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The Oldest Known Heart; Tweaking Bacteria; and Looking for Life in the Universe

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A 520,000,000 year old fossilized heart caught my eye this week: so did genetically engineered bacteria, and the continuing search for life in the universe.... ...I don't need an iPad to be Catholic: which is just as well, since I don't own one. My son has smartphone, and that's another topic. Catholics coped quite well without WiFi gadgets in their pockets: and without pockets, for that matter. But our faith doesn't depend on avoiding new ideas and technology. We've even been at the cutting edge of new tech a few times: like Gothic cathedrals , stone buildings with walls made mostly of stained glass. The pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses of Gothic architecture are traditional now, but 12th century traditionalists were horrified at the 'barbarous' style. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Catholic Kitchen Kitsch

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I was reading Elizabeth Scalia's (The Anchoress) blog post,  How I Loved My Kitschy Madonna , when I realized I have my very own Catholic Kitchen Kitsch! We have lived in this house thirty-one and half years and I just didn't pay much attention to the switch plate that has been in the kitchen all these years (and probably long before that!). You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

God doesn't create clones

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I grew up in the shadow of my sister who was 18 months older than me. I followed her around, copying her every preference and obeying her every request. She convinced me that her likes and dislikes, friends and fashions were the best and only choices possible for me.  When she was 16, she got married, leaving me wondering who I was without her. Perhaps like me, you habitually compare yourself with others, find yourself lacking and stop trying to succeed. Stuck in comparison mode, we can never develop into the person God created in his image.  God doesn't create clones. When we measure ourselves against others, all we see are our weaknesses. Our uniqueness hides from others and ourselves. Blessed John Paul II wrote about this, "We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son Jesus." Continue reading at JOYAlive.net

God Is Our Refuge and Strength

SAVE IN THE MIDST OF THE RAGING WATERS     “The Lord, was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, whom made the depths of the sea a pathway for the redeemed to cross over.” Isaiah 51:10     The children of Israel had marched on dry land through the midst of the sea; with the water like a wall to the right and to the left. I often wonder what the people of Israel thought as they went through the dry land with the water from the sea like a wall to the right and to the left of them. Were they in total awe at the magnificent power of God as he saved them from the approaching enemy? I can only imagine that some were amazed and terrified at the same time.    It was probably not until they arrived safely on the other side, did the people finally grasp what God did for them. It is true in my own life as well.  Continue Reading

The Folly of Debating God

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Lenten Reflection for April 10 :  GN 17:3-9 ,  PS 105:4-5, 6-7, 8 The Scribes and Pharisees are presented with a conundrum when they argue with Jesus in the temple. They are  the religious experts of their day. They know the scriptures inside out and upside down and keep every letter of the law. Yet in their arrogance, with only their human wits to guide them, they are clueless about the true nature of the God they are supposedly worshipping. continue reading> image- The Holy Trinity, miniature from the Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany, Queen consort of France (1477-1514).

Chasing the Fox

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Have you ever been to a fox hunt?  Me neither. In fact, as a city girl, a fox hunt is about as foreign to me as a game of stickball is to an English country gentleman. The idea that a spiritual lesson based around a fox hunt could in any way resonate with me is a stretch, but a few years ago at a faith formation program I was attending, that is precisely what happened. Here's how it went: In a fox hunt, the hounds who lead the pack have seen the fox they are chasing. They have sniffed his scent. These hounds have encountered the fox and this encounter motivates them to chase him with abandon - always keeping him in their sights. Read more here....

This Man

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THIS MAN   To read script please click HERE

What kind of prayer life do you have?

What kind of prayer life do you have? Father Jonathan Morris says that most people struggle with their prayer life and it usually comes down to praying when things get bad or asking God for "things." Though I pray daily, I am always conscious of asking God for anything for myself.  When it comes to my husband and children, I can be pretty demanding.  Their spiritual and physical health are of the utmost importance.  I also pray that God reveals Himself to them and that they do His will. You can read the full article here at Being Catholic ... Really .

Enough is Enough!

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I was talking with a good friend of mine recently. We were making the observation that we really lack energy these days but then there are others, even older than us that could probably run circles around us. We were wondering what they were doing that we weren't. We were discussing nutrition and exercise, wondering if we just needed to exercise more and eat better. We both came to the conclusion however that even if we did those things it still would not be enough.   continue reading>

Hebrews 4:12-13

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4 : 12    Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword,  penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. 13          No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. I was born a Sagittarian. I was next to the last one to be born in my family. My aunt and 2 cousins shared being Sagittarians. There are no other clusters of birthdays, just us 4. My aunt would capitalize on our Sagittarian traits with great frequency. It was very natural to me to be one, I had 10 fingers and I was Sagittarian. Somehow, I wore that pride my aunt exuded myself flaunting my traits as badges of superiority over the rest of the zodiac what to know more? . http://theoutlawedgod.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/hebrews-4-12-13/

The Malaysian Plane: A Double Mystery

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So far no one on earth can explain what happened to the Malaysian plane that disappeared somewhere over the ocean. This horrifying occurrence may forever remain a mystery. The shocking, sudden deaths of 239 people poses a greater mystery: why would God allow this to happen? I’m writing this on the feastday of St. Julie Billiart, the spiritual mother of our community, who incessantly proclaimed, “God is good.” How could a good, all-powerful God not prevent this catastrophe and others like it? Purportedly God loves us and regards us as his children. Does a good Father stand by and let his children suffer?  Continue here.

Planting a Mary Garden: A Beautiful Mother-Daughter Activity

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It is a Catholic tradition to acknowledge and honor the unselfish and holy life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One way of doing that is to plant a Mary Garden . In the Middle Ages, missionaries and travelers spread stories across Europe about flowers named after Mary and various times of her life. Mary Gardens that featured these flowers became popular there, and later the tradition made its way to America . Around 1932 it is believed that the first Mary Garden in the United States was constructed on the grounds of St. Joseph 's Church in the Woods on Cape Cod . To read more, please visit http://bezalelbooks.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-mary-garden-great-mother-daughter.html

Prayer for Those Who Are Grieving the Death of a Loved One

EWTN’s Family Prayer for the day today is for the grieving, which I wanted to share with you here, since (as Fr. Joseph would say) “a prayer that we pray together is   a powerful prayer” …even if, of course, at different times–or days... Click Here to Read More

HELP! A Request From the Administrator

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Hi, my name is Melanie Jean Juneau and I have been the administrator of this site since the summer.I am asking for your insights, expertise and help. Do any of you have ideas for format or organization?   I seriously considered using a dynamic template to only post the introduction to each article but then the header and sidebar disappear. I  am also tempted to  switch to wordpress  because  I would choose a theme which would only post excerpts on the blog page. Even better, we could create a static home page which would describe and introduce ACWB to our readers. One idea I have is to create a page to list our writer's published books. This is also a gentle reminder to only post an introduction to your article on our front page. I have resorted to compressing articles by making the type and images smaller when I cannot find the article on your own personal blog but this is not aesthetically pleasing.  It is imperative that one article does not dominate the front page;

What's the Little Way got to do with detachment?

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Monument to St. John of the Cross in Frontiveros, Spain. You can’t read the Carmelite saints for long without encountering the idea of detachment. We find it in the writings of John of the Cross, of Teresa of Avila, and even of St. Therese. Detachment for Catholics is not the same as mere  penance. Detachment, like the entire spiritual life, begins and ends with love. St. John of the Cross is the master teacher about detachment. Here is his famous passage on detachment from The Ascent of Mount Carmel: Endeavor to be inclined always: not to the easiest, but to the most difficult; not to the most delightful, but to the most distasteful; not to the most gratifying, but to the least pleasant; not to what means rest for you, but to hard work; not to the consoling, but to the unconsoling; not to the most, but to the least; not to the highest and most precious, but to the lowest and most despised; not to wanting something, but to wanting nothing. Do I detect a few sighs?

I don't know what to pray for......

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Last summer, on a Sunday, I was coming home at about 4pm. The temperature was about 100 F degrees. I was coming down the alley behind my  house when I noticed that there was a police car parked there, behind my house.                     As I got there I squeezed passed him to get into my parking when I saw the policeman and a group of people in a tight gathering in my neighbor’s  yard  across the alley from me. I came out to the alley curious, of course, to see what was happening when one lady came out to the alley to tell me that she had called the police because she had found a kitten with the head stuck inside a Campbell soup can and as she tried to pry it off the kitten, he was scratching her terribly, so she called the police.                    Apparently, that had been going on for a bit of time and no one could budge the can off, so the policeman called the humane society to come and do something. Shortly after, not even 10 minutes, there came a woman from the humane societ

Sunshine Sunday

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In between the noisy antics of my 3 year old boy who does NOT like to stay still in Church, I was fortunate enough to hear most of the readings today, and one part really struck me in the Gospel reading. When Jesus saw that Lazarus had already passed away and saw how deeply it hurt some of his closest friends, he was   perturbed .   The definition of perturbed is   "anxious or unsettled, upset."  Jesus was   anxious and unsettled?    I don't know why but it made me feel better that even the Son of God felt this way from time to time.  I mean after all, he was   true God , but ALSO   true man , right? I often feel unsettled.  (That tends to happen when you live with your in-laws for a looooong time!)  But unlike Jesus, I often let that feeling fester.  Jesus didn't. So I guess it's comes down to what I do with that feeling, whether I use it to grow closer to God and build up my relationship with others, or whether I use my moods to tear others around me down, and

What A Guy-Pope Francis

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 What a guy! I am currently reading with delight Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium). It is a very easy read. Our Holy Father is exhorting the members of the body of Christ, to evangelize. He is encouraging us to take to heart Jesus words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” MT 28: 19-20.    Pope Francis stated that a Church which “goes forth,” is a Church whose doors are open......“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”  continue reading    

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ will be aired on Palm Sunday, April 13 on UP TV

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Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ will be aired on Palm Sunday, April 13 on UP TV.  This is the first time this film (edited-for-television) will be shown on commercial television and coincides with the founding of UP TV (formerly the Gospel Music Channel) a decade ago. You can read more about the film at Being Catholic ... Really

A Cloister Revisited

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The Cloistered Heart is basically an analogy in which our lives can be seen as 'monasteries.'    After all, what is a monastery if not a place where God is loved and lived for and served?  We can be in the world but not of the world.  This is not a new or different idea; rather, it is an emphasizing, a kind of 'underlining,' of every Christian's call.  The uniqueness of this emphasis is in its monastic imagery.  The word 'cloister' speaks of total consecration.  Those who enter a traditional physical cloister make a tangible break from the world.  Compromise does not fit well in a cloister, nor does lukewarmness, nor does complacency.  The cloistered life is absolute.  Christians living in the midst of the world are also called to live for God.  For us, however, the break is not so clean.  The world is persistent in its tugs on the heart trying to live as God wills.  This is where the idea of having a cloistered heart can b