Deacon Mark

NEW: Scripture tells us, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar.” Love is a verb. Pope Leo XIV said this morning that love for God has to overflow into love for our neighbor. Nine days before the election, love asks more of us than a feeling. It demands that we act.

Quoted in open letter issued by 47 Brazilian bishops before yesterday's second round of voting.

He must be an undying embarrassment to the Kennedy family. He sure as heck is to the rest of us.

My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today. Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades. When Brad and I married in 2008, Walter stood beside us as our best man.

We salute you, Ensign Chekov! R.I.P., Walter Koenig

According to the Wash Post today, Donald Trump's income soared 2.2 billion in 2025. As President of the United States.

Vote!

In this week's message, Brother Patrick reflects on the life and prophetic witness of Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka (1894-1943), a nun and nurse with the courage to confront tyranny. Blessed Maria Restituta, pray for us! ccgronline.com

Browsing my shelves. Graham Greene’s 2nd novel, just 2000 copies printed, and then never reprinted by author demand.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time "Thus says the LORD: 'You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.'" www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-t...

Meanwhile in Brazil, Catholics bishops say they "cannot remain neutral" if they are to ensure that "conscience or history will not condemn" them in the future. #PrayForBrazil #PrayForDemocracy www.ncronline.org/news/brazili...

Grok fact-checks its master 👇🏽 👀

"Right now, we’re living in Trump’s world, in Vance’s world, in Hegseth’s world. This is what a world without empathy looks like. It’s a world of constant othering, of constant rage, of a constant belief that life is a zero-sum game. But nothing flourishes in that world." — @snipy.bsky.social

"Despite the breadth of the President’s authority under the Pardon Clause, ...clemency may only be granted for Offenses against the United States, meaning that state criminal offenses and federal or state civil claims are not covered." (Constitution Annotated website) Prepare charges, states!

"A senior official at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops called it 'a highly inappropriate meeting and an insult to Pope Leo.'”https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromleo/p/pastoral-not-political-archbishop?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Metaphorically, we can do this as humans to heal one another.

Rosa Parks, d. October 24, 2005, in Detroit Block print in our living room by American printmaker Kreg Yingst We purchased it in May 2023 along with Yingst's image of George Washington Carver, the greatest alumnus of my dear alma mater, Iowa State kregyingst.com

St. Anthony Mary Claret writes: “I am like the earth; in fact, I am earth.” He goes on: “The earth endures cultivation: I must endure mortification." And again, “The earth needs water to produce: I need grace to do good works.” Invite God to cultivate us so as to produce good fruit.

The U.S. must close its American Gulag.

😅🤣😂

Too late, Brother Elon. I've seen it and more will *no matter what.* Freedom always finds a way.

NEW: Just as God raised up John Paul II to face down the Kremlin, God has raised up an American pope to face MAGA authoritarianism. In Newark in 1995, with Bill Clinton at his side, John Paul told the country to remain “a haven for generation after generation of new arrivals.”

May the intercession of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi bring us closer to Christ, closer to the Church, and closer to each other. May their prayers comfort us, empower us, and protect us as we strive to live the Gospel, share God’s love, and rebuild our Church. Amen. assisiproject.com/prayer

Strengthen us in the hour of death: let us know your peace. ~ Father, may we find rest in your love. #Vespers #EveningPrayer #Prayer #PrayerfortheDying #JesusChrist Crucifixion Tree of Life

Ukraine losing access to Starshield raises serious concerns for our national security—like who controls critical capabilities the U.S. government has spent billions to procure & how decisions to restrict them are made. I'm demanding answers from the Department of Defense & SpaceX

Went grocery shopping today - ridiculous. I have a decent income, and I still felt the pinch. And what about those whose means are limited? VOTE for change!

This speaks to most of us, no matter in what state we live.

Henry Ossawa Tanner, THE VISITATION, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 📸 Mine, five years ago today — October 23, 2021 I was in the area to attend the life profession of a Benedictine monk at St. Gregory's Abbey, Three Rivers, Michigan. 🐦‍⬛ That was quite something.

I — a recovering chemist — have delayed my reading of Morning Prayer by two minutes so that I too can post this at 6:02 a.m. local time (Eastern Daylight Time here)

To say the least— Not a good look, @usccbofficial.bsky.social

Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of a new day. May all that I do today be done with love and for your glory. #MorningPrayer

Pope Leo: “We live in a performance-driven culture that constantly compares and ranks people, sometimes ruthlessly” and a “misguided understanding of meritocracy ultimately fails to respect people.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...

Everybody in the pro-democracy movement should have Ilhan Omar’s back.

wapo.st/3WGozYF Well, just great.

www.dailykos.com/stories/2026...

Saw him at a progressive political rally at UW in Seattle many years ago - good man. R.I.P.

Epstein

“Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote. There is no reason which can excuse the denial of that right. There is no duty which weighs more heavily on us than the duty we have to ensure that right.” ~President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965. Image: LBJ Presidential Library and Museum.

This is what the media does ~ Minnesota 😩👇🏼

I can't believe I have to say this. But Putin is not a humanitarian.

It's time to defund Elon. robertreich.substack.com/p/defund-musk

It’s exhausting to wake up every morning and see what new hell Trump has triggered while his GOP enablers applaud or stand idly by. Please vote so we can start the necessary accountability agenda.

If only there was some form of document which enumerated the powers of the legislature.

Direct targeting of civilians is a war crime

Man, we needed that smile today.

Bishop Michael Pham's story is almost unbelievable: from a Vietnamese refugee to a priest to a bishop who now advocates for migrants and refugees, thanks to God's grace. Listen to my conversation with the new Bishop of San Diego on "The Spiritual Life." www.americamagazine.org/thespiritual...

This would have applied to the President, but... U.S. Code § 597 - Expenditures to influence voting "Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate... Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned..."