Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Waiting on the Lord can be tough at times, especially in times of stress. Waiting on the Lord to provide sustenance, or direction, can seem like suffering in itself. Whether it is periods of unemployment, or waiting for medical results, the clock ticks slowly and it is easy for impatience to surface. Patience requires an ability to corral our emotions, exercising composure and self-control (another virtue and fruit of the Holy Spirit). Saint Francis de Sales stated it best regarding why we should embrace patience, when he said: …the more perfect our patience, the more perfectly do we possess our…  Read more...

Patience in an up-tempo world – what a contradiction! The technology advances of the 20 th century created an expectation for obtaining things NOW. With that, the virtue of patience seems to have fallen by the wayside. Does anyone even remember what it was like to be patient? Remember when you had to wait for the new school year to start to get some new clothes and shoes? Or do you remember waiting until your birthday to get that toy you really wanted? Or best yet, do you remember in the “olden” days when you actually waited until you saved… Read more...

  I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for a magic bullet to bring me closer to God. Let’s be honest: the Christian life can be a slog. Day in, day out, struggling against sin and making little measurable progress. I’m always looking for the secret to help me reach sanctity faster. But is there one? St. Therese asked herself this same question. She sought a fast way to climb the ladder to Heaven, as it were. The Little Way of Spiritual Childhood was her discovery. She said that if she made herself little, Jesus could lift her up in His arms. His arms would be her elevator to help her advance quickly. Why am I still not a saint? But there is a catch. As much as we might think the Little Way means Jesus does all the work for us, we still have to strive against ourselves. The Little Way is not magic. We can’t just say a few words and be instant saints. Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

Window in the Convent of St. Teresa (photo credit: Wikipedia). Teresa of Ávila wrote these words on a bookmark she kept in her breviary: Let nothing disturb you; Nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices. St. Teresa was determined to reach the heights of holiness. Yet at the same time she was realistic, based on her own experience and those of the nuns under her care as head of the Discalced Carmelite Order. Put these two characteristics together, and you have one of the wisest guides to the spiritual life. Let’s take a closer look at her advice. Perseverance is a key to success   Remember the parable Jesus told about the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8)? We must never give up praying when it seems God is not hearing us. Teresa advised her sisters to apply this lesson to growth in prayer. … I say that it is

This Holy Tuesday morning I drove to the Carmelite Nuns Monastery in Georgetown for daily Mass.  It's a good 25 minute drive from where I live, and I had hoped not to be late.  I arrived at my destination with 5 minutes to spare. Not only did I wish to attend Mass, but I also hoped that the Nuns had posted their Triduum schedule.  They had.  Now I can look forward to attending their Holy Week liturgies.  I have done so in previous years.  The Monastery has a public chapel where visitors attend Mass while the Nuns have their own chapel to the left side of the sanctuary.  Their chapel is separated from the sanctuary by a grill.  You might enjoy looking at the chapel photos on the Nuns website, here . The daily Mass is not too different from daily Mass at a parish, but the atmosphere in the chapel is, in my opinion, quieter, as there are fewer people present, and those who are observe great reverence.  At communion time, the chaplain, Fr. Tom, distributes Holy Com

In Motherhood Matters , Canadian author Dorothy Pilarski writes with profundity and wit about matters practical and divine. Full of anecdotes and humor, this book makes us take an honest look at the lives of women today, and helps us to focus on what matters most. Has "liberation" truly led to greater happiness for women? Are children to be viewed as commodities, to be acquired just as we acquire a house or car? Or should children be seen as the gifts from God that they are, given to our stewardship? Dorothy makes it clear that until we rectify our confusion about such basic questions then peace of heart will elude us. To quote: We will find happiness in living out God's purpose for our lives, not our own. The culture of the early twenty-first century makes it easy to follow mistaken paths. The media bombards us with the temptation to fulfill ourselves, to find ourselves, to meet our own needs. It is a message of selfishness. And it is spread constantly. M

Take the echoes of my heart, Lord the words I cannot speak, the dreams I've long let go of ~ the ones that are yet to be. Teach me again- to listen for Your whisper, to thank You in.... the interlude, to trust Your melodic composition, to give You the tears the world cannot comfort. And to keep singing the anthem of the ages; From the rising of the sun to it's setting, May the name of the Lord be praised. +PAX from my blog post

It is said that Christ left the sand dollar as a symbol to help the evangelists teach the faith. The five holes commemorate the five wounds of Christ, while at the center on one side blooms the Easter Lily, and at the lily’s heart is the Star of Bethlehem . The Christmas poinsettia is etched on the other side, a reminder of Christ’s birth. According to this legend, if you break the centre, five white doves will be released to spread goodwill and peace. It wasn’t long enough. My vacation, I mean. It’s the only time I gave myself permission to ….STOP….thinking, worrying, rehearsing, perplexing about the moment to moment grind of life. I took an assignment with me: All the books I wanted to catch up on reading, but never had enough time. They sat, by the nightstand—just like they do at home, but in this, their rest was purposeful. This had a message for me. What is it about the sea that captivates me so? It’s beauty? Yes, but the mountains cry out the Majesty of the Creator and I love the

Moments of conversion seem to come when we least expect them. I was recently in the middle of a spirited conversation with my husband when I suddenly realised that my perception of the situation might not be correct. In fact, I became aware of my tendency to jump to the 'only logical conclusion' without considering other explanations.  Self-righteousness can be a telltale sign that we are caught in in what Paul calls 'the desire of the flesh'. Nothing feeds our pride and inflames our rage like being convinced that we are in the right side of the cause. How many families have suffered permanent damage because no one was willing to step back and consider that their adversary's point of view might have some validity? Spirit of love, continue to remind me that patience, kindness and generosity are the authentic signs of your presence. 

Download the pdf file Here’s a crazy topic to be discussing, but I was so perplexed, I thought I’d throw is out and see what you think.  I’m a bit a news hound, I love a good news story, and I feel like the art of great journalism is fast becoming a thing of the past!  I’m constantly scouring the Internet for relevant, well-written articles, especially those of the Catholic nature.  When … lo and behold, I came across a reference to the L’Osservatore Romano—the Vatican’s daily newspaper.  Oohing and aahing, I ran for my computer to become a subscriber.  Yes, I read about this in a hardback book, imagine that!  Unfortunately, my source refers to L’Osservatore Romano as the world’s dullest newspaper.  I ignored the lack of a ringing endorsement, hopping on the Vatican website in anticipation of viewing a copy within minutes.  Not so fast.   I was first redirected by a notice to subscribers: We would like to inform all our subscribers in the United States and Canada that The Cathedral