Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I think impatience must be at an all-time high for just about everyone these days, as we deal with the impacts of the coronavirus. How soon will we have a vaccine? How long before we can resume our lives as we once remembered them? Will life ever be “normal” again?  These questions are valid, and everyone wants the answers to them. But impatience solves nothing! We need to give the scientists the time needed to develop an efficacious vaccine. Otherwise, we will be back in the boat we are in now. Impatience Solves Nothing The only thing that impatience does is make us unhappy. So, right there that should tell us all that impatience does not come from God, because God is all good. He only wants us to be happy. Impatience is the work of the devil, trying to convince us that if we yell and whine louder, that somehow our desired results will come sooner. What folly! Patience, on the other hand, enables a person to endure elongated suffering with a graceful heart, all while maintaining o...

So, how is your patience level these days? Feeling a little stressed? Maybe you’re snapping at your spouse, and wondering why? If you answer yes to these questions, then join my club! Yes, my patience level needs some work. Impatience, in a time of crisis, is normal, especially when dealing with the unknown increases your stress. Yet, maintaining patience, in a time of crisis, can serve you well. Maintaining Patience The first thing that you need to do is to determine what increases your stress level, thus, decreasing your patience. Lately, for me, my stress level increases every time I hear... Read more...

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...

As the new school year gets underway, this is the time of year when transitions for children can be unsettling. What results? A lack of patience on everyone’s part. Everyone is looking for their new “norm” and it can’t come fast enough. For children, especially, finding patience can seem impossible. Whether you have moved to a new home, in the same school district, or to a totally new town, change can be difficult for children. Everything they know is in a state of upheaval. Moving to a new town means going to a new school and making new friends. To help children navigate transition more easily, I wrote a children’s book for ages 6-8, to help them through this process. The story is set at the beginning of the new school year. Faith, the oldest of the three sisters is heading into second grade in a new town and a new school. She doesn’t know any of her new classmates, but they all seem to know each other. This makes Faith feel uncomfortably like an outsider. The story line has a...

Waiting with Elmer , by Deanna Klingel is excellent book for the young adult in your life who needs to learn patience. Learning to wait for God’s timing can be an impossible task for anyone, but especially for a child. Meet Willy Skyes, left at a train station, by his father, to fend for himself. As Willy sits on a bench, waiting for the father who will never return, he meets Elmer, who seems to run the town of Waitnsee. Elmer introduces Willy to all the town’s residents, especially Rake, who runs the Union Street Mission. Willy and his dad were always running from town to town because of the misdeeds of Willy’s dad. Now Willy was alone, but not for long. The men of the Union Street Mission take Willy under their wings, and Elmer makes sure that Willy has what he needs; a place to sleep, food, new clothes, and an education. As the story progresses, we see Willy grow in virtue, especially patience, building bonds with the men of the Union Street Mission. He finds a “family” in t...

Ever sit at home waiting for the cable guy to appear? Or wait by the phone for medical test results to come in? Waiting is agony! As a very impatient person, I struggle at mastering the virtue of patience. Yet, we all must try practicing patience not only with others, but with ourselves.  In trying to follow my own advice, here are some suggestions for how to master the virtue of patience: Think of how patient God is with you every day. How long has He waited for you to respond to His call? Think about the agony of persecuted Christians willing to die for Christ. Then put your own agony into perspective. Know that God will give you only what you can handle and no more. Trust in God, knowing that His plan for you is a good plan. No human can thwart God’s plan! Read more...

The leftover turkey and fixings are still in the fridge. Yet, I have to ask. Have you got your Christmas shopping done yet? You know, you only have 29 days until Christmas! And the race is on… This year we have the longest possible timeline to prepare for Christmas with Thanksgiving falling on November 22 nd . What will we do with all that extra time? Rather than four weekends to shop for presents, we have five weekends this year. Bonus! Are You a Tortoise or a Hare? Do you see yourself as the tortoise or the hare in this year’s race to get everything done before Christmas day? If you are the tortoise, you patiently pace yourself, making a point not to lose the essence for the real reason for the season. You want to savor each moment; even finding some time to embrace the spiritual side of the holiday season. Perhaps you might attend an Advent mission at your Church or read a good book about the season of Advent. Then, maybe you are more like the hare, rushing to scratch off ...

Patience is my most difficult virtue to master. I have difficulty waiting for things and answers to prayers in God’s time. I see the need for urgent response to prayer. Yet, for some reason, the Lord sees things differently. He does not see the urgency I see. That is my first clue, that MY plan may not necessarily be His plan. So what is His plan for me? When He “delays” in revealing His plan for me, I get frustrated. I lose patience. Does this sound familiar to you? Can you relate? Patience Requires Trust When I get frustrated, I must acknowledge that the root of my impatience is a lack of trust in God’s Providence. I question God’s logistics, using my limited scope of vision. I realize that much of what I hope for seems impossible to achieve without God’s involvement. Therefore, patience requires... 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...

Have you ever been accused of something for which you were innocent? Perhaps your spouse blamed you for leaving the dirty dishes in the sink. Or perhaps your neighbor accused you of calling the police on them because of their rowdy party this past weekend. Whatever the reason, we all bear wrongs of others. Yet, do we do it patiently? Do we look at these incidents and become defensive? Do we feel the need to defend our honor and the truth? Or, do we weigh the situation and come to realize that the grace of peace and harmony far outweighs the need to be right? If the answer to this last question is yes, then... Read more...

We conclude with the seventh installment of our seven-part series on the seven deadly sins. Today we discuss Pride: the root of all evil! Pride will infiltrate your soul, leaving no room for anything else. It will drive your thoughts and actions, if you let it. You don’t even know what is happening to you at the time. Unbeknownst to me, that is exactly what happened to me! Only upon reflection, and with a true dose of honesty, can one start the process of moving from prideful to humble. Here is my story: When I was a child,... Read more...

We continue with the fourth installment of our seven-part series on the seven deadly sins. Today we discuss Gluttony. Gluttony, the overindulgence of eating/drinking to excess, will physically and spiritually harm you if left unchecked and unaddressed. Overeating/drinking can result in physical illnesses such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and liver disease, just to name a few. Gluttony robs you of the life you were meant to live, because you become the slave to the object of your temporal desire. You become fixated on the food and/or the drink. Gluttony causes you to use food and/or drink to ... Read more...

This begins a seven part series on the seven deadly sins. Today, in part 1 of 7, we start with Anger. Do you ever get so angry that your face turns red, your blood pressure rises, and you lose control? When this happens, do you ever stop to think about what really causes you to experience such rage? Anger arises when an evil persists in the face of our resistance or when a good remains beyond our grasp, despite our efforts. 1   Anger is a natural emotion. Even Jesus lost his temper with the money-changers at the Temple. Yet, Jesus’ anger was righteous; used for the purpose of defending His Father’s house. For most of us though, anger arises when we feel unrighteousness crossing our paths. For us then, it is how we deal with it that makes all the difference. We best channel our anger appropriately when we... Read more... 

Let me introduce you to Lexie Goodwin from Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya – Love is Patient , written by Susan G. Mathis, and illustrated by April Stark. Love is Patient is the first installment in a series of children’s books that Mathis and Stark plan to produce based upon 1 Corinthians 13. This intended series uses a very interesting approach in teaching children, not only about the facets of love, but also about interacting with others, as well as about living in another part of the world. Lexie’s parents visit missionaries and assist them in their efforts. They bring their children, Lexie and Cori along for the adventure. In Love is Patient , Mathis and Stark address bullying,... Read more...

With excitement, I share some great news with all of you! Please celebrate with me! Adventures of Faith, Hope, and Charity – Finding Patience , received the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval. The Guild awards this honor to literature that embodies and reinforces teachings of the Catholic Church. The Guild’s Seal of Approval provides retailers, and the public, with assurance that what they purchase contains quality. Seal of Approval books are known for their Catholicity and editorial quality. Each submission goes through much scrutiny. The Guild prides itself in only recommending those books that positively add to the spiritual life of the reader, in accordance with Catholic teaching. Therefore, I am humbled and honored that Adventures of Faith, Hope, and Charity: Finding Patience now counts among what the Guild considers quality, Catholic literature. FREE Giveaway – Kindle Version   Read more...

In Adventures of Faith, Hope, and Charity: Finding Patience , Mr. Luke Gabriel lives next door to his new neighbors, the Livingstone family. He is retired from corporate life, and a widower. To fill his spare time these days, he breeds Westminster Terriers. Why, you might ask? Because the loss of his dear wife left such a hole, that he attempts to fill that hole with the unconditional love from puppies. He has developed quite a passion for these dogs, and they are fun to have around an empty house. When Faith, Hope, and Charity moved in next door, Mr. Gabriel was delighted. He loved having children around. Not only did he miss his beloved wife, but he also missed... Read more... 

Adventures of Faith, Hope, and Charity: Finding Patience (The Back Story) Faith was anxious about moving to a new town. That meant a new house, new school, and new friends. Faith was shy and found it difficult to make new friends. She dreaded the move and all of the change that would ensue. Faith had very little patience. She wanted to claim her “new normal,” ASAP, for she knew that once things settled down, she would feel more comfortable about this move. Faith did not welcome change! It was all her Daddy’s fault for getting that new job. If it wasn’t for him, she would be at home in her old house, with her friends from her old school. Being eight years old stunk! If it was up to her, she would have stayed put, where she felt most comfortable. Yet, it wasn’t up to her, so... Read more...

Can you believe it! We are already three weeks into Lent – half way through the Lenten season. I thought this would be a good time to check in with everyone to see how we are all doing with our Lenten sacrifices/growth in virtue.   Pope Francis gave us a challenge to give up “indifference” this Lent. As soon as I read this article I said, “Good idea, but this means that we will really need to strap on some virtue to accomplish this task.” My Lenten Journey As you may recall, my Lenten promise was to practice patience, and not lose my temper so quickly. I knew that much prayer would be needed. Knowing that the root cause for losing my patience happens to be pride,... Read more...

Adventure it was for Faith, Hope and Charity Livingstone (my three main characters in my new book) as the girls made their debut visit at a book signing this past weekend. My husband and I had a blast meeting people from all walks of life at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church’s World Feast. The weather wasn’t very cooperative, (lots of rain) and thusly, attendance was down, but that didn’t stop the festivities. There was great food, games and entertainment for one and all – a true family entertainment experience. We had an open house for our new parish office building too! Lots going on. I was so blessed to be... Read more...

St. Cyprian. (Image via Catholic.org) I decided a few months back to sign up for a service that sends me the biography of each day's "Saint Of The Day".  Over the last few months since I signed up for the service, I've found that I look forward to seeing the emails in my inbox every morning.  Not only have these informative emails helped me to be prepared in advance for daily Mass, but more importantly, I've been able to get to know the saints on a human level.  It was such a comfort to me, for instance, to learn that St. Cyprian struggled with patience and anger - things I struggle with, also. And I loved reading that St. Thomas of Villanova did not bow to peer pressure "...h e wore the same habit that he had received in the novitiate, mending it himself. The canons and domestics were ashamed of him, but they could not convince him to change." I've been daily inspired (and mentored!) by these human examples of imperfection and their st...