Association Of Catholic Bloggers

The Archangels triumphing over Lucifer  by Marco D’Oggiono Today we celebrate the feast of the Archangels St. Gabriel-  Man of God or  Strength of God St. Michael-  Who is like God St. Raphael-  Divine healer Angels are mentioned over 3000 times in scripture, but these three are the only ones ever mentioned by name. Raphael The Archangel Gabriel The Church of St Mary and St Gabriel West Sussex, 2009 By Philip Jackson continue 

The origins of the holidays are related to the finding by St. Helena relics of the cross at the beginning of the fourth century and dedication in Jerusalem basilica in his honor in 335. At memento of this event – after September 14 – the Church celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." continue reading

I like great art and not shoddy paintings or modern images which border on the obscene.  Images of the Virgin, pale, limp, crying with her eyes rolled back in her head do not appeal to me either. So, I have collected 3,509 images of the Madonna on Pinterest which either appeal to me or are of historical significance and I have barely scraped the surface. To see more images you can visit  my blog post or Pinterest at  https://www.pinterest.com/motherofnine9/ The Virgin with St. Joan d'Arc Our Lady of The Rockies ~ Montana- 90 ft. tall

When the Holy Spirit inspires artists to create art with, through and in Him, their creations touch our inner selves. They are not only beautiful but also imbued with a mystical essence which gives them spiritual power. When light shines through stained glass windows, they can lift our souls up from our own narrow miserable awareness into His presence as we contemplate them. Light is more powerful than darkness and beautiful colourful glass works of art can touch us with a mystical, heavenly light that moves our hearts and souls towards God. No wonder stained glass windows were developed in the Middle Ages as a way of teaching illiterate parishioners the basic Christian message and inspiring them to live holy, prayerful lives. see more

Fr. Giuliani explains his art:  " As a Catholic priest and son of Italian immigrants I bear the religious and ethnic burden of ancestral crimes perpetrated on the first inhabitants of the Americas.  Many have been converted to Christianity, but in doing so some find it difficult to retain their indigenous culture.  My intent, therefore, in depicting Christian saints as Native Americans is to honor them and to acknowledge their original spiritual presence on this land.  It is this original Native American spirituality that I attempt to celebrate in rendering the beauty and excellence of their craft as well as the dignity of their persons." continue

 Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.  1 Chronicles 16:11 Images to inspire us to seek His face. Face of Jesus Crucified - Saints and Sculptures: Stations of the Cross at Kawa-kawa Hills, The Philippines Bernini sculpture Christ by Brenda Ahearn Sage Chapel, Cornell University see more imag es

Merry Christmas to all our writer and readers.   I present a for your enjoyment, a visual gift from generations of artists as they recreate the Nativity Scene to the glory of God. Art depicting the Nativity of Jesus began in the 4th century, based on the narratives in the Gospels and embellished by written, oral and artistic tradition. The Nativity has been depicted in every possible form, from huge murals, panel paintings, minute manuscript illuminations, stained glass windows, oil paintings and altarpieces. Sculptural representations of the Nativity include ivory miniatures, carved stone sarcophagi, architectural features such as capitals and door lintels, and free-standing sculptures like “Creches”, ranging from miniature to life-size.          continue here Michel Anguier, Nativity 1665/ 1668 Marble, height 160 cm St Roch, Paris Nativity with the Torch – Le Nain brothers -

In 1925, in an encyclical entitled  Quas Primas , Pope Pius XI instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, as “the crowning glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ.”  Pope Pius's insights are powerful; in order for Jesus to be enthroned as King, he must first reign in the minds, wills and hearts of each person. To inspire this surrender of my id, my ego, my false self to Christ the King, I present glorious images, revealing His majesty and might. In this modern age we tend to focus on the Love of Christ but today let's focus on His glory.   continue

  May is Mary's month, but we celebrate "Our Lady of the Rosary" October 7th, which commemorates the naval victory of Lepanto over the Turks. The pope at the time, St. Pope Pius V, had asked the all of Europe to pray the rosary for victory because the Turks were poised to invade Italy. The victory was won, even though the odds were stacked against the Catholic forces, freeing many Christian slaves on board the Turkish ships. The Art of Anna Szmatuła . By 250 A.D. Christian Prayer to Mary was widespread, rising to the level of liturgical prayer. In a beautiful Coptic papyrus, dated circa 250 A.D., is inscribed the following prayer:  Under thy compassion we take refuge, Theotokos [Birthgiver-of-God]; do not disregard our prayers in the midst of tribulation, but deliver us from danger, O Only Pure, Only Blessed One. continue>

 Dolci Carlo   Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalen Luke 7:47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little frederick sandys  Mary Magdalen was so called either from Magdala near Tiberias, on the west shore of Galilee, or from a Talmudic expression meaning “curling women’s hair,”  which refers to an adulteress. In the New Testament she is mentioned among the women who accompanied Christ and ministered to Him (Luke 8:2-3), where it is also said that seven devils had been cast out of her (Mark 16:9). She is next named as standing at the foot of the cross (Mark 15:40;Matthew 27:56; John 19:25; Luke 23:49). She saw Christ laid in the tomb, and she was the first recorded witness of the Resurrection. Most of the Latins hold that these three were one and the same.         see more> botticelli lamentation b

When light shines through stained glass windows, they can lift our souls up from our own narrow miserable awareness into His presence as we contemplate them.  Light is more powerful than darkness and beautiful colourful glass works of art can touch us with a mystical, heavenly light that moves our hearts and souls towards God. No wonder stained glass windows were developed in the Middle Ages as a way of teaching illiterate parishioners the basic Christian message and inspiring them to live holy, prayerful lives. pieter coecke van aelst When the Holy Spirit inspires artists to create art with, through and in Him, their creations touch our inner selves. They are not only beautiful but also imbued with a mystical essence which gives them spiritual power. read more  

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I have been working on a series every day, all month (except Sundays) where I blog my way through the Catholic faith, by way of the alphabet. Today, I wrote about N ovenas and thought I would share the midpoint of what has become a wonderful, ongoing conversation with atheists, Protestants and cradle Catholics, people from the United States, India and the UK to name a few. I extend the invitation to you, to share your voice and add to the whole of our Catholic faith. Read more at Filling my Prayer Closet...  

The feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, March 25th,  celebrates the angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary, announcing that she has been chosen to be the Mother of  God. Most of all it celebrates Mary’s  fiat,  her willing acceptance of God’s  plan, even though she is young, a virgin and in would face censure becoming pregnant in her culture. (Luke 1:26-38) The expressions on Mary’s face range from her initial fear, reverence, peaceful acceptance to her receiving of the Holy Spirit. Nicolas Poussin. The Annunciation. c.1655 Orazio  Gentileschi,The Annunciation 1623 The feast of the Annunciation dates back at least to the fifth century, and the d ate of the feast, which is determined by the date  of  Christmas, was set at March 25 by the seventh century.  The Annunciation, as much as or even more so than Christmas, represents Christ’s Incarnation. When Mary signaled to Gabriel her acceptance of God’s Will, Christ was conceived in her womb through the power of the Holy S

Simeon’s Moment by Ron DiCianni © 2013.  Image used by Permission www.TapestryProductions.com The   Presentation of Jesus at the Temple  (Luke 2:22- 40) - February 2 the young-the old observance-prophecy Pope Francis said  the Presentation is “a meeting between the  young  full of joy in observing the Law of the Lord and the  elderly  full of joy by the action of the Holy Spirit.” “It is a singular  meeting between observance and prophecy ,”   Fra Bartolommeo (di Pagholo) OP (1472 – 1517) candlemas day continue >