Association Of Catholic Bloggers

        - Qué discutible eres, Iglesia, y sin embargo, cuánto te quiero.         - Cuánto me has hecho sufrir, y sin embargo, tengo necesidad de tu presencia.         - Me has escandalizado mucho, y sin embargo, me has hecho entender la santidad.         - Nada he visto en el mundo más oscurantista, más comprometido, más falso, y nada he tocado más puro, más generoso, más bello… leer mas...

In today’s Gospel from Luke, Jesus asks a series of three questions to two men on the Road to Emmaus: What are you discussing as you walk along? (Luke 24:17) What sort of things? (Luke 24:19) Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory? (Luke 24:26) Let’s unpack each question, one at a time, to see what Our Lord is trying to say to us. More Questions? What were the men discussing as Jesus approached them? They were discussing Christ’s death on the cross, saddened that who they thought would redeem the Jewish people, was now dead. Their hopes, dashed. It seems they lost faith in Jesus. Has that ever happened to you? Do you sometimes feel like God is nowhere near you and you are short on hope? Can you relate to these two men? Jesus rebounds with the second question, by asking them to clarify what sort of things they were discussing. He wants to hear from them directly. They recounted the past few day’s events, even mentioning

My husband and I watched a 2002 documentary ( Comedian) featuring Jerry Seinfeld and another comedian we were not familiar with named Orny Adams. The documentary showed the amount of work that goes into preparing the material they use, as well as the insecurities (mostly Adam’s) that come from being so vulnerable in front of a crowd. They make it look so easy, but it’s really not easy at all.   I guess we all know that, but to see the beyond-the-scenes nervousness and self-doubt is really quite telling. Seinfeld didn’t seem to struggle with personal insecurities as much as Adams, but the documentary was done post Seinfeld .   Still, it was clear that Seinfeld still had to work on his craft after being away from stand-up for so long.   He talked about how difficult it is to get back to being comfortable with his material and delivery. Anyone who has ever done any public speaking—let alone comedy—can completely understand the work that goes into it.   What the audienc

I love to play with today’s gospel reading from John (Chapter 20.)   Mary of Magdala, who stood outside the empty tomb of Jesus, was weeping when two angels appeared to her, one sitting at the head and one sitting at the foot of where the body of Jesus had been laid. The angels started questioning her about why she was crying.   She explained that Jesus had been taken and she didn’t know where.   So Jesus appeared to her in his resurrected body and she didn’t recognize him.   He asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?   Whom are you looking for?” I love the next part, where scripture tells us that she thought Jesus was the gardener!   She wonders if Jesus knows where Jesus is. Jesus calls out her name and she immediately recognizes him. He tells her “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” And then, in the pattern I suggested yesterday, he tells her to go and tell his brothers—meaning the disciples—that he is going to his Father, and her F

In Samantha Power’s book, The Education of an Idealist, she quotes President Barack Obama in her afterword saying he liked to use the reference “Building the airplane while flying it.” The quote really struck me for the absurdity of someone trying to do that, figuratively of course, and the fact that it is a reality for us today, literally. For instance, with our country’s response to the deadly virus, we are trying to build that airplane without all of the parts, while trying to fly it without following directional signals. It is, to speak the obvious, a very hard thing to do.   Thank goodness for some responsible governors who are really showing leadership during this crisis.   Thank goodness for the good people who are sacrificing some of their personal freedom, time and energy, to protect others. We have much to be grateful for during these difficult times and it is best if we do not turn on each other, but continue to show the kindness and caring that reflects a c

Blanca nos invita a reflexionar sobre los nuevos tipos de soledad en la edad moderna de las telecomunicaciones....  ¿Todos más comunicados pero más solos que nunca?  ¿Cómo podemos evitar la soledad y el aislamiento en la era de las Redes Sociales? Por Blanca Ahumada Otero aquí video completo...

I hope that you are still staying at home, sheltering in place, doing your part to help abate the Coronavirus. Yesterday was Easter Sunday, a joyous day when we celebrate Christ’s rising from the dead. My original plan was to attend the Easter Vigil, as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Coordinator, to see six people receive their sacraments. I’ve worked with these folks for months, getting them ready for this day. Yet, on this Easter Sunday, the churches in my Diocese are still closed, with Easter Sunday Mass streamed across the internet. I know that God is present everywhere, and at all times, but let’s face it. It’s just not the same, when you cannot receive the Eucharist during the holy sacrifice of the Mass. So, on this Easter Sunday, I needed to find God in my own home. Find God in Your Home Yesterday, we watched Mass on our computer. We still got to hear our Pastor give an excellent homily. No Eucharist, but we were still able to find God in our home. Ho

After a nice walk with my husband while the sun was shining, the roast went in the oven (courtesy of my husband) and I sat down to find a movie.   The television was already set on the sports channel (thanks to our sports-minded son) so before I flipped to a movie, I was intrigued by what was being broadcast on his station—the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It was gripping. I know you might not think so, but it really was thrilling.   I was particularly excited because the winner was a 13 year old girl—the first homeschooler to win the competition! As a former homeschooler, it made me so proud.   Many, many years ago our oldest daughter entered the spelling bee.   Let me tell you, it starts small with the neighborhood school in a little gym, but it is no less exciting. Our daughter went on to the next level, which may have been local to our district (I really don’t remember it was so long ago.)   She lost at that level, but the excitement of sitting there watchi

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