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I was flying home from Chicago and was seated next to a young black man. We began to converse, and he told me that he was on his way home from Washington DC. He had been there visiting his girlfriend for the weekend. Of course, he was grinning from ear to ear. He said that they had a wonderful weekend together. Since it was Sunday, I asked if he had attended church that day. He just smiled and said, “Nah. I haven’t been to Mass in years.” Of course, my ears perked up at the word Mass. We continued to talk for a bit. I asked why he had stopped attending Mass. He said that he didn’t really know. He just wasn’t interested any more. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

Success #1   Returned home - safe and sound - and healthy from my business trip to Washington, DC.  While there for the  Napa Institute 's Human Ecology conference on the campus Catholic University of America - I learned: All about Uber (as the Metro was down while I was there);  $1500 a night hotel rooms are WAY better than $400 a night hotel rooms (our reservations were given away by the Days Inn so they had to put us up at a Marriott for one night - it was nice albeit very inconvenient at midnight)!; Planes travel 'wicked fast' when there are only 11 people on board with no stowed luggage! (except the one bag my traveling companion, Jennifer Longworth had with our  Breadbox Media  swag in it!). Success #2  Jennifer and I were able to spend some time in the  Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception  in Washington, DC at the end of the first night of the conference.  ...   read more  ......

(from The Breadbox Letters)

Some twenty years ago, when Nick and I lived in New Jersey, my banking career was drying up. All of the banks were merging together and therefore, banking jobs in New Jersey were scarce. Nick and I were both born and raised in New Jersey. Everyone we knew and loved lived there. As Divine Providence would have it, while I was unemployed, we were invited out to Salt Lake City, Utah so that I could be Godmother to my friend’s little girl. In July 1996, we traveled to Utah for the Baptism. While visiting, I looked around... Read more... 

You see this wreath? I made it. I made it to hang on my door for Easter. I added the lights, yes, the plastic tulips are solar lights, but, no matter what I did, the lights would not go on at night. I couldn’t take them back, and now, I’m glad I didn’t because I finally figure it out. It took me over a month to figure out the problem.  Read more at Prayerfully Yours

In our writing, let's witness in love, without sinning against other Christians who have yet to experience the joy of the Eucharist or a deep relationship with their Heavenly Mother. I am proud to proclaim I am a Catholic writer. To use Protestant terms, I am a saved, born-again, Spirit-filled lover of Jesus who expects to be accepted by Protestant lovers of Jesus, because I am a sister in Christ. However, my culture conspires against my attempts at reconciliation, because my language habits sound foreign to Protestant ears.  I am misunderstood and judged to be against the true faith by Bible-based Christians. Initially, I wrote for secular and Protestant sites and felt I had to hide my Catholicism. When I finally wrote about my Catholic faith, I was immediately grilled and interrogated by shocked readers and co-authors. Yet God had His own agenda and through the moderator, forgiveness and unity began. Of course, the site decided to simply ignore my Catholicism and cen...

As the Morning Rising: God's Presence : Sometimes all we need do is take God in, the way a new-born baby takes a first breath – this too is prayer. To look in awe at a flowering ...

Another week of life usurping my time with the  Navigating Your Finances God's Way   and our small group gathering - I guess Easter evening not the best time for such things.  We are scheduled for later this week - so I better get caught up on my reading!!   Though, truth be told, it is not really difficult for me to be drawn into this study.  The text, scriptures and questions are not only engaging but also RELEVANT! This week is GENEROSITY ... as Jesus teaches, " It is more blessed to give than to receive ." (Acts 20:35)  I have often thought of myself as  generous to a fault , it will be interesting as we move through this chapter if others would see me that way too.  It will also be interesting to discover if my generosity has played any role in where we are financially - both to the positive and the negative.  Without reading a word - I am going to speculate on something.   My giving when done with the purest of intentions...

The following report was emailed yesterday, 28 March 2016, by Columban priests in Pakistan. The Columbans have been in Pakistan since 1979. Columban Sisters serve there and Columban Lay Missionaries have been assigned there. On Easter Sunday at about 6.30pm, there was a suicide bomb attack at a popular park in Lahore, Gulshan-i-Iqbal park in Allama Iqbal Town. The park is about one kilometer from the Columban house. The park was particularly crowded, due in part to many Christians out celebrating Easter. Many feel that Christians were the main target of the attack though the District coordination Officer (DCO) of the district government has denied that Christians were the target of the attack. As of now, the official death toll is given at 70 with about 250 injured, the majority being women and children. The city hospitals were completely over-stretched and an emergency was declared at all government hospitals in the city; there were urgent appeals for people to donate b...

The Resurrection,  means that Jesus has been swept up out of the world of space and time in which he'd lived before, not to leave us alone, but to be closer to us than ever before, and as he promised ‘ even to the end of time .’ Before the Resurrection Jesus was limited by the physical body into which he had freely chosen to enter. His choice meant that he could only be in one place at a time, so meeting him would have been as difficult as meeting any major celebrity in our time. But that's all changed now, because the same otherworldly power that raised him out of this world on the first Easter day enabled him to re-enter it on every day. So now he can enter into us, as he promised, so that he can make his home in us and we can make our home in him. In the words of St Augustine this means that –  ‘He can be closer to us than we are to ourselves’ . All this can be possible, not in some distant pipe dream, but here and now. That’s why de Caussade said that...

Pray for the souls in Purgatory. Pray for the dying. Pray for those who will die today, especially those who will die unexpectedly. Read more at Prayerfully Yours

The overriding sentiment which prevails at my house and in my heart each Easter Monday is the same .  It is finished.  The long 40 days of Lenten fasting, prayer and penance are completed.  The late nights of the Triduum liturgies are over.  Crumbs of the traditional Italian Easter bread and a handful of neon colored peeps are all that remain from Easter dinner.   He is Risen indeed – so why does Easter Monday always get me down? Read more here...

Who is Charity Livingstone? Charity Livingstone is only three years old, but she is spunky, loyal, and determined to get what she wants. She and her family recently moved into the neighborhood, where they met their next door neighbor, Mr. Gabriel. Charity really liked him, because he raises puppies! Ever since Charity moved into her new house, she had her eye on getting a puppy, but Mama and Daddy said no, because there was too much going on with their new house. Well that wasn’t going to stop her from playing with Mr. Gabriel’s puppies. He said she could... Read more... 

A few weeks before Easter, my mom melted beeswax in a coffee can lid. Then she dipped a straight pin inserted in a wooden matchstick into the wax and quickly made strokes on eggs the way her Polish mother taught her. The eggs sat in coffee cups overnight, soaking in vivid colors of Chick Chick dye. Then Mom scraped off the wax with a butter knife, revealing lovely white patterns. Eggs are associated with Easter because they are a symbol of life. A chick pops out of a seemingly lifeless egg. And Jesus emerged from a tomb with a new and glorious life. His rising was more than resuscitation. Jesus came forth from the tomb no longer bound by space or time but with an entirely new mode of existence. More than 500 people saw him. Other Easter symbols stand for new life: the prolific rabbit, the rising sun, and spring flowers. Click to continue

Rejoice! The tomb is empty! We exist in a world full of darkness and evil, evil that is deceptive and subtle, transparent yet overlooked and excused, evil we invite into our homes, the bar for Goodness so lowered we fail to recognize evil for what it is, but today...? Today is different. Today, Easter Sunday, is a day of Hope, a day of sunshine even among gray clouds, a day to remember THIS is NOT  all there is! There is SO. Much. Mo re! In a fast paced world where we jump at the chance to fill ourselves with more without pausing to consider too deeply what more is, we've forgotten emptiness can be a Good thing. Today is the day the tomb was found empty, and sometimes emptiness is the result of unexpected miracles worthy of jubilation. We exist in a world of negative emptiness: empty calories, empty entertainment, empty hearts, empty seats at the dinner table, even empty worship. The word empty seems...

As the Morning Rising: Easter Morning Knocknacarry : Resurrection window by Harry Clarke St Mel's Cathedral Longford Easter Morning, Knocknacarry (2002) High above...

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor, radiant in the brightness of your King! Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes for ever! Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory! The risen Savior shines upon you! Let this place resound with joy, echoing the mighty song of all God’s people! continue

Sometimes in the spiritual life it can seem as if we are going backwards and almost moving away from God instead of growing closer to him. When you read about the lives of the Saints, they often experienced the "Dark Night of the Soul". Some of them even questioned their own salvation during those times. Yesterday was Holy Saturday and I was thinking about Jesus descending into hell and the abode of the dead. I think, in a sense he allowed me to visit that place this Lent as well. Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns >

There have been only three to six major events so far, depending on how you count them: the creation of this universe; humanity's creation and fall; and our Lord's arrival, execution, and resurrection. There's another big one coming, eventually, and I'll get back to that. Cosmic Scale I'm a Catholic, so I take Sacred Scripture very seriously, 1 including this: " God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed - the sixth day. " ( Genesis 1:31 ) We've known that God's creation was big and old, and been impressed, for a long time: " 1 Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the LORD, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it. " ( Deuteronomy 10:14 ) " The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft. " ( Psalms 19:2 ) " 3 Raise your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; Though the hea...

‘Christ the lord is risen again! Christ hath broken every chain, Hark, the angels shout for joy, Singing evermore on high, Alleluya! He who gave for us his life, Who for us endured the strife, Is our Paschal Lamb today! We too sing for joy, and say Alleluya! He who bore all pain and loss Comfortless upon the Cross, Lives in glory now on high, Pleads for us, and hears our cry. Alleluya! Now he bids us tell abroad How the lost may be restored, How the penitent forgiven, How we too may enter heaven. Alleluya!’ Michael Weisse c.1534, Trans. by C. Winkworth 1878

What had happened to my life and how had things turned so quickly? We had renewed our vows on Valentine's Day, and it seemed, even to me, that we lived the perfect life. We had four beautiful little boys and another child on the way. Our large home had been built, much of it by our own hands, in an upscale neighborhood. Yes, it needed a lot of work, but we were looking forward to making it "perfect" together over the years. Friends and family were welcome and visited often. Laughter was a constant companion in days filled with sunshine. Challenges and darkness had risen ugly heads in the past, but they seemed to have faded and finally been replaced by a deeper Love, a Love that comes only from choosing to face hard times with maturity, Trust, and sheer stubbornness, the refusal to succumb to defeat. To read the rest of the post and see how abandonment can be a gift from God, please join me at SingleMomSmiling.com Happy Easter & God Bless... ...

This is a post that I hoped I would not have to write, but His Ways are not our ways.  His Plan is perfect even when it is not the plan we would every choose for ourselves or our loved ones.  Thank you all who have joined me in praying for James Fischer--praying, pleading, begging for a miracle. Read more at Veils and Vocations.

The Resurrection of Christ , Rembrandt, c.1639 Alte Pinakothek, Munich [ Web Gallery of Art At the Mass during the Day Gospel John 20:1-9 (N RSV, Catholic Ed ., Can.) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disc...

Scientists and engineers in BAE Systems' Project Greenglow are trying to control, or sidestep, gravity. Back on my side of the Atlantic, scientists at NASA's Eagleworks say they've successfully tested prototype RF resonant cavity thrusters and a warp field generator. Other scientists are skeptical. Very skeptical.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: Within The Wounds : Within The Wounds Somewhere within the wounds There is a language deeper than words Deeper than wells De...

Praying without words, using Michael O’Brien’s iconic art, allowed the Holy Spirit to speak straight to my heart. The phrase a “picture speaks a thousand words holds true.” continue 

  Please click over to Veils and Vocations for a urgent prayer request for a young man I know.  Thank you and God bless!

  It's Easter week. We're just days away from the commemoration of the suffering and then the  resurrection of Christ. I wanted to be mindful about Lent this year, but by the third day, I had forgotten to stay away from chocolate. I don't know what happened. I got busy and lazy at the same time.  But, other things happened over Lent that kept bringing to mind the question, What is my standard for living?   In other words, to whom do I answer? (Maybe just myself.)  Am I trying to meet a condition (as in conditional) that I've placed on myself, or someone has placed upon me?  Am I trying to keep someone happy? Am I simply trying to get through life without any conflicts or confrontation? What influence or circumstance has my allegiance? What is the standard upon which I make my choices?  CONTINUE READING  HERE

Marriage was the first vocation instituted by God.  Adam and Eve were given to each other in service and love for the purpose of producing offspring for the LORD.  There were no priests before the Fall, for the LORD God walked throughout the Garden of Eden.  Man for the first and last time since the dawn of time, could freely meet with God face to face.  Adam and Eve's purpose was not only to serve each other, but to lead each other in praise and obedience to God.  Their children were meant to be raised up for Heaven and to spread the perfect Love of the Father to the ends of the earth. Read more at Veils and Vocations .

In reading the passages from Luke today on the way of the cross and crucifixion of Jesus,  (Lk 23: 26-49)  I was struck with gratitude for the thief on the cross beside Christ. Mocked, insulted and shamed- Jesus endured not only the painful, sorrowful physical pain of the cross but rejection of the people that he loved and came to save. There were those like Simeon, Veronica and of course his mother Mary who were present along the way of the cross to offer strength, tenderness, and comfort. Yet, it was the unexpected conversion of the thief that was there beside Christ in those last moments. His witness of faith is to me a gift to our Savior, a beautiful reminder of the redeeming potential of mankind. Over the years, I have heard many scoff at the thief on the cross, as I am sure they would have done in his day. Read More...

As the Morning Rising: Three Days Triduum Poem : Three Days Let us not walk those backward steps Nor cast a glance at what we leave behind, Let Easter be our guiding light – As w...

By Malcolm Davies       Reading:  John 13:14-15 "You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you." Jesus came into  the world to show us in his own person that God is love. He is willing to experience pain, rejection and finally to die for us to show us that love. Normally, at formal  meals to which guests were invited, the washing of feet would be done by a slave. Here Jesus himself performs the menial task which is a symbolic prefiguring of the ‘washing’ from sin that he will shortly accomplish for believers, as the Lamb of God, who in his death takes away the sins of the world. Jesus washes us  clean us through his Word and his Love, through the gift of himself. Over and over again he washes us with his Word ....read on  10 ...

“Is it I, Lord?” I ask. I’ve betrayed my Lord for less than 30 pieces of silver. I’ve betrayed my Lord when I have gossiped. I’ve betrayed my Lord when I have been unkind to another person. I’ve betrayed my Lord when I have refused to help another person. I’ve betrayed my Lord when I have judged another person. I’ve betrayed my Lord when I have refused to forgive.  Read more at Prayerfully Yours

St. Joseph was a worker, strong, capable but spiritual enough to see and hear messages from God. He was courageous enough act on those commands even though they went against all common sense. His young betrothed pregnant yet a virgin? A move to Egypt, the place of slavery in the minds for the Jews? How many of us could obey such ludicrous messages? Modern artists reject sappy images of St. Joseph, choosing to capture a strong, loving man- human but supported by divine strength.       continue

It's a jarring sight during this Holy Week: American women in full religious habit standing in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, surrounded by supporters. For those religious sisters, this is a week of prayer and repentance and preparation for the holiest of days. I'm sure they'd rather be anywhere but in court. The sisters didn't pick the date, though. It's a coincidence that the religious liberty case involving the Little Sisters of the Poor is being heard at the Supreme Court just before the Triduum and the celebration of Easter. Read more at Leaven for the Loaf .

Today is Holy Wednesday. In today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew 26: 14-25 we hear of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus Christ: One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. We are Judas when we betray Christ I think it is safe to say, that we are all kindred spirits to Judas Iscariot. We may not want to go there and admit it, but... Read more... 

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Despite this post's title, I won't be indulging in a guilt trip , or bewailing the decline and fall of practically everybody. 1 An incident earlier this month could have been much worse: like the Judenschlacht of 1241 or Hep-Hep riots in 1819. What happened was bad enough, though.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

All my life I've suffered from dyslexia, but it was virtually unknown when I was a boy. If the verdict of my teachers was divided between "that boy is stupid" and "that boy is bone-idle", what could my poor mother think about her precious son. What a help it would have been to me if my mother had known about my dyslexia! What a help I could have been to her if I'd only known what I was putting her through! But what son ever knows and understands what his mother suffers, what she goes through watching her own flesh and blood fall, falter and fail as he gropes his way through adolescence and into adult life. I suppose it's as natural for sons to be absorbed with themselves as it is for mothers to be absorbed in them. There's usually selfishness on both sides, but with Jesus and Mary it was different. Neither of them were stained by the selfishness, the self-absorption that marks the rest of us. However, don't be deceived into thinking this mad...

Because of you, the world is a better place. Through you, people see the love of God in your eyes. People learn that violence is not the way to truth. They learn that truth is always truth and cannot be anything else. Read more at Prayerfully Yours

(from The Breadbox Letters)

Week 4 (Part B) - Honesty and Counsel This week forced me to take a very long hard look at my mindset towards what I admit and will share about my personal finances and what is really happening.  Although my name Allison means "truthful one" and I do feel sometimes I am honest to fault; this week's teachings and ponderings on the topic of honesty made clear, there was some areas I saw okay to paint  gray .  There really is no legal or honest gray areas with regards to money, especially if those finances are shared.   This week also challenged my filing system (or lack there of) and how pride had (and probably still does) hinder my seeking and accepting counsel.  Let's evaluate these struggles & triumphs more closely ...     FILING, HONESTY AND COUNSEL  All Rights Reserved, Allison Gingras 2016

Holy Week is here ... Lent 2016 will soon be done But am I any different than when it all began 40 plus days ago? Did my Lenten sacrifices - prayers, almsgiving and fasting - transform me? Did they prepare me for the coming Triduum s(Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) services? Most importantly have the readied my heart to rise again with Jesus on Easter -- a new creation in Christ ? Lent and the expectation of the coming of Spring, maybe because I live in a seasonal location, have always co-existed in my heart. Lent starts often in the harshness of winter - cold, long, dark nights. Easter arrives after daylight savings and (usually) the last snow fall. Flowers and trees are budding, maybe even flowering, and there is an emerging from the cocoon like feel to the world. But have I changed? Has this time of no television, extra prayer and attention to participating in the Sacraments, awoken something in my heart.   What will my spiritual practices look...

What is the purpose of your Lent? Is it to test your self-control? Is it to challenge yourself to a duel of fuel limits? Is it just a game between you and sugar, or you and grains, or caffeine, or butter?  Is it a wound, or just a bloody finger (#gross?) ? Or is it more? Does it affect your prayer life? Lately, I've been thinking that Lent is whole lot like sheep shearing. The sheep go into the shearer's hands, and they are probably a bit of a mess. They may have spots of dried mud, some briars or burrs, and definitely some mats in their lovely white wool.  They get into spots of trouble, when, all is interrupted, like little drunk lambs happily playing on a spring green pasture on a lovely, warm, sunny day.  But all it takes is some shears, and they emerge from the hands of the shearer, their wool is shorter, with a freshness and sheen that's enviable. .... read the rest at Picture a  Skyline 

Brilliantly simple! A letter from Seattle contains practical wisdom for praying through Holy Week and the Easter Season. Click over to Praying with Grace to read the letter.

As the Morning Rising: Beauty and The Cross : Beauty and the Cross Perhaps when you hear the bell ring out across the valley you will think about what it is to pray. Where will you f...

It has been a long time since I have posted on either of my blogs. I have missed it, but life has brought great busyness, with a move in the fall, followed by my oldest daughters wedding, a few days before Christmas. My hope for January was to find our groove again, getting back to a normal routine. Sadly, I lost my dad at the end of the month. Winter has been all about trying to find a new normal. I haven't felt up to doing much of anything but really wanted to get this post out about our scavenger hunt from last Easter, before Holy Week flies by. This was the second time we "found the Alleluia" and it was such a nice twist on an Easter egg hunt. Much more meaningful and engaging. So click on over and see how we did our hunt last year!

Let it Be Done to Me According to Your Word… Joining with the Sacred Heart of Jesus during Lent (Taken from my prayer journal on 3/7/16) I submit myself to Your Most Holy Will. Whatever happens, will happen.  Read more at Prayerfully Yours

There is obviously one thing wrong with this picture.The text is incomplete. It fails to convey the full truth that not merely do I  Like  Mary but I “ LOVE  her!”  However, it wasn’t always this way, as for so many years I did not really know my heavenly mother. For loss of better words, I was an estranged daughter.  I more or less  assumed who Mary was  and dare I say..had taken her for granted.What was it then that led me to rediscover my mother’s love? First there was my conversion to the Catholic faith. Like a newborn baby I needed to grow in understanding who I was in light of a mother’s love. Still, I grappled a bit with the new found love I felt for my heavenly mother and the ever present closeness I had always had with my earthly mother.     Read More...

It was just another day of the week, or was it? Jesus knew, as God, that before the week would end, He will have given His life, for many, to conquer death. What must Jesus have been thinking? He arrived in Jerusalem the day before; greeted with fanfare; literally, with palms waving in the springtime breeze. Jesus knew, only too well, how fickle man can be; how in the blink of an eye, they would turn on Him. He would be turned over to the authorities and would be put to death. Jesus only had a few more days to... Read more...