Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Do you ever get the feeling that when you are facing struggles, you are alone? That no one other than you face such challenges? That everyone else seems to have it so much easier? That is exactly what happened to me recently. Back in 2008, when the US suffered the financial meltdown, and many people lost their jobs, I was one of the lucky ones who maintained my job. Selfishly, at the time, I didn’t give this national problem much attention, because it didn’t impact me directly. Now eight+ years later, with an unemployment rate lower than 5%, my husband lost his job in August, and at 63 is having difficulty finding a new job. With such a low unemployment rate, we don’t know anyone else in such a position – therefore, we feel as though we face this struggle alone. Then one day, I was standing... Read more... 

Eleven days into the new year – How’s that resolution coming along? Still going strong, or has the willpower waned? Making positive change is not always so easy. We all have good intentions as the ball drops at midnight on New Year’s Day. We even have that gung-ho attitude on the first Monday back to work. Everyone is ready to hit the salad bar rather than the burger joint. The local gym is overcrowded with people working out. Self-Control is on steroids! Then, after a few days, the desire to keep up the diet, or go to the gym, or resist that cigarette seems to wane. What is one to do? How can you keep your new year’s resolution to improve your life when your willpower seems to desert you and your self-control becomes non-existent? Read more...

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. This day marks the end of Jesus’ private life and the beginning of His public ministry. On the River Jordan, Jesus allowed Himself to be baptized with water by Saint John the Baptist. As Jesus came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, hovering over Jesus’ head, with the Father’s voice resounding “ This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased ” (Matt 3:17). God the Father makes this declarative statement, clearly articulating that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The second half of the commentary is an expression of the Father’s love for His Son. Jesus is Our God, and He is loved by the Father in union with the Holy Spirit – Trinitarian Love expressed at the Baptism of Our Lord. Correlation to Our Own Baptism We experienced that same Trinitarian love when we were baptized. The Father... Read more... 

With every years’ end, we tend to enter a time for reflection. We assess our lives, our dreams, and the course we are on. We look to see where we need to make changes; therein lies the proverbial need for the “New Year’s Resolution.” I bring you suggestions for how to approach making your New Year’s resolutions this year – resolutions that will last! These suggestions might be considered as slightly off the beaten path; nonetheless, they are a path work taking. Rather than: Going on a diet to lose weight, try to better understand why you overeat, or eat the unhealthy foods, and then resolve to fix the underlying cause instead. Going cold turkey to stop drinking or smoking, try to better understand why you do it in the first place, and then resolve to fix the underlying cause instead. Do you see where I am going here with these suggestions? .. Read more...

We officially entered the winter season last Wednesday, and are now in that time of year when life slows down dramatically, in comparison to the hustle and bustle of the holidays. We welcome the opportunity to come in out of the cold and seek the warmth of a roaring fire. Unlike many people, I love this time of year! I appreciate a good snowfall, especially when I get to stay inside, all cozy and warm. As an avid reader, I love sitting by the fire, curled up with my favorite afghan and a good book. I appreciate the solitude that winter blessings bring! Even in winter, when all life seems dormant, God is at work, renewing us. The lull of winter is a gracious gift from God, filled with winter blessings. Read more...

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...

Most Highly Favored Daughter , by Janice Lane Palko is salacious, intriguing and an all-around winner! If you are looking for a good book to read on a cold winter’s day, look no further than Most Highly Favored Daughter , set in Pittsburgh, PA during Super Bowl weekend. Janice Lane Palko creates compelling, deeply fraught characters who lure you in from page one. Cara Hawthorne Wells, the socialite elite of the Pittsburgh area, finds herself in a real pickle early on in the book. Yet, Janice Lane Palko shows us that Cara is much more than a former debutante. Cara, a seeker of truth, demonstrates courage and integrity when faced with a sordid adversity. Cara’s sister, Sophia, originally comes across as the flighty, irresponsible sister. Yet, when adversity strikes, Sophia... Read more...

St. John of the Cross, a 16 th century saint, is most well-known for working with St. Teresa of Avila at reforming the Carmelite orders of priests and nuns. John of the Cross received his Carmelite habit in 1563. Upon obtaining his habit, he immediately asked to live a more austere life than his fellow Carmelites of the day. John sought to live a life more in line with the original meaning of being a Carmelite. In John’s day, the Carmelites had grown accustomed to the amenities of the 16 th century. By living a more austere life, John of the Cross believed he lived a life more like the life of Christ. Ordained to the priesthood in 1567, he met St. Teresa of Avila shortly thereafter in 1568. Together they worked tirelessly to reform the Carmelite orders of priest and nuns, bringing back the austerity of what it meant to walk with Christ. In 1577, the Carmelite Order ordered St. John of the Cross to return to Medina. He refused, noting that he believed... Read more... 

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe; a day to remember and reflect upon Our Blessed Mother’s appearance to Juan Diego. When Our Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego, his country was under the influence of pagan beliefs in false gods. Mary appeared to him to set into motion a means for personally evangelizing the people of Central America. Her specific words to Juan Diego were: I greatly desire that a church be built in my honor, in which I will show my love, compassion, and protection. I am your Mother, full of mercy and love for you and all those who love Me, trust in Me, and have recourse to Me. I will hear their complaints and I will comfort their affliction and their sufferings. So that I might show all My love, go now to... Read more...  

8 Notes to a Nobody , by Cynthia T. Toney, is a heartwarming, yet truthful, depiction of what it is like to be a teenage girl, coming of age. In Cynthia Toney’s tale, Wendy Robichaud, an eighth grader, comes face-to-face with some of the struggles that teens unfortunately face: eating disorders and teen suicide; feelings of inferiority and loneliness. Read more...

Yesterday, we began the season of Advent, a time of preparation, repentance, waiting and joy. Sunday’s second reading from Romans 13:11-14 tells us to clothe ourselves in virtue: Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.   When we put on the armor of light, we embrace virtue to... Read more...

An attitude of gratitude is in order as we approach Thanksgiving. We have come upon that time of year when we take stock of all that God has blessed us with and express our thanks. God’s Divine Providence is truly divine! He always meets our needs. Whenever I have a bad, stressful day, I stop and take a few minutes to itemize the things for which I am grateful to God for providing for me. Somehow, rattling off this list always changes my mood. I begin to feel uplifted instantly. The chaos in my brain falls into order. The day’s stresses seem to dissipate. That’s because... Read more...

If I have learned anything during this past year, it is that the mercy of Christ is limitless and flows like an ocean. Christ’s mercy abounds; filled with love and compassion. Now that this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy has come to a close, I also realize how accessible Christ’s mercy remains. Christ’s door to mercy never closes! Jesus waits patiently for each of us to face up to our sins; to come back to Him, through the sacrament of Reconciliation. Therefore, it is in the confessional that Christ forgives us our sins and graces us with His mercy. Although, we enter feeling shamed, we exit feeling joyous! As we approach the season of Advent, a time of repenting, preparation and joy... Read more...

This coming Sunday, on the feast of Christ the King, Pope Francis will officially close the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. During this past year, what efforts did you undertake to learn more about Christ’s Mercy? Did you seek it for yourself and your loved ones over the past year? I would love to hear about your endeavors. Please share in the comments section. For me, it has been an extraordinary year learning more about the gift itself, as well as Christ’s expectation that we share it with our neighbor through our own willingness to grant it to others. Over this past year, I devoted one post per month to describe, define and show practical ways of incorporating the various corporal and spiritual works. In case you joined this journey mid-stream, and might have missed a post or two, here’s a recap; with direct links to the associated posts. Read more...  

Ornamental Graces , by Carolyn Astfalk, is a wonderful story, with interesting, compelling and authentic characters that you immediately come to love. Dan Malone, a tortured soul with a troubled past, meets Emily Kowalski, a young woman with dreams unfulfilled. Throughout this story, we see God at work bringing these two souls together time after time, until one day their relationship blossoms. From there, we see these two characters traverse through the journey we call life, with all of its ups and downs. Will Dan ever come to grips with the mistakes he made? Will Emily ever fulfill her dreams? And, will obstacles deprive them of developing the relationship they seemed destined to live? Carolyn Astfalk takes you on a roller-coaster ride, with a story that you will not put down until you obtain the answers to these questions. This is truly a page-turner! While reading this book, I couldn’t wait... Read more...

Why is it so important to pray for others, especially the dead, given that they have already received their particular judgment at the time of their passing? Here’s the skinny on the answer, coming directly from Jesus: “I say to you, if two or three of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father” (Matt 18:19).   Prayer is a powerful tool, used to communicate with God. When we use our prayer time to pray for others, both the living and dead, we demonstrate... Read more...

Today would have been the 71 st wedding anniversary of my parents, if they were still with me today. The veil between heaven and earth divides us, but the love remembered between my father and mother, and their mutual love for me remains in my heart. My parents married shortly after my father returned from World War II’s European front in 1945. From their love first came my sister Joan, now a mother to two children and grandmother of four children. Then came my brother Ed, father to three children, and grandfather to one child. Next, my sister, Susan arrived, followed by me. I tell you this to demonstrate that this love, a love remembered, between two people, is responsible for an additional fourteen people populating this earth! Love has a way of... Read more... 

Today we celebrate All Souls Day. Yes, I said “celebrate.” This day is set aside for us to remember and celebrate God’s mercy. This day is meant for remembering all souls who have departed this life and now reside in Purgatory, where they are in the process of having their venial sins cleansed, as well as experience the temporal punishment for confessed mortal sins. As Catholics, we know that to see the face of God, we must first be purified by the fires of Purgatory, where we are cleansed of our sins; refined like fine gold – Only then may we enter the gates of Heaven and see the face of God. Praying for all souls, on this dedicated day, can only help them. Need some proof that your prayers actually help those in Purgatory? Okay, here is an excerpt from... Read more...

I have this recipe that I like to make at this time of year. We call it Meat in the Gravy .  It is a recipe that my husband got from a friend’s father back in the 1970’s and it’s been a favorite of our family for decades! As I contemplated making it recently, I drew a correlation of Meat in the Gravy to that of life. Those meaty chunks represent those big moments in our lives: the births, graduations, weddings, etc. The seasonings and spices represent the flavor of the stew, but are also those occasions that added spice to our lives: that special kiss, the memorable family vacation, the romantic dinner at our favorite restaurant. And then there is the gravy; that soupy mess that... Read more...

I love this time of year, when the leaves turn from green to magnificent hues of gold, orange and red; when the air turns crisp; and the holidays beckon. It’s my favorite time of year! For me, this is the last autumn of my life, as I turn 60 in March, and will enter the winter of my life. Time is short, and every seasonal change reminds me that my time on earth is limited. As the seasons change, I take of stock of what I have accomplished and where I have fallen short; where I have excelled in virtue and where I could have done better. Autumn Winds; Hearts Afire As I celebrate this last autumn of my life, my heart is afire for Christ. Having left Corporate America, and the stress that went with it, I now work for Christ. Jesus is the best boss ever! The monetary salary is nothing to write home about, but the serenity, joy, and peace is priceless! My job also comes with increased trust, faith, patience and perseverance! Bottom line is that when... Read more...