1,721,067 research outputs found
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textHebrews 10:19-25 "We...must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another...." ||Psalm 24: 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 "...Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain..."|| Mark 4: 21-25 "...Jesus said, 'Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lamp stand?'..." ||St. Angela Merici 1470 (or 1474?)-1540 _ after 4 siblings and both her parents died she went to live with an uncle on the banks of Lake Como in Northern Italy. She was pious and devoted to the legend of St. Ursula even then at a young age. She was struck by the lack of instruction available to the children of the poor, so she along with others began giving regular instruction on the Faith to the little girls in the neighborhood. She became a Third Order Franciscan and later on founded her own secular institute order, which eventually became the Congregation of the Ursulines. As a Third Order Franciscan she formed a "support group of sorts for unmarried women" being joined in the effort by other Franciscan tertiaries. Teaching especially as it pertained to her Faith was always of prime importance; today her Ursulines are now the largest teaching Order in the Church and are active worldwide. Taken from Butler's Lives of the Saints and the Saints of the Day website. ||Today's readings carry some of the same themes as were important to St. Angela Merici, especially concerning how we are to help carry on the tradition of teaching the Faith. Listening to the description of her leadership qualities Angela was also "light" to many. In the first reading from the letter to the Hebrews, the author encourages us to remember we have a "great priest (in Jesus) over the house of God, and that we should hold fast to our confession that gives us hope for he who made the promise is trustworthy. Just as we live today without Jesus teaching in our midst, the writer of Hebrews knew it would be hard for the people living back then for they had not met him in person either. Imagine this super-charged author who is responding to the Holy Spirit; and he wants us to get fired up too. We've all received that charge we call Grace when we received the sacrament of Baptism. Our personal access to Jesus is made possible through the Holy Spirit and all we have to do is call on the Spirit in prayer to help us to understand today's readings of encouragement. Then we'll we go forth sharing the reason for our Joy. Yes, today we are encouraged for "we must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another." (Heb 10:24-25). We may know of a family member or friend who hasn't been to a Mass or other church service for a long time. After praying (for the right words) we might go ask that person to join us at Mass/church today. Hebrews is calling us to come to the assembly (the Mass) to be encouraged so that we may become more lively about our Faith.||Jesus invites us in His Gospel in Mark to be light, but further instructs that we should be standing where we can be seen like light seen from a lampstand. He encourages us to seek out our Faith and let it grow. "For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light." (Mark 4:22). And a little further, Jesus says, "To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." We have to consistently reach out to Christ, for He won't push Himself at us. When we seek His face more and more grace, more strength will be given; but if we don't keep trying to grow in our Faith, then what little we have will diminish and go away. Let us help each other to be faithful to a practice of growing in and understanding our Faith. That growth will produce the kind of fruit Jesus wishes for each of us to love and to do good works for each other.||Lord, we are the people that long to see your Face. Come Holy Spirit; be with each one of us as we set out to encourage one another
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textRevelation 11: 4-12 " ... When they stood on their feet, great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, "Come up here." So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on."|Psalm 144: 1-2, 9-10" ... Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!. ... "|Luke 20: 27 - 40 " ... 'The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise ... "|St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769 - 1852) Born in France and entered the convent at 19. She survived the French Revolution and the closing of her small convent. She endured a hard life moving to the U.S. and eventually fulfilled a life long dream working with Native American Indians when she established a mission in Sugar Creek Kansas and worked with the Potawatomi Indians. The children named her "Woman-Who-Prays-Always".|Today's overall arching theme is to remind us that we too will rise from the dead and join our Lord in Heaven if we are faithful to His teaching. As we near the end of the calendar year and Church cycle, it is good to be reminded of this reality since we are otherwise tempted to think only of our time here on earth and not life after death.|The reading in Revelation is so hard to make sense of and it is tempting to just turn away in frustration; I did so many times this last week. But, I can lose my irritation over my inability to see what the author is describing when I think of how hard it would be for a human being to verbalize an experience of heaven. Along with the Gospel, our first reading is also talking about the faithful being called to rise from the dead. In Revelation, we saw all those who gloated over the two fallen witnesses were shocked to see them come back to life and stand before them. And they hear a loud voice from heaven call the two prophets home by saying "Come up here." The people didn't like what the prophets were saying and were celebrating their demise.|Fast forward to today, and Christians are still suffering martyrdom in our world today; people don't change. While most of us don't go around killing people today, we are critical of those who hold fast to their Faith. So, who are our prophets (witnesses of the faith) today? And how do we react to their message? Many times I heard Pope John Paul II referred to as a prophet. I felt very close to this good and faithful servant of our Lord myself having seen him twice. Once in World Youth Day in Denver in 1993 and the second time in November of 2004 in Rome traveling with the Institute of Priestly Formation as they were celebrating their 10th Anniversary.|In Luke's Gospel, which is a repeat of the Gospel from Sunday the 7th, Jesus tells the Sadducees that "those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage ... they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. (Luke 20:35 and 36). And so we are reminded to think about the path we are taking and the true goal, heaven. We know there are a lot of false prophets out there and otherwise distractions. Let us keep our focus and pray for guidance to be able to discern the voice of the true prophet, so that we too might be called Home to rise and be with the Lord. Ame
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text"...Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken, And the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the broken pulley falls into the well, And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it." ||Psalm 90: 3-4, 5-6,12-13, 14 and amp; 17 "...Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart..." |Luke 9: 43b-45 "...Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men." |Today's readings have a strange feeling to them beginning with the end of the book of Ecclesiastes. As we approach the end of the Church's calendar year, our readings focus on endings as well. In the first reading, Ecclesiastes is thought to be an instructor, and is summing up the wisdom of life's teachings. In the Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus tells the apostles to pay attention; He isn't going to be with them much longer, for he'll be handed over to men. It also says they did not know what he was talking about.|In the first reading we listen as Ecclesiastes instructs his students to enjoy their youth while they have it. Be aware that God will bring you to judgment, which according to Collegeville's translation means revelation. His message is upbeat in the beginning of this chapter, but also turns more solemn - "put away trouble from your presence, though the dawn of youth is fleeting." Practical and realistic he does not seem to hide from reality. No longer do his days slip by without meaning. I was struck by how much of my every-day slides by and I realize I run on auto-pilot tuning in and tuning out all the time. Since academia time is measured in semesters, each year I wonder where did that semester go; or, what do you mean your son or daughter is graduating, it seems they just came here last year? When we were younger, we wanted time to fly, but now we wish it would slow down a bit. This might be why we feel a little uncomfortable listening to the things Ecclesiastes is inviting us to consider. Rushing from one moment to the next is standard practice. Our natural cycle relating to time is to ask the question, where do I have to be next; and the day and the week run together.|What about living in the present moment? Some people in our western culture have heard of the idea, but mostly we understand being busy. So the invitation to consider the end of our lives or even the end of time is counter cultural. This might be why we feel some discomfort in reading today's invitation, which asks us to consider life's ending point. The reading in Ecclesiastes creates this slowing down to see the world through different lenses, by using many examples, one of which describes listening to songbirds. "One waits for the chirp of a bird, but all the daughters of song are suppressed." Unlike some readings where you have to go back and read it a few times, because it doesn't hold your interest, this author causes you to pay attention, because it doesn't sound like anything you've read before, rather just the opposite. At the end we hear the familiar line spoken during the Lenten Season, remember Mankind that you are dust and into dust you shall return, you realize that life as we know it one day will end. The end of Ecclesiastes, points towards the day when Jesus will come and make a new covenant with humankind. At the end of today's Gospel, Jesus is asking the Apostles to be aware that He will not be living among them in the flesh much longer. |As we consider today's readings looking through the eyes of seasoned teachers both Ecclesiastes and Jesus; and as we listen to the hum of our everyday lives let us consider tuning in to their message today. It is good to remember once in awhile this message, for we won't be judged on how busy we kept ourselves throughout our life. My parents have entered this 'later stage' in life, where they know they can't do everything they used to do. Dad thinks twice before he heads down a flight of stairs, knowing that his breathing will make it hard to climb back up them. Living in the present moment allows us to consider giving thanks to God for each moment.|"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textNehemiah 2: 1-8 "...How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been eaten out by fire?' The king asked me, 'What is it then that you wish?' I prayed to the God of heaven and then answered the king'..." ||Psalm 137 1-6 "...Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!" |Luke 9: 57-62 "...I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus answered him, 'Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.'..." |St. Wenceslaus _ 907-929 A.D., became the Patron Saint of the Bohemian people and of former Czechoslovakia. Young Wenceslaus was brought up by his saintly paternal Grandmother Ludmilla. After his father the Duke of Bohemia died, Wenceslaus' own mother and brother sided with the anti-Christian political party. But Wenceslaus came to power and is credited with establishing a Christian rule as well as initializing peace negotiations with Germany. He was slain while on his way to Mass by his own brother and his followers.|The readings today are a mix of stories about loyalty to a king, loyalty to land and the people, and loyalty to God. In the first reading in the Book of Nehemiah, we gain insight into Nehemiah's personality, his respect for his King and his love for his people. In the Collegeville Commentary Bible for the Old Testament, the author points out that Nehemiah uses a masterpiece of diplomacy in asking the King to give him leave of absence to help restore his people and their land. They point out that is was this King's withholding of resources that disallowed the Jewish efforts to rebuild their protective wall. Because Nehemiah can not disguise his true feelings of sadness and when asked why he is not cheerful, he tells the King the city where his ancestors are buried lies in ruins. I most appreciate that Nehemiah pauses before he answers the King and prays to God for the words. And of course the King asks what he would like, and Nehemiah asks if he can be released from his duty to go and help with the restoration of the wall and its city. He never blames the King for his actions, and the King takes pity and gives him full access.|In the Gospel reading in Luke we are witnessing Jesus' interaction to several whom He meets along the way to Jerusalem and His call to discipleship. We can each see ourselves in one of these responses. To the first He calls, it appears the person is fully available and ready to follow Jesus, and Jesus tells him he will be less secure than even the birds of the air or the foxes, who have dens. To the next who wants to bury his Father before he comes to follow Christ, Jesus says let the dead bury the dead; certainly a case for calling with a sense of urgency. And to the last who wants to say goodbye to family first, Jesus says if you have to look back once you put your hand to the plow, you are not "fit for the Kingdom of God". Once again referring to the Collegeville Bible Commentary for the New Testament, the authors remind us that the Prophet Elijah gave permission to Elisha to bid good-bye to his family, but Jesus is emphasizing that His call to the Reign of God is even more important.|Today's readings along with the story of the good St. Wenceslaus, point out that our Faith may call us to split from familial beliefs. In another place Jesus tells us our Faith will pit us against family and friends. It is a painful experience; but on some level don't we all wish that we could truly hold One Faith. Some areas of different interpretation hurt more than others. I myself have experienced a separation with some family members over the topic of abortion, and to a lesser extent for family choosing a different path for their Faith for now. I have found it to be a great opportunity to hold that person, and for that matter myself, up in prayer for some healing. I am always praying for enlightenment, to better understand how much Jesus loves each one of us. This helps tremendously and reminds me where I stand not as judge, but as a follower of Christ. Not the big cheese, just a little cracker.|Dear Lord help us to remember the step Nehemiah took before he responded in asking You for your input. How do you want us to serve You and Your Kingdom today? Help us to love every one You place in our midst today, so that we can show them Jesus in their midst. Ame
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textEzekiel 12:1-12 " ... 'The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden and set out in the darkness, going through a hole he has dug out in the wall, and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone.' ... "||Psalm 78: 56-57, 58-59, 61-62 " ... Do not forget the works of the Lord! ... "|Matthew 18: 21- 19:1 " ... Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. 'So, will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.' ... "|St. Louis of Toulouse (1274 – 1297) Became a Franciscan and a Bishop all before he died at age 23. He was from nobility, but had a very strong affection for the poor, sharing food with them as a child and donating three fourths of his pay to them as a Bishop later on. |In today's readings we can consider ourselves proselytized; I myself stand convicted. In Ezekiel, the word of the LORD told Ezekiel that he lived in the midst of a rebellious house. " ... eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear." (Ez 12:2) It seems to me we live during rebellious times today too, for there is no end in site to the wars, abortion and lawlessness. For the part that I contribute to not loving my brother and or sister as Jesus always taught, I repent. I know of late instead of finding a way to discuss our differences, I find myself just being disgusted. Lord you know I need your help!|Jesus further convicts me when he responds to a question about forgiveness, that we should forgive our brother or sister "not seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Mt 18:22) He goes into the parable of a master forgiving the debt of a servant, even though the servant does not go on and forgive the people who owe him money. Forgiveness makes so much sense when put into this context, but in real life it is so hard to do. Is it pride that keeps us from forgiving someone who has hurt us? Or, is it fear that with this association they could come in and do the same thing again? I think it is both for me, and yet I would not want to disconnect my heart so I couldn't be hurt again. In my head I understand we can't cry out for God to show us your Mercy, and then not show mercy when we've been wronged. My heart is still in training and these are hard teachings. My first read through, I thought why me Lord; but, then again, why not me? Good lessons along the way to sainthood, Lord help us to be more like you and therefore our namesake
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text"On the mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples . . . ." |Isaiah 25:6-10 |" . . . Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side . . . ."| Psalm 23:1-6 |"Jesus called his disciples to him and said: 'My heart is moved with pity for the crowd. By now they have been with me three days, and have nothing to eat. I do not wish to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way." |Matthew 15:29-37 |As I read God's Word for today, I feel my heart is listening with newly developed skills. My listening-to-God skills have grown stronger, since that indescribable day almost three months ago in September, and I am grateful for that blessing. The strength of the force of so many people praying and doing good things for others; putting other people in front of themselves, has created a charge in our atmosphere that is hard not to feel. Every day, all over the world, there is another opportunity to hear God and to see Him work in and through His people. Each day some special kindness or act of self-giving is revealed; it's in our news, and people are talking about these acts of kindness. Today's Gospel message in Matthew had more meaning as I read the familiar story of Jesus showing his concern for a crowd who was famished, because they had been following Him for 3 days. He tells the disciples that He wants to make sure they have something to eat. In fact the story of Jesus curing all of the ailments of the crowds that followed Him, and then feeding them is told numerous times. How many times have I heard it and thought, oh, that's nice that Jesus healed so many people. I have a few hurts, so I can sort of relate to the healing part of the story. I haven't known hunger, and that part of the story fades out for me. The story ends and I go on with my day. There is something about not feeling their pain that decreased the impact of the message for me. But, today as I read the story I felt some of the compassion Jesus felt for those people of so long ago. And because I felt His compassion, I was pulled deeper into the story. I know my changed heart is recent and it is about seeing the suffering of the people today, and watching the world suffer with them, as we've all been moved to tears and been moved to help. The New York tragedy has softened my heart and today's readings were able to sink in a little further.|From Isaiah, when I read the words, "On the mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples" (Is 25:7), I couldn't help but think; it is as though a veil has been lifted and we see things more clearly now. We are not as preoccupied with our own individual troubles; they just don't have the same weight as before.|Our reading from Psalm 23 spoke strongly to me too, since its words are so often read at funerals. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want . . . Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. On top of the deaths resulting from September 11th, I've been to the funerals of two friends who died in their forties in the last two months. The next morning after I read these readings I was awakening to the radio and I heard a few sentences from Kahlil Gibran's, The Prophet, speaking on children: " . . . Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you . . . ."|The words are all the same; it's just that my heart is listening now, so in that way the words are all new. We all belong to God, and we always have. I thank you God, for all the good that is coming out of so much evil. I pray that we might keep listening to You with our hearts, and that we keep the lines of communication with You open, for we have seen that we can all be one, and our hearts could hardly hold all that love. We are all connected as a people, and the planet really isn't such a big place today
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