Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Why be a giver? You might be thinking, “Why should I part with my hard earned money and give it to someone else? No one’s done any favors for me?” The short answer is that you do it because Jesus commanded you to when He said “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). How can you love your neighbor as yourself, if you allow your neighbor to do without while you live comfortably? You, in essence, love yourself more than your neighbor. We are all in this together. We are all on the same journey, heading hopefully to the same place – eternal life with Christ. Are you ready to stand before Christ for your particular judgment and answer these questions? Read more...

Dozens of times in the Gospels, Jesus "amazes" his listeners. Here are a few of my favorites: They were amazed, saying "What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?" -Matthew 8:27 They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. -Mark 10:32 And all who were with him were amazed at the catch.  -Luke 5:9 Does Jesus amaze us? Is he so shockingly unique that we, his followers, are sometimes a little afraid of him? Read on at Praying with Grace ! Gold Aurei of the Twelve Caesars. Gift of C. Ruxton Love Jr., 1967.  www.metmuseum.or

It's Corpus Christi Sunday: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Weather permitting, we'll have a Corpus Christi procession here in Sauk Centre. That photo is from last year's event. I won't be walking, but I plan to take photos, posting them later today. Taking what looks like a bit of unleavened bread for a walk makes sense to Catholics who understand our faith — maybe not so much to other folks. Corpus Christi is Latin for Body of Christ, and what happens to unleavened bread connects to why we've been celebrating ever since that first Easter. ( April 20, 2014 ) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The truth of our Salvation is far more terrifying on this side of the Cross than for the Jews before the Incarnation of God in the flesh.   When you study His Passion, you only begin to understand the truth of what His Blood truly means to both those who accept Him and those who .....reject Him.  TO READ MORE....CLICK HERE!! 

One my favorite bits from the Bible is in this morning's readings: " ...We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, " Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, " both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.' " ( Acts 2:9 - 11 ) That was about two thousand years ago. Some things have changed. Phrygia 's land became part of Rome's holdings about a century after the " tongues as of fire " appeared.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Catholic artist Michael O'Brien There were times when I was deep down in a pit. When I believed the lies my enemies told me about myself. When I truly believed I was worthless. When I genuinely agreed I was a loser. When I felt unloved and therefore angry with everyone.These times have come and gone at various points in my life. But this time, it was different. Read on at J.A.M .

Easter Sunday 2015: Acts 10:34a , 37 - 43 Colossians 3:1 - 4 or 1 Corinthians 6b - 8 John 20:1 - 9 Easter Sunday 2015 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas April 5, 2015 Jesus Christ is risen! This means that life takes on a new horizon. Have you ever thought of yourself as immortal? Have you ever considered that you have "forever" to live? The resurrection from the death of Jesus casts a new light on our human existence. No longer are we bound by finite ends. Our life has an all new endless and brilliant horizon, and we come to share in this new resurrected and glorious horizon gifted us by Christ Jesus through our baptism. In baptism, we are born into the resurrected life of Jesus Christ, a life that knows no end, no boundaries.... More, at A Catholic Citizen in America .

What victory is this, that all suffering that we suffer now will pass away, and every tear, every pain along with every joy, and shout of praise will bring to fruition the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. I have seen the victory, and it is wondrous. In a moment at God's will I was shown the end.... TO READ MORE..CLICK HERE!

Here he is. "Karol Wojtyla-splyw" by Unknown  [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons Yes. That's my beloved JP2. It's OK, you can love him too. On April 2, the world marked the tenth anniversary of his death. Pope Francis  encouraged us  to keep up our conversation with the Polish pope, asking him to "intercede for us, for families, for the church so that the light of the Resurrection shines through all of the darkness in our life and fills us with joy and peace.” It makes sense to continue to talk to Pope John Paul II--to pray--just like we did while he was still living among us. Sunday's brilliant celebration of Easter reminds us that Jesus has conquered death. Death is no stumbling block for us; when our friends pass away, we know they live in Jesus Christ. Read about three other popes and the love of Jesus Christ at Praying with Grace !

(From Piero della Francesca, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) ('Dead? I was, but now I'm better.' No, our Lord didn't say that: not in so many words.( John 20:26 - 27 )) I haven't died, not yet: and I'm still working on the 'dying to myself' that doesn't mean pretending that I'm garbage — and that's another topic. Topics. ( November 27, 2011 ; March 3, 2009 ) Our Lord: That's another matter. About two millennia back, Jesus was tortured, executed, and buried: but I'm getting ahead of the story.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Judas Iscariot , a name synonymous with betrayal.   But the question that everyone wants the answer to is "why?"   There have been many theories over the centuries, to which I will add my own.   I think Judas thought he had it all figured out.  He was going to be the big hero of Jesus' Ministry and get the ball rolling.  The motive wasn't the money, the money was just the means to bankroll what he thought was going to happen.   He had it planned so perfectly.  TO READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

Prayer is the place where "heart speaks to heart," as John Henry Cardinal Newman says. Using Scripture, we can enter into Jesus' experience of Holy Week; we can place our hearts into his. We can read the Passion accounts of the Gospels and ask Jesus for the gift of compassion, of suffering with him in his agony. Jesus himself invites us to do this when, in the midst of his agony in the garden, he calls to his disciples and to us: Remain here and keep watch with me. Matthew 26:38 "Gethsemane" © Deror Avi / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 St. Ignatius of Loyola proposes a deeply personal and imaginative way to remain with Jesus. A master strategist and student of the human soul, St. Ignatius articulated a process of praying with Scripture that allows us to encounter Jesus personally. This kind of imaginative prayer engages all the senses and has come to be known as Ignatian Contemplation. At the Apostleship of Prayer, we call it praying with the he

(from The Breadbox Letters)

Have you ever really paid attention to your vocabulary? Does it match your faith life? Or is your faith life a bit stalled and you wonder how to jumpstart it? Your vocabulary is the key to it all and understanding these five simple words can drastically change your life. Word One:  Disordered Our world gets a bit crazier every day. More things take up our time and energy and consequently leave us less time for God. Our dreams, desires and longings get caught up in the ways that we experience the world. So, instead of dreaming God’s dreams for our lives, we live with and pursue disordered dreams and desires. We keep ourselves on Satan’s treadmill where our disordered existence exhausts us and steals our joy. “Lord, remove the disordered desires from my mind and heart so that I may experience your peace and dream your dreams for my life. Do not allow the illusions of the evil one to infiltrate my heart or mind where I unwittingly allow them to undermine or repl

The Consecration: (The Battle Begins)  "This is my body..." This is when I am usually attacked.  When I know the consecration is near, I prepare myself, steel myself, get ready.   I do not know exactly why this is when I am attacked, but I think it is because I know what is coming and how to effectively utilize the gift God has given us in the Holy Mass for others.  The Catholic at the Holy Mass is for the  other .  We should rarely be there for ourselves, but we should be there for the rest of the world that is  NOT  there.    The demons do not want you to fully understand what is really happening in the Holy Mass, and will do everything in their power to distract you from the work that God is doing on the Earth.  To read more... CLICK HERE!

There is no room in the new economy of God for Arrogant Catholics. We are arrogant about our faith with Protestants, and even arrogant among our selves as we have the Latin Mass click who thinks there's is the only Holy Mass.  Somehow their Mass is 'better' than any other.   Catholics who are arrogant have no clue what it means to truly be a Catholic.   The demon LOVES to see these squabbles!     The Catholic is for the OTHER, not for themselves, that mean's everyone.  There is no Holy Mass greater than another, for it is the same Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, and the same Jesus offered to God.    Is the Latin Mass beautiful, yes.  Is it awesome to kneel and receive Holy Communion, yes, but these are gifts, we have no "rights" to them.  To READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." Why. Why did He desire it, and for how long? He is God, how long can God desire one Passover? I'll tell you how long, since the fall of Adam and Eve. Before there was a Passover, God desired this one. Why this one? Because it is a sacrifice offered that would NEVER be rejected by God... TO READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

Some folks, like the magi and shepherds, were happy about our Lord's birth. King Herod, not so much. Today's Gospel reading, Matthew 2:1 - 12 , talks about this mixed reaction. Two millennia later, I'm on the same page as the shepherds and wise men. I think our Lord's birth is cause for rejoicing. ( Matthew 2:10 ;  Luke 2:20 ) "Only the Beginning of a Great Procession" " For the Church which believes and prays, the Wise Men from the East who, guided by the star, made their way to the manger of Bethlehem, are only the beginning of a great procession which winds throughout history.... " (" Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Homily of Benedict XVI ," (January 6, 2013)) Today is Epiphany Sunday, when the wise men arrive at the nativity scene in our living room, and we remember Matthew's account of the magi. As usual, there's quite a bit going on.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Today's the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. It's one of those holy days of obligation, when Catholics go to church, and it's not Sunday. (" Directory on popular piety and the liturgy. Principles and guidelines ," The Liturgical Year and Popular Piety , 115-117) "Mother of God?" I'm a Christian, so I think my Lord is God: God the Son, second member of the Trinity, and that's another topic. Topics. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 232 - 260 , 456 - 478 , 2673 - 2679 ) Mary is my Lord's mother, so it's like St. John Paul said: " ...In her the eternal Son of the Father took our very flesh and through Her became "son of David and son of Abraham" (Mt 1,1). Thus Mary is his true Mother: the Theotokos, Mother of God! " If Jesus is Life, Mary is the Mother of Life. " If Jesus is Hope, Mary is the Mother of Hope. " If Jesus is Peace, Mary is the Mother of Peace, Mother of the Prince