Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Photo by Michael Gaida, Public Domain, Pixabay I will die a happy woman. Perhaps, after I die, you will see this post and pray for me. It will help, I know. Even if I have been released from Purgatory when you read this post, your prayers will help other souls Read more at Prayerfully Yours

We are one week into Lent.  How is it going for you so far?  Have you broken your fast promises?  Are you doing great at avoiding chocolate but feel like you need some inspiration?  Are you willing to devote just a few minutes a day growing in knowledge and depth of your faith?  This list is for you.  It is not too late to make this a truly remarkable Lent, visit Veils and Vocations for more information.

 (from The Breadbox Letters)

My husband and I are planning our retirement. We've talked about our expenses and how we'll manage our money. The main topic is where should we live when we retire? You can find out where will retire at Being Catholic ... Really .

Amazing..

This coming Saturday, February 20, 2016 marks the second anniversary of my website, blogging about the virtues! Several of you share parts of your own journey with me, and by doing so encourage me to continue with this ministry. You definitely have a hunger for virtue! I enjoy hearing from you. I love bringing the virtues to you, helping you grow closer to Christ. I hope, in turn, that you share this information with others, to help them grow closer to Christ too. I also hope that you impart your new found wisdom on your children. It’s called a positive rippling effect. Let the ripples flow! Here are a few interesting tidbits... Read more...

One of the three spiritual disciplines Christians practice during Lent is fasting. (The other two are prayer and almsgiving. The three practices have their origin in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6.) We must eat in order to live, and fortunately God has made eating pleasurable for us . . . except when the meal is overcooked or undercooked and when we have an aversion to certain foods! Refraining from eating is associated with spirituality from time immemorial. People of the Old Testament fasted, and so did Jesus and the early Christians. There are good reasons for fasting and not only during Lent. Today many people fast as a means to lose weight. True, dieting is good for their health, but this is arguably the least noble motive for fasting. The primary purpose of religious fasting is spiritual: to increase our hunger for God. Here are nine other reasons to fast with examples from Scripture. Click to continue

I took those Crosses off the walls and flung them across the backyard. Where the hell was God anyway??? We'd gone to Church every Sunday. We sat next to one another for dinner every evening and prayed before the meal. We held hands as we fell asleep every night. We were the family that prayed together. We should have been the family that stayed together!!! I was so angry with God in those early months. I'd believed all the clichés and had made most of the right moves, but my husband was tempted and no amount of my begging God to fix our marriage or to bring him back was working. What kind of God didn't want our marriage to stay together? He should have worked harder in our lives! Life Doesn't Go as Planned So many times we think something should go a certain way and when it doesn’t, we cry out to God  demanding  He make it  right  - and so often God sits back and waits patiently while we accuse Him of ignoring our cries for help.

Our money problems did not start overnight.  They built overtime.  Every decision held a consequence, yet we were blissfully unaware as we spent and then after the debt had built, we continued to be blissfully unwilling to change - and consciously choose to ignore it ( Problem #1 ). To figure out where we are going, first we need to look at how we got here.  Kevin and I met when we were in high school and began dating his freshmen year in college (my junior year of high school).  We were married 5 years later, while I was still in college.  We were 21 and 23, and absolutely clueless on how to manage finances ( Problem #2 ).  I had embraced the 1980's with great zeal -- amassing over 15 credit cards (mostly of the store variety) by time I was 20 years old ( Problem #3 ).   Kevin was unaware of most of them ( Problem #4 ).  We were both hard workers but underemployed ( Problem #5 ).   So what now? Where do we start to reclaim our lives? ... read more  All Rights Reserved,

I'm an excitable person, I realize that--I did a victory dance this morning when I managed to peel my orange in one satisfying strip. Even so, THIS IS BIG: Children drew pictures and sent letters to Pope Francis! And he answered them! The children ask such beautifully genuine questions, and Pope Francis responds thoughtfully, tenderly. Some people worry that our Pope is a controversial figure, I know, but this book simply confirms that Pope Francis is someone we all would like to spend time with personally. Dear Pope Francis invites us to feel like we've spent an afternoon in the Pope's sitting room. Truly a pastor--a shepherd--Pope Francis gathers us around his chair, listening to us and speaking with us sincerely about God, love, life's troubles, death. That's the feeling I get from Dear Pope Francis, with its homemade drawings and heartfelt exchanges. Join me at Praying with Grace for all the details!

"It is by the apostolic preaching of the Gospel that the people of God is called together and gathered so that all who belong to this people, sanctified as they are by the Holy Spirit, may offer themselves 'a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God'." Vatican II, Presbyterorum ordinis, 2 With Lent fast approaching, this word  sacrifice  frequently looms and weighs upon our hearts as something undesired or sought after and yet something we are being asked to pursue. Could it be that we are working with a poor understanding of the rich true meaning of what it is to sacrifice? First as Christ has shown, and St. Paul reiterates, a sacrifice isn't static or dead. In fact, rather than as an action performed it is more of a state of being. We are to be a  'living sacrifice' , a testament to the continual love we have come to know as followers of Christ. So, then we are brought to the heart of the matter. Sacrifice flows out of love. One cannot tr

Once again, it is Random Acts of Kindness week. It is always held around Valentine’s Day, as kindness is associated with the virtue of love. I’m a big fan of Random Acts of Kindness Week, because it always brings me and others great joy to do something nice for someone else, expecting nothing in return. Here are seven suggestions, for seven days in the week, on how you can participate in Random Acts of Kindness Week. Maybe you could try one suggestion each day: Surprise the love of your life with a special meal; perhaps it involves home cooking your love’s favorite foods, or perhaps it is dinner at your love’s favorite restaurant. Either way, the love of your life will be made to feel great. Refrain from scolding your children/spouse and exert patience along with kindness. Sometimes it is better to be kind than to be right. Call... Read more...  

CLICK TO TUNE TO GOD'S WAVELENGTH

The Spirituality of the Middle Ages was deeply influenced by a story that everybody knew from their childhood. It was the story of a Roman soldier and of his act of compassion for a fellow human being. The Roman soldier was later to become St Martin, Bishop of Tours, who was born at the beginning of the fourth century. He was still only a Catechumen when, on a cold winter’s night, he cut his cloak in half to clothe a half naked man, who was starving to death outside the city gate. When the story was told that the poor man was in fact Christ, its impact was immense and lasting. read on....

Contemporary artists view the crucifixion through new eyes, enabling the Holy Spirit to impact yet another generation of Christians.  Ivanka Demchuk  Ben Denis continue 

'How does one know if the Lord is calling? In varied ways, but as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta responded when asked how someone knows if she is called: 'She knows. She knows.' This is the language of the heart, and often it is difficult to put words to the language of the heart. The good news is, no one discerns a vocation in the Church alone - with the help of a vocation director, you will be able to discern whether the Lord is calling you to one community or another, or to marriage or the single life. All disciples of Christ are called to love without limits...' (from Sisters of Life website) 'She knows. She knows...'  When I first heard these words spoken by Mother Teresa, I thought my heart would burst into flame. Watching a videotape with my husband, I too felt an inexplicable, unwordable sense of being called.  Not able to understand how that fit in with my life as a wife and mother, still I knew. I just knew.... (continue)

(From Wereldburger758, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) Lent is a time for me to improve myself, right? That will be a by-product of what I do, but — no. Lent isn't about me. It's like the rest of the annual cycle of Advent, Lent Easter: we're reviewing and, in a sense, re-living what our Lord did, two millennia back now. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1095 ) Lent is when we join Jesus in the desert. Sort of. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Yesterday, before my eyes, was the BEST "valentine" message of ALL-time... in (of all places) a free newspaper for "treasure hunters" seeking a good bargain!! And there it was, unexpectedly, amongst all the classified ads... >> Click HERE to Read More at The Way To Nourish For Life >>

Three Temptations of Christ (detail) , Botticelli, 1481-82 .Sistine Chapel,Vatican  Gospel Luke 4:1-13 (NRSV, Catholic Edition, Can.) Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of

As the Morning Rising: Belfast : Belfast Five minutes walk from home Too often I overlook the beauty of this place Blinded by familiarity Or so caught up in a mad ...

Some cyanobacteria — pond scum — swim toward brighter areas. Scientists didn't know how the microorganisms could tell where the light is, until now. Other scientists discovered four new species of an odd-looking sort of critter: including one that looks like a purple sock. I'm fascinated by this sort of thing, your experience may vary.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

During Lent, I will be giving away a total of 500 blessed Miraculous Medals on my blog.  If you're a teacher, religious ed instructor, homeschooler, parent, or grandparent who would like some of these medals for your classroom, co-op group, or loved ones, stop on over at String of Pearls for more details .

What are you doing for Lent? Every year I try to do something a little different to make my Lenten experience more meaningful. This year, I decided  I was going to get fit  and I returned to an exercise routine I had given up. I know that doesn’t sound very spiritual, but when I feel better physically, it does help my prayer life. You can read the rest at Catholic365 .

I'm sure whenever you log into Facebook, you've noticed the Facebook Memories: On This Day.  It can either be seen through a friend's sharing of their memories or there's a tab on the left of your newsfeed under "Apps" that you can click on and see your own. Sometimes I wonder what's in other peoples' On this Day.  Is it the same political stuff they're posting now?  Their favorite cause?  They never seem to post anything very personal, so I wonder what their life is really like. You can read the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

(from The Breadbox Letters)

As the Morning Rising: Our Lady of Lourdes : When I think of Our Lady of Lourdes I think more of joy than sorrow, more of promise than dread. In some cases a pilgrimage to Lo...

Often we tend to think of Lent as a time to share in the suffering of Christ yet when we do so, we become morose and end up centering more on our own sacrificial devotions than on God. Lent  is  a time to get rid of the flub in our lives but only so we are able to connect more to the Heart of our Beloved, more on the people around us who are in need. Lent is not an excuse for dramatic acts of fasting  by wearing sackcloth and ashes, figuratively or literally. As Isaiah says: Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of penance: That a man bow his head like a reed and lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? continue reading

Rather than giving up chocolate, only to devour the solid chocolate Easter Bunny on Easter Sunday, seek virtue this Lent. Rather than giving up drinking alcohol, only to pop the cork on the Champagne this Easter Sunday, seek virtue this Lent. Rather than giving up television, only to sit in front of the TV all day Easter Sunday watching your shows on demand, seek virtue this Lent. So many times, year after year, we temporarily give up something we love as a sacrifice for Lent in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. I suggest taking a different and possibly more... Read more...  

Remember how we celebrated St. Valentine’s Day in grade school by passing out valentines to our classmates? In the fourth grade I was crushed when the boy I liked best did not give me a valentine. But then after school, he appeared at our house and handed me a valentine. It wasn’t one of those penny ones that come in a collection, but a special large 25¢ one! My nine-year-old heart was healed. He loved me after all! Every February we focus on telling people “I love you.” Interestingly, the first and greatest commandment is to love God with every atom of our being and every ounce of strength. In prayer, we tell God we love him. But words are not enough. Recently I came across the story of a boy whose father told him “I love you” every day. But the father never showed the boy love. The father’s words were empty. How sad. So, how can we show God love? The same ways that we show people in our lives that we love them. Here are six “valentines” we can give to God. Click to con

Public domain.  Wikimedia Commons. Your name, O Lord, is holiness. Your name, O Lord, is mercy. Your name, O Lord, is divine. Your name, O Lord is eternal. Your name, O Lord, makes demons tremble and flee. Your name, O Lord, makes the earth quake and roar. Your name, O Lord, destroys the boundaries of earth. Your name, O Lord, empties the swiftly flowing rivers. Your name, O Lord, makes waste of our enemies. Read More at Prayerfully Yours.