Association Of Catholic Bloggers

, The Charity of St Lawrence , Bernardo Strozzi, painted 1639-40 Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  Gospel  John 6:41-51  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) The Jews then murmured at Jesus, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.

Pope Benedict's Prayer Intentions for August 2012 General Intention Prisoners.   That prisoners may be treated with justice and respect for their human dignity. Missionary Intention Youth Witness to Christ.   That young people, called to follow Christ, may be willing to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Posted by  Fr Seán Coyle  at  11:46      

If we have done wrong, yes we ask forgiveness, but even if we haven't done wrong, we should still ask for forgiveness.   The reason for this, is that if a heart has unforgiveness in it, that soul is at risk of God's unforgiveness of their sins.   "forgive us our sins as WE forgive" .  So even if we haven't done anything wrong, or think we haven't done anything wrong, we should still seek, even beg forgiveness so a persons heart is not hardened with unforgiveness and they are not at risk of the fire.

A dear sister-in-the-Lord recently shared her enthusiasm with me in regards to 6 pounds she had shed. I smiled and congratulated her and gave her a big hug. Six pounds – an awesome accomplishment, indeed! Of course she looked the exact same to me as she did before she lost the 6 pounds but I kept that little realization to myself. In other words, I thought she was perfect. Her physical beauty and her spiritual beauty were so interconnected, from my perspective, that had she gained weight I would not have noticed either. But those few pounds made a difference in how she viewed herself and how she believed the world viewed her. My own self-perception is just as fragile. I have never been known to purchase clothes that actually fit. I view myself as needing clothes that are always at least one size larger than the “real” me. My own body image still suffers as a result of many comments made to me while I was a young teenager. Body image is something that affects almost all wo

Today the Church honours  St Sixtus II and Companions , martyred in Rome on 6 August AD 258. Sixtus had been pope for just under a year. We can read about the deaths of these martyrs in the Office of Readings which includes an extract from a letter of St Cyprian:  Know that Sixtus and four of the deacons were beheaded in the cemetery on 6 August. Moreover, the Prefects of the City are pursuing the persecution relentlessly; if any suspected Christians are brought before them they will be executed and their property confiscated . The six deacons were  Januarius, Vincentius, Magnus, Stephanus, Felicissimus  and  Agapitus . Four days later the great  St Laurence of Rome , another deacon, was martyred. The names of Sts Sixtus, Cyprian and Laurence appear in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I). I wonder did St Cyprian, as he wrote, have any inkling of the fact that he too would be beheaded in the same persecution under the Emperor Valerian, on 14 September that same yea

One of our  ACWB authors...

My husband and I joined some of the pilgrims from our trip to Italy last year in Traverse City, MI this past weekend. It was a blessed time and is really why a pilgrimage is something you think you are doing for yourself but is really something God is doing for you! It took us 25 years of saving to get to Italy but was something that continues to give back to us. If you've never taken a pilgrimage, you may want to ask God to show you if this is something He is asking you to do. Sitting at Dave and Claire's breathtaking home with a view of God's beautiful earth! Everyone at dinner (from close left around table to close right): John, me, Dave, Laura, Julie, Tim, Father Libby, Teresa, Dom, Laura, Dave Everyone at Chateau Chantel Deacon explaining wine making Bishop Bernard Hebda joins us at Claire and Dave's  John and I in from of an ironwork that proclaims and reminds: I am the vine, you are the branches

On a visit to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania last week, my husband and our younger son bought  combo passes to ride the historic Strasburg Railroad and visit the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania next door. From the train, the views of the verdant farmland were spectacular.(Above is one I took with my iPad.)  Still, the two most powerful moments of the visit came when I least expected them. Keep reading....

From  The Gospel of John  (2003)    Directed by Philip Saville. Jesus played by Henry Ian Cusick; narrator, Christopher Plummer. [John 6:24-35 is found between 2:36 and 4:24 in the video.] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)  Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel John 6: 24-35   (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caperna-um, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on h

Catechist's Journey blog, by Joe Paprocki, is posting a month long online retreat based on the Year of Faith theme.  He is using his book, A Well-built Faith, as a resource.  This link gives an introduction to the retreat, which began last Monday:  Preparing for a Year of Faith .  You can start the retreat at any time and make your own schedule. Vatican Radio's has posted the official calendar of events for the Year of Faith at this link:  Vatican Radio - Year of Faith: Official calendar of Events .

Ronnie Delany  of Ireland winning the 1500 metres in the Melbourne Olympics 1956 My mother wasn't particularly into sports but I remember her running up the stairs early on Saturday 1 December 1956 to wake up my brother and me with the great news that Ronnie Delany had won the 1500 metres in the Melbourne Olympics. I was 13 then, eight years younger than the Gold medallist. He has been a hero of mine ever since and last November I met him for the first time at the annual dinner of the past pupils' union of O'Connell Christian Brothers' School in Dublin where Ronnie had done the first three years of his secondary education. When I told him that he had been a hero to me down through the years he expressed a simple delight that for me is the mark of true humility. Stamp issued in Ireland on the 50th anniversary of Delany's win In one interview he said ,  Religion played an integral part in my life and still does, I did resort to prayer for co

I remember when my first son was in need of his first haircut.  I took him to a professional stylist and, with 35mm camera in hand, clicked away, literally walking around and around his seat, so that, once developed, the pictures would immortalize that very special day in my life, in his life, in the world, I was sure. By the time my third son was in need of his first haircut, I let my mom have at it and, as it turned out, time did not improve her hair-cutting skills.  My youngest son ended up with the same bangs that I had worn some 30 years earlier — a wavy line of hair jutting out all over the place somewhere between eyebrows and the hairline. Things really do change from the first born to the second and then to the third.  And as that is all the children we were blessed with, I can go no further with my experience but my assumptions would be that by the fifth or sixth child, he or she may very well be performing his or her own first haircut. Now, my oldest is now a college

All is well in Papa Stronsay.

The Five First Saturdays for the Blessed Mother August 4th is a first Saturday

Christina Velasquez Excellent discussion of the pros and cons of new scientific advances in pre-natal testing from Dr Denise Hunnell on  Zenit.  She admits the benefits to knowing what birth defects an unborn baby has, but warns against misuse of this information by the government. Its not whether you have information that is troublesome, its what is done once the information is obtained. Dr Hunnell explains how the Nazis used the information they had about birth defects. One shudders at the prospect of what they would do if our technology were available to them. Seeking to rid a population of genetic disease through controlling reproduction is not a new endeavor. On July 14, 1933, Germany enacted the  Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring . Any man or woman who was afflicted with “feeblemindedness,” schizophrenia, manic-depressive disorder, epilepsy, Huntington’s chorea, genetic blindness, genetic deafness, severe physical deformity or chronic alcoholism were

News-Olympic stamp of approval from Archbishops / News Releases / Home - The Catholic Church for England and Wales

“So basically you are a ‘vanity press,’” was the question posed to me that really sounded more like a statement of fact—and an unattractive one at that. “Well, we offer a variety of publishing services and some of those services are that authors do, indeed, pay to have their books published with us,” were the words I said that didn’t even begin to cover the true response. What I’ve come to see over these past six years working with different authors is that there isn’t a vain one among them. In fact, what I’ve come to know and be blessed by are the men and women who have made the conscious choice to answer the call the Holy Spirit has put upon their hearts to bring a work of fiction or non-fiction to fruition. These are men and women who have taken the “new springtime of evangelization” to heart and have responded. They aren’t in positions of power where their names can open doors; rather, they are the simplest and most humble of people who have prayed and discerned to know God’s c

BBC News - London 2012: A 12-part guide to the UK in 212 words each

From  The Gospel of John  (2003)  Directed by Philip Saville. Jesus played by Henry Ian Cusick; narrator, Christopher Plummer. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)  Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  John 6:1-15  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberi-as. And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would

E F pastoremeritus: Novena to St John Vianney, Cure d'Ars Ive not seen this Novena before but the Holy Cure of Ars is one of my personal favorites and I love to pray for Priests!

Can we know the heart and mind of God? Yes.  He has given us so much to show His heart.  We have His word, and upon reading the Holy Word of God, if we just read what God says through His prophets, we see the love of God expressed, but we also see a desire of God to be with His creation.   He walked with us in the garden of Eden, then He visited Abraham in a physical form, but we can almost feel that He wishes more.  So as we read the Word we see the desire of God's heart to be with us.  Not just walk with us, but to "dwell within us."   This is the highest desire of God is to dwell within the heart of those that love Him and seek Him.  For a heart that can have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within it is a heart that has to be purified before God can enter, for God cannot come into anything impure or corrupt.  What great joy God knows when he dwells within a heart that has been purified and strives after His own heart!  For if that soul will persevere in seeking a

I enjoyed speaking with Brian Patrick this morning on Sonrise Morning Show about Catholic alternatives to 50 Shades of Grey . Alternatives that engage and still bring the journey of a lost soul to a Christian close. In particular I found sharing Philippians 4:8 rather important: Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. If you are interested in such a book--one that speaks to the human condition with a Christian tone and resolution--then I invite you to download Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage on your Kindle for free if you are an Amazon Prime Member.  Lisa Hendey gives  Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage 5 stars and calls it "engrossing" and "rewarding."  And who doesn't like a free book? Cheryl Dickow www.BezalelBooks.com

LAST WELSH MARTYR: OUR LADY OF BRITANNIA : I found this beautiful poem on Richard's blog, "STABAT MATER" .  The poem was written by Pearl of Tyburn and Richard found it on her blog,...

Okay, so my son helped me get set up with a Twitter account yesterday. And while I am not sure about this latest foray--mostly because I don't want it to gobble up my God-time--I wonder what the strange new world will hold. As I shopped this morning for some ingredients to a new recipe that I will be trying out tonight, I found myself thinking of things to tweet. For instance I needed something called Kaffir Lime Grass and was clueless; I suddenly thought of my 4 followers and wondered if any could help... Just what I was afraid of! Usually I am thinking about God when I grocery shop. I think I need to talk with some Twitter czars and see how they do it all! Any suggestions? Cheryl Dickow www.BezalelBooks.com

As you might know, my husband is a  trauma survivor   who faces post-traumatic stress disorder. Greg somehow survived the Sept. 11 terror attacks and he also lost dozens of colleagues. He and I continue to consider what it all means. We both have what we call "trauma fatigue" meaning we are not able to immerse ourselves in the details of other acts of inhumanity, such as the deadly violence that occurred in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater last week. We haven't watched the nonstop cable news reports, or read any of the extensive newspaper coverage. Keep Reading...

~ It doesn't take 45 minutes to get a dog ready to go outside in the winter. ~ Dogs cannot lie. ~ Dogs never resist nap time. ~ You don't need to get extra phone lines for a dog. ~ Dogs don't pester you about getting a kid. ~ Dogs don't care if the peas have been touched by the mashed potatoes. ~ Dogs are housebroken by the time they are 12 weeks old. ~ Your dog is not embarrassed if you sing in public. ~ Average cost of sending a dog to school: $142 Average cost of sending a kid to school: $103,000 (note: more if sent to Catholic schools) [forwarded by Gretchen Patti] today'sTHOT============================ If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way your wife told you to. ======================================= PASS IT ON! Yeah, you can send this Funny to anybody you want. And, if you're REAL nice, you'll tell them where you got it! www.mikeysFunnies.com ===============================