Association Of Catholic Bloggers

...“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”   “We can,” they answered .  Matthew 20:22 I’m a nurse;  I’ve seen people suffer . I’ve helped calm women as they experience the agony of childbirth.  I’ve administered morphine when the pain of cancer becomes too much to bare. I’ve held a mother as she wailed after the death of her child. James and John  want  prestige, position and favouritism from Jesus. Instead he offers them suffering! And they accepted it. They went on to experience terrible suffering, and they persevered and endured. Do we dare  to sit before Jesus and allow Him to ask us,  'can you drink of this cup?' During this season  of Lent...read on: https://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/  

Susanna Wesley, the  mother of the famous preachers John and Charles, gave birth to nineteen children and lived in a tiny house. The only place she could retreat to pray was the corner of her kitchen. Her children knew that when she sat there with her face hidden behind her apron, woe betide anyone who disturbed her. This was her sacred space. The word,  sacrosanct ,  first came into use around the 15th Century. It virtually disappeared from everyday English for a few hundred years, making a comeback in recent times. It is derived from two Latin words:  sacro 'by a sacred rite'  and  sanctus, 'holy.' Read on:  susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au

Reflection by  Susanne Timpani 'The sun has played havoc on your Celtic skin.' Dr Raju tilted her head. I'd never considered myself a member of the Celtic clan before. For a moment I felt I had been plucked from their midst and deposited into my current, sunburnt, country. 'The cream will irritate, redden, wrinkle, blotch and burn your skin,' she muttered as her hand swept across her script pad, 'but it will halt the changes to your cells and prevent skin cancer...  Read more: https://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/ If I take the wings of the morning     and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me,     and your right hand shall hold me fast. Psalm 139: 9-10

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control.   2 Timothy 1: 7 Reflection by Malcolm Davies : When I was  younger I worked in a team in the public service who were all young men and we decided to have a team lunch. Some of the  men wanted to go to a “topless” lunch place. I said I would not be going as it was disrespectful to women. One of them replied that women were part of creation and therefore what was I worried about. There was a lot of tension between some of the men and myself. I agreed that  women were part of creation and therefore should be honoured and respected and that for that reason I would not be going with them...read on: http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

Life's path is  never straight.  There may be smooth stretches, but they don’t last. A dead end causes our plans to screech to a halt. A fork in the road forces us to make an unexpected decision. A hidden obstacle trips us up.  If we fall hard enough, the injury is not only painfully inconvenient, but sometimes it signals the end. Or does it?  Would it make any difference if we followed the voice of a trusted Global Positioning System? (GPS) This examines all the possible routes and – within its robotic limitations – directs us away from the no through roads and back onto the path. If we switched  on our inner GPS, by sitting in quiet prayer, we are likely to hear the Voice of God. However, there is one significant difference... Read More:  http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

How many times do we find our minds being 'unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind'? (James 1:7) Do you have a mentor in your life who will calmly tell you to go away and 'pray about it'? Sometimes I find that response infuriating. I can't hear myself think, let alone sit still and listen for the voice of God. Yet God 'is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him.' (James 1: 5) Read More:  http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

Who doesn't enjoy  a beautiful wedding? Our senses are delighted with music, food, flowers, the colours and textures of fabrics, the transforming impact of hairstyles and makeup and the elegance of jewellery. Our spirit is lifted by the palpable joy between the couple. Like any event, weddings  don't just happen.  Hours of hard work, negotiation - conflict management - and careful planning have set the scene. My own wedding preparation was no different. When we requested a non-traditional hymn in the church repertoire, the musician obliged, but not before muttering, 'that's an odd choice of song for a wedding.'

I recently received the gift of tickets to see Andre Rieu. The concert isn’t scheduled for another six months so I've stored the tickets away until I need them. Imagine if I lose them! Or if I forget I even had them! I will never experience the true joy the gift was intended to bring me. Nor could I genuinely show appreciation to my generous gift giver. God has provided us with spiritual gifts with which to live the spiritual life. Over the next 7 months, the 10 Minute Daily Retreat will reflect on 7 of these gifts; one every month. In June, we will reflect on the gift of Wisdom. 'Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.' Proverbs 4:6 Join us on our journey! Reflections can be sent by email. Details on: 10 Minute Daily Retreat Blog

'There are two dangers in life. First, there is the danger of a too constant activity. Second, there is the danger of too much withdrawal. The rhythm of the Christian life is the alternate meeting with God in the secret place and serving people in the marketplace.' (William Barclay) 'He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.' Mark 6:31-33 http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

A mighty wind invades the world, So strong and free on beating wing: It is the Spirit of the Lord From whom all truth and freedom spring. The Spirit is a fountain clear Forever   leaping to the sky, Whose waters give unending life, Whose timeless source is never dry. The Spirit comes in tounges of flame, With love and wisdom burning bright, The wind, the fountain and the fire Combine in this great feast of light. O tranquil Spirit, bring us peace, With God the Father and the Son. We praise you, blessed Trinity, Unchanging, and forever One. (Hymn from The Divine Office)

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”   But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.   Luke 1:26-29     Surely Mary, the  mother of Jesus, holds the greatest honour amongst mothers? Mary responded to the invitation to bear Jesus by 'pondering.' This is a wonderful example for us. Pondering implies a  careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter – reflection, meditation. Don’t be fooled  into thinking that little decisions don’t need our pondering.  Whatever we choose  brings us closer to God or further away, and either brings others closer to God or further away.  Regular ‘pondering’ facilitates ...

We are chosen  for love. We are sent out into the world to love one another.  Sometimes we live as if we were sent into the world to compete with one another, or to dispute with one another, or even to quarrel with one another. But the Christian is  to live in such a way that he shows what is meant  by loving. It is here that Jesus makes another of his great claims. Read on:  10 Minute Daily Retreat I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. John 15:23-24

Have you ever  shed tears over the experience of utter rejection? The devastation in relationship breakdown runs about as deep as it gets. Or perhaps the rejection is the loss of a dream, a goal we worked so desperately to achieve?  Writers are encouraged  to re-enter those experiences, examine them and from the depths, produce a story written from the heart. Yet, it's not  the pain readers want to experience. That's only part of the story. Whether Fact or Fiction, the power of a story is in victory over adversity. It's the power of love, the promise of hope, the moment when tears are wiped away. No one can escape  episodes of grief and pain. Today's reading tells us that God is with us in those moments, and that He promises to wipe away our tears.   This is a sampler  of the heavenly promise that one day there will be no more tears at all.

  John 10:27   " My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they ...[stop and listen].

Jesus said to  them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. (John 21:12)     Lent is over  and many of us have returned to our pre-lenten routine. We've stored away those extra prayers and acts of good will for another year. Likewise, after Jesus died the disciples returned to their fishing business. Yet the Resurrection  changes everything.    Today we read how Jesus returns to His disciples, not as a vision or a ghost, but as the Risen Lord.  He calls His  disciples from their work and over breakfast explains how their life as His disciples can never be the same. They have His mission to continue.  Jesus extends the  same invitation to us.To join Him for 'breakfast' - per daily prayer – and discover new possibilities for a deeper relationship with Him, the Resurrected Lord.