Association Of Catholic Bloggers

  We experience much division and disagreement in society today. The resulting intolerance is the work of the devil. He relishes in sowing division, because through this division, we collapse as a society. And Satan’s goal is to destroy us all. We see the intolerance in the political, religious, and racial arguments on the internet, television, and in the public square. Everyone chooses a camp and settles in, disregarding anything stated by anyone from the other camp. Here is my problem: I am a pro-life Democrat who believes in racial equality, as well as marriage between a man and a woman. So, I do not fit into any single political camp! I could say, I am divided within myself! Why? Because I espouse following God’s moral laws. No political camp, regardless of the issue, aligns totally with God’s moral laws. Even some religious camps do not always see things as God sees them. Why? Because we are all sinners. Intolerance is Intolerable I go back 30+ years to the Rodney King quote, ...

  Do you know anyone who thinks we are not a divided country? Whether it be based upon political, moral, or religious beliefs, we seem to be a society in disagreement. It is as if everyone walks around with blinders on, refusing to see anyone else’s opinion as valid. With that discounting of another’s opinion, we express disrespect. Well folks, it is time to dispel disrespect. Time to Dispel Disrespect I recently had a Facebook exchange with some people who did not like my post on  Freedom Comes with Responsibility . In that post, I expressed that we all have the freedom to use our intellect and reason and make decisions. I used the wearing of masks to combat the coronavirus as an example. Well, did I get an earful, from those who elect to not wear masks! Now, I could have gotten into an argument with these folks, furthering the division between us. Why? Because, in this post, I recommended wearing masks. When we choose to argue, for the sake of arguing, then ultimately, we ri...

When you see someone approach you, wearing a low-cut blouse, showing her “wears,” do you rush to judgment? Do you think less of the woman? Odds are your answer is yes. Now, if a woman approaches you wearing a scooped-necked sundress, cut at the knee, do you even give her clothing a second thought? Or, might you be looking more at the whole person, the persona, instead? This example proves that modesty breeds respect because in the case of the woman in the sundress, no negative opinion rises to your consciousness. Rather, you look beyond the outfit and see the woman for who she wishes to be seen, as someone who deserves respect. Modesty Breeds Respect Embracing the virtue of Modesty not only garners the respect of others, but it also garners self-respect.  How we view ourselves is more important than how others view us. Yet, we tend to place more weight on what others think than on what we think of ourselves.  We believe what the magazines and television ads tell us abo...

I do not like the hatred and divisiveness, overtly promoted by the President of the United States, permeating throughout our country. His words are hurtful and racist. They are demeaning, and filled with vindictiveness. By his actions, I have witnessed him violating the Fifth Commandment many times. To violate the Fifth Commandment, you need not merely kill someone. You can violate the Fifth Commandment through expressions of hatred, anger, abusive language, resentment, vindictiveness, and yes, via expressions of racism. We CANNOT follow his example by jeering racist chants at rallies. Nor, should we follow his example by tweeting offensive commentary on Twitter. Nor, should we condone his despicable behavior toward the vulnerable immigrant, the person of color, and the marginalized. Instead, we need to cling to respect, for respect breeds love. Respect Breeds Love We need to: Channel our energy towards doing good. Express respect for others, especially those who do not look...

What do you gain by being uncivil? How do you benefit by thinking more of yourself and less of others? Why must your needs and desires supersede anyone else’s needs and desires? Incivility, a lack of humility, and a sense of superiority are at the root of our nation’s divisiveness. It is time that we foster goodness for the sake of the common good. It’s time that we begin acting more Christ-like and love our neighbor. Picture yourself standing in line waiting to check out at a department store. In front of you is a woman berating the sales clerk because she can’t use more than one coupon. What are you thinking? Are you saying to yourself, “You go girl! Give it to that clerk!” Or, might you be thinking, “Wow, I’m glad I’m not that clerk!” How is being uncivil making the woman look good? Certainly, she is not virtuous, as she lacks civility. When someone makes such outbursts, they do not foster goodness for the sake of the common good. Such actions demonstrate that the woman is onl...

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 ...

So, you think you know what it means to steal? Why, it is the taking of another’s property against the owner’s will, right? Yes, but stealing also includes: vandalism, cheating on exams, reporting more payroll hours than actually worked, wasting time at work, price gouging, shoplifting ,” 1   as well as, finding things of value and not returning them to the rightful owner. Let’s also include: “failure to pay taxes and bills, overspending the money of another person, failing to put in an honest day’s work, and reneging on a business contract.” 2   Let’s finish off this massive list with the well known actions of robbery and excessive gambling. This laundry list of 13 different actions sum up how to violate the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not steal” (Ex 20:15). You thought you were scot-free because you never held anyone at gunpoint and took their watch and money, or because you never robbed a bank, right? Well... Read more...

Oh, there are so many ways to violate the Fifth Commandment! Did you know that? Besides murder, we can violate this commandment as follows, via showing a disrespect for others in the form of …anger, hatred, abusive language, resentment, omissions in service, racism, and failures to treat enemy oppressors with love. Revenge or vindictiveness also has no place in the heart of a Christian .” 1   After reading this list, are you like me? Are you having a “whoa” moment, thinking about all the times when you got unjustly angry because of greed or pride? Are you saying “ouch” when you realize that you think you’re better than others, only to learn that you are not (hatred and racism)? How about when you resented someone for getting something you wanted, and envy reared its ugly head? More Ways to Violate the Fifth Commandment! It gets even worse! We can violate the Fifth Commandment by showing a disrespect for ourselves, when we commit... Read more...

Hmm…Do you let the curse words fly, every now and then? Or perhaps it’s more like every other word that comes out of your mouth? Well, let me be old fashioned and tell you that cursing isn’t cool! In fact, cursing makes you sound crude, rude and undignified. Look at what happened to President Trump’s latest Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci. Newly hired, he conducted a taped interview with the NY Times. When the tape was played, there were so many “bleeps,” because of foul language, that the audio was barely intelligible. Let’s just say that many people were offended after hearing the unfiltered recording, and the man was fired ten days into the job. Cursing isn’t cool! Cursing Violates the Second Commandment Did you know that? God gave us the Second Commandment to show us how to live a dignified life. Since we are made in His image and likeness, we are meant to... Read more...

We continue with the third installment of our seven part series on the seven deadly sins. Today we discuss Lust. Lust causes you to objectify the “object” of your desires, rather than to see the individual as a human being deserving dignity. When you remove human dignity from the equation, it becomes very easy to lose respect for others and for yourself. Lust is disordered desire for, or inordinate enjoyment of, sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes . 1   Lustful behavior is addictive.  Repeated over and over again, it deludes... Read more...