Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Then he said, “In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.” ( Matthew 18:3  NJB) The perfect New Year’s resolution for mothers would be to try and obey this request from Christ. Surrounded by kids, mums especially love this verse becomes it validates the charming qualities we see in our children in a society which tends to overlook the powerless and extol those who are rich and powerful. Most reflections on this verse also focus on our kids’ virtues, virtues Christ extolled throughout His life on earth — such as humility, vulnerability, dependence on others, and the beautiful ability to trust and love others unconditionally without censure. However, the most pressing question triggered by this verse is:  How is it possible for  adults to change and become like little children? I can see the wisdom of Christ’s request, and I have the power to alter my behaviour and actions, but it is impossible to transform

We all like to be in control — especially mothers, I think. We even try to control the action of the Holy Spirit in our own lives and in the lives of our children because we don’t always see events through the eyes of faith. Of course, most of us would deny trying to box in the Almighty, because we at least realize how ridiculous this sounds. Yet, because we really do not like to change, we do end up resisting even God. We like our comfort zone. We especially don’t like the rug ripped from under us, and that approach is usually how God must snag our attention. continue

It’s that time of year once again, when we assess how we are doing; when we make resolutions to do things we have yet to do, or to do things differently. We want to see positive change! Yet, we are all creatures of habit, and sometimes our habits are not good. That is why every January we make resolutions to eat healthier, to stop smoking/drinking/taking drugs, etc. only to fall off the wagon as soon as the first temptation crosses our paths. Have you ever stopped to think about why you are tempted; not what tempts you, but why you are tempted? Read more...

It’s good to be posting again! I was in an unexpected blogging break because we moved on short notice from Iraq to the U.S. (Pittsburgh area). We aren’t fully settled in yet, and are still job hunting, hoping we find something soon so we know we can definitely stay in the area and start getting put together. It’s been an absolute whirlwind of a month, with so many unknowns and unexpected changes, hopes and disappointments, sad goodbyes and happy hellos as we left our friends, family and community in Iraq, and have started making new connections and renewing old ones here in the U.S. We are still praying so hard for the community we left behind in Erbil, and are so deified by the solidarity with which they have welcomed all the refugees that have come to the city from other places in Iraq. I think it’s going to take a long time to fully process everything that’s just happened (and still is happening as we try to keep getting settled on this end). God was blessing us so much