Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I love January! Why? Because I love the silence of winter, when everything slows down. We cozy up with a warm blanket, in front of the fire, while reading a good book, amidst the silence. Or, one could take a walk in the freshly fallen snow and hear silence. I find silence to be peaceful and that brings me joy! It is also, in the silence, that we open our ears to hear the whisper of God speaking to our hearts. Silence of Winter The silence of winter provides us with time to reflect on how we are doing, where we are going, and what we want to accomplish. When we assess how we are doing, we can count our blessings. This brings us both gratitude and joy. When we plan our futures, we set a course for ourselves. This fills us with the hope of endless possibilities. And when we crystallize our goals, God graces us with ... Read more...

In my  last post , I related my reasons for gaining weight this past year. Now, as my ankle completely heals, it’s time to get serious about losing the weight. Increasing my walking will help me to lose weight, but that alone will not do the trick. I also need to stop eating the sweets! What better time to lose weight, than when we turn the page on the calendar? Or, for me, as my ankle completely heals. I have no more excuses, other than I lack Temperance.  Therefore, it’s time for Temperance, as well. We start each new year with hope. If I ever hope to get out of the sweatpants, and back into my clothes, then I need to call on God to give me some Temperance. I know that I cannot stop eating the sweets on my own, as sugar is so addictive. I need the strength of Christ to assist me in my endeavor to lose the weight. And while He’s indulging me with Temperance, a smidgen of... Read more...

God gives every human being an innate ability to understand right from wrong. We call that innate ability “our consciences.”  In assessing our consciences, the priority of Prudence is paramount. Why? Because Prudence impacts every decision that we make. For example, no one needs to tell you that it is wrong to kill. Innately, you just know. How? Your conscience tells you so. If you were to contemplate killing someone, you would feel a sense of uneasiness, warning bells go off in your head, and you just know in the depths of your soul that killing another human being is wrong. The question is, do we listen to the prudent guidance of our consciences? The Priority of Prudence The virtue of Prudence enables us to apply practical reason to our decision-making process, so that we can determine what is good, or bad, every time. Prudence also helps us to choose the proper means for achieving the true good and avoiding those things that go against God’s moral law. We value the prior...

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions, mainly because we want to see positive change in our lives. Perhaps we haven’t always made the wisest food choices. Or, maybe we haven’t been that good at handling our finances. We want to change for the better. By embracing Prudence, we can accomplish our New Year’s resolutions with success. True Goods versus Apparent Goods Prudence is the application of practical reason to the decision-making process, so that one may determine the true good every time, as well as choose the proper means of achieving the true good. Let’s first differentiate between a true good and an apparent good. A true good has no disguise. Take Christ, as an example; sinless and morally upright in all ways. An apparent good, on the other hand, may seem like a good on the surface, but have some hidden flaws. Take a higher paying job as an example. On the surface, it looks like a good thing. But, look closer to learn that... Read more...

In today’s Gospel, from Luke 12:39-48, we learn of the parable of the faithful and prudent steward. When the master is away, some stewards fulfill their responsibilities. The master deems such people as trustworthy and capable of performing more important tasks. Other servants use the opportunity to take advantage of their positions and treat the staff cruelly. We can apply this parable to how we act in the workplace when the boss is away on business. How trustworthy are we to faithfully fulfill our responsibilities? If Jesus were standing in front of you now, would He be able to declare you as a faithful and prudent steward of the gifts He has given to you? He has blessed you with prudence, courtesy, kindness and many other virtues. Do you make use of these gifts by always treating others fairly? Even when the boss is away? Or do you place little value on what God has blessed you with to do your job? Instead, you deem it too burdensome to care for, and cultivate God’s gifts. B...

We live in a secular world. Yet, how we conduct ourselves, in business, has at its foundation God’s moral laws – what we call today, business ethics.  Business ethics calls for us to be honest, respectful, wise, prudent, just, tactful and courteous in transacting business with others. These ethics require us to be virtuous, if we want to be successful! Business Ethics at Work Honest  – The Eighth Commandment states, “ You shall not bear dishonest witness against your neighbor ” (Deut. 5:20). God calls us to live by the truth. Live an upright life, both in action and speech; tactfully, and with kindness. Respectful  – “ Do to others what you would have them do to you ” (Matt 7:12). God calls us to love unconditionally and that means respecting others, especially when we do not see eye to eye. We must not only respect others, but respect differences of opinion as well. Wise  – “ In the heart of the intelligent wisdom abides, but in the bosom of fools it is ...

Molly McBride is back! I was so excited to see Molly McBride and the Party Invitation , by Jean Schoonover-Egolf hit the shelves. This is Egolf’s third installment, in the Molly McBride series. I’m a big fan of Molly McBride, as I love her spunky attitude. I’ve enjoyed reading all three books, courtesy of Egolf. You can read my review of the first two books here . Molly McBride and the Party Invitation Now, let’s talk about Molly McBride and the Party Invitation. In this installment, Molly’s birthday is about to occur, and of course, we must have a party! Yet, Momma says that ALL of Molly’s classmates MUST be invited to the party. That includes that mean boy, named Sam. If Sam comes to the party, he’ll ruin it! What is Molly to do? How can she have a great party, AND make sure that Sam doesn’t come? What ensues is a tale of... Read more...

In this scenario, determine the prudent thing to do: Johnny, a high school student, was in the process of applying to colleges. He had his heart set on attending State University, as it had an excellent mathematics program. One problem though, the school requires an essay on how Johnny would make a positive impact on the university community, should he be accepted. Johnny wanted to major in math because he hated writing essays. Math is numbers, and Johnny was good at numbers; but not so good, when it came to writing essays. A Prudent Course of Action? Johnny’s friend, Matt, stopped by one afternoon after school, and Johnny let Matt know about the essay requirement. Johnny also knew that Matt was a good writer, as he was editor for the school’s newspaper. Johnny thought, maybe Matt could help me with the essay . Better yet, maybe ... Read more...