Association Of Catholic Bloggers

    In recent decades Europe, leader of modern secular culture, and other countries of the Asian continent have aged and the stress of their population control principles has already affected entire economies, after having swept the Christian social culture of Europe. The problem is now so serious that Governments have adressed the emergency, but with the same bureaucratic methods   used to solve other social problems: campaigns advertising and incentives so that couples have children. But it seems that these marketing efforts are not working and the answer and solution are, paradoxically, in the Christian culture that they spurned in the past.

I come from a long line of strong women. Women who overcame difficult odds and overwhelming heartache. Women who will never be known to anyone other than those in their immediate family. The older I get, the more I think about these incredible women. I wonder if I am made of the same stock and marvel at the way they lived their lives. Faced with the difficulties they had faced, how would I have fared? Every woman I know is able to say the same thing: Strong women are part of their history. In that way, we all share a common thread. I remember when the movie  My Big Fat Greek Wedding  came out and the clever promotion that replaced the word “Greek” with “Polish” and “Italian” and any number of different heritages. It is because that thread runs through all of us. We can all relate to some of the same things when we take the time to look into our history. read more here

You’ve discovered what it truly means to be “young at heart.” The wrinkles around your mouth and the pouchy jowls have no effect on you. You see the varicose veins in your legs and feet as a sign of victory—having carried children and lifted the loads of life. You are able to make fun of your bat wings and still wear sleeveless shirts in the summer. That’s what it means to grow old gracefully; it is a sign of maturity of spirit. Something we attain while we nurture others and as we, ourselves, learn and grow from life’s experiences. Yeah, not so much… read mroe here

  The Gift of Fecundity What we are coming to understand, though still shrouded in deep mystery, is the magnificent masterpiece that is Woman. She is a complex symphony of mind, body and spirit, the crescendo of which renders her capable of bearing life, both physically and spiritually, in this world.   It is a miracle of miracles that she, co-creator and cooperator with our Unseen and Eternal God, carries and brings forth the fruit of His hope and infinite love.   The gift of fecundity, given to women, is meant to be preserved, cherished and safeguarded.   It is a Divine gift, not meant to be manipulated, exploited or artificially intruded upon, even for arguably admirable reasons or causes.   No matter how sophisticated or scientifically advanced, or seemingly intelligent we think we have become… God’s Divine Law, will and ways are infinitely deeper, wider and more perfect than our greatest human achievement or potentiality.   We will never be God… not ever. That

A gorgeous jacket caught my eye as I was flipping through an issue of a fashion magazine, trying to find the“perfect” haircut—you know, just cute enough to say I am still “fashionable”yet not too cute as to say “I’m 55 years-old trying to look 30.” The jacket was what I would call “car length.” It was covered in an animal print. I loved it! At that point, having lost my focus on trying to find a picture of a perfect haircut to take to my stylist, I intently surveyed the different animal print products—from handbags to pants to shoes—each seeming a bit wild and yet quite appealing. Of course at my age I couldn’t fathom donning a full-on animal print ensemble—or maybe I was never at the correct age to wear such an outfit—but there was still something attractive about an animal print accessory, and most especially that coat! It just seemed “fun.” Sometimes, as Christian women, we forget that we are called to have fun. In our day-to-day living in which we embrace o

Wrapped Up by Teresa Tomeo and Cheryl Dickow is a book for quiet reflection, focusing on ten aspects of the spiritual journey, including God's love and forgiveness, a joyful attitude, suffering and the sacraments. Each chapter is divided between the two authors, as Cheryl shares insights about the matriarchs of the Old Testament and Teresa provides data and anecdotes about the struggles faced by contemporary women. Both writers include snippets from their lives and how they have each found deeper peace in their vocations as Catholic women through becoming open to the gifts which God gives. Teresa comments on the discouragement with which so many women must contend, and which can be an obstacle to having a healthy spiritual life. In addition to the personal baggage we carry, the other signals constantly received or detected on the private sonar remind us that unless we can feed the family with  a fabulous 'yummo' Rachel Ray dinner in thirty minutes or

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who had been slapped was hurt but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: Today my best friend slapped me in the face. They kept on walking until they found an oasis where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning. The friend saved her. After she recovered from the near drowning, she wrote on a stone: Today my best friend saved my life. The friend who had slapped and saved her best friend asked: After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on stone. Why? The other friend replied: When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness and waters of love can easily wash it away. When someone does something good for us we should engrave it in stone where it can remain for years to come. From this wonderful tale of two friends w

A gorgeous jacket caught my eye as I was flipping through an issue of a fashion magazine, trying to find the “perfect” haircut—you know, just cute enough to say I am still “fashionable” yet not too cute as to say “I’m 54 years-old trying to look 30.” The jacket was what I would call “car length.” It was covered in an animal print. I loved it! At that point, having lost my focus on trying to find a picture of a perfect haircut to take to my stylist, I intently surveyed the different animal print products—from handbags to pants to shoes—each seeming a bit wild and yet quite appealing. Of course at my age I couldn’t fathom donning a full-on animal print ensemble—or maybe I was never at the correct age to wear such an outfit—but there was still something attractive about an animal print accessory, and most especially that coat! It just seemed “fun.” Sometimes, as Christian women, we forget that we are called to have fun. In our day-to-day living in which we embrace our

Recently God brought into my life a woman who I now call “friend.” I spent some time with her recently where we enjoyed a cup of tea and chatting. As I left I was buoyed by our visit. It got me to thinking how perfectly she fit into my life and reflect on the question: What sort of friends does a woman “need” in her life? I know lots of women: the mothers of all the friends of my sons; women with whom I’ve worked and those with whom I’ve worshipped. There are women neighbors and there are women relatives. I’ve been blessed by meeting women at speaking engagements who have touched my heart. But friends? I have but a few. I remember once being told that at the end of your life, if you can count on one hand your true friends, you will have been very lucky. I guess that was the secular way of saying you have been very blessed. At 54 years old, I see that I have been very blessed. If we’ve got one hand to work off of, I believe these are the five friends each woman needs: