Association Of Catholic Bloggers

 I have had one of those weeks. It was a week for the record books. With one thing piling on top of the other and the cherry on the cake being my husband was away for most of it. It was week that despite feeling like I was being attacked at every turn I had to surrender to the challenges and keep praying through it all. As I laid my head on my pillow last night after the long week before me, I realised two important things. The first is that I don't just want happiness for my children. The second is that I don't just want them to be good people. The reason is "happy" and "good" won't be enough when they are faced with the bad or difficult days, weeks or months  in their life's journey.  Read more...

What Really Happens at the Holy Mass. This is where I am happiest, at the Holy Mass.  Now I will tell you what really happens at Holy Mass. The Lord told me some time ago, "I want you to go to Holy Mass everyday."  I thought, "O.k., I can do that."   At the time I was only going to Holy Mass once a week, an occasional day Mass but I mostly just prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  I didn't understand, but I obeyed.  Going to Holy Mass everyday required some coordination, I would have to get up earlier and find a Mass along the way to work.  Also, the Mass would have to be close enough to work that when it was finished I could still get to work on time.  I found several different permanent options, and a few back up plans if for some reason I couldn't get to my regular daily Mass. It took about a year of going to Holy Mass daily, but then things started to change.   This was no longer an obligation, but a joy!    God started to open my eyes t

What you put in the collection basket says a lot about you and where you are at in your journey. Some of us put in our 10% tithing without a second thought. Some of us put in the few “extra” dollars we may have. Some of us struggle with the need to “give” to the already “rich” church and so put in very little. I remember once when one of my sons was quite young and had — unbeknownst to me — picked up all his change from his room and put it in the collection basket as it passed. I think it was about 19 cents. But very few of us realize that when that basket passes, it is an incredible opportunity to give anything and everything to God. Sure, it is about money and tithing; but money is only the beginning. That collection basket is a chance to empty yourself so that your gifts may be joined to those of Christ’s at the altar and used for God’s kingdom. They will be joined in the consecration and if offered with no strings attached can be appropriately dispensed by God, who

I'm standing near the edge of a cliff.  The land is barren with no vegetation.  The edge of the cliff is jagged.  I look over the edge and see a drop that takes my breath away.  This is the eternal pit that if you fall in, you never come out of.  The fall into this darkness is for miles and miles.  At the bottom of this pit are horrors that I will not mention here.   I look to my right and a mile wide along the edge of the cliff there are people standing at the edge ready to fall in.  Behind them, packed very tightly are thousands of souls behind the ones on the edge and they are so tightly packed that they cannot move even their arms easily.  They cannot run from the horror that awaits them as there is something constraining them, keeping them in place.  Occasionally one or two will break free of the bonds that are holding them and run away from the path of destruction.   Then I see the most horrible thing.  People were being added to the back of this horrible line and the ad

written Sunday, September 01, 2013 +JMJ+ I had a dream last night - I was in Mexico, being shown around by a young priest who was newly ordained and native to that area.  He was telling me about the faith in Mexico, and I remember most clearly that he added, "Today is Sunday - today is the most important day of all time." It's the day of the Resurrection.  So I thought about that a great deal (yes, while still dreaming). I think we oftentimes (or I do, anyway) unconsciously downplay the importance of a Sunday.  Modern culture, after all, is definitely an anti-help to restoring the great reverence due to this day. link   (I thought the above vintage advertisement for Sunday school was intriguing and also a bit amusing.  But I loved how the women were so classy, even down to the little cloche and pillbox hats and their spotless white gloves... Don't go to Mass as if you were going to a baseball game.  Dignity, people.) Read the rest here. http://tr

Father was a no show at the 8 a.m. Holy Mass today.  The old man stood at the back door waiting for him, he said he had talked to Father and that he had said he would be there.  At 8:02, we decided to have a communion service.  Jim, wonderful servant of God, did the service for us.  One of the men came up to me and a woman that I was speaking to after the service.  You never saw this man without his rosary in his hand.  It gave me such hope to see one so faithful every day to the Rosary of our Blessed Mother.  He came over and speaking to the woman spewed a derogatory comment about Father.  My heart dropped.  The woman agreed and joined in the bashing.  This isn't the first I had heard of this, and every time I hear it, it broke my heart.   They invited me to McDonald's for breakfast, I declined and said I would stay and pray.  The woman said to me, "Well he needs it!" (Meaning Father.)  What she didn't know was that most of my prayers would be in suppl

I went to Holy Mass and I was crying, not for myself, but sometimes God puts in on my heart to weep for souls that are lost.  This day I was crying very much for the lost.  After we received the Holy Eucharist, the Priests (we had two that day at St. Luke) began to pray for me. I know this because I could feel their prayers for me.   I could feel these men's beautiful hearts praying for me. Men by their nature are made to be the protector of the family.  How much more so is a Priest a protector, not just by his nature of being a man, but by being "in persona Christi" for those in his church 'family'? I could feel these beautiful Priests hearts praying for me, praying out of a desire to protect me, to shield me from any pain as evidenced by my tears, and if that was not possible, to have God intervene so that I would no longer cry. Good and holy priests, with hearts like St. Joseph, loving, protecting those in your charge.  Yet this heart was also like our

, The Charity of St Lawrence , Bernardo Strozzi, painted 1639-40 Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  Gospel  John 6:41-51  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) The Jews then murmured at Jesus, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.

"If we only knew how God regards this Sacrifice, we would risk our lives to be present at a single Mass." St. Pio of Pietrelcina Padre Pio Devotions My friend shared this with me the other day. It may me ashamed that even though I attend Mass daily, sometimes I am there physically but my mind and heart are somewhere else. Instead of thanking God with all my heart for the ultimate sacrifice He made for a sinner like me, I am worried about some trivial matter or I am rehashing past hurts. I often pray to Padre Pio that I could cry when meditating on Jesus' Passion just like he did when he celebrated Holy Mass. I pray that I never take for granted this awesome privilege we have in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.