Association Of Catholic Bloggers

My father grew up west of Chicago: first on a farm, then in Rockford, Illinois. His family moving to Rockford wasn't so much a matter of seeking a better way of life, as bad weather and worse economics forcing them off their farm. Then they experienced what we call the Great Depression. And that's another topic. Topics, actually.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (In the years leading up to World War II, my father was just another Irish kid in Rockford schools. Then an English teacher asked him about his plans.)

      I was watching  Good Morning America  and they had an intriguing report about moms who call themselves "Garden Moms" or "Canna Moms." That's right, it was about moms who use cannabis in some form to get through a day of raising their kids. Apparently, "it makes it easier." The one mom they referenced outlined her rules:  -There is always another adult in the house -She never drives while using -The kids are never exposed to the weed and it is always kept out-of-sight Seems to me that just needing these rules reveals something about it not being a good thing to use.  "Addiction specialists suggest it should not be used as a 'harmless alternative to alcohol'" according to the GMA report. "It can also have health affects like "mood, memory, attention and heart health." According to Dr. Lief Fenno, Chair of the American Psychiatric Association's Council on Addiction Psychiatry, "alcohol and marijuana b...

    As I came to the end of the rosary early one morning, I realized that my fingers on the beads didn't match the words I was praying. In other words, I came to the end of the rosary before I came to the end of my prayers!  I have no idea what happened (maybe it was too early in the morning!), but I just finished up and moved on. As we mature in faith, it becomes easier not to be a stickler when such things happen. For instance, if life gets in the way and I simply cannot (or do not) get my quiet prayer time in as I ought, I just move with the Holy Spirit in the moment and resist the temptation to torment myself. I mean, God surely wouldn't condemn me for it, right? If you find that you berate yourself when you imperfectly carry out your prayers--or whatever it is you do--try to be more forgiving.  My husband and I often joke because I will say, "I feel guilty" about whatever, and he'll kindly remind me, "There's always something to feel guil...

    I find it fascinating to watch animals and how they move according to instincts.  Although I must admit, I'm beginning to wonder about the instincts of squirrels. Why do they dart back and forth in front of a car until finally coming to a "decision" about which direction to go?  We were out to a nature preserve one evening about dusk and we stopped our car to watch a deer standing beside the road. As we watched her watching us, we could tell that her wise instincts told her not to cross the road in front of us.  We just sat there and waited her out, enjoying her beauty, and when it looked like we were not going to be a danger to her and her little ones, she decided it was safe to cross in front of us. We've been watching a show on National Geographic about a baby lion cub growing up. Of course the narrator attaches human thoughts and emotions to every situation the cub and its mother finds itself in, but you can tell from the videos that a lion'...

  .   Seeing things God's way   CLICK HERE   

U.S. Navy WWII LST (Landing Ship Tank), from All Hands magazine My father, Bernard Ives Gill, was a Lieutenant J.G. on an LST during World War II. One of his duties was standing watch on the bridge. Being a rather junior officer, he often got the night watches. On one of these, both he and the sailor at the helm were experiencing the wakeful serenity of duty. Below, the ocean streamed by. Above, stars slowly rolled around the pole as hours passed and the convoy sailed towards its destination. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (It was just another watch, until they noticed how big the ship they were following looked.)

Landscape with Christ and St Peter Goffried Wals [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)   Gospel Matthew 16:21-27 (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) At that time: Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’ Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever w...

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Sunset here in Sauk Centre: no ducks, just a nice photo. (August 20, 2026)   Ducks haven't been a major part of my life, but our paths have crossed now and again.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My encounter with a savvy mother duck and her ducklings. Also an unrelated sunset photo: which you're seeing now.)

St Peter El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] 'You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' (Matthew 16:18; Gospel).   Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)    Gospel Matthew 16:13-20 (English Standard Version Anglicised) At that time: When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and...

"I Voted": another election, another sticker.   It was a bit past one when I voted in Minnesota's primaries this Tuesday. Two of the three election judges were checking off other voters when I got there. Verifying that I was a registered voter went smoothly. I gave my name, the election judge saw that I was me, and that was that. Sauk Centre is a small town, and I've lived here — probably longer than you've been alive. Voting is something I'll do again, come November. To the extent that it gets me out of the house and occasionally lets me chat with folks, I enjoy the process. It's also part of acting as if what I believe matters. I've been talking about that for quite a while, off and on, including this, from about a decade back.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (I recap what being a Catholic citizen involves. Also: links to voting resources showing you how to think about your voting choices.)

The Canaanite Woman Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry  [ Wikipedia ] Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand)    Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) In England & Wales and in Scotland the Solemnity of the Assumption is celebrated this Sunday. The link above is to the readings for the Assumption . Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)   Gospel Matthew 15:21-28 (Jerusalem Bible) Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.’ But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. ‘Give her what she wants,’ they said ‘because she is shouting after us.’ He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’ But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. ‘Lord,’ s...

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    I was praying with the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 17, verses 17-20 about the man that knelt down in front of Jesus, begging him to cure his son. And Jesus cured him.  This left me asking why God doesn't cure every sickness. If he has the ability to fix things, why do we have to suffer so? Why do we have to endure grief and loss? None of the reasons I could find seemed sufficient to me. I mean, I don't believe God causes our physical bodies to develop sickness. And I don't think he withholds healing to strengthen our faith because it would be good for us.  What kind of a father would he be if he sat back and allowed his children to suffer so that he could teach them a lesson?  Although, I suppose there are times, as a parent, that we have done some version of this, in little ways, so that our children will grow and learn through their mistakes, but that is not the same thing. So, back to the question. If God has the ability to fix things, why do w...

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    Remember when I recently complained about people impatiently driving around me at the end of my road? ( * See the link below) Well we were coming home from a Detroit Tiger's baseball game and a car sped past us on the expressway so close it almost clipped the passenger-side front bumper. I mean it was REALLY close. Fortunately, he missed us, but unfortunately we had to watch in disbelief as he continued to do the same in the traffic in front of us. He was weaving in and out so fast I couldn't believe he didn't hit someone. Then a few minutes later a motorcycle came flying by (we're guessing at about 100 mph), doing the same thing! Reflecting on our close call, I was reminded that before we travel, we always offer a prayer in the car, out loud, asking God to put his holy angels around us and protect us. We started that practice when the kids were young, but we continue it today, even when they are not with us. We were glad the five guardian angels protectin...