent slander.”
2. Finish your meal
   “Throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the poor and the hungry. Reflect on the problem of thrown away and wasted food to identify ways
   and means that, by seriously addressing this issue, you are a vehicle of solidarity and sharing with the needy.”
3. Make time for others
   “If the Pope can find time to be kind to others, if he can pause to say thank you, if he can take a moment make someone feel appreciated, then so can I. So can you.” -Fr James Martin
4. Choose the more humble purchase
   “Certainly, possessions, money, and power can give a momentary thrill, the illusion of being happy, but they end up possessing you and making you always
   want to have more, never satisfied. Put God in your life, place your trust in Him, and you will never be disappointed.”
5. Meet the Poor in the flesh
   “Charity that does not change the situation of the poor is not enough.”
6. Stop judging others
   “Let us not forget that hatred, envy, and pride defile our lives.”
7. Befriend those who disagree
   “Others always have something to give you, if you know how to approach them in a spirit of openness and without prejudice.”
8. Make commitments
   “I ask you to be revolutionaries, to swim against the tide. Yes, I am asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and that ultimately believes that you are incapable of responsibility, that you are incapable of true love.
9. Make it a habit to ask the Lord
   “The young Samuel kept hearing the voice of the Lord who was calling him, but he did not understand or know what to say, yet with the help of the priest Eli, in the end he answered: ‘Speak, Lord, for I am listening’ (cf. 1 Sam 3:1-10). You too can ask the Lord: What do you want me to do? What path am I to follow?”
10. Be happy
    “Joy is a pilgrim virtue; it cannot be held at heel, it must be let go. It is a gift that walks, walks on the path of life, that walks with God. Preaching and proclaiming Him is proclaiming joy, that lengthens and widens the path.”

Another Goodbye

We are sorry to say goodbye to our Polish priests. 
Fr Krzysztof leaves us on December 31st, and Fr Janusz in January.
We thank them for their time with us.

A Scattering of Seeds

A Scattering of Seeds:  This book is a collection of little sermons: short, simple pieces Fr Bill Anderson wrote for the Saturday Sermon column in the Aberdeen Press and Journal in the early years of this century.  (more…)