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In Search of Advent

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In modern America, the push toward Christmas began before Halloween even ended. In an effort to drive up sales, we are constantly bombarded by advertisements for the next big thing, come September the focus of retailers turns to Christmas. However, what about Advent? It's a time of preparation but not in the sense of running store to store, piling high the latest gifts, and hosting party after party.  To prepare for a true Christmas, we must observe a true Advent. Here are our Advent plans in Seven Quick Takes. Read more at Veils and Vocations

"Philae ... Headed for History"

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A spacecraft landed on a comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, this week: an historic 'first.' Back on Earth, scientists at the ALMA radio telescope got the clearest picture yet of planets about to take shape.... ...I'm looking forward to what we'll learn from the Rosetta mission's lander and orbiter: how closely its water matches Earth's, and what other substances it carried from the Solar System's borderlands.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Why would you want to shop on Thanksgiving Day?

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I wrote this last year.  My worst fears have come true!  Many stores are opening Thanksgiving Day. Why would you  want  to shop on Thanksgiving Day? I have never been a fan of shopping on Black Friday so I can't imagine shopping on Thanksgiving Day.  I've only gone once and that cured me forever.  I consider myself the Queen of Shopping, but I will not fight crowds in the stores or in the parking lot to score a deal.  Can you say internet? You can read the entire article at Being Catholic ... Really .

Hearing God's Voice

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Last night I had the privilege of giving a talk at my church on hearing the voice of God in our lives. This is a topic I am very passionate about! When I was eighteen, I actually stopped believing in God because I figured if there was a God then he should be able to speak to me and since I didn't hear him speaking, he must not exist. At the age of nineteen, the Lord revealed himself to me in a powerful way! I discovered that he does know and care about us on a personal level and he does speak to his people. He saved me from a life of sin and despair and I couldn't wait to show him how grateful I was! I got involved in every ministry I possibly could and became VERY busy. Looking back, I was actually running way ahead of him and there were times he was trying to get my attention but I wasn't listening.           Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns>

....As the Philosopher said to the Archbishop!.....

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  ....As the Philosopher said to the Archbishop!..... “You’re all guilt-ridden hypocrites!”   For the early Christians, the spiritual journey to which the faithful had committed themselves, was not directed to entering into exotic transcendental experiences, but to entering into Jesus Christ, who was alive and present to all of them every day of their lives. They were quite adamant that his sublime moral teaching, that they all aspired to imitate, could only be put into practice if they allowed him to enter into them, make his home in them, and make his love present through them, to the world that they had been called to serve. Many years ago there used to be a panel programme on the radio called the ‘ Brains Trust’.   read on

Going into hell

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The Art of Listening . . . to Others and God

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Last week a workman was explaining a new carbon monoxide detector to me. When I said, “I don’t know where there’s another outlet,” he said, “You’re not listening. I said it doesn’t need one.” This made me wonder how many other times I wasn’t listening and what I was missing because of it. Usually when I’m listening with only one ear it’s because I’m planning the next thing I’m going to say. I don’t like it when people don’t listen when I’m speaking. click to continue

For Those Who Serve

Jesus said that there is no greater gift than to lay down ones life for a friend.  Imagine laying down your life for someone you have never met, for someone who has opposing views, for those who stand against all you stand for?  There is a saying that there are no atheists in foxhole. However, that isn't solely because when faced with the terror of impending death, so many seak God and pray for deliverance. To be in a foxhole voluntarily, a solider is living the greatest teachings of Christ. Love your neighbor as yourself and serve without seeking to be served.  Everyday thousands of Americans willingly and proudly don the uniform that not only brings them honor but makes them lay down their lives for neighbors, friends, family, strangers, countrymen. Read more at Veils and Vocations.

One of My Favorite Living Catholic Artists

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Joseph Dreaming Michael O’Brien is a Canadian Catholic, a writer, successful novelist and most of all a painter, expressing himself in both the tradition of icons and in more modern styles.  I love his rich, deep colours and the sense of deep spirituality which radiates from each work; I KNOW he paints in a spirit of prayer.These images were found on Studio OStudio O and on Pinterest at studiobrien.com continue Joseph the Worker

Special Edition

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My article written  for Catholic365.com was just published.  It's called:: "Say a Hail Mary and Clean Those Beans." To read the story, click HERE . This post comes from:: His Unending Love  

Your soul is a castle

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El Alcazar, Segovia, Spain. Photo illustration  by Connie Rossini. All rights reserved. Teresa of Avila wrote Interior Castle in obedience to her superiors in 1577. She had written extensively about prayer and her experience of it in her autobiography ( Life) several years before, but that book was now in the hands of the Inquisition. She had no desire to write another book. She was busy with the monasteries she had founded, in the midst of what could be an official quashing of her reform, and she had terrible tinnitus that made her head ring with noise. But she obeyed, having no idea what she was going to say. She prayed for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The result was one of the most iconic images of the soul ever created. I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions.” (First Mansions, Chapter 1) The King (Jesus) dwells in the center

Sick Day

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I'm at work. The phone rings. The caller ID tells me it's school calling. "Hello?" "Hi, Mrs. Urbanski. This is the school nurse." The upshot: my daughter Rose is sick, and won't I please come pick her up? Absolutely. I finish up the task I was working on, say goodbye to my coworkers, and head out the door. It takes me longer than I expect to reach school; by the time I arrive, Rose is miserable. See what happens next at Praying with Grace . . . .

When Praying for the Souls Gets Real

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My cousin died, very unexpectedly, last week.  She made her husband's  lunch.  She called her children, then she went to bed and sleep.  The next morning, her husband was not able to wake her.  She was pronounced dead in spite of heroic efforts of her husband to revive her. I received a text at morning Mass regarding her death.  The text came in the middle of Mass, so I shut my phone off without looking at the text.  It wasn't until later that I read the message. The name on the text was not familiar to me, but it came off of Facebook.  I checked the sender's page to discover that the sender was my second cousin who had been requested by Facebook to use his actual name, instead of the nickname he had chosen.  (No judgment, just frustration.) I was sitting at breakfast when I realized that it was my 58 year old first cousin who had died in her sleep.   Read more at:: His Unending Love

Protected Vulnerability by Nancy HC Ward

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Our neighbor, Maria Magdalena, whom we know and love as Magda, died alone in the middle of the night. Her lungs collapsed from a respiratory infection after a bout with the flu. We prepared food for many of her family when they came in from Mexico.   After her husband, Adrian, drowned in the lake behind our homes almost 5 years ago she was too sad to worship at the Romanian Baptist Church where they had married 19 years ago. She was active in a nearby Bible church with others in the neighborhood. At the visitation we were a little surprised that a Hispanic deacon we know was there to say the Rosary. But of course, those from Mexico needed to say those prayers. It is part of their culture, part of who they are, and who Magda was as a child. The deacon alternated between Spanish and English decades. We were the only ones in our area of the chapel saying the decades. The row of teachers from the school where Magda taught first grade, all remained seated in front

Keeping Christ in Advent: 7 Ways to Prepare for a Peaceful December

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For the past several years, the order of my planning and preparation goes like this: Thanksgiving, December festivities (all those parties, concerts, shopping trips and other things happen in December), Christmas, Advent.  See anything wrong with this picture?  I sure do. In my world, Advent has become an afterthought - something that I scramble to focus on around the time we light the pink candle. Here's a few ideas to prepare, in advance, for Advent. Click to read 7 tips here....

The Great Sconce Standoff of 2014

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The sconces that hung above the fireplace were a bit medieval-looking. Sort of blackened silver and with ornate, swirly designs on the plating that was attached to the wall, they really needed to go. I’m not exactly sure what I was thinking when I bought them but since my husband wasn’t keen on them from the beginning—and I was the one who insisted they were “perfect”—well, I had to live with them. Preparing for the painting of the living room was, finally, the perfect time for them to be replaced and for me to keep my deep dark secret about the mistake of purchasing them in the first place. Cool. So while we moved furniture out of the way and into the center of the room to get covered in drop clothes, my husband also removed the sconces from the wall. He was happy to get rid of them—but probably not as happy as was I! Now, instead of ugly sconces, the living room had, as its focal point, two 5” round holes with a bit of insulation sticking out and some wires that had li

A Gradual Courage

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Hero: someone admired for great courage. Thus says my dictionary. Heroic saints: those in Heaven who had the courage to get there. Which is everyone who IS there. Thus says me. Yes, that second is my own definition and it's cumbersome, but I believe it's accurate. After all, it takes courage to... 1. admit I am a sinner in need of a Savior 2. put my faith in Jesus Christ, especially when the world around considers Him insignificant 3. choose to believe Scripture 4. choose to believe 2,000 years of authentic Church teaching 5. choose to live according to Scripture and Church teaching 6. choose to live according to the teachings of Christ, no matter what 7. overcome obstacles to living for Christ.... (continue reading here...)

Beware! Blind Spot Ahead

Behind wheels, one of the most dangerous spots on the road is the blind spot. One needs to accept that one cannot see ahead and throw caution to the winds. So it is with a personal spirituality. Read on at http://silpapaul.blogspot.com/2014/06/beware-blind-spot-ahead.html

King Josiah, Consequences, and Love

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(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (Detail from John Martin's "The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah." (1852)) By some standards, this isn't a particularly "Christian" blog. I don't rant about the unending fires of Hell, or dwell on cheerful thoughts like this: " ...The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you.... " ( Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God ," Jonathan Edwards (1741)) That's because it's not 1741 any more, and I'm Catholic. I've talked about the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards, and Mark Twain, before. ( December 1, 2013 ) As a Christian, I agree with Simon Peter.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The Toddler God

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After having five girls and then a boy, you can't tell me that there's no difference between boys and girls. My son, who will be two in January, makes animals growl at each other, says "vroom vroom" every time he sees a car, makes swords out of just about everything and loves to throw things. He does these things without any promptings. None of my girls did these things. Having a son is giving me a better understanding of what Jesus must have been like as a child as well as adding to our joy.  Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns>

Yes I'm Catholic ... Really

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My very first post: Yes I'm Catholic. Really. I go to church every week with my husband ... no matter what. I wasn't always Catholic. Heck, there was a time when I wasn't Christian, but I always believed in God. I always knew there was a higher power. You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

Being Catholic ... Really

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Today I'm celebrating 4 years with ChicagoNow!  You can read all my posts at Being Catholic ... Really .

'Zeal for your house will consume me.' Sunday Reflections, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

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Archbasilica of St John Latera   Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. Readings   ( New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)   Gospel  J ohn 2:13-22   ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.   In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.   Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.   He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”   continue Christ driving the money-changers from the Temple , Rembrandt, c.1626 Pushkin Museum, Moscow [ Web Gallery of Art] We are not isolated and we are not

Harpooning the 'Rubber Duck' Comet; Public Safety — and Space Aliens

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If all goes well, a robot spaceship will harpoon a comet next week. Meanwhile, science and daily routine go on in the International Space Station, nobody was hurt when an Antares cargo carrier exploded, and someone's done a survey about faith and space aliens...." ...Some comets and asteroids are shaped like potatoes. Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko looks like two potatoes and a bit of corn stalk: or a rubber duck.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Beat Stress Before It Beats You!

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The Christmas season—which ought to be one of peace and good cheer—is often everything other than tranquility and happiness. For many people (women especially), family events, shopping, and fractured relationships bring stress and steal the joy of Christmas. Before the stress sets in, consider these few tips to take into the Christmas season so that this year it will truly be a season of harmony, peace and pleasure. 1.       Remember that Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Christ; see others through His eyes. If you are in the process of forgiving someone, don’t feel you’ve failed if this Christmas you aren’t jumping up and down with joy to see that person. Forgiveness is a process. Take it one step at a time—and be okay with that. read more here

Pray for the forgotten

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"Pray for the forgotten," Pope Francis said in his Angelus Address delivered for the  Feast of All Souls. In November, Catholics pray for the forgotten.  We all want to be remembered.  Some of us more than others. You can continue reading at Being Catholic ... Really .

The Great Banquet

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One of the most beautiful images of heaven in the scriptures is the royal banquet and  the  wedding celebration given by the Bridegroom.  We have been invited to the most important banquet of all . However, Jesus’ parable of this Great Banquet takes an unexpected twist  when “they all alike began to make excuses”. Nobody could come to the great banquet. Seems preposterous.  Why on earth would everyone who had been invited to a great banquet in advance,  not drop everything and attend?   They knew ahead of time. They had a warning it was coming.  Don’t you think that they would be planning their days, weeks even months around this extravagant feast? continue reading

What Angels Are...And Are Not

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There isn’t anyone among us who hasn’t enjoyed a Christmas movie wherein an angel earns his or her wings. We love to hear the bell jingle because at that moment we know that heaven’s angel population has increased by one. Wrong. As much as those movies endear themselves to us, the fact is, the angel population neither increases nor decreases over time. But it does make those of us interested in angels sit up and take notice—and want to learn more about these heavenly creatures. What are they? Who are they? Why are they? Angels are spirits created by God (Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:14). They are the invisible created things that have a hierarchy. These invisible created things are spirits meant to serve those who are to inherit salvation—fallen man who now freely chooses Christ. This establishes our relationship with angels in that they are to help us in ways that we may not fully know or understand; however, we shouldn’t be trying to discover how to boss them

Choice

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“ See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.  And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." 1 John 3: 1-3 What is the purpose of life? To Know God. To Love God. To Serve God in this world  and in the next. Do you know God? Do you love God? Do you seek to serve God? Read More at:: His Unending Love

The Power of Memory

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My photo reminds me of my visits to Arabia. The November issue of Smithsonian carries an article about two scientists who added a false frightening memory to a rat’s brain. The rat then reacted with fear although it was in a safe box. Having located the source of our memories promises to yield discoveries that will help with Alzheimer’s and PTSD. Imagine if memories of horrible events could be obliterated! I don’t think I would risk tampering with my memories. They can be a blessing or a curse. Sure, some are painful, but they all contribute to making me who I am today. Click to continue

So, How's Heaven?

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I know you're there, waiting for me.  So, how's heaven, really?  Are the angels always flying around or do they stop and talk with you?  Do they walk with you?  Do you have a home where you live, or do you travel all over heaven walking with the angels or Our Loving Lord?     I have a friend you've never met, and she's quickly nearing the day when she will fall into  the open arms of God.  She and I have decided that we will meet at the river that flows through heaven when we both cross over.  How big is that river?  Will I be able to see her across the river?  Do you ever walk the banks of that river?  Are the waters really living?     Is there food in heaven?  I know the Heavenly Food, the Eucharist, will always be enthroned there, but do you gather for meals or prayer times?  Are there parties and celebrations?  What do you say when you see each other in heaven?  Do you have a heavenly name?     Are you there waiting for me?  I miss you so much!  Do yo

Mary weeps.

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Contemplative Homeschool Unit: Creation

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I haven’t done much blogging on homeschooling since publishing my book, but I hope to do more now. If you read my blog for spirituality, please stick around, as the bulk of my posts will still be on spirituality for adults. A few weeks ago, my kids and I finished studying the Old Testament. Now we split into two groups. D and M are studying the early Church, while C is going back to the beginning of the Bible to read stories he missed. That means I am revisiting units I created about five years ago. As we go through them, I plan to share many of them with you in detail here. Today I am sharing the unit I created on Creation. The purpose of a contemplative homeschool The focus of the units I have created is on helping your children grow in their relationship with Christ. Academics is part of that, but not the most important part.  I want to help children learn to see God in everything. I want to teach them to practice mental prayer. I want religion to be a part o

Nutrition in the News: “Bowel Cancer Risk Reduced by Adopting Multiple Healthy Behaviors”

Here’s a freshly picked study from the latest crop of research, as featured in the news, for our own nourishment. Bowel Cancer Risk Reduced by Adopting Multiple Healthy Behaviors : “Adoption of a combination of five key healthy behaviors is associated with a reduction in the risk of developing bowel cancer.” Excerpts of the report... regarding colorectal cancer [which was the type of cancer that led to the passing of my dear father-in-law, Walt, at the age of 71]— in consideration with these 5 influential lifestyle factors , are as follows: “ Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke quantified the impact of combined multiple healthy lifestyle behaviors on the risk of developing bowel cancer… [saying] ‘Each person can contribute a lot to avoid cancer; the more healthy lifestyle changes, the better.’… >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way to Nourish for Life >>

Facebook, Memes, and the Universe

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What a Burden! I mean being the only one to take care of yourself! I recently saw a post on Facebook from the universe.  It said something to the effect of: where you've been has made you what or who you are.   It concluded with the comment: "Clever you." There are many of these memes on Facebook, actually, almost anywhere you look on the web.  My reaction this morning was, "Oh. My. Goodness.  The very thought of being in total control of everyone and everything that has affected your life or will affect your life, would crush me under the weight of the burden to succeed and make myself whole with no one’s help."  Sheesh! Read More at:: His Unending Love

The Power of the Eucharist

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I've been meaning to write about a rather extraordinary thing that happened to my husband and me, on a rather ordinary day, while we were doing ordinary things.  I don't know why I didn't write about it immediately after it happened, so that I could tell it in sharper detail, remembering the exact words spoken by all the players.  But I'm afraid now that if I don't tell it, it'll grow too fuzzy in my mind to repeat.  (Although considering the circumstances that isn't likely.) So here it is: a true story about the Holy Eucharist--and its power over even those who don't comprehend its significance. (You won't want to miss this one; it'll give you goosebumps.  You can read the rest of the story  here at String of Pearls .)

Saint Martin de Porres~Humility, Gratitude

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Absolute conformity to the will of God Unwavering devotion to Jesus and Mary Continued @ mommynovenas.org

GRACE & GOD

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Recently I attended a Catholic women's conference where the main theme was God's grace, emphasized from Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. If one stops and thinks about it, Paul wrote emphatically to the new Christians at the time, they were still pretty new at forming their spirituality and walk with the New Covenant Lord. At times, I have felt like the readers of Paul's writings and the people of his time, starving for knowledge of our Lord and being fed by the writings within His Word. Within Ephesians 1:4-6, ".. .just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love .  He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will , to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. " Our destiny in Christ was His love , our purpose is His will , and our praise should be His grace that was freely given as a gift for our

Memories of First Communion, Confession, Catholic School, and the Nuns! Part 2

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We left the classroom to receive the sacrament of confession.  The sun was shining as we walked across the parking lot to the church.  I don’t remember much about the walk except that we were all vert quiet.  We walked into church.  The lights at the top of the confessionals were not lit, so we all sat and waited, quietly.  There was no sound in the church.  Then, two priests came out and each one walked into the confessional.  The rest was a blur until Sister Mary Claudia touched my shoulder and said it was my turn.  My legs felt like jelly.  I folded my hands praying that I make a good confession.  I wanted to make my First Communion on Sunday. The door opened, and my best friend came out of the confessional.  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sister Mary Claudia raise her finger to her mouth.  Sister seemed as surprised as I was, but this time, we looked at each other, and something was different.  We didn’t laugh.  She had been forgiven and was going to say her pena

First Fridays with Francis ~ ala Twitter!

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Two recent tweets from the Holy Father really struck a chord with me.   And so for my First Fridays with Francis for this month I have chosen to create two new images that can be shared on your own social media.  The first is a facebook cover for you to use:  The second one is one that can be shared however you see fit..  Enjoy! For even more images to share you can visit www.embeddedfaith.org