Association Of Catholic Bloggers

With so many states reopened for business, defying the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Guidelines, one must take caution when leaving the home. The Coronavirus has not retreated. It waits, in hiding, ready to ambush us. Until we have a reliable means for treatment, or a vaccine, we risk illness, or possibly death. The question is: How much risk are you willing to take? For my husband and me, we are in the high risk group, as we are both over 60 years of age. Therefore, for us, courage is needed, just to leave the house. Courage is Needed My husband and I are not alone. Like many others, the extent of our new routine is a weekly trip to the grocery store, the post office (after hours), and our Church Office to drop off our donations in the mail slot. We keep our interactions with others to a minimum. So, for us, our greatest and only exposure is when we venture on these three weekly trips. Yet, all essential workers are at risk every day. For them, courage is needed consistentl...

With all the illness and death, due to the coronavirus, possibly affecting our relatives and friends, we may find it difficult to see virtue. Yet, the virtues of caring, kindness, patience, generosity, gentleness, love, compassion, courage and hope abound. Especially in times of crisis, we need to find virtue, or we might just go insane! Find Virtue Caring : We don’t need to look far to see caring eyes behind those masks of the nurses and doctors. Kindness : When we see the 7 p.m. round of applause for all of the hospital workers; that is a pure act of kindness, showing gratitude. Patience : We show patience while waiting for our turn to get that coveted toilet paper. Generosity : Oregon and California’s generosity were on full display in the lending of ventilators and sharing supplies with those states in more dire need. Read more...

Do you believe in Jesus’ power? I don’t ask this question flippantly. I really want to know if you place your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Do you believe that all things are possible with God (Matt 19:26)? Can you begin to fathom the extent of Jesus’ power? We live in turbulent, vitriol times. It would be hard to miss the massive corruption, dishonesty and incivility, originating from the halls of government, that permeate throughout our society as well. As human beings, we like to think that we are in charge. We don’t like anyone else trying to usurp the power that we think we possess. When someone tries to usurp our perceived power, times become even more turbulent and vitriol. It’s a vicious cycle. All the while, we lose focus on who really has the power – Jesus Christ! I believe in Jesus’ Power! I’ll admit, that I’ve been grappling with this internal tug-of-war. I want to place my full faith and trust in Jesus. But, there are days when I ask, “ God, where are you...

Do you struggle with pain? I do! I live with congenital clubbed feet. This means that I was born with all of my bones, from my toes to my pelvis, twisted out of alignment. In essence, my feet curve inward, where your feet stand straight. At birth, the doctors thought that I would never walk; that I would be in a wheelchair my entire life. Yet, I defied the odds, and at age two, stood up and started walking, albeit clumsily. This meant that I would need special shoes. Throughout my almost 60 years, I have... Read more...

Out with the old, in with the new! As we welcome the promise of the New Year, let us not forget all that God provides. Everything God gives us is a gift, right down to every breath we take. Many times when we experience struggle and illness, we want to push the pain away as soon as we can, and forget the incident. Out of sight – out of mind! We certainly do not consider struggle and illness as gifts coming from God! However, that is not necessarily true. Even times of difficulty can be a gift from God. It is at these times that He graces us with opportunity to grow closer to Him. No – He does not give you hardships and illnesses. Let’s make that perfectly clear. But, He is with you always through the struggle and the pain. He graces you with... Read more...

Most Highly Favored Daughter , by Janice Lane Palko is salacious, intriguing and an all-around winner! If you are looking for a good book to read on a cold winter’s day, look no further than Most Highly Favored Daughter , set in Pittsburgh, PA during Super Bowl weekend. Janice Lane Palko creates compelling, deeply fraught characters who lure you in from page one. Cara Hawthorne Wells, the socialite elite of the Pittsburgh area, finds herself in a real pickle early on in the book. Yet, Janice Lane Palko shows us that Cara is much more than a former debutante. Cara, a seeker of truth, demonstrates courage and integrity when faced with a sordid adversity. Cara’s sister, Sophia, originally comes across as the flighty, irresponsible sister. Yet, when adversity strikes, Sophia... Read more...

Do you remember, as a child, those last lazy days of August, soaking up the last bit of summer before the new school year would start? You made every attempt to get that last bit of fun in before your days filled with school work. Preparing for the New School Year Over Labor Day weekend you shopped for new clothes and new supplies. I remember taking brown grocery bags and cutting them up to make book covers for my books. That was back in the day when, as children, we had actual hardcover text books, that our parents paid for and we could keep! (I went to Catholic grade school). Palpable hope exuded in the atmosphere... Read more...

by Nancy Ward Last Mother’s Day we went to the 10:00 a.m. Mass at St. Jude’s in Allen, TX,  with my son Andrew and his family. We arrived early while the choir was practicing and sat in the third row behind their two reserved rows. Andrew prepared his French horn and joined the music practice. When the practice was over, just before Mass started, I observed this young man come from the row of choir microphones and around the pews with an armful of pillows. He headed toward the pew in front of us where an elderly woman and a couple of young people were sitting. He motioned that he wanted to sit in that pew and they moved toward the aisle to allow him to move past them. He hesitated, said something to them and after a short conversation, they moved to another pew. He arranged his pillows in the pew and lay down on his back.  I turned to my daughter-in-law inquisitively and she told me about the man’s back problems and recent back surgery. His name was Patrick...

Bravery is an attribute that best describes my dad, Ed Duffy; a World War II veteran awarded the Bronze Star for Bravery while serving in Germany. He was a radio operator. As the story goes (from his transcript for why he was awarded the medal), he crawled out into the line of fire to quickly repair a wire connection so that his radio would work. If anyone were to ask him about that day and to elaborate on the story, you would get... Read more...  

Be Not Afraid! Have Courage! Not so easy? You ask, “Why should I be the one who acts so courageous? Look around! You don’t see anyone else stepping up to the plate!” Hmm…need I say more? If no one acted courageously, and set the example for others to follow, we would all be swallowed up in fear – and fear comes from the devil. When you lack courage and you are aware of what makes you afraid, it is incumbent upon you to face those fears. For me, I am afraid to take risks for fear of failure. If I... Read more...

Courage cannot be denied! Think about that for a moment. Other people can deny you love, joy and peace, but no one can take courage away from you. That is because courage is found only from within. Solely by the grace of God, you have courage when you need it. Courage of Martyrs/Persecuted Christians When I think of courageous people, I first think of martyrs; from the earliest Christians, like the Apostles, to the persecuted Christians of today. They all have one thing in common, the persecutors robbed them of their physical freedom and took their lives because they were... Read more...  

In prayer I asked the Lord, "Lord guide my steps to where you want me to be and give the words you wish me to say." This is apparently a very powerful prayer as I am about to explain.   After praying this prayer, I got a strong inclination that I needed to go to the hospital.   So I drove to Clark Memorial and sat at the end of the long hallway and began to pray my Rosary. To find out what happened in the Hospital Waiting Room, click HERE!