Association Of Catholic Bloggers

When someone sneezes, we automatically respond, “God bless you.” (Supposedly this practice was begun by Pope Gregory the Great during the plague.) My answering machine message ends with “Have a blessed day!” Just what is a blessing? It is a prayer to call down God’s goodness and protection on someone or something. When Jacob was dying, he gave a special blessing to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. People brought their children to Jesus so that he might bless them. A papal blessing is the gift of the pope’s apostolic blessing on the occasion of a special anniversary or celebration and certified by a beautiful document from Rome. Priests bless us at the end of Mass, and they bless rosaries, pets, and houses. But popes, priests, and deacons are not the only ones who can bless. The catechism states, “Every baptized person is called to be a blessing and to bless.” (2669) We can bestow blessings because our baptism made us a priestly people. It makes sense that family memb

Troy is away at college now and has earned the respect of his brothers as you can see by the placement of his photo. I may have stopped them from removing the pictures, but they've discovered other ways of showing how much greater they are than their brothers! I SO Love these Great but foolish children We moved into this house in a rush. I was a little down about having to leave the house I thought we'd live in forever, the house I thought my ex and I would welcome grandchildren in for sleepovers and host family barbecues like those my Grandparents threw. Moving into this house didn't leave me the energy or desire to do much decorating so when I hung the photos of the boys in the living room, it really stood out. To me, it wasn't a big deal. I didn't place them in any particular order. I didn't put one child's photo ahead of another. I simply measured halfheartedly, hammered a few nails in the wall, and voila - pictures of my boys were hung. To co

I felt so inspired by Pope Francis’ homily during his last Mass in Santiago, Cuba — relating to the Visitation — on Tuesday, Sept 22 [thanks to EWTN] that I wanted to share it with you here. Below, therefore, is some of what I heard this day on being CALLED OUT (using my own notes which I took via the live translation on EWTN) ...and on the REVOLUTION OF TENDERNESS! >> Click Here To Read More At: The Way To Nourish For Life >>

“Faith is passed by contact, from one person to another,  just as a candle is lighted from another.” This quote and image illustrate the Holy Saturday Vigil. The church is dark. A bonfire, made from last years blessed palms, blazes outside. A priest lights the Pascal candle from this fire. He chants three times- once at the back of the church, once in the middle and again in front of the altar “Christ is the light of the world.” Then the celebrant invites the faithful to reach up and light their own tiny taper from this Pascal candle. The scene is powerful, as a slow but steady tidal wave of light sweeps through the congregation as each person lights their own candle, one from another. Soon the whole sanctuary is ablaze with a warm light, reflected on each face. read more

As we looked around the kitchen, something caught my eye. The curtains in the living room--the only curtains still up in the house--jogged my memory. As I had been cleaning out my grandmother's cedar chest, I kept coming back to this one pair of curtains. I didn't know why and couldn't figure out why they were speaking to me. They definitely weren't her prettiest curtains. After picking them up for the fifth time, I decided to take them and maybe I would figure out their significance later---and there they were, the same curtains! Read more on Veils and Vocations .

Holiness is achievable for you!Do you believe me, or do you buy into the greatest lie ever told? “ Holiness is not possible…is the greatest lie that we tell ourselves .” – Matthew Kelly, renowned Catholic public speaker, Dynamic Catholic I thought this to be an appropriate quote to share for the second of three days in meeting the Three Day Quote Challenge offered to me by Melanie Jean Juneau of Joy of Nine9 . Thanks Melanie for this challenge. I am having a lot of fun with it, addressing the virtue of piety that begins at home (day 1’s post), moves to the workplace (today’s post) and permeates throughout society (tomorrow’s post). The rules of this challenge: Post one quotation a day for three days (they can be from other sources or one of your own). Nominate 3 other bloggers to participate per post. Thank the blogger who nominated you. Reflection It was just yesterday, that I was listening to Matthew Kelly’s audio broadcast, Faith at Work and the Holy Moment , cour

I found this on Facebook. The source that is credited there is the Catholic News Agency . I looked at that schedule. Pope Francis is 78 years old. How will Pope Francis keep up with the schedule? I don’t think that I could, even though I am much younger than he is. My only conclusion is that the Holy Spirit fills him with love and that love turns into endurance that endurance turns into even greater love for the people whom  Pope Francis serves. Pope Francis has chosen his service. His service is to love all, not just a select few, but everyone. His love for humanity fills the heavens with prayer and service to them.  Read more at Prayerfully Yours

A variety of wholesome vegetables are steaming in their matching crockery. Tall glasses of cool, filtered water reflect the light streaming in from the bay window. The smiling children are not only washed, but dressed in clean, properly sized clothing. The angels are singing. Just another typical mealtime at your house. Because you are a stock photo. ©Monkey Business Images Ltd/Getty Images OR No one started the dishwasher, so the tableware is an adventurous collection of paper plates and "probably clean" dishes. The three-year old is screaming because her Dino-Nugget head is burnt. Ketchup is the vegetable. Again. Oh, and does anyone know where the baby is? Whichever scenario looks more like your family, have I got a dinner game for you! World Meeting of Families: The Trivia Game Let the trivia begin at Praying with Grace !

Since Pope Francis is once again capturing the media’s attention with his visit to Cuba and the United States this week,  my response to this challenge will focus on quotes from the pope. My dilemma will be in choosing only three quotes from a man who embodies  the mercy and love of Christ. Thanks to   Virginia for reminding me to post my blog's first post in the Three- Day Quote Challenge on ACWB. continue

Melanie Jean Juneau, of Joy of Nine 9 , noted for her sense of humor, and motherly skills, has tagged me for the Three Day Quote Challenge . I’m always up for a challenge, so thanks Melanie for the honor of participating in this little endeavor to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.The rules of this challenge: Post one quotation a day for three days (they can be from other sources or one of your own). Nominate 3 other bloggers to participate per post. Thank the blogger who nominated you. Being one to blog about the virtues, of course, my quotes will center on the virtues that bring us to holiness. There are so many to choose from, it is going to be hard to pick. However,... Read more...

When you are grateful, you know you are loved. To be loved is to be held in high esteem and closeness by another person. To give thanks to the giver, elevates the joy and love that we are given when we return that joy and love to our beloved. When we praise and thank God for all the gifts He has given us, we return to Him the joy and love of His children. “So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:16 Read more at Prayerfully Yours

One of the things I decided to do while on vacation was to visit the  Swedish American Museum  in Andersonville in Chicago.  I hadn't been there in at least ten years.  It was nice to see the exhibits again and to visit my dad's brick on the Immigrant Wall. You can read the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

Bias serves no good purpose. To be biased means to have preconceived notions, or prejudices; in essence to pre-judge someone based upon their looks, words and/or actions. Therefore, bias is the opposite of disinterestedness. We are all guilty of some degree of bias. Sometimes, to remove bias from our lives, we need to step outside of our comfort zones, and open our minds and hearts to others. How often do you avoid talking to someone that you don’t know well, just because of their looks, assuming that you have nothing in common? Ever hear the phrase, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover?’ Well, here’s a great example... Read more...

As a Bible-loving Christian and practicing Catholic, I have many reasons to believe in the importance of forgiving others. But even if we put aside “theology”, I believe our common human experience gives us several reasons why we should all forgive people who offend us. It’s quite possible that no offense was intended.  Think for a moment about how many times you have unintentionally offended someone. Then think of how many times you have  deliberately  offended someone else just to hurt them. My guess is that the first number is significantly larger than the second. Now think of how many times you’ve been offended. Is it possible that you are upset about unintentional offenses? If so, why further the conflict instead of forgiving the person and moving on? If you knew all your transgressor has been through, you would probably feel more pity than anger.  When a person does lash out, deliberately intended to hurt another person, it usually means they themselves have been deepl

(From Libreria Editrice Vaticana, used w/o permission.) Pope Francis arrived in Havana, Cuba, yesterday. It's his first stop on the latest apostolic journey.... ...Getting back to the Pope's visit to Cuba and the United States, the Philadelphia Phillies have been giving away Pope Francis Rookie Cards.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Taking a block of time for prayer each day can be a life-changer. Yet keeping the commitment to do so is a struggle for me. I sometimes put it off until I'm ready to fall into bed, and then find myself omitting it entirely. I wonder what I might have missed on such days. What inspiration, guidance and insights did God have waiting for me? Were there special gifts? Was there a precious jewel that I left, ignored and unwrapped, while I ooohed and aaahed over the world's offerings of glitter and plastic? (continue...)

Catholic humour almost seems like an oxymoron to the secular world, especially to cradle Catholics who no longer practice. Visions of grim, fasting, penitent saints wearing hair shirts rise up as phantoms from their childhood. Yet the truth is the saints are joyful, lighthearted and even funny. Enjoy this sample of Christian and Catholic humour, created by religious people who have learned to laugh at themselves. continue to laugh

Show your support and welcome to our Holy Father with these facebook covers Additional covers can be found   here ...

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (6 April 1901 - 4 July 1925) Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Gospel   Mark 9:30-37  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Can,)  They went on from there and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone  to know it;   for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”   But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”   But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.   He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”   Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them

Scientists from University of the Witwatersrand found skeletal remains in South Africa's Rising Star Cave . This is a big deal, since it's the largest collection of hominin bones found in a single spot: and these folks may have been burying their dead 2,500,000 years ago. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I’m going to begin with a disclaimer. I believe faith is very important, and so is sacrifice, or “offering things up”. That being said, I wish we, as Christians, wouldn’t make “Have faith. It’ll be OK.” And “Offer it up” our go-to phrases when people we know (or don’t know) confide in us about their struggles. Not because I don’t believe, theologically, in the value of faith and sacrifice in such situations, but because I don’t think these two exhortations are the best pastoral approach to take. (Note: If the person themselves brings up wanting to talk about faith or sacrifice and how it can help them, it’s a different story.) Read more...

(from The Breadbox Letters)

God made us for joy.- St. John Paul II

Angels’ deeds are more than simply the stuff of legends, children’s bedtime tales, wishful thinking or fantasies of illiterate, ancient minds. If you close your mind to these messengers of God, they sit like gold in a bank, useless unless we give them permission to act. An angel is a pure spirit created by God. The Old Testament theology included the belief in angels: the name applied to certain spiritual beings or intelligences of heavenly residence, employed by God as the ministers of His will. The English word “angel” comes from the Greek angelos , which means ‘messenger.’ In the Old Testament, with two exceptions, the Hebrew word for “angel” is  malak , also meaning ‘messenger.’ Some may never see with earthly eyes these heavenly beings or know that they exist. Many are unaware of the numerous ways they have protected and guided us. Angels saved my son’s life. The phone call comes on a Saturday night.  continue on CatholicMom

I don’t envy the security guard for Pope Francis. He’s very unpredictable and spontaneous. I read that, one day as he was being driven in his motorcar that he saw and elderly woman standing by the road and smiling. He asked the driver to stop, and Pope Francis got out of the car and walked over to the woman. They chatted, and he asked her, “What is your recipe for joy?” Now, I am paraphrasing this story, so the words I use are not direct quotes. The elderly woman replied, “Ravioli. I make ravioli. That gives me joy.” Joy is supposed to be the mark of the Christian. Look around. Do you see much joy? I don’t. Yet, we are supposed to be joyous in the Lord! We are all called to be saints. That should bring us great joy, but, St. Teresa of Avila, sometimes lost her patience. Read More At Prayerfully Yours

Objective? You mean that I can’t hold onto my ulterior motives? I can’t remain partisan? I can’t retain my prejudices? I can’t be self-righteous and pass judgment upon all those who cross my path? The answer is “no:” Plain and simple! When you do these things you stunt your own growth. In our humanity, we are all quick to judge others by how a person looks, speaks and acts. It is very difficult to stay objective and refrain from passing judgment. Yet that is exactly what we are all called to do. When our actions are based on ulterior motives… Read more...

Are you like me, wishing that you could make a big difference in the world in some way? Do you wish, like I do, that you could lend a hand to help to alleviate the suffering of the migrants in Europe? Or to help stop abortion, genocide, and suffering of all kinds? It can be a helpless feeling of overwhelming frustration to want so badly to help to end the suffering and pain and desperation around the world when we’re tethered to our life, to our family, and to our responsibilities. 

As a child, French author Anatole France heard about St. Simeon Stylites who lived on a pillar for 37 years in Syria so he could pray in solitude. In imitation of St. Simeon, little Anatole placed a chair on kitchen table and sat on it. But then at dinnertime his mother had him take it down. Anatole commented, “I perceive that it is a very difficult thing to be a saint while living with your family.” Yet, this is the goal of families: to raise saints. A saint is someone who has a wonderful relationship with God, a relationship that is fostered by prayer. Click to continue

Near the cross of Jesus, there stood his mother. Jn 19:15.Most mother’s identify with their children, feeling joy and pain in their hearts as they watch their kids. Mary was and in fact still is in sync with her son, in deep communion with him, offering  us a pathway through her heart to the heart of Christ. Let’s celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of  Sorrow with great art. continue reading

Public Domain Photo from Anna Langova Can you imagine the horror of feeling a scalpel inserted into your brain, not knowing what is happening? Can you feel the seering pain as raw nerves are exposed and your heart, liver, or other organs ripped out? Your heart is beating. You’re naked and shivering, and no one cares. Then you feel the knife and your life ends. If the truth be told, I cannot watch the videos shot at planned parenthood. I cannot hear the silent cries of the baby who was ripped out of its mother’s womb in such a way that it is intact and ready for “harvest.” I could not watch videos of the suffering in the Holocaust which was the planned genocide of millions. Read More at Prayerfully Yours .

The royalty alive in our world today are critically important. They are the key to the meaning of life. I'm talking a little bit about this kind of royalty: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George" by  Christopher Neve . Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via  Wikimedia Commons And a lot about this kind: ©StephanieFrey/Getty Images Jesus is King. It might be easy to forget about Christ's kingship, considering how humble Jesus was. While the Gospels share story after story of Jesus being humiliated, hated, and nearly tossed off cliffs, we glimpse his transfigured glory only in rare moments. But Christ, risen from the dead, is conqueror of death and King of Kings. We seem to have a thing for kings, queens, and all sorts of royalty--maybe especially darling little Prince George and Princess Charlotte. In all our stargazing, we tend to overlook our own royal heritage. And that could cost us our lives. Join me for more at Praying with G

"At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last. Through her heart, his sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword has passed." ( Stabat Mater )

If you know me in real life, you know that praise and worship music isn’t my thing – unless it’s to get a little entertainment by making fun of it. Don't get me wrong - I know that many people enjoy that type of music, and I have no problem with that - it just isn't my own way of praising God. That “Fill up my cup…” song, though, has a point to it. Half the time, discussing whether the glass is half-full or half-empty is a moot point.  Often enough, by the end of a given day, week or month, there’s no question involved: I’m running on empty. Does that make me a pessimist? I hope not. I prefer to agree with the anonymous genius who said that the most important point isn’t how full your glass is,  but that it’s refillable. So on those days when you’ve run ragged trying to hold yourself together, give your kids the love and care they need, be a good spouse and do everything else we’re expected to do for one reason or another, don’t get discouraged.  Just make a little ti

Mother Teresa said, “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls. ― Mother Teresa At this moment, in my house, the fan over the stove is roaring. The dehumidifier is so loud I can’t hear anyone anywhere else in my home. It’s just loud! I want to go to my room, close the door, and drown out the noise. Read more at:  Prayerfully Yours

The origins of the holidays are related to the finding by St. Helena relics of the cross at the beginning of the fourth century and dedication in Jerusalem basilica in his honor in 335. At memento of this event – after September 14 – the Church celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." continue reading

“A tree has destroyed us,……. Another has brought us life.  To read more, go to The Sincere Gift

Disinterestedness is one of the least known virtues. I have to admit, until I had read Father Romano Guardini’s book, Learning the Virtues That Lead You to God , I had never heard of it. So let’s start with a definition. Look in any dictionary and you will find definitions such as an absence of interest; objectivity; unbiased. So how does that make disinterestedness a virtue? Father Romano Guardini shows how: The more we seek to gain our own ends, the more the other person closes up and is put on the defensive. But the more clearly he perceives that… Read more...

I don't know why divorce happens sometimes, why every year people who certainly aren't perfect, but who certainly have done nothing to deserve divorce or the kind of treatment a cruel, self-centered ex spouse delivers are forced to endure such trauma. Even less, do our innocent children deserve this kind of division, this kind of treatment, this kind of loss. This is not fair.  I do not deserve this. My children do not deserve this. And yet here we are.  Like most divorced women and children , we have seen a substantial change in our post-divorce lives. Even with state garnished child support, we live on less than half the income we had just a few years ago, with more expenses than we had just a few years ago, and less time than we had just a few years ago. Like most men, the abandoner's income has increased substantially. His expenses have also increased because of his purchase of a vacation/rental homes and other items hidden from the courts under th

Via Franciscan Media Early in the fourth century St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ's life. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior's tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher over the tomb. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman. The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good  Friday  celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus' head: Then "all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissi