Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Working with children (and raising a batch with my husband), I've picked up a few critical pieces of information about how children learn. For example, children require simple explanations in terms they can understand instinctively. Children also have little patience for information or activities that seem irrelevant to their concerns; they learn new concepts best when they can relate to the topic personally. Pope Francis knows this well, which is why he hopes families, in this Year of Mercy, will provide children with an experience of mercy. In his book-length interview, The Name of God Is Mercy, Pope Francis helps us all understand mercy by defining it in theological terms and then also giving us concrete, practical examples of what mercy feels like in daily life. Parents, grandparents, and teachers who want to share the Year of Mercy with children in their lives will find a wealth of wisdom in Pope Francis. Join me at Praying with Grace for the rest of the story. . . .

Sometimes it’s hard to find time to pray. Actually, most of the time. Maybe once in a while life calms down enough to lend itself to prayer, but the rest of the time, we can easily go from morning until evening barely keeping up with family, work and responsibilities, and never finding the time to talk to God. Finding time for prayer doesn’t have to be a daunting challenge. St. Ignatius of Loyola developed a simple prayer we can say each day called the Examen. A priest recommended this prayer to me several months ago; I’ve prayed it (almost) every day since then and have found it helpful. The best part? If I have half an hour, it can fill the full half hour. If I have only 3 or 5 minutes, that’s OK – it still works. There are many different versions of the examen, but they all consist in five basic steps that came from St. Ignatius of Loyola.  Continue reading at Eyes On Heaven.

Getty Images I'll keep this short! I know everyone has a lot of blog reading to do today before the Lenten hush sets in over the Internet. Here's a quick and delicious recipe for Lent, the perfect sandwich you can enjoy  every single day  in the season of purple:  The PRAYER sandwich. Check out the "recipe" at Praying with Grace !

As a Christian I am bound to follow my conscience, my inner guide to doing good and to avoiding evil.    Every Evening, as the day winds down, I spend about  ten minutes at the beginning of "Night Prayer" to review my day by examining my conscience.  The guide that I have found most helpful lately is called "An Examen." I like this way of reflecting on my day because it is balanced.  It helps me see both the times I practiced virtue as well as the times I sinned.  This is in contrast to other examinations I have used which emphasize only the sinful acts.  Noticing God's goodness and appreciating his providence is another outcome that has helped me.  I feel a strong impulse to give God glory and praise as a result. Read more here .