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We wouldn't expect to find life on 51 Eridani b, even if were the size of Earth and at the right distance from its star. The planet is only a bit over 20,000,000 years old. At that point in our home's long story, the earliest critters wouldn't appear for at least another several million years. We've discovered thousands of new worlds so far, some a bit like Earth, most not; and many not like anything in our Solar System. Scientists are starting to make sense of what's being found, and discovering that we have a very great deal left to learn. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Every once in a while, a song, a book or a speaker manages to cut through our pride, our preoccupations with our busy lives to pierce through to our inner longing for God. Then our emptiness and poverty are revealed and we have enough space within to receive more of Christ. This following worship song,  sung during a Eucharistic procession, pierced through all my scattered preoccupations ushering me into the Merciful Presence of  Christ. Matt Maher sings “Lord, I Need You,” followed by Audrey Assad’s singing the Exposition hymn “O Salutaris Hostia” in front of 25,000 pilgrims kneeling before the procession of the Blessed Sacrament at the Tauron Arena Mercy Centre.          continue

I think my husband and I didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into when we started watching the Netflix original drama-thriller “Bloodline.” Mostly, I think we decided to give it a whirl because Kyle Chandler, the dad/coach from “Friday Night Lights” was the star. We'd liked that show quite a bit and considered him a pretty good actor; “Bloodline” looked at least mildly interesting, so what the heck, we decided to try it. We had no idea how dark and twisty a story we were about to enter... Continue Reading

Hoy hay sombras en la Capilla...quizá sea porque está atardeciendo....   Tú, Jesús, estás como siempre, silencioso en tu eterna espera....pero tienes el oído atento para todo el que llega, para todo el que te quiere decir algo… : penas, anhelos, sueños, alegrías y tristezas....Tú corazón abierto está para quién a ti llega....y yo se que te quedaste ahí precisamente porque sabías que en el mundo... hay dolor. ¡Vaya que si lo hay!

I have to admit, the reason it has taken me this long to write this post is because I had to work out some personal issues before I could share my story with the world. So I guess on that note, I should just stop beating around the bush and say what I need to say. I did not want to write this because I was embarrassed. I felt as though industrious and my name could not even be in the same sentence. So I pouted about it for a few days until the Holy Spirit touched my heart. Click here to continue!  

Look no futher than... here. {insert ha ha, eye roll, and lol here} I'm looking for a solid faith... but where do I go? I'm not going to tell you I have the corner on the truth because honestly, I don't.  I think that honor goes to gifted teachers like...: Father Robert Barron Scott Hahn Peter Kreeft and R.C. Sproul (maybe also the very gifted and wise  Tim Keller ) There are so many!!! :) I think one of the things that is hardest about parenting are the times when I am at a loss. It is when I come up short in knowing how to guide my children. Perhaps it is not having the correct answer when they ask ... Top Ten Ways to Know You're on Solid Ground: read the rest at tacywilliamsbeck.com

Love Letters from God, Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart , by Glenys Nellist is endearing, wonderful, chocked filled with virtue, and beautifully illustrated. Nellist shares with us fourteen stories from the Bible, centered on heroic females, highlighting their good traits. She takes us from the Old Testament, through to the New Testament; giving us a different story about each protagonist, salient Bible quotes, and most importantly, personalized letters from God, addressed to your child (with lift the flap notes). Love Letters from God Make for Sweet Dreams! Each of the fourteen tales make for excellent bedtime stories to read to your child; sending them into slumber with heroic females to dream about. Nellist starts with... Read more...

I've just completed a week-long retreat on the Gospel of St. John packed with insights about this "maverick" account of the life of Jesus. I thought I'd share some of what I gleaned from the conferences. As background, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were composed rather early. John's Gospel took shape much later after the Church had time to reflect on Jesus (with the help of the Holy Spirit) and when Christians were not regarded as a Jewish sect that still worshiped in the Temple but as a new and highly suspect religion in the eyes of Jewish leaders. That being said, here are ten insights. The poetic prologue (which we used to pray after Mass when I was a little girl) immediately identifies Jesus as God. The opening verses, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things came to be through him" echo Genesis, whose first words are "In the beginning" and which goes on to tell how merel...

As the Morning Rising: Before the Blessed Sacrament : O Sacrament most holy O Sacrament divine All praise and all thanksgiving Be every moment thine

With all the political turmoil going on in the world right now regardless of what you believe it is important to get involved. Change starts with you the individual not with society. This past weekend, I was able to attend the 6th annual Gov BBQ, with Gov. Hogan and it really is an honor to hear him speak. His speaking skills portray his down to earth personality while still articulating his points intelligently. I am always interested in promoting Catholics who are actually working towards making a difference in the world. It is about small things with great love. Gov. Hogan has done so much for the state of Maryland. You can find out what he has done and is doing  here.   Gov. Hogan is also a Catholic and is doing this for the church as well. You can find that info  here . I am also happy to say that not only is he bringing back jobs to the state of Maryland but he is also working on international relations Click here to continue and for the video of Gov. Hoga...

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A  good friend, Martha, from Madonna House, “happened” to sit beside a self-proclaimed witch on an old bus heading towards the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Noticing Martha’s large cross identifying her as a member of the Lay Apostolate, the witch cynically remarked that most Christians were stupid because they were completely clueless about the potential power that existed within each of them. Chuckling, she pointed out all the people on the bus who were Christians. How did she know? The witch could “see” a blue light or aura around every baptized Christian.  She then mocked Christians who acted like weak victims but was pleased that the power of the Holy Spirit was usually wasted on them and lay dormant. At the time Martha was having trouble fasting and praying in seclusion twice a week. When her seat mate boasted that she fasted regularly for the destruction of Christian families, Martha was appalled. continue

In My Brother’s Keeper , by Bill Kassel, we read a great piece of Catholic fiction. Now, right off the bat, let me explain the definition of the genre, “Catholic Fiction,” using Kassel’s own words to describe his effort: This book is a work of speculative fiction, based on incidents in the New Testament, reimagined and elaborated on extensively. I have not attempted to create a ‘fifth Gospel.’ Rather, I’ve tried to fill in some gaps between facts given in Scripture with inventive suppositions about how things might have been (p. 574).   This imaginative effort, coupled with an excellent understanding of Jewish-Roman relations during first-century life in Nazareth and Jerusalem, results in a masterpiece worthy of your time. James: My Brother’s Keeper My Brother’s Keeper , centers on the character of James, the youngest child of Saint Joseph and his deceased wife, Escha; who died shortly after giving birth to James. Kassel spends a good portion of the book setting the ...

by   childlogiclabs I know the devils plan.  The devil has been working up to this moment for a very long time. You see the devil has a lot of time to think and he is constantly retracing his steps to see where he went wrong ... TO READ THE REST OF THE DEVIL'S PLAN: CLICK HERE!

'In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering.' - Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (from The Cloistered Heart)

Many folks who lived in Grenfell Tower got out. Many others died. We don't know how many. A current estimate is 79. Determining the exact number will be difficult, since high temperatures may have effectively obliterated some human remains. Some survived because they didn't listen to official instructions to stay in their homes. That advice makes sense in a building with sprinklers and adequate interior firewalls. In Grenfell Tower, not so much.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Currently I’m working on a chapter about the afterlife. We people engrossed in the demands of this present life don’t tend to think about this topic until we come to a landmark birthday, someone we know dies, or a movie like The Mummy is released.  Then we wonder, Is this all there is? We Catholics are in good company in believing there is life beyond this one. The concept runs across civilizations and centuries, indicating that human beings possess an innate sense that death is not the end. The Egyptians preserved the bodies of their leaders in pyramids and surrounded them with items they would need in the next life. Qin, the first emperor of China, had a replica of his capital city built and about 8,000 terracotta soldiers, hundreds of chariots, and other things ready for his pleasure when he awoke from death. American Indians buried their dead with food and tools they might need in the next life. Mediums claim to put us in touch with our deceased loved ones. Cli...

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PRAISE        P raise R ise A spire I lluminate S oar E nlighten ©   2012 Donna De Guglielmo We are called to be ambassadors of and for God. We live move and have our being in Him. What are you doing today or doing soon for Him? It does not matter the size of it. He loves us.  I even offer to brush my teeth up to Him. All I do. Share below in the comments, we all want to know and help one another through our prayer time. Another great poem to show love to the Lord is  here . Thank you, Blessings; God Loves You!! God is paradise. We are His to soar in His grace and mercy

Typically, when I sit down to watch a Pixar movie with my toddler (or in the past, by myself or with my husband...), I know it's going to be good. Let's forget about Cars 2 for a moment, and acknowledge that Pixar knows what they're doing when they set out to make an animated film that will appeal to both kids and their parents. So when we watched Inside Out , I expected it to be good. My (then)two-year-old was enthralled and wanted to watch the “movie with those funny guys” again and again. But I didn't let him. Because I just couldn't take it... Continue Reading

Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, Rembrandt [ Web Gallery of Art ] First Reading, Jeremiah 20:10-13 Gospel Matthew 10:26-33 (NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Edition) Jesus said to the Twelve: ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. I think it was during...

The biggest critters with backbones are living today: baleen whales. Finding the largest of them started getting harder about a century back. We didn't quite drive the blue and fin whales to extinction, happily. We're learning when they got so big, and maybe why. We're also learning more about origins of dinosaurs and the domestic cat. It's not the same origin. One happened around the time we started storing grain, the other 200,000,000 years ago. Give or take a bit. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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As the Morning Rising: Sacred Heart - Fire of Approachability : Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Sacred Heart. How many Irish homes had a picture hanging on the living-room wall, and may...

So I am happy to announce that I came in 3rd place for the faithwriters.com writing competition.  I can say that my lack of beta shows and I know now where to improve. I am just so blessed that I can share my relationship with God with all of you! I know that we all have been struggling lately. You can not turn on the TV or even look at your phone with out seeing the state of the world today. As a Christian it actually hardens my heart to the world. Christ commands us to be an example on how to not live in the world but as my heart hardens; I slip slowly back into the world I was begging God to help me escape. I slip back in to the world because I get angry about the state of things and I sit back and do nothing. I slip back into the world because I let fear over take me and I begin to worry. However I know that walking in faith means giving up worry for trust and faith in Christ. And what a blessing to strive for! To be affirmed enough in faith to be able to relax and trust...

When interceding for our self and others it is important to have a correct view of God and proper mindset. How do we see God? Do we see him as a loving Father who has our best interest at heart or do we see him as a distant god, withholding his grace and gifts unless we jump through certain hoops? We do not need to beg him to act! His mercy and gifts are abundant! Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns>

How Scriptures Helps Me Overcome Anxiety and Insecurity By Allison Gingras, Reconciled To You Most of my life I have struggled with anxiety and insecurity. There were days, if I could get myself out of bed, I would not leave my home afraid of what evil or injury may befell me. Honestly, there are still days my Germaphobia paralyzes me at the entrance of a building afraid to touch the door handle or hinders me from even shaking people's hands. When fear is not wrestling with me insecurity is. Unsure of my abilities and fear of failing has left many a dream incomplete or unfulfilled. Discovering the Word of God has been this empowering gift! While I continue to battle my fears and phobias, the Scriptures have given me strength that nothing else was able to. I can stand on the Word of God to battle those demons that threaten to steal my joy and derail the plans God has for me. Listening to Jesus in the Gospels teaches me how to trust in Him, have hope and discover that ...

The devotion to the Sacred Heart ( Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu in Latin) is a well-known Roman Catholic devotion, centring on Jesus Christ’s heart as a symbol of His Divine love. I love You more than everything, more than myself. Tell me what You would have me do; for I am ready to do everything with Your help. Bind me, unite me to Your heart and permit me not, during the years that remain to me, to offend You or grieve You anymore. O my Jesus, it is the time that I should love You now. continue

En el mes de Junio y especialmente durante los últimos días se llevan a cabo en algunos países las llamadas “marchas del orgullo gay” que buscan hacer conciencia de la dignidad de las personas homosexuales y de la comunidad LGBTT (Lesbico,Gay,Bisexual,Transexual,Transgénero) . Han luchado por años para dejar de ser violentados y discriminados pero, según se ve en las estadísticas, el resultado de la “aceptación” que la cultura liberal les ha ofrecido y les ha garantizado en muchos marcos jurídicos ha desembocado en un mayor abandono y desentendimiento de su salud y su bienestar por parte de la comunidad y de las familias, con un efecto a veces devastador para ellos.

I just want to make it know to all of my readers. I am not perfect. I struggle to do daily tasks; and I was like this long before I got sick or saved. I also want everyone of you to know that I pray that on day we will all day be able to live with out pain. Even if it is for only one day. I pray that we all are able to cherish the good days and remember that its okay that when you are well that you went out with your husband or friends instead of cleaning your house. We all deserve to walk among the living for we too are also living, just differently. I have learned a few things in this study of this verse:

As schools let out, the lazy days of summer are upon us. This is a great time for some reflection and introspection regarding your spiritual life. We’re about half-way through the year. As we embarked on 2017, many of us made New Year’s resolutions. So, how’s that coming along? If you are like me, you don’t even remember what those resolutions might have been! I certainly do not remember what I vowed to do, not do, or overcome. My Own Introspection So, I sit here on the precipice of summer, asking myself what I would like to accomplish with the second half of 2017. Here’s what I came up with: Read more...

DO YOU GO TO CHURCH REGULARLY? WHY? REALLY ... WHY DO YOU GO TO CHURCH? FORCE OF HABIT? TO MEET FRIENDS? TO MAKE SOCIAL CONTACTS? CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

The Amy Adams/Clint Eastwood baseball movie Trouble with the Curve recently came to Netflix. I'd heard of it before, was vaguely aware that I'd heard of it in a positive light, but didn't know too much about it. Not a huge baseball fan myself (at least not since I was about 14...), I wasn't sure if I'd like the movie or not, but I gave it a shot anyway. It's about a 20-something woman (Amy Adams) trying to reconnect with her aging baseball scout dad (Clint Eastwood) on what could be his last scouting trip. And though the premise is baseball-themed, it's not exactly about baseball... Continue Reading

So  after three days of fighting Fibro and CVS I finally managed to completely clean my room and check it off my cleaning schedule! I am so happy. However everything does have it's price. I am was up at 3 am, getting sick because of my CVS (this is a reoccurring theme though), and I was up at 1am for about 45 mins with weird muscle spasms/charlie horse/dead leg thing happening in my calves. It was unpleasant, to say the least. But through all the pain and vacuuming, I learned more than I ever could imagine. You see Proverbs 31:27 talks about the bread of Idleness and what I did not understand was that there is a difference between idleness and rest.

True Radiance: Finding Grace in the Second Half of Life , by Lisa Mladinich, was an enjoyable read! I approached 60 this year. So, I thought this book might offer me some insight in how I might grow old gracefully. As I opened the book and began to read, I quickly learned that Mladinich had other designs. She wants us to know that regardless of our age, The second half of life is a time of building on the past, growing in virtue, and deepening our connection with God, the source and summit of all beauty. Our beauty is not fading; it’s getting more powerful. It’s having more impact. It’s becoming what it was meant to be from the beginning (p. 135).   How reassuring is that! What a powerful statement! Mladinich tells us throughout the book that our beauty comes from... Read more... 

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 From The Cloistered Heart

Wanting respect is reasonable. I think folks who support Gay/LGBT Pride Month for that reason have a point. I don't agree with much of what's said on the gay/LGBT pride issue — and explained why I won't spit venom in today's earlier post. Basically, I should love God, love my neighbor, and see everybody as my neighbor. No exceptions.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Gay/LGBT Pride Month will be over in about two weeks. Wanting respect is reasonable, but I don't agree with much of what's said on this issue. Don't worry, I won't be spitting venom. Even if I felt like it, which I don't, that kind of trouble I don't need. First, I'd better talk about love and respect, and why I think both are important.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: Crooked Under His Arm : With fatherly love we are attended to, placed in the shade away from the noonday sun, crooked under His arm, loved from before we we...

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As the Morning Rising: The Embodiment of the Mystery of Corpus Christi : In the years of their marriage which spanned over fifty years I would hazard a guess that between them, prayer books aside, what my paren...

How Often Do We Think to Turn to God for Wisdom? Lord, There are things in this world that clearly perplex me. Illness, Death, Poverty Just to name a few. There are things to surprise and delight me as well. There I need your guidance on which you have for me and to know my limits. Generous are your ways, it is clear you hold nothing back except for that which is not for my best. For YOU know the plans you have alone for me.

As the Morning Rising: Corpus Christi :  'Take, O take me as I am; Summon out what I shall be; Set your seal upon my heart and live in me.'

Learning Something New My road to sitting with Jesus in Adoration began nearly 10 years ago.  Quite, some might say serendipitously but after spending many hours in His presence, I would say this has the Holy Spirit's finger prints all over it!! My husband and I, along with our children, had just made the transition to this new Church.  It was actually where we met and were eventually married,  but we'd not worshiped there since our wedding nearly 20 years earlier.  We had moved out of town, and spent many years at my childhood Church until circumstances changed and it became clear we had to find a new place to call our Spiritual Home

As a mother of a large family, struggling to wash, dry, and fold three or four loads of laundry every day, I secretly wondered if there was an obscure saint, with little to do, who could fill in as my patron saint of missing socks. Little did I know, God was using the dilemma of unpaired socks to purify me because I was trying too hard to be the perfect mother and housekeeper. This earnest striving was a weakness, not a virtue because my diligence was rooted in insecurity, unbelief but most of all in pride. Again and again, as I read spiritual material, God tried to teach me that true Christianity is not focused on personal perfection but founded on the power of the Cross and Resurrection to set us free. "We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father's love for us." -St. Pope John Paul II "The crucifix does not signify defeat or failure. It reveals to us the Love that overcomes evil and sin." - Pope Francis "Do...

As the Morning Rising: Corpus Christi - Holy Cross Parish Belfast :  Holy Cross Church Ardoyne Corpus Christi Sunday 2013 'I shall love You, I shall love You always; when day breaks, when eve...

Once again, still not me but might as well be me. Yesterday, I had a terrible flare up. It was awful; I couldn’t hold my legs up, my throat felt like it was closing and it was so hard for me to swallow! Not to mention MUSCLE SPASMS EVERYWHERE! So, to be quite honest, I did not get anything done. Or so I thought. When looking at the Home Management Binder To-do list, I realized I still had managed to accomplish 5 of my unending list of tasks. I also realized that, well, some tasks are just going to take me a little bit longer. However, despite my flare up, I did manage to fall asleep. All I could think was a prayer: “God when I wake up please let be able to feel better tomorrow.” Look, I have been experiencing a flare up for the last three days. It’s BS! I am going to be completely honest: it sucks! However, because of God I have the ability to get up and try again. If I have realized anything it is that in this adjustment I must accept the following facts: Click here to conti...

Humanity's current model may be a whole lot older than we thought. A team of scientists say that remains found in Morocco are human, Homo sapiens. The scientists also say these folks lived about 300,000 years ago. If that's confirmed, they were around 100,000 years earlier and about 2,000 miles away from where we thought Homo sapiens showed up. Other scientists say T. rex may not have been fluffy. It looks like the big dinosaur lost its feathers somewhere along the line. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

ARE YOU A GOOD PARENT? DO YOU REALLY THINK SO? WHAT DO YOUR CHILDREN THINK ABOUT THIS? ARE YOU SURE? CLICK HERE - IF YOU DARE

Most of us are stuck in egocentricity; we see the world as if it is revolving around us because we live as if we are the centre of our tiny universe. Since few of us stand with our fellow believers praising Christ, the only true centre of the entire universe, few of us are living in reality. We are blinded by pride which prevents us from receiving Divine love. After confessing egocentricity, an Augustinian’s solution to my spiritual dilemma was a simple prayer. Rather than allowing me to wallow in negativity bemoaning my weaknesses, he instead gave me an ejaculatory prayer, in the tradition of St. Augustine, who loved the short prayers of the early Christians. It was a prayer which simply raised my spirit to God. “Jesus, I love you; possess me.” It was a brilliant way to bring me into reality, to see again what is most important in life. It opened my heart to love, God's love for me, my love for God and love for God’s people. continue

This is super intimidating for me. I have to admit when I was diagnosed I had already been dealing with the pain for a while. However, the depression that comes with the pain caused me to become apathetic to my whole situation. I ignored everything and everyone I cared about. I wasn't sure how to do deal with the pain and I struggled with accepting that I was always going to be hurting. However when readjusting to life I realized that my house isn't going to clean itself. Not that my husband has not picked up a TON of the slack but still. My husband have a division of chores that worked for us. But when I got sick every time I would get up to clean I would get overwhelmed.

As the Morning Rising: A Simple Photograph : Something as simple as a photo of a church pew can stir memories, can stir conscience, can cause a sleeping soul to rouse itself and ...

In view of Sunday’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), an excerpt from my upcoming book, “I am going . . .” Reflections on the Last Words of the Saints is fitting: A teacher was taking her little ones to chapel to visit Jesus. As they passed classrooms, she warned, “Be quiet, so quiet that even Jesus won’t know we are coming.” As the children filed into the chapel, one girl cried out, “Surprise!” When you think about it, we Catholics believe something incredible: that bread and wine become God. It is difficult enough to take on faith that God became a human baby and that the divine body at one time was a mutilated corpse. But furthermore, we believe that at every Mass inanimate objects become God. That is the depth of God’s love for us. Love does foolish things. Click to continue

”  It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; It is the construction of the foundation that will hold the test of time” – David Allen Coe Now that my husband and I can start laying the foundation for our lives, we have become so overwhelmed we end up slowly but surely making little to no progress. However the Holy Spirit touched my heart and I realized “If I can adjust to being sick then I can go back to my life slowly but surely. I have faith that God will guide me there”. As if a light bulb went off instantly. But how does one just get up and go after being down for so long. The first step is always asking for help. So I prayed “God please guide me through the readjustment process”. I knew that my first step would be to reestablish God as my foundation for my life. Click here to continue