Association Of Catholic Bloggers

You may think that “sheltering in place” inhibits you from performing acts of kindness. How can you be kind when you are trying to stay away from people? Well, the very act of staying away from others is an act of kindness. You place the welfare of others ahead of your own needs and wants. That shows a little kindness to others. However, there are additional ways to show a little kindness to others while maintaining the social distance requirements. Ways to Show a Little Kindness Here are just a few ideas for you to consider. I’m sure that you will creatively come up with a few of your own. I invite you to share your ideas in the comments section. When taking a walk, in your neighborhood, give your neighbors a wave to say hello. Call that friend, or relative, that you haven’t spoken to in a while and catch up each other. E-mail friends, neighbors and family, remembering... Read more... 

With all the illness and death, due to the coronavirus, possibly affecting our relatives and friends, we may find it difficult to see virtue. Yet, the virtues of caring, kindness, patience, generosity, gentleness, love, compassion, courage and hope abound. Especially in times of crisis, we need to find virtue, or we might just go insane! Find Virtue Caring : We don’t need to look far to see caring eyes behind those masks of the nurses and doctors. Kindness : When we see the 7 p.m. round of applause for all of the hospital workers; that is a pure act of kindness, showing gratitude. Patience : We show patience while waiting for our turn to get that coveted toilet paper. Generosity : Oregon and California’s generosity were on full display in the lending of ventilators and sharing supplies with those states in more dire need. Read more...

Kindness is sorely lacking these days. Why are we so mean to each other? Whether it is on social media, in the news, or face-to-face, we see meanness everywhere. What does meanness do for the human psyche? Nothing good, whether you are the deliverer or the receiver! The deliverer of the meanness comes across as angry, hate-filled, resentful and/or vindictive. The recipient is humiliated and abused. Meanness serves no good purpose. The human person was created with a yearning for happiness.  The source of all happiness is God. Therefore, the human person yearns for God. So, how does anyone think that the way to happiness is via a snarky comment on Facebook or Twitter, or a jab at another in an op-ed piece, or an outright slander against another person? Folks, we are better than this! Find Kindness Today Remember the old saying, “What goes around comes around?” Well, if you do not want a snarky comment hurled your way, be kind with your comments on social media. If you do n...

Want to feel free? As light as a feather? Then consider performing random acts of kindness. When we perform good acts, we feel energized, happy and blessed. We feel light as a feather! This week, we celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week. Yet, kind acts shouldn’t occur only during this week. Kindness has no restrictions. If we just open our eyes, or read our Facebook news feed, we see countless acts of kindness expressed toward others. It’s time to get off the sidelines and get in the game of performing acts of kindness. It’s easy! Here’s just a few suggestions, of which I am sure that you will come up with many more: Say some prayers for all those who are sick and/or in need. Visit the elderly and give them your full attention. Actively listen to them talk. Offer to babysit, for free, so that a relative or friend can have a respite. Smile at strangers, as you walk down the street, and see what happens in return. Be Christ-like in all that you do. See Why Kindness Has No R...

Let’s face it! We live in a crazy mixed up world! With trade wars threatening to plummet us into another Great Depression, and children being separated from their parents while trying to enter the country seeking asylum, we simply carry on. Sometimes, the only way we can cope is to ignore the news. While evil acts seek to destroy us as a society, we carry on with our hope placed in Christ. Yes, we live in a crazy mixed up world, but we don’t have to cave in to the crazy. We can rise above it. When life gets crazy, I enter into some serious prayer time; for I know that some of the messes that we get ourselves into, only God can get us out. I pray for peace (my own and for others), as well as the strength to carry on, and the courage to rise up, when needed, to make a positive difference. And then there are times when all we need is common sense, a little laughter and a dose of kindness. Use your common sense to determine verifiable truth. (Don’t believe everything you hear witho...

As Christians, we are all called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can do this in several ways. You don’t need to be a Catholic blogger/author/public speaker like myself. You can preach the Gospel, without ever saying a word; by the mere witness of your charitable actions. Most people will never remember eloquent words spoken to them. But, they will remember a kindness done for them. Deeds speak volumes! A police officer who runs toward danger, when others run away. The witness of his or her bravery and courage speaks volumes. A man or woman who volunteers at the local soup kitchen to serve the needy. The witness of his or her generosity and love speaks volumes. A child who... Read more...

Did you know that Saturday was Random Act of Kindness Day? Might someone have provided you with a random act of kindness that simply made you smile? If so, please share the experience in the comments section below. We could all use a little good news about now. It would be nice to know that some people are out there doing good for others. How grand it would be if we applied the principle of Random Act of Kindness Day to our everyday lives! Oh, just think of what a nicer world it would be, if we were all kinder to each other. Kindness Produces Good Ripples When someone is kind to you, you naturally want to respond in a positive way. Kindness produces good ripples!!! If everyone did one kind thing for someone else every day, then kindness would spread everywhere. For example, ... Read more...

Have you ever given it much thought: What does it take to truly be kind? What does it cost you in terms of time, talent or treasure? Be Kind with Your Time In terms of time, it can cost you nothing more than a fleeting second to smile at someone. Or, it can cost you all you have to give, to care for someone that you love who is ill. Many acts of kindness run somewhere in between these two extremes. Be Kind with Your Talent As to talent, perhaps you are gifted in understanding mathematical equations (I know I am not). Perhaps you could give of your time, as a tutor, one hour a week. Or, perhaps you are a subject matter expert on a given topic. If so, you can lend your life’s work to solving problems for the common good. Odds are that... Read more...

Today, we usher in February, known familiarly as the month of love and kindness. During this month, we celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week, February 12-18. And let’s not forget Valentine’s Day smack-dab in the middle of the month on the 14th. We see hearts everywhere, on boxes of candies and greeting cards; in store-front windows and in commercials on TV, as if we needed a reminder to show our love and kindness to others. I think it is all well and good that we highlight these virtues during the month of February, as I am all in favor of highlighting virtue, given any opportunity! Yet, we are called to express these virtues day in and day out; not just during one week in February. Test Your Love and Kindness Quotient Here’s a little quiz for you to see how much love and kindness flows from you on a regular basis: Read more...

Not sure if y’all knew this or not, but I am a big country music fan. I heard Tim McGraw sing his new song, Humble and Kind , at a recent Country Music Awards show. Then, I seemed to catch it every time it played on the radio. Tim McGraw has a wonderfully distinct voice and this song speaks to my heart. Being the lover of virtue that I am, I immediately honed in on the lyrics, as well as the melody, of the song. I had some thoughts on the underlying message, but I was interested in learning how Tim McGraw interpreted the lyrics. So, I went to YouTube to see the video. Visual messages seem to have a way of really drilling the concept home. The video... Read more...

Once again, it is Random Acts of Kindness week. It is always held around Valentine’s Day, as kindness is associated with the virtue of love. I’m a big fan of Random Acts of Kindness Week, because it always brings me and others great joy to do something nice for someone else, expecting nothing in return. Here are seven suggestions, for seven days in the week, on how you can participate in Random Acts of Kindness Week. Maybe you could try one suggestion each day: Surprise the love of your life with a special meal; perhaps it involves home cooking your love’s favorite foods, or perhaps it is dinner at your love’s favorite restaurant. Either way, the love of your life will be made to feel great. Refrain from scolding your children/spouse and exert patience along with kindness. Sometimes it is better to be kind than to be right. Call... Read more...  

I have not been able to shake a heavy feeling I've had since I first heard the news about the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. The heaviness, I’ve come to realize, has had very little to do with the issue of same-sex marriage. What I’ve been feeling is embarrassed by my fellow Christians.