Association Of Catholic Bloggers

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 .

It is wedding season and love is in the air! In the United States, June is always a very popular month to get married. The weather is usually wonderful; the flowers are in bloom, and it’s a great time for family and friends to come together. Yet, marriage is more than a celebration. What brings two people to the altar of marriage is a love formed by God; a uniting in a covenant; the giving of one, fully to another. Remember asking your mom, “When will I ever fall in love?” or asking a friend, “When will I find my soul mate?” Loving any another person is always a choice; but falling in love, with your soul mate, that’s a whole different thing! That’s because... Read more...

(From European Press Agency , via BBC News, used w/o permission.) ("Thousands attended a vigil in Manchester earlier" (BBC News) Manchester is England's second-largest urban center, in terms of population. At around 10:30 Monday night, something like 21,000 folks — pre-teens, teenagers, adults — were leaving a music concert at the Manchester Arena. Someone with a bomb set it off in or near the arena's foyer. He's dead. So are more than 20 other folks. Except for the chap who killed them, the dead had been enjoying an Ariana Grande concert. The youngest victims I've read about were eight years old. Quite a few others are injured. Some are missing. I am not happy about this, putting it mildly.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

"Folks have thought truth is important for quite a while... "...I think truth is important, too. As a Christian, I'd better...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I don’t know about you, but I am always thankful for the day after Mother’s Day, as Mother’s Day is a very difficult one for me. The television ads end. The happy wishes cease. I find the television ads for Mother’s Day gifts difficult to watch, as I have no reason to make a purchase. I cringe when people wish me a happy Mother’s Day, as I have no reason to celebrate, because I have no children. My mother-in-law died in 1985, and my mom died in 2000. So, for my husband and me, Mother’s Day is just... Read more... 

I take God very seriously. I also think people matter. I care deeply about truth and love. By some standards this isn't a particularly "religious" blog. For one thing, I keep saying that loving my neighbor and seeing everybody as my neighbor is a good idea. I'll get back to that. For another, I write about science each Friday; real science. And I don't see it as a threat. I don't 'believe in' science, in the sense that I expect it to replace God. That would be as silly as trying to find life's meaning in the second law of thermodynamics . It would also be a very bad idea.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We hear about the 'road to Emmaus' event in today's Gospel, Luke 24:13 - 35 . There's been speculation about why folks didn't recognized Jesus at first, after Golgotha. It wasn't just the 'road to Emmaus' thing. Paul lists some of our Lord's meetings in 1 Corinthians 15:3 - 8 .... ...About why folks didn't recognize Jesus, I figure there's a reason, maybe more than one, but I'm also pretty sure I can't be sure. Not at this point. That won't stop me from sharing — not so much my guess, as something I think seems reasonable. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I care about God's mercy because I'm a sinner. What that means depends on who says it. I think and hope Jonathan Edwards meant well, and wish some of his imitators would be less enthusiastic. Or at least think about what he said. Hollywood theology — I'd like to believe that many folks don't get their religious education from the movies, and that's another topic. Basically, Americans have lots of options for what we think "sin" and "sinners" mean. I'm a Catholic, so my view is 'none of the above.'... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

During our storms of turmoil, our descents into hellishness, we cry but fail to see that everything in a watery drop is distorted and or inverted, subject to our perception; up is down and white is black. Humor me this, picture a mountain behind a pond of water and for some that same mountain is laid before their feet…or not. We’ve passively learned to trust our eyes, like our hearts trust those we love all the while missing that “love” like God, just “is” and makes no distinction to quantify what it is attached to or by whom. Our love is never wrong, I’ll repeat that; our love for others is never wrong and I would even dare say it is always right.  This is a guest post by Poet of the Light. To continue to read his insight and discover the 5 Wounds of Christ and the 5 Stages of Grief in Divorce, please join me at SingleMomSmiling.com.  Thank you for following, liking, and sharing!  God Bless...

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Many of us look at this period on the Church calendar as a time of suffering and deprivation. Lent has historically been synonymous with a desert experience of dryness; a sense of loneliness, as if God is on vacation somewhere else. This connotes a sense of negativity. Yet, Lent affords us so much more, if we are willing to open our minds, hearts and souls to the various opportunities that make the Lenten season special in a positive way. Lent, a Season of Faith, Hope and Love Lent can be a time of renewal and personal growth; a time for getting to know Our Savior much better by... Read more... 

Murder and attempted murder in the Kansas City metropolitan area last week is international news. If the suspect's neighbor is right, the 'drunken mess' who killed an engineer from India was having trouble dealing with his father's death. 1 I think he could have found a better outlet for his grief.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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...

Folks were hanging around after an evening prayer service Sunday, when someone came into the building and started shooting. 19 of the 50-plus folks there were injured, five hospitalized in critical condition. Six are now dead.... ...This week's news hasn't been all bad. A GoFundMe page raising funds for the Islamic Center of Victoria, Texas, that burned last Saturday has collected upwards of $900,000 so far. 1 I've never met the men who died Sunday night, I don't know their families. The same goes for folks affected by Saturday's fire. Why should I care what happens to them? I've got reasons: some involving enlightened self-interest . More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

My father-in-law has been asked if he's conservative — or liberal. His answer: "I'm Catholic." I'd give the same answer. Catholic teachings are quite definite, so it's possible to peg them on the American political spectrum — as long as you don't look at the big picture. Taking bits and pieces of Catholic beliefs, and the history of Catholics in America, I could claim that the Catholic Church is conservative or liberal. That would be as big a mistake as seeing all conservatives as hate-fueled foes of diversity, or all liberals as irresponsible lunatics. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

It’s almost time to celebrate Jesus’ birthday! Christmas is almost here! I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! If you are traveling, safe travels. As we close out 2016, and look forward, with hope, to 2017, I want to share with you one of my favorite Christmas carols, performed by the late Bing Crosby and the late David Bowie. It’s called, Little Drummer Boy. The message of the song is that one little child “can give all the love he can.” Enjoy the video, then read my comments below on how we can take this message and bring it to life this Christmas season. Read more...

Islamic centers in California got hate mail recently. At least one of the letters was addressed "To the Children of Satan," and started with "You muslims [!] are a vile and filthy people...." 1 Details are new, but the attitude is all too familiar. Hating Muslims , Hindus , Jews , Catholics , or other 'outsiders' may be easier than coming to terms with personal issues. I don't know why those letters were sent. I also don't know why a Somali refugee drove into a crowd at Ohio State University and hurt some folks with a knife this morning. 2 He had been a student there, and now he's dead. I'm not happy about that, but I think he shouldn't have attacked those folks. I do not think we should deport all Somalis, lock up college students, or ban knives and automobiles. I'll talk about what I think would make sense, after explaining why I'm not upset about Americans who don't look and act exactly like me. More at A Cathol

Today's the start of this year's Advent cycle, leading up to another Christmas. With my culture's annual focus on flying reindeer, decorated trees, and overflow crowds in Bethlehem, this verse from today's Gospel reading might sound odd: " 25 Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come." ( Matthew 24:42 ) We know when Jesus came, and where. That happened about two thousand years ago, near the east end of the Mediterranean. Advent is the season when we look back at our Lord's first arrival. That's important. It's also when we look ahead, to the day when the Son of man returns. That's important, too. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Here we go again. The headlines are accurate, as far as they go. " Pope Francis Extends Priests' Ability to Forgive Abortion " Elisabetta Povoledo, The New York Times (November 21, 2016) " Pope Francis extends Catholic priests' right to forgive abortion " Tim Hume, Cristiana Moisescu, Lindsay Isaac; CNN (November 21, 2016) I'm pretty sure we'll see a replay of last year's sound and fury over the Pope's 'changing stand on abortion,' expressed in a letter dated September 1, 2015. 1 The reality was nowhere near as horrific or hopeful as many folks apparently thought.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy ends today. Some Catholics celebrated the year's start in Rome. I didn't. Like most of us, I've been participating in my own way, where I live. The biggest change in routine for me has been during Mass. We've been receiving the Eucharist under both forms: our Lord's body and blood. If you think that's sounds gory and repulsive, you're not alone.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

This showed up in today's news ... CNET's piece quoted part of this Twitter blog post: " Progress on addressing online abuse " (November 15, 2016) "...The amount of abuse, bullying, and harassment we’ve seen across the Internet has risen sharply over the past few years. These behaviors inhibit people from participating on Twitter, or anywhere...."... All that reminded me of a familiar sentiment I saw on Twitter last year: "Sometimes I wish I was religious so I could have an excuse for hating people." ...That's a lot of folks discussing religion and hate. Some agreed with the "excuse for hating people" quote, some didn't, and some discussed something completely different.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .