Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I think God is pleased with all our prayers, no matter how imperfect they may be. After all, even if we’re pretty distracted, the fact that we’re praying tells God that we care. We believe in him. We want him involved in our lives. And he’s merciful. If we take one step toward him, he’ll take ten toward us. So if you’re praying and trying to connect with God even just once a day ( more about how to do that here ), you’re already doing great. But there is a way to make our prayers more meaningful. Our attitudes make a difference. Not because God gives more grace or less grace depending on how “good” our prayer is, but because the state of our mind and heart makes a difference on how open we are to receiving that grace. Think of the simple image of a cup. You’re standing before a waterfall. The water flows on, and on, and on… ceaselessly. How much you receive depends on you, and the cup you bring with you. If your cup is full of other stuff, you can’t take as much water away wi

Before God gave me my current Spiritual Director, I was feeling very alone, and I asked God to send me someone to guide me.  That night I had a dream. I was in a large beautiful Church, like a Cathedral. The floors where marble. Padre Pio came up to me carrying an open book, He..... . TO READ MORE CLICK HERE!

Squeaky Clean, a wealthy but honest businessman, was dissatisfied with life.  Although he was a practising Catholic as well as an active member of his parish, God seemed far away. Even worse his inner spirit was withering. When he stumbled on  a beautiful farm for sale, he just knew this was God’s answer to his dilemma.  Surely a back-to-the-earth lifestyle would bring him closer to God. Squeaky Clean worked long hours renovating the farmhouse, building barns, silos and fences, clearing brush and planting gardens. After a few years, his farm was charming and well-kept, a stark contrast to Sloppy Joe’s messy place just down the road.  Neighbours marvelled because not only was his farm picture perfect. continue reading

“You can be right. You can be dead right and bring death to all those around you." -  Jean Vanier ( founder of L’Arche)  Holy people realize the closer they actually get to God, the less they really know. They are the simple souls who simply look at God and let Him gaze with love on them in return. continue reading

I have not been able to shake a heavy feeling I've had since I first heard the news about the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. The heaviness, I’ve come to realize, has had very little to do with the issue of same-sex marriage. What I’ve been feeling is embarrassed by my fellow Christians.

Neanderthals apparently had bigger eyes than folks living today. One scientist says that means they didn't play well with others. Bonobos , chimps living south of the Congo River, squeak. The squeaks are the same, whether they're happy, sad, or angry — and may tell us something about how language developed.... ...I think accepting God's universe 'as is' makes sense, so I'll ramble on about hubris, movies, and St. Thomas Aquinas, before discussing Neanderthals and squeaking bonobos .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(From NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); ESA/Hubble Collaboration; used w/o permission.) " The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft. " ( Psalms 19:2 ) Genesis 1:1 - 31 says that God created the universe, and us, and found everything "very good." Psalms 19:2 says that the celestial light show declares the glory of God. Who is this message being directed at? More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Today’s Gospel:  Mark 12:28-34 This passage is a unique exchange between one of the scribes and Jesus. This particular scribe is not out to ensnare Jesus but approaches Him with an open, honest, and extremely intelligent mind. Jesus is actually impressed by this man’s insights and intuitive understanding of the Word of God; even though He does not give the man a traditional, rote answer, the scribe agrees and even expands on Christ’s answer with further insights that are in keeping with the spirit of Jesus’s own, new spirituality. The scribe asks, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replies, quoting from the Old Testament: “The first is this: The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Now Jesus has added a second commandment to the traditional, Old Testament command. However, the scribe

I could be a Christian, following my Lord, if I believed that we live on a flat plate with nothing between us and the cosmic ocean but a sold dome that holds the stars. But my faith doesn't depend on maintaining ignorance of what we've learned in the last two dozen or so centuries. Imagery in 1 Samuel 2:8 and Psalms 148:4 is beautiful, poetic, and consistent with Mesopotamian cosmology : hardly surprising, considering where the Hebrews lived. That was then, this is now, and we've learned quite a bit about the universe since the days of Kubaba and Enmerkar . Some details of their lives seem exaggerated, but folks still pad their resumes, and that — isn't another topic.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  My most recent post at SpiritualDirection.com was about the one path to holiness. Everyone, I wrote, is called to deepen their relationship with God through prayer. Everyone becomes holy by prayer and virtue. As always when this subject comes up, some want to argue that Teresa of Avila’s teaching on the mansions was not meant for lay people. Lay people are too busy to be expected to pray much, the argument goes. So they must be content with offering their day to God and the like. Now, I have no problem with lay people offering their day to God, making their work a prayer, praying as they work, et cetera. Of course we should do that. But I do have a problem with the notion that only monks, nuns, and priests are called to contemplation, or that only they need to spend much time dedicated to mental prayer. So I was happy to read the second chapter on the third mansions in Interior Castle. In this chapter, although Teresa is writing primarily for her cloistered nuns, she u

  Thoughts to Ponder I choose to surrender the clutter in my life, heart, spirit So Jesus will set me free from stuff, Then fill me with His Loving Presence. May the things of this world fall away  so I may fall in love with God. God can only fill the empty places. Grace does what I cannot do. Jesus will have to do everything. This is true humility Pride  entices me to work harder,  pray more,  fast religiously,  perform heroic acts of virtue.  Humility  accepts that only God can save me  and other people. It is my job simply to surrender in prayer  and give Him permission to flow through me. continue

A writing prompt once asked, “Think about the last time you broke a rule (a  big one,  not just ripping the tags off  your pillows).  Were you burned, or did things turn out for the best? ” Just like most people, I do not simply break a rule here and there;  no,  like every other human being, I continually break the most fundamental law of the universe without any conscious effort by refusing to accept reality. Instead of realizing my place in the universe, as one of God’s creations, I put on masks and false personalities in a vain attempt to deny my very nature. In pride, I act like a queen at the centre my own little world. Even worse, I steal God’s job by trying to save myself by my own efforts. continue reading

If you asked a typical Catholic, “ Are you stealing God’s job?” , they would laugh out loud at such a ridiculous question and emphatically deny it.  I know I did.  Granted, the wording of this question is designed to shock. Yet the question is also meant to provoke self- examination.  After someone asked me this question, I examined my life and was surprised at what I discovered. I realized like almost everyone else, I was trying to fulfill the role of God in my day-to-day life. It is an easy trap for most modern people since we are pressured by obligations. In an attempt to cope, we resort to rushing around independently without God. We seize control as we  try to be ever more efficient with little time to relax, pray or socialize. The result is we end up living in isolated, man-made prisons that shut out other humans, never mind other living creatures and God.  Instead of seeking communion, each of us exists at the absolute centre of our little artificial universe.  The conse

The strongest impression for me of these three men is their courage as well as their humble spirituality. They venture into the unknown, following a star of all things, into a foreign land with enough sensitivity to listen to the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit even though they are not Jewish. They have enough humility to prostrate themselves and actually worship an impoverished human newborn in the confines of a stable full of animals and surely the smell of manure The Adoration of the Kings, Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1564 It is not within their spiritual tradition to worship a human, never mind an infant, yet their minds are open enough to acknowledge that this rogue star, which has settled over a stable, signifies an event of cosmic significance.Their hearts and souls are open enough to sense the presence of the Divine in a mortal baby. In comparison to these ancient ‘heathens,’ we do not fare that well. continue

Absolute conformity to the will of God Unwavering devotion to Jesus and Mary Continued @ mommynovenas.org

Real prayer Portraits – Cesar Augusto Is not a mental exercise, a game. Honest prayer Opens our core, our heart to the Almighty, The Creator of the universe. Such prayer is necessarily humble because He is God and we are not. No room for pride; He knows us better than we know ourselves. Stark prayer  is rooted in this reality. All we can do is place ourselves in His  Presence,  in the Light, Letting go of all demands and control, Open to receive His transforming Love. Mother Teresa said:     read more >

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Matthew 5:9 How do we deal with the violence, war, and conflicts that we face in our world today?  How can we serve as true peacemakers in our 21st century culture? St. Bernard of Clairvaux , a Cistercian abbot, a contemplative, theologian, and mystic of the twelfth century is an excellent example for us to follow. Due to the numerous schisms which had arisen in the Church during his age, he traveled extensively throughout Europe, restoring peace and unity. Not only did he deal with divisions in the Church, but he also mediated in secular disputes and was sought out as an adviser and an arbitrator by the ruling powers of his era. What was his secret for restoring peace and unity to a troubled world? He was merely a modest monk with no worldly power or possessions. What made him so influential and valuable to others was the fact that he was a man of heroic virtue. Which virtues made him effective as a peac

A man trying to organize a men's choir said I had a fine voice. Given a choice, he asked, wouldn't someone prefer a beautiful voice to a powerful mind or athletic body? I agreed, but was a bit embarrassed: since I've got two out of the three. My wife's opined that if bad hips hadn't kept me from excelling at sports: I'd be insufferable. She's probably right. Self-Esteem Run Amok Since pride is a sin, is it wrong to be proud of my voice? Yes — and no. It depends on what sort of "pride" is involved. When "pride" is self-esteem run amok, it's one of the seven capital sins: along with avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1866 ) Ancient Greeks called it hubris . It's a bad idea in stories, from " Oedipus Rex ," to Milton's " Paradise Lost " and Paul Ryder's " Cosmic Monsters ." Most of us don't get the sort of reality check

That cute little critter isn't a bird, but it's covered in feathers: unless Kulinda insulation is something new. Newly-discovered, that is.... ...Faced with our rapidly-expanding knowledge of Earth and the universe, folks have options. A person can decide that fuzzy dinosaurs don't matter in the everyday life, which is true. Another option is to decide that humanity had all the answers in 3000 B.C. , 350 B.C. , 1654 A.D. , or some other arbitrary date. My preference is taking the universe "as is," acknowledging that we have learned a great deal: and most likely have a great deal more learn. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

What Jesus did for me, , Yongsung Kim. When we give up striving and trying to save ourselves with our own efforts, when we finally  get out of His way, God has a chance to save us from ourselves. . Sometimes God waits till we are almost drowning, exhausted by our own efforts to save ourselves  because He knows that this is the only time we will accept salvation on HIS terms. read more>