Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Christ is the only sacrifice who redeems and heals us, not our own self-inflicted suffering. I stood at the sink, pain lancing my chest, sobbing silently, tears blinding me as I tackled a mound of dirty dishes. Exhaustion weighed heavy, continue reading

Plato's allegory of the cave explains the difficulty that Christians have as they try to explain their life in the Spirit. to unbelievers. The worst possible fate for me would be to die and discover that I had lived an existence similar to the allegory described in Plato’s Cave. Plato describes man’s condition as similar to living chained in a cave, looking at shadows on the wall cast from a candle; believing that was what life was all about. When one person manages to break free and stumbles out into daylight, he realizes that what he thought was real was merely shadows of real objects. continue

Just like most people, I do not simply break a rule here and there;  no, like every other human being, I continually break the most fundamental law of the universe without any conscious effort by refusing to accept reality.  Instead of realizing my place in the universe, as one of God’s creations, I put on masks and false personalities in a vain attempt to deny my very nature.  In pride, I act like a queen at the  centre  my own little world. Even worse, I steal God’s job by trying to save myself by my own efforts. continue reading

During Lent, God presents us with a fundamental choice. Will we choose to continue to live in our human illusions or will we allow God to reveal His reality to us? Will we cling to false pride or embrace true humility? All too often we think we are more humble than we really are, especially if we have been striving to grow spiritually for a long time. The Pharisees were also earnest about their religious practices. As Christians, it is easy to denigrate the Jewish Pharisees, thinking we have risen above such behaviour because we live in New Testament times, no longer under the burden of the Old Testament Laws. However, before we judge these men too harshly, we should remember they were simply striving to be good, observant Jews. In their zeal, they inadvertently ended up seeking respect for themselves rather than inspiring love for God. continue reading

“God loves us, so He makes us  the gift of suffering. I once asked a priest what my life would have been like if I had not suffered, if I had married a well-off dentist, had 1.25 kids, and lived in an efficient, modern house. He put on a phony, pious face, put his hands together in prayer, and said in a high, mocking voice, ”Oh, you would be a nice Christian lady, praising the Lord.” What he meant by that amusing bit of acting was I would be shallow, without depth and strength. If this is the situation, I say bring on suffering because I want—no I  need —to live in reality, in God. continue