Association Of Catholic Bloggers

  No quisiéremos que este fuese el tema que nos ocupa .Quisiéramos escribir sobre cosas hermosas, que las hay, no cabe duda, pero a veces quedamos tan impactados de ciertas realidades tan dolorosas y tristes que de noche y de día nos persiguen y es casi una catarsis el decir algo sobre ellas.   Para ello y en esta ocasión nos vamos a referir al comienzo del admirable Salmo 23 : del Rey David : “ El Señor es mi pastor, nada me faltará“. "El Señor es mi pastor, nada me falta, en verdes praderas me hace reposar y hacia fuentes tranquilas me conduce para reparar mis fuerzas”… ... pues bien parece que nos llega desde los Estados Unidos la parodia de este Salmo para suplirla por la fatídica heroína… “ La heroína es mi pastor, de ella siempre necesitaré. Me conduce a una dulce demencia, destruye mi alma. Me lleva al camino del infierno. Aunque camino por cañadas oscuras a la sombra de la muerte, no temo ningún mal, porque la droga está conmigo “. ...

Man with Two Loaves of Bread ,  Jean-François Raffa ë lli     [ Web Gallery of Art ]  Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Mark 6:24-35 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)   So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’  Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’  T...

HOW DO YOU MAKE A SAINT? IS A SAINT BORN OR MADE? ARE YOU A SAINT? CAN YOU BECOME ONE? CLICK HERE

This week I head north to Lancaster, PA to attend the annual Catholic Writers Guild (CWG) Conference (8/1 to 8/3/18). I’m looking forward to spending time with my fellow Catholic authors and publishers, as this conference gives writers an awesome chance to network with skilled professionals. My ability to review many of the books you’ve read about, on this website, results from the development of personal relationships, cultivated with quality Catholic authors and publishers. This week holds great promise for me. I will be speaking at one of the breakout sessions on  The Reality of Self-Publishing . This is my opportunity to “pay it forward,” by sharing my experience of entering the self-publishing business. My goal is to share with others some lessons learned, so that they can be successful. At this conference, ... Read more...

IS IT A SIN TO HAVE FUN ? CLICK HERE

We were all shocked and shattered when my brother announced that he wanted to become a priest. It was not just that he wanted to become a priest, but he wanted to become a Cistercian priest. That meant that once he left home he would never return. Naturally my mother was totally bereft. She was proud that her son wanted to be a priest, but why, oh why, did he want to become a monk as well? She did not know what to do, but fortunately she did know whom to turn to. She turned to Gus, a friend since childhood.  read on....

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes , Lambert Lombard  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Mark 6:1-15 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.   A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.   Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.  Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.  When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’  He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.  Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enoug...

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the mother of James and John, what do you wish (Matt: 20:21)? Their mother asks Jesus to allow her sons to sit on Jesus’ right and left in the Kingdom of Heaven. This mother has a lot of moxie! In response, Jesus asks an additional question, directed at James and John: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink” (Matt 20:22)? What do you wish? I find the question, what do you wish, to be quite intriguing. If Jesus were sitting at a table across from you right now, and asked you that very question, how would you answer? Some of you might respond by requesting material comfort, in the form of money and a cushy lifestyle. Perhaps you might request power to rule over others. Maybe you seek fame. My hope is that you would dispense with these types of requests, and you might ask for any of the following: Read more...

Today I came across this short talk on my computer. I forgot where I gave it. May you will find it inspiring: You've probably seen photos from the Hubble telescope that show the galaxy Andromeda, the one closest to us. It makes you dizzy. There are billions of stars in it. Beyond that there are zillions of other galaxies. And here we are on tiny planet Earth, just a blue and green speck in the enormous universe, but Earth contains life. It’s a miracle. Reflect with me a few minutes about what your life means. From all eternity God planned to create you. Then at a certain time and place, almighty God loved you into being. A certain woman and a certain man met and came together and gave you a set of genes unlike any other person’s. You are unique. And you are marvelous. Your eyes keep blinking to keep them lubricated. Right now your stomach is digesting your last meal. Put your hand over your heart. It beats more than 100,000 times a day, sending oxygen to cells to keep you alive...

Fr Francis Vernon Douglas (1910–1943) Fr Francis Vernon Douglas, known as 'Vernon' to his family, was taken away by Japanese soldiers on 27 July 1943 and never  seen again. It is presumed that he died on that date. This brief article is by my Columban confrere Fr John Keenan who has spent most of his life since 1966 in the Philippines, with a stint in Britain, and has done more than any other Columban to tell the story of Fr Douglas. He first wrote about Fr Douglas in 2001 in  Here was a brave and strong man , an article that describes the suffering of the New Zealander and that has appeared in a number of publications since then. Fr Francis Vernon Douglas Remembered by Fr John Keenan L to R: Vernon Douglas (nephew), Verne Turner (niece), Brendan Douglas (son of  Vernon) and Cliff Turner (husband of Verne) Douglas Family at St Mary Magdalene Church, Pililla, Rizal, September 28, 2016 It is now 75 years since the martyrdom of Fr Vernon Douglas on ...