Association Of Catholic Bloggers

      I was out playing 18 holes of golf on a beautiful, sunny day and one of my teammates hit a hole-in-one! I suppose I should mention that it was an 18-hole putt-putt course and the "teammate" that got the hole-in-one was our oldest daughter. Truth is, I grew up kind of close to a golf course and I think I tried golfing, maybe once. I didn't get the attraction to it and I basically lobbed my ball down the fairway. Needless to say, I wasn't any good at golf, but both times we've played putt-putt this summer, I killed it, beating everyone--not that I'm bragging or anything; it's the truth. I may have to pull back on my bragging a bit, though, because I have learned that "Boasting or bragging is an offense against truth." (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2481) Knowing that "A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving," (CCC 2482), I could be in trouble when trying to deceive you about playing an 18-roun...

Fr Rufus Halley 1944-2001 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 18:15-20 (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India) At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two...

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'...