Association Of Catholic Bloggers

It's Epiphany Sunday. It's not about the magi, wise men from the east. Not exactly. They're involved; along with King Herod, religious experts, Mary and Jesus. But they're not what this is all about. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

By Laura Durant ....I ’ve seen blessings of great proportion due to regular visits to the Blessed Sacrament not just in my life, but in the lives of others around me. I’ve seen courage develop to follow the Lord’s Will, especially with great uncertainty in the outcome, in those whom otherwise would not have taken the leap of faith. I’ve seen, and experienced for myself, leaving behind dreams and plans which had sensible and seemingly certain outcomes, for roads less traveled and less in line with the way of the world which resulted in many blessings, in the development of devout faith and a fast track to great spiritual growth. I’ve seen hearts transform in a matter of months, sometimes weeks, being purified of deeply entrenched sins of the flesh, of mind and heart, such as pride and prejudice, and in their place, be filled with virtue and greater love for the Lord and all His children. All of this through regular visits to the Blessed Sacrament and devotion to Mary and Jesus’ Most

Today's official name is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. That's a mouthful, so folks around here generally call it Holy Family Sunday. We don't see much of the Holy Family in the Gospels, or anywhere else in the Bible. Luke 2:22 - 40 — The Presentation in the Temple 1 — is one of the exceptions. It's today's Gospel reading. The others are Sirach 2:2 - 6 ; and Colossians 3:12 - 21 . There's a lot to say about all three, but I'll leave nearly all of that for another day. Just the first two verses from Luke are more than enough for a post.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We hear quite a bit of Luke 2 during the Christmas Masses, including this.... ...The shepherds went to see what was going on, and liked what they saw. So did the magi and Simeon. Jesus didn't stay in the manger, of course.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

'Tis the season to kvetch about Christmas: because it's too commercial, too religious, or whatever. I won't do that. I'll look at why we celebrate instead. Also Scrooge and "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Besides, I think enjoying the holiday and doing what I say I believe makes more sense...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

'Tis the season for frantic shopping, eye-popping light shows in suburban front yards, and Christmas television specials. It's also the start of Advent. This is a season when we look back at ancient hopes for a Messiah, and our Lord's first arrival. And look ahead to when Jesus will be back.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Hello Friend, Vlogging on simplicity. Simplicity in life is a precious commodity. Not to be ignored. Especially during the Advent Season. All the Christmas prep and such can have us coming going. In mind, body and spirit. I learned through my hardships/disabilities and such. To slow it down. Not easy, but I can tried. View it here on how you can slow down. Through Jesus yes!!! click here 

Today's Mass is something new, introduced by Pius XI in 1925. We've had it on the last Sunday in Ordinary Time since 1970. Focusing on who and what our Lord is seems like a good way to wrap up the Church calendar. That's how I see it. Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 25:31 - 46 . That's the one starting with "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him...." It's an important part of the Gospels, and not what I'll be talking about today. I'd better explain that. I'm okay with what the Church says about Mass, including how the annual schedule works. I'm not a religious scofflaw, disdaining the laws of God and man. But I don't try to coordinate these 'Sunday' posts with what happens in Mass. I figure it's not a problem, since I'm a Catholic layman — and you're probably not here looking for a homily.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Welcome Friend, 2 - Major Events to talk about with you today that changed the entire world: Birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Going to keep this short, because there are many things I could write about Jesus. Read more

Pharisees and Sadducees had important roles in the Land of Israel for about two centuries by the time our Lord talked about love. They agreed on quite a bit. Maybe more than they realized. But they didn't see assorted political, social, and philosophical points the same way. Pharisees didn't like Helenization, adopting at least some foreign ideas. Sadducees thought Helenization was a generally good idea. But Sadducees thought the written Torah was divine authority's only source. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Adoration chapel windows in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.) I've spent an hour at the adoration chapel almost every week for a few years now. Signing up seemed like a good idea at the time. It still does. But this sort of spiritual practice doesn't come naturally to me. That's not a criticism of anything or anyone. We're "all one in Christ Jesus," as Galatians 3:28 says. And we're not all alike. This is a good thing, or should be.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

WHAT WOULD THE TRADE UNIONS SAY ABOUT JESUS? CLICK HERE

We are involved in a war which was raging when the current event, which we call the universe, began its existence. This war's origins are in a place where space and time are not, and many of its soldiers are beings whose nature and mode of existence we can only infer from their dealings with us. When the first humans walked Earth, they quickly became involved in this war. On the wrong side. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2017 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas July 2, 2017 What a week this has been, a Deacons Retreat at the Abbey of the Hills, resulting in thoughts, reflections, and stories to share.... ...His theme for the weekend became known as old books. Besides the Bible, obviously an old book, he spoke extensively on G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, and a bit on Tolkien.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Welcome Here with me, today guest posting is Steve Sawyer. He has more than three decades of experience as a writer, editor, reporter, technical writer and writing teacher. He graduated from Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama with a degree in journalism studies. He and his wife Marie, co-parent their two granddaughters, four and seven. He sings in his church choir and remains active in his men’s prayer group. Since he retired in 2010 he enjoys writing for his family-friendly, Christ-centered blog Monday through Friday. He is passionate about writing to help readers know, understand, believe, and live out of their true identity in Christ. Sweet Tea and Jesus  Folks who live outside the Deep South don’t understand Sweet Tea. If you go to most restaurants or truck stops north of the Tennessee  read more

My father reminded me of this good advice when I was in my teens: "...whatever is true, ... whatever is lovely, ... think about these things." My response was something like '...because they won't last.' I wasn't happy about saying that at the time. I still regret it. I can't, of course, undo what was done. And the time for telling my father "I'm sorry" has long since passed. In any case, I said "I'm sorry" too often, and that's almost another topic. The quote is from Philippians 4:6 - 9 . I'll get back to that. Following the advice from Philippians isn't easy for me. But it's been getting easier as I work though a massive backlog of bad habits. Nothing unusual there, since we're all dealing with consequences of a bad choice described in Genesis 3:1 - 13 . 1 ... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

How Scriptures Helps Me Overcome Anxiety and Insecurity By Allison Gingras, Reconciled To You Most of my life I have struggled with anxiety and insecurity. There were days, if I could get myself out of bed, I would not leave my home afraid of what evil or injury may befell me. Honestly, there are still days my Germaphobia paralyzes me at the entrance of a building afraid to touch the door handle or hinders me from even shaking people's hands. When fear is not wrestling with me insecurity is. Unsure of my abilities and fear of failing has left many a dream incomplete or unfulfilled. Discovering the Word of God has been this empowering gift! While I continue to battle my fears and phobias, the Scriptures have given me strength that nothing else was able to. I can stand on the Word of God to battle those demons that threaten to steal my joy and derail the plans God has for me. Listening to Jesus in the Gospels teaches me how to trust in Him, have hope and discover that

Gay/LGBT Pride Month will be over in about two weeks. Wanting respect is reasonable, but I don't agree with much of what's said on this issue. Don't worry, I won't be spitting venom. Even if I felt like it, which I don't, that kind of trouble I don't need. First, I'd better talk about love and respect, and why I think both are important.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Learning Something New My road to sitting with Jesus in Adoration began nearly 10 years ago.  Quite, some might say serendipitously but after spending many hours in His presence, I would say this has the Holy Spirit's finger prints all over it!! My husband and I, along with our children, had just made the transition to this new Church.  It was actually where we met and were eventually married,  but we'd not worshiped there since our wedding nearly 20 years earlier.  We had moved out of town, and spent many years at my childhood Church until circumstances changed and it became clear we had to find a new place to call our Spiritual Home