Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I was skimming the channels and happened upon some of those "Ghost" shows where they talk to the dead. The only problem is that they  DO NOT KNOW  who or  WHAT  they are talking to.  DEMONS DO NOT CARRY IDENTITY CARDS!  The 'spirit' took on attributes of a person's mother that had recently passed.  The 'spirit' even knew the Mother and Daughter's 'secret' word that they had chosen in advance of the Mother's passing.  Well that must be proof that was the Mother, right?   NO.   Let me explain.  Demons are constantly around us trying to trip us up so that we lose our salvation, they will  DO ANYTHING , let me repeat : ANYTHING  including taking on the shape, voice, smell, and even provide secret code words in order that you will seek the paranormal (their playing field) and as a result putting you at risk of losing your salvation.  How did the 'spirit' know the code word? Simple, the demon assigned to the Mother or Daughter was p

Mary Crushes Satan  -  We cannot allow fear of the devil and deception to be stronger than our trust in God’s Mercy and Grace. Fear freezes us, often preventing the inner spiritual journey that leads to fullness of life in Christ.  As Catholics, we are often leery of personal revelation. Of course we should be cautious but what are we so worried about? The Church protects us with the gift of confession, the mystical tradition of the Church, spiritual direction and encourages us to study the bible. All theses tools act as personal sign posts and safe guards. Like all  Christians, Catholics  have received the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth. Why don’t we, as Catholics,  give the Holy Spirit permission to do His job? The Holy Spirit is our inner Companion who leads us; we do not  live in fear of  spiritual revelations. Many of God the Father’s children are so afraid that the devil will lead them astray, they do not even listen to His interior whispers of love. Surely w

The Way, The Truth and the Life. Dear ______ The reason I am writing you is because I hope that by my witness you would come to know the truth. My dear friend, I have experienced God personally.  If God is love for each of us individually, there will be no “evidence” or “proof” of that love, the love of God is a personal experience and when a soul experiences it, it is for that soul alone, not to be proven.   If God must “prove” his love, doesn't that cheapen it?  We have loved men in our life, how it would hurt us, if in loving someone they turn to us and say,  “Prove it!” .  No.  God provides no proof for what He gives a soul in love, because it IS love, the purest love of all.    There is no greater intimacy than the love of God that He pours out on a soul that He loves.  I have felt this love.  During prayer, I felt the love of God fill me to the brim.  I was given the knowledge that it was only a small part of the love He has for me, yet I knew that if he ga

To understand why Jesus has to be God, we have to understand the Father also.  The Father is infinite, with no beginning and no end.  Therefore, his attributes are also infinite.  His knowledge is infinite and, most important to us, his memory is infinite.  We were created, and we have a beginning, but with a soul that shall exist forever.  God is the creator of life, and if the angels shall not taste death or annihilation, then neither shall we, to say that our souls face an annihilation is not consistent with the nature of God as creator of life.  We shall be "somewhere" for all time.  A short time, (very short when you think about it) in the flesh, and then eternity either with God or banished from His presence.   So let's go back to the Father's memory.  The Father's memory is infinite, which means He will remember all things for all time.  (He is actually not bound by time, but that is another blog post) So think about that, what you do in the flesh G

I have recently discovered that my spirituality is very similar to that of St. Thérèse the Little Flower probably because I have lived with children under the age of 18 for 33 years.   I think that many mothers can relate to this saint as well. She lived  the   little way   like all people  who are not rich and famous but want to serve God their loving Father through their littleness and simplicity. She chose to stay as a child in they eyes of God, performing all of her duties with love and obedience, no matter how small and insignificant they were.  Matthew 18:3: and said, "Truly, I say to you,   unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.    I like to say that a child, frog and tree are holy because they are who they called to be without a mask or false persona or large ego. St. Thérèse said,    “Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what Go d wants us to be.”  I pray now by simply resti

Pregnant with my seventh child, I was bedridden in the high-risk, neo-natal wing of the maternity ward for a week while waiting for a housekeeper to come to run my home and help tend my six children. I faced 6 months of bed rest but that one week gave me perspective and kept me from sinking into self-pity. The other two women in my room were desperate to keep their babies in uteri and finally become mothers. One of the two had suffered five miscarriages. She was stuck in a ward room for months, only going home after the birth of her baby. Secretly we all feared that we would lose our babies. Suddenly our fears materialized as a high-risk woman’s baby died in her womb. That poor woman had to endure an induction and labour for hours, only to push out a dead baby. The pain in that wing of the hospital was tangible. Tears ran down women’s’ faces as they grieved with their neighbour. It did not matter that none of us had even glimpsed her face. Nurses as well as patients mourned for

As David waited expectantly for my wise response, I scrambled to think quickly but answer truthfully. I was preparing dinner one afternoon, when five-year old David came running up to me with a serious look on his face. He was always full of energy and mischief but he also had a delightful spirituality that was not taught but inborn. Once again, David had  another  theological question for me, “Mum, does Mary live in my heart?” I did some  fast  thinking. Heaven is within us and Mary is in heaven, I thought. So I answered, “Yes sweetie, Mary is in your heart.” David sighed and concluded the discussion,“I guess that means that God is in my feet.” I laughed silently to myself and thought that was a very theologically correct concept since God is our foundation. I had no idea what went on in David’s head after that answer but I soon found out. It was about a week later, when all the kids who were old enough (and one who wasn't really old enough)

In our prayer God gives us usually only three answers when we pray. 1.  Yes  - your prayer is answered. 2.  No.  - your prayer is refused by God.  Don't loose heart - this is not a bad thing - this is a good thing!  A no from God is a time to reflect on what you were asking for, if it was asked in the right heart.  Was it a selfish desire? If you have asked in the right mindset then know that this is your personal lesson that the will and justice of God, for the will of God and the justice of God is always perfect.  You may even never know why the answer is no.  But if you go forth and submit to the will of God then you usually find the answer for the "No" was because if He had said yes it would have diminished or cancelled a grace or gift He wished to give you later.   3.  Not yet.   God's timing is not our timing and we have to understand this, we will wait patiently for what He said He will do, we may even have to wait our lives for it, but tru

I hear so many people say, "Well, if you aren't getting fed at your parish - find another one." or they say, "If your priest distorts the Mass and the sacraments, then go somewhere else." I don't agree with this. If your priest is distorting the Holy Mass or the sacraments, do find a valid mass so that you can be fed, but make sure you come back to the parish where things may not just be "right" and do much prayer and penance for that Priest.  Do not abandon him.  He is precious to God, and what a great gift is given to God if he is turned back from the darkness! For at his hands how many more are touched and if he is obedient to the M agisterium, his obedience will beget good, faithful Catholics.  Pray many Rosaries for him, do penance for him, fast for him, ask God to put it in his heart to take up his Rosary again, for the Holy Rosary demolishes all heresies.   Once I went to Holy Mass (I won't say where) and the Priest was totally de

Do we ever consider the gift that God has given to us in our free will? We take it for granted, this freedom to choose or not choose the divine will for us.  For if we truly understood the freedom of will that has been given to us, and the perils within, we would tremble so much that we could hardly draw breath.   We take it for granted that we can do what we wish, but do we truly understand that the gift of free will last only while we live on the earth? When we die, we will  have to give an account of the gift of free will and how we have or have not conformed our will to God.  This is why God sends no one to hell,  exercising our free will on the earth does .  When at death our free will is sealed, stopped, we, and our will are then presented before God.  Now we are overshadowed by God's will for the judgement for it is God's will alone that determines the placing of the soul in God's kingdom.  Do not be deceived, God will give you the desires of your heart and will

True story. Hand to God. An acquaintance was having neighbor trouble. As often happens, things escalated rather quickly. What had begun as an issue where two sides were taking tough stands and no one was willing to budge swiftly careened into a legal battle. The acquaintance—a woman of great faith who diligently tried to live out her life as a disciple of Christ—was deeply troubled by the chain of events which left her with an impending court date. In the meantime, her young grandchild was in a school play and the play was scheduled for a date very close to the court date. The play was about different virtues or characteristics that are good to practice and to have: things like perseverance and kindness. The grandchild’s role in the play was to carry a placard for one of these virtues—marching around the stage with others holding similar placards with letters boldly proclaiming this characteristic or that trait. With the play and court date fast approaching, all

Wrapped Up Companion Journal Wrapped Up A woman asked me how to start a study for her friends in her parish. After that a young college girl inquired about starting a bible study in her sorority. That was followed by a mother wanting to begin one, in her home, with her friends. It got me thinking...How many women would like to start a study but feel it might be more than they could handle? The good news is, starting a woman’s study is easier than you think!  Here are a few guidelines; and, I would be more than willing to answer any questions as well. I can be contacted at Cheryl@BezalelBooks.com or by calling 248-917-3865. Getting the group together: If you already have a group of interested women, your best bet is to look at your own schedule and offer a couple of options for getting together. I would suggest an hour and a half to two hours, once a week. So, for example if Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. or Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00 p.m. work best for you, send ou

“So basically you are a ‘vanity press,’” was the question posed to me that really sounded more like a statement of fact—and an unattractive one at that. “Well, we offer a variety of publishing services and some of those services are that authors do, indeed, pay to have their books published with us,” were the words I said that didn’t even begin to cover the true response. What I’ve come to see over these past six years working with different authors is that there isn’t a vain one among them. In fact, what I’ve come to know and be blessed by are the men and women who have made the conscious choice to answer the call the Holy Spirit has put upon their hearts to bring a work of fiction or non-fiction to fruition. These are men and women who have taken the “new springtime of evangelization” to heart and have responded. They aren’t in positions of power where their names can open doors; rather, they are the simplest and most humble of people who have prayed and discerned to know God’s c

I belong to the Carmelite Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary.  They have recently revamped their website.  It still has some kinks, but it is very attractive and informative.  This link is part of their prayer page.  It is an inspiring essay on beauty as a way of access to God.  Enjoy! On Beauty - Order of Carmelites | Order of Carmelite

A beautiful reminder for us today... Find more reflections and tips for enriching your faith over at www.trulyrichmom.com :-) For a peek at a Catholic Filipino homeschooling family's life, click  here .

I posted this article at my own site but thought I would share it here, also. It's the second part of a two part post on the dignity of the human person and the everyday means that God uses to sanctify people. In the first post I joked about some of the funnier moments in life that God uses to teach and sanctify us but, life, despite its more humorous moments, is preparing us for eternity: All joking aside for a moment - my last post on how God makes saints out of "regular" people contains an element of truth to it. More than an element, actually. I use the term "regular" people loosely. In truth...there is no such thing as a "regular" person. That bald, chubby, man that you stood next to in the grocery store yesterday is a saint-in-the making. If you were to see his soul with the glorious indwelling of the Trinity you just might fall to your knees in wonder. We are, each and every one, children of the King. And the glory of God surrounds us. It&#

(This was originally posted on the website of one of our country's leading newspapers, the Philippine Star . Feel free to follow my posts there every Tuesday, Philippine time. Or you can also follow my blogs: www.trulyrichmom.com and  www.teachermamatina.blogspot.com . Thank you and God bless you all!) Couples for Christ , our Catholic community, just celebrated its 30th anniversary. CFC’s Main Anniversary Celebration was held at Rizal Park last Sunday, June 26. It was a very busy  week  for a lot of us, myself included. I was tasked to be part of the Documentation Team, heading the CFC Writers’ Guild. It was a fun but tiring job, and I missed my two kids a lot during the entire week, as we had to go home late many nights. Typhoon Falcon came and threatened a lot of our activities, but thank GOD for answering our prayers! People still came to the conferences and were blessed by the messages. One such conference that we thought would be greatly affected by the heavy rains and f