Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Our culture isn’t really atheist. It isn’t even agnostic. It’s just really apathetic and has a horrible case of  FOMO . “Let’s live it up now, try everything, have all the fun, and then after we’ve had all the fun, then think about our eternal salvation. Maybe.” There’s a way to reach the FOMO Millenials (and others) before they land themselves in that proverbial foxhole. The way to do that is through  joy. The fear is that when we turn to God, all the good and fun things we used to do will be taken away. We’ll be sour-faced saints, sitting in Church for hours at a time being bored out of our brains, turning down every party invitation, and never having a raucous Friday night again. For some, that might be what Christianity looks like, but not for us! Read more at Messy Buns & Latin Chant

Peter Ingemi, in his blogging persona as  Da Tech Guy , is a Massachusetts-based writer and political reporter whose blog is a staple for conservatives in the region. The writers Ingemi welcomes on his blog (a group that includes me) all get fair warning before coming on board that the boss is unapologetically Catholic. In his new book, Ingemi puts aside political reporting and takes up a labor of love:  Hail Mary: the Perfect Protestant (and Catholic) Prayer  [Imholt Press, 2017, 80 pages, $6.99 paperback, $2.99 Amazon Kindle e-book]. Ingemi is donating a portion of every sale to his local Catholic radio station in north central Massachusetts. The book’s title is intriguing and perplexing at the same time... Read the rest of the post at EllenKolb.com.

Trained to evangelize, with social media at their fingertips, modern Catholics might be surprised to discover that the most effective missionaries are still those who humbly carry Christ like a donkey.  Yet, when Catholics actually  carry Christ , they are filled with the love and joy of the Lord.  These ordinary folk spread the Good News to those who still live in darkness, existing outside the heart of the Church.  The Heavenly Father asks such disciples, who are attuned to His voice, to write and speak about their spiritual experiences and to share the truths found in the Church.  In this way, modern Catholics are like jet landing strips, or perhaps modems, connecting the presence of the Unseen God in a tangible way to those on earth who are seeking heaven. “ joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”  St. Teresa of Calcutta. Evangelization Techniques No matter how articulate we are, our best erudite arguments will not reveal the ...

As usual .. I don't offer your typical review: IT is a small book.  I like small books. Get to the point and do it in the shortest amount of time - life is busy.  Check! Build the idea of your book on the words of Pope Francis.  I like Pope Francis. Talk about getting to the point! I was on Copacabana Beach at World Youth Day, 2013, when Papa Francisco said, "Go!...the experience of this encounter must not remain locked up in your life or in the small group of your parish, your movement, or your community.  I want a mess. I want people to go out!"  Check! Remind people they have been commissioned by their Baptism to share the good news, to be heralds of the Gospel - that it is not just for their benefit.  In fact, if we are not willing to take bold risks -to be MESSY & FOOLISH, For much much more... read here ! All rights reserved, Allison Gingras 2016

The most fascinating mother I like to consider is the mother of Jesus. The Bible tells many stories involving Mary, which means the Holy Spirit invites us to contemplate her role in the Christian story. The wedding feast at Cana (John 2:1-12) is my favorite scriptural encounter with Jesus and Mary. Today's video explores why. Jan Cossiers [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Not all of my Christian friends are entirely comfortable with the idea of asking Mary to pray for them, but the Bible shows Mary's intimate relationship with--and unparalleled faith in--her son. People who have been in love know that meeting the mother of their beloved is a big deal. Whether that momentous first encounter turns out to be splendid or horrid, the ongoing relationship with the beloved's mom has a deep and lasting effect on the two lovers. Lovers of Jesus and readers of the Bible can't avoid encountering Mary. Jesus pays close attention to her, even when it seems he doesn'...

Pope Francis has an evangelization prayer close to his heart this month: he is praying for parents. As the Pope puts it, "Pray that parents may be true evangelizers, passing on to their children the precious gift of faith." Mary and Joseph were the first evangelizers of Jesus. If evangelizing means to bring the good news of salvation to the world, then Mary was a literalist: she physically brought Jesus, the saving Word of God, to the world. Joseph and Mary cared for the Word, loved the Word, and shared the Word with others in their daily lives. It almost seems unfair, in a way, doesn't it? SAY WHAT?! Read on at Praying with Grace .

Each month, Pope Francis entrusts his particular prayer intentions to the Apostleship of Prayer, which has offices around the world. The Pope has these two prayers on his heart in December: Universal Prayer: Christmas, Hope for Humanity Evangelization Prayer: Parents Please visit the Apostleship of Prayer website for videos and reflections on Pope Francis' prayer intentions.  Children can pray with the Pope too! Age-appropriate reflections and activities are here . Thank you for praying with us!

Several years ago, as I was on my way into St. Patrick’s Church, a man approached me. His eyes looked straight into mine, searching for something. Perhaps directions to some place in the neighborhood? Then he inquired, “Let me ask you something. Why do you go to church?” Spontaneously, I answered, ”Because I love Jesus.” My answer surprised me. It sounded like a slogan from Vacation Bible School. Sometimes the Holy Spirit catches me with my barriers down and blurts out the truth. The man smiled, and then leaned toward me intently. ”But why do you go to this church? He pointed to the church building in front of us. I shrugged, "This is where I live, and Jesus is here. If I lived in a different neighborhood, I’d go to a church there.” He nodded and slowly walked away. That encounter came to mind as I thought about the many opportunities the Lord puts right in front of me to tell about my faith in God. My natural shyness prevents many of these occasions from making any im...

In these last days of September, we continue to pray for Pope Francis' Evangelization Intention this month: Service to the Poor. Pope Francis knows serving the poor is a divine mandate: "Whatever you do for one of these least brothers of mine, you do for me" (Matthew 25:40). We must serve the poor as Jesus did, as he continues to call us to do as the Body of Christ on earth. But the Pope calls this month's prayer request an  evangelization  intention, because he knows serving the poor also attracts others to Jesus and his Church. We share the Good News of Jesus in our deeds--if not also in our words--when we care for the poor and disenfranchised. As a mother and as the director of children's ministry at the Apostleship of Prayer, I love to consider how to help children encounter poverty in a prayerful way. Many, many children know poverty from the inside, of course. Even in this prosperous country of ours, too many children experience hunger, poor nutrition, ho...

When I speak with someone who is curious about the faith but unfamiliar with Christianity, I realize my revelations about the spiritual life in the Mystical Body of Christ are completely foreign. I might as well be a fantasy character explaining life in an alternate reality. Psychologically speaking, people need to hear a completely new concept at least three times before it even begins to register in their minds. Sharing about spiritual reality is like helping God make new neurological connections, and this transformation takes time. Seekers who have existed on the surface, experiencing only physical reality are wearing God-filtered glasses; the life in Christ that I share with them is completely alien.  How would you communicate the message of salvation and the subsequent new life in Christ with the unchurched, with people who have no Christian frame of reference or Christian vocabulary?   read the whole article >

I'm sure that every Catholic blogger has asked themselves at least once why they do it. Is it really worth the time spent away from work, from family, from prayer? Is anybody listening? Does anybody care?  One of my friends recently shut down his personal blog altogether , saying "While I have a lot of respect for many bloggers, I feel the blogosphere to be a net negative to the Catholic Faith.  ... It is the epitome of Francis' 'self-referential Church.'  Far from leading to a deepening of the faith, it has led to a corrosion of it." Could this be true? My friend's words certainly don't describe the work of CatholicMom or any mommy blogger I know. But I've seen the corner of the Catholic blogosphere he describes -- the place where people attack one another viciously over minute points of doctrine or liturgical practices that baffle non-Catholics and fail to bring anyone to a holier and more peaceful frame of mind. I regularly engage in verbal...

When I asked which Bible verse makes people feel most loved, the answers were surprising. Very few verses mentioned love at all. Many people were deeply affected by descriptions of Jesus' agony, suffering, and death on the Cross to save us. Others were amazed by all God had promised to give to us and how close he had to be, how far he had to stoop, to give us these gifts. But everyone had a different favorite. It made me realize how intensely each line of the Bible speaks to us. God's strength and love shine through his Word with the power to pierce every human heart. Read more here

Catholic tradition holds us to three Lenten observances: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.     For most people though, it’s all about the fasting and the sacrifice. “What will I be giving up this lent.”   A new trend  that is gaining popularity is to give up Social Media, such as Facebook, for Lent.   This can seem like a worthwhile sacrifice, if we were to approach social media as if it were just technology and devices.     But the truth is social media is relationships.   I would no more give up my relationships for six weeks than I would give up church.     I do recognize that the problem for some is that they have gone to the extreme and thus neglect their face-to-face relationships.   For those folks it would be time to implement a Lenten Fast or a scaling back.   Just like our rules of fasting for Ash Wednesday or Good Friday We cut back to one main meal and the rest light meals.    Perhaps the same principal...