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Feast in the House of Simon (detail) , Paolo Veronese, 1556-60 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 7:36 – 8:3 [Shorter form, Lk 7:36 – 50]  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house, and took his place at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hai...

And he just happens to be my husband!  Manny  and I started teaching pre-Cana classes for Fr. George Rutler's parish in New York City back in 2003. Manny's training as a psychiatrist always provided valuable insight into the challenges couples faced before and after marriage. So, I'm thrilled that he is joining me as a co-author on my book, now our book, explaining the Catholic Church's beautiful teachings on marriage and family. More...

Father was a no show at the 8 a.m. Holy Mass today.  The old man stood at the back door waiting for him, he said he had talked to Father and that he had said he would be there.  At 8:02, we decided to have a communion service.  Jim, wonderful servant of God, did the service for us.  One of the men came up to me and a woman that I was speaking to after the service.  You never saw this man without his rosary in his hand.  It gave me such hope to see one so faithful every day to the Rosary of our Blessed Mother.  He came over and speaking to the woman spewed a derogatory comment about Father.  My heart dropped.  The woman agreed and joined in the bashing.  This isn't the first I had heard of this, and every time I hear it, it broke my heart.   They invited me to McDonald's for breakfast, I declined and said I would stay and pray.  The woman said to me, "Well he needs it!" (Meaning Father.)  What she didn't know was...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Coming up this week end on EWTN's Bookmark show! : From the EWTN's "Wings" newsletter:                                 BOOKMARK CATHOLIC MOM'S CAFE AND ROOTED IN LO...

Someone just called my name. I think it was God!" It was early evening. We often played musical beds at bedtime because the younger children liked the security of a sibling or two falling asleep with them, especially when older brothers and sisters were still up and having fun. So it happened that I was laying down on Emily's bed nursing an infant while she played with my hair and sucked her thumb. Five-year-old David was almost asleep across the room. His breathing was slow and deep. The only other sound in the peaceful room came from a fan that created just enough white noise to drown out the other kid's voices. David suddenly sat straight up in bed, popped his eyes open and yelled excitedly, "Someone just called my name. I think it was God!" Emily took her thumb out of her mouth and lisped, "Who is God?" I turned my head to look at her and smiled, "You know, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Emily was stil...

It’s finally here–my first e-book! I hope you’re as excited as I am. I wrote this e-book for you, to aid you in your spiritual life. And today I’m going to ask you to do something for me. But first, I want to tell you how you can receive a free copy of Five Lessons from the Carmelite Saints That Will Change Your Life. It’s easy. All you have to do is sign up to receive my blog posts by email, using the form at the top of the sidebar on my blog. At the end of the process, you will receive an email containing a link to download the e-book. What if you are already following my blog by email? No problem. I have set up a new account at MailChimp to handle my emails to subscribers. I have also removed the old WordPress widget for email signup from my sidebar. All new subscribers will go onto the MailChimp list. If you are on the old list, simply sign up for the new list and download the e-book. Then you can click on “unsubscribe” in the email you got today for this...

                                        "What does it cost us to say:                                         'My God, help me!  Have mercy on me!'                                             Is there anything easier than this?                            ...

  Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath , Bernardo Strozzi, 1630s [ Web Gallery of Art] (First Reading, 1 Kings: 17:17-24) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 7:11 - 17  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.  Fear seize...

  This past weekend I attended the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference.  I heard two excellent talks and discovered interesting materials I had never seen before. I would like to spend the next few weeks here reflecting on what I learned. Those of you who were not able to attend a conference this year can consider this a mini-conference–free of charge! Long-time homeschooler Ginny Sueffert spoke on “How Catholic Homeschoolers are Changing American Culture.” She told the story of Catholic education in America, with a much more positive perspective than you often hear from homeschool experts. She emphasized, however, that Catholic schools have largely been secularized since the 1960s. According to Sueffert, 100 American dioceses are requiring their schools to follow the Obama Administration’s controversial Common Core Standards . Sueffert believes that Catholic homeschoolers have really taken over the role the parish schools used to play in Cathol...

A  month ago,  a WordPress Daily Prompt asked writers if we could only take five objects from a burning house, what would be the most difficult things for us to leave behind?  Well really, the only objects I consider to be important are photos of family, my computer, passport and ID, a bible and bank card, assuming that I am wearing my wedding ring and gold cross like always. That's it. As for regrets, I really do not think that my heart is in things. Since I was a little girl, I have felt content with what I have materially. Even now, when my nine kids ask me what I want for Christmas, I pause for a moment with a blank mind. I have to search to come up with a list. Rather a strange state to be in because this is not the result of spiritual striving, fasting or prayer, it is just how I am. Living with little people has only strengthened an innate tendency to enjoy the little things, to be grateful to be alive and in communion with the...

Three men, brave and determined men, took that final leap into a new life; complete with new titles, responsibilities, and new homes today....never to be the same again. But they prepared for this over a  seven year-span, immersed in the spiritual, biblical, and examples of those around them. They definitely had the support from family and friends, and the diocese, the church was packed! My family came to know then Deacon Ryan last summer after the bishop appointed the newly ordained temporary deacons to posts at different parishes around the diocese.  The good deacon filled in at different events and study groups over the next several weeks.  Lucky me, I was taking the current bible study offering of the parish, Exodus, and the deacon filled in as the facilitator for a couple of sessions.  We had a blast talking with him, asking him questions and gleaning from his knowledge of the bible and all things Catholic.  Being a younger man of 2...

If you have an awesome father-in-law, raise your hand. (I do! I do!) I am so blessed that my in-laws welcomed me into their family and into their faith. After I converted from Episcopalianism to Catholicism, my father-in-law José Antonio joyfully proclaimed, "Relax and enjoy being a Catholic!" He has taught me so much about theology and catechetics, and now it's my kids' turn to benefit from his knowledge. My husband Manny and I live in the same town as my in-laws, so every Sunday, our kids go to catechism class at their Abuelo and Abuela's house. They gather around the kitchen table with their cousins and listen to whatever topic Abuelo picked for the day. One topic was the glorious bodies we'll receive after Judgment Day. Another was the Apostles' Creed. More...

Thanks to the power of social media, a kind-hearted editor named Elizabeth Scalia and the willingness of folks to donate money to strangers, Stretto Youth Chamber Orchestra now is just $2,500 short of its goal, down from $4,000 10 days ago when I first started pestering people about it. In case you missed it: The money being raised is to ensure all orchestra members can go on tour. The orchestra is remarkable because Stretto gathers children from a wide range of backgrounds - from boarding schools to foster homes - to make beautiful classical music. Keep Reading...

My friend Lisa Graas agrees with Fox News Commentator Megan Kelly that it is a major cultural shift. Over half of these women are, as you would expect, single moms who are not getting enough child support. I have written many times about the scandal of the high rates of single parenthood, so I won't address this here. I want to address the 37%  of breadwinners who are married mothers and are perhaps under pressure from their husbands because they make more money. Lisa Graas quoted the Pew Poll; From the poll , quoted verbatim: About three-quarters of adults (74%) say the increasing number of women working for pay has made it harder for parents to raise children, and half say that it has made marriages harder to succeed. At the same time, two-thirds say it has made it easier for families to live comfortably.  I was in that category as a newlywed, pregnant mother. It is a very difficult situation but I found a solution I want to share. I remember being well employed ...

Awareness of God Welcome to Colleen’s Saturday meme. How about joining us at  Thoughts on Grace? A h mothers. A ren’t we great? A lways running around serving, A cting like a combination of Martha and Mary. A+  Mums, right? Think again. When we refuse to give up control, we shut out the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact we end up acting just like vacuum cleaners when it is God’s job to purify our family in His power, mercy and grace. He needs us to simply be conduits of his Love. It is by Christ’s suffering that mothers and their families are healed, not by the mother acting like the sacrificial lamb or the scapegoat of the Old Testament. As a mother, I am wired to work emotionally just like a vacuum cleaner,sucking up all my children’s pain. Likewise, my children are compassionate vacuum cleaners as well, who attract other people’s negative emotions. They are all aware that they learned this dysfunctional behaviour not only from observing Mi...

Among Carmelite saints, John of the Cross, co-founder of the Discalced Carmelites with Teresa of Avila, is not the most popular. Why not? He insisted that detachment was necessary for holiness. Many Catholics, misunderstanding his teaching, think it too hard and too dull. On first reading his Ascent of Mt. Carmel, they might be tempted to settle for luke-warmness. On the other hand, nearly everyone loves St. Therese of Lisieux. The irony is that Therese was a true daughter of John, embracing all that he taught. If we reject John, we implicitly reject Therese as well. Misconceptions about attachment   Let’s examine some of the misconceptions about detachment. First of all, the detachment John of the Cross speaks of is not aloofness. We should have proper affection for our family and friends.  It’s nonsensical to be cold towards your spouse due to a supposed love for God. Detachment doesn’t mean denying the good that is in the material world. R...

James Tissot, La Visitation, Brooklyn Museum, in US public domain I often reflect upon Mary's visitation to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56).  I think about the fact that the original scene probably attracted little attention from observers.   Two women, two relatives, greeted one another.  It was something that happened all the time.    No one watching would have shouted out: "Quick!  Come see!   Here's a scene that will be written about in the Bible!"   Mary visited Elizabeth because both had first BEEN Visited - Mary in a totally unique way, of course.  She came to Elizabeth carrying God Himself within her .... (continue)