Association Of Catholic Bloggers

“In my deepest wound, I saw your glory and it dazzled me.”- Saint Augustine.  Most people assume they will automatically feel cheerful during Christmas.  Not only does the Church celebrate the birth of our Saviour with joy, secular society also promotes the idea that everybody is happy during this season, bombarding us with images in the media  of lighthearted people giving gifts and enjoying each other’s company.  In fact, there is so much pressure on people to be in good spirits during Christmas, many sink even deeper into depression when they are unable to force themselves to even crack a smile.   Continue reading

I want to shout out a secret to authentic interior freedom, a secret which will go against every fiber of your being. The answer to every crisis, every threat you will face in your life on earth is to stand still and trust. Easier said than done. As sinful humans, we are wired to fight or flee from any threat to ourselves or those we love. Unfortunately, if we want to live in the kingdom of heaven as children of God, we soon learn this fight or flight reaction is not God’s way of defeating our enemies. Even though we are Catholics who have been confirmed by the Holy Spirit in His power, we often behave exactly as the Israelite slaves in the Old Testament. Time and time again, the Israelites had witnessed the power of God defeat their enemies in Egypt. However, as they faced the Red Sea and saw Pharaoh’s army draw near, “the Israelites looked  back” .  Exodus 14:10 Big mistake .  Lot’s wife looked back and remember what happened to her? She turned to a pillar of rock salt.

My earnest striving to be perfect, to pair all the socks, for example, was a weakness, not a virtue. My diligence was rooted in insecurity, unbelief but most of all in pride. Again and again, as I read spiritual material, God tried to teach me that true Christianity is not focused on personal perfection but founded on the power of the Cross and Resurrection to set us free. “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us.”  -St. Pope John Paul II  “Don’t worry about being effective. Just concentrate on being faithful to the truth.”- Dorthy Day for a humourous look at letting go of control, continue

Disappointments come our way from time to time. It’s how we handle those disappointments that matter. For example, I recently learned that a big-time Catholic catalogue would not carry my book, Adventures of Faith, Hope and Charity: Finding Patience , simply because I self-published the book. It didn’t matter to them that the book was named a 2016 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist. In fact, they commented that they thought it was a really good book. They just don’t like dealing with my printing company. For that reason alone, they were declining to carry the book in their catalogue. My immediate reaction: Major disappointment! Handling Disappointments Appropriately With every disappointment there are lessons to learn; lessons that can shape your future for the better. Let’s face it: no one ever learns anything from success. They learn from failure. So, what am I going to do about this disappointment? Read more...

As Catholics, we are often leery of personal revelation because we are afraid of being deceived but, really, do we trust more in the power of God or the devil? Of course, we should be cautious but what are we so worried about?  The Church protects us with the gift of confession, the mystical tradition of the Church, spiritual direction and encourages us to study the bible.  All theses tools act as personal sign posts and safeguards. Like all  Christians, Catholics  have received the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth and to recognize the lies of the devil. continue reading

The last two weekly words have been Faith & Trust . As I prayed about what comes next, it occurred to me that Faith, Trust, and Surrender make a perfect trilogy; three essentials for true peace-of-mind and peace-of-heart. I see them as being cyclical, a reinforcing and continual process to living our God-designed life. Faith and trust sound nice, don’t they? Very reassuring and positive. Surrender, on the other hand…that can be a tough one for many of us! When I looked up the definition of surrender, I found: to give in, give up, concede defeat, cave in, and (from Merriam-Webster) “agree to stop fighting because you know that you will not win or succeed.” Yikes, no wonder I’m not usually in a big hurry to surrender! The truth is, surrendering my will in favor of God’s will, has NEVER left me feeling defeated or unsuccessful. Read More...

Is it REALLY possible to trust God totally, without a hint of hesitation or doubt? Even when things go wrong in our lives? Really wrong ... To continue reading please click HERE  

     Every soul’s journey in life is unique.  Many paths lead a soul to God.  Many paths lead a soul away from God.  We make choices about the paths we follow.  God has given us this amazing gift of free will!  Our choices often distort our thought processes so that we drift away from God.  We feel that we no longer trust God, or, perhaps feel, that we never did trust God.  We feel that we have been abandoned by God. We are not close to God.  Then, one day, grace comes to you, and you begin to hunger for God.   You want to believe, in God.  Yet, when you have not developed trust in God or your trust has been destroyed.  The question is then: how do you learn to trust God?  Learning to trust God is a decision.   If you have ever heard the expression, “Fake it ‘till you make it,” make the decision that you will trust God.  When there is a desire to trust God, make the decision to trust God, in time and with prayer, trust will develop. Remember, trust is a gift from G