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  James squinted, taking a moment to truly look at her.  Beryl's black hair was tugged into a tight ponytail. She'd shielded her figure in a snow white sweater, black leggings and ankle boots . The sleeves were tugged past her wrist, hiding every inch of skin, even her fingertips. Her arms were folded tight. Her balance kept shifting. Her striking eyes, in the rare moments they rose to meet his, looked more bruised-violet than true blue. He ' d seen other students addled during finals week, but none who looked like this.  Read the rest of the excerpt from my newest romantic novel here!  A Chance for Sparks

El sexo en diversas culturas de siglos pasados había permanecido oculto como   un tema tabú. Los movimientos liberales nos aseguraron que eso traumaba, causaba numerosos problemas y provocaba infelicidad. En esos tiempos pudo haber algo de cierto en que la omisión de la preparación para una sexualidad sana afectara a millones de personas en sus vidas. Pero, a pesar de la aceptación final de la revolución sexual que sucedió más adelante, hoy la actitud hacia el sexo y el placer sexual libre de las nuevas generaciones de milenials   de países desarrollados y progresistas nos está revelando secretos ocultos sobre este aspecto de nuestro ser y que han surgido del fondo del corazón humano.

(from The Cloistered Heart)

Statues 1 of Caspar , Melchior , and Balthazar started near the clock in our living room. I took those pictures of them on Wednesday. Their trip to the nativity scene ended today, Epiphany Sunday. We read about "magi from the east" in today's Gospel: Matthew 2:1 through 12 : " 1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, 2 behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, "saying, 'Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star 3 at its rising and have come to do him homage.'" ( Matthew 2:1 - 2 ) "Magi" is how μάγοι, mágoi, looks in my native language. That's the Greek version of an Old Persian word that would sound something like "magus" if I tried pronouncing it. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: Divine Encounter : When we think of the effect that an encounter with a really good person can have on us, often staying in our memory and tucked away in a...

As the Morning Rising: Baptism of The Lord : When I think of Christ's church on earth I come to understand what a great honour it is to belong, and yet I am humbled at the thoug...

The Adoration of the Magi ,  Velázquez  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings for the Solemnity of the Epiphany Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  The readings above are used both at the Vigil Mass and at the Mass during the Day. Each Mass has its own set of prayers and antiphons. Correction In countries where the Epiphany is observed as a Holyday of Obligation on 6 January, eg, Ireland, the  Baptism of the Lord is celebrated , not the Mass of the  Second Sunday after the Nativity  as I had posted earlier. Here is the link to the readings for Year A.  Readings   (Jerusalem Bible) Alleluia and Gospel for the Epiphany Alleluia, alleluia! Vidimus stellam eius in Oriente, We have seen his star in the East, et venimus cum muneribus adorare...

Of the whole gamut of myths, legends and fairy tales that have been told in human history, not even the most outrageous or outlandish can compare with the message that we can so easily take for granted. It is the message first delivered to poor shepherds as they tended their flocks in the early hours of the first Christmas day.  The message was simply unbelievable, yet because it was delivered by an angel sent by God, they immediately believed without question the greatest news that the world has ever received. It is simply that the all-holy and utterly other, the God who created the world, in the beginning, was made flesh and was born in a humble stable at the back of an inn in a small hamlet of no importance. The full meaning and implications of this epoch-making event would take a long time to penetrate the hearts and minds of all who initially just wanted to bend their knees and adore. Even the greatest of the prophets had never foreseen that the Messiah whose coming they had...

Trained to evangelize, with social media at their fingertips, modern Catholics might be surprised to discover that the most effective missionaries are still those who humbly carry Christ like a donkey.  Yet, when Catholics actually  carry Christ , they are filled with the love and joy of the Lord.  These ordinary folk spread the Good News to those who still live in darkness, existing outside the heart of the Church.  The Heavenly Father asks such disciples, who are attuned to His voice, to write and speak about their spiritual experiences and to share the truths found in the Church.  In this way, modern Catholics are like jet landing strips, or perhaps modems, connecting the presence of the Unseen God in a tangible way to those on earth who are seeking heaven. “ joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”  St. Teresa of Calcutta. Evangelization Techniques No matter how articulate we are, our best erudite arguments will not reveal the ...

Letting Go of Bad Habits In January, 2016, on  A Seeking Heart with Allison Gingras , I had the pleasure of interviewing  Manage Your Money God's Way  hosts, Jon and Evelyn Bean.   The version of the book I  featured on the show  that week was  Your Money Counts , written Howard Dayton and adapted to reflect a Catholic approach by the Beans.  As usual the Holy Spirit is bringing just what I need, just WHEN I need it.  Well, truth be told I probably NEEDED it 25 years ago but... now that we are drowning in the financial mess not having this book for 25 years has brought us, the timing works! 2017 UPDATE:  We have learned to doggy-paddle; by this time next year we should be onto the breast-stroke.  This system, rooted solidly in biblical principle and reliant on God's grace are a HOME RUN! At the end of my show, I mentioned I would be definitely blogging my progress as I tried to implement the lessons I learned in rea...

The holiday season has come to an end. The decorations might already be packed away. The house seems quiet and barren without all of the colorful decorations, let alone the family and friends that filled the house throughout the holiday season. The family members have packed up and headed out. You feel a sense of emptiness after such a time of celebration. The winter blues have set in. What is one to do? Find Solace in the Winter Blues The quietude of January is a wonderful time to appreciate some one-on-one time with God. It is a great time to reacquaint ourselves with prayer. Engaging in conversation with God can... Read more...

I remember looking forward to 1984 when it was the title of a book about the future. All of a sudden it’s 2017! How did that happen? In case you are still deciding on your new year’s resolutions, here are some tips culled from Pope Francis and from my previous New Year posts: First, Pope Francis’s ten practical suggestions for resolutions: Don’t gossip. Finish your meals. Make time for others. Choose the “more humble” purchase. Meet the poor “in the flesh.” Stop judging others.     Click to continue

Michael O'Brien The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God is a feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary which celebrates her motherhood as the mother of Jesus Christ, Lord, Son of God. It is celebrated on 1 January, the Octave (8th) day of Christmastide. continue

  En esta época moderna en la que las comunicaciones y los trasportes han progresado como nunca antes en la historia y en que el comercio e intercambio entre las naciones es más boyante, se presenta una paradoja que evidencia la necesidad del desarrollo humanitario y espiritual de cada hombre para lograr el desarrollo sustentable para todos: el hambre que sufren todavía millones de personas en el planeta. ¿Dónde está el problema? ¿Por qué hay hambre en muchos rincones del mundo, ese mundo moderno y comunicado? Al parecer el centro del problema no está en la cantidad de alimento sino en la distribución. Mientras en los países desarrollados se desperdicia casi un tercio de los alimentos que se producen, en los países pobres los insumos no llegan. (1)

Out with the old, in with the new! As we welcome the promise of the New Year, let us not forget all that God provides. Everything God gives us is a gift, right down to every breath we take. Many times when we experience struggle and illness, we want to push the pain away as soon as we can, and forget the incident. Out of sight – out of mind! We certainly do not consider struggle and illness as gifts coming from God! However, that is not necessarily true. Even times of difficulty can be a gift from God. It is at these times that He graces us with opportunity to grow closer to Him. No – He does not give you hardships and illnesses. Let’s make that perfectly clear. But, He is with you always through the struggle and the pain. He graces you with... Read more...

As the Morning Rising: Psalm 139 : Sometimes we arrive, barely aware that we had been travelling. God answers our prayer before we had pieced together its bare bones and t...

My Christmas film reviews conclude with The Spirit of Christmas (2015) directed by David Jackson, and starring Thomas Beaudoin and Jen Lilley. This is an unusual addition to Lifetime's Christmas film catalogue---still a romance, but one that's part ghost story/part mystery. It seems an odd blend of genres for a Christmas film. Or perhaps not so odd when one considers the famous ghostly Christmas tale we're all familiar with, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carole . There are huge differences, of course. This is no Dickens classic, though it is still enjoyable. Also, this film's hero, Daniel (Thomas Beaudoin), is already dead. His journey of self-discovery, however, is similarly focused on exploring the ghosts of his past. The plot summary: big-city lawyer Kate (Jen Lilley) is tasked with arranging the sale of a deceased client's property before the new year. The house is actually an antique mansion in a small, snowy town upstate. Read the rest of the rev...

I 'blessed the house' today, sprinkling holy water in each room. It isn't the formal blessing of the home and household that's sometimes done on Epiphany. The formal blessing is a wonderful ceremony: and one we don't do. By not performing the formal blessing, we're missing out on part of what it is to be Catholic. That doesn't bother me. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

'During this new year I resolve to begin a new life. I do not know what will happen to me during this year. But I abandon myself entirely to You, my God. And my aspirations and all my affections will be for You. I feel so weak, dear Jesus, but with Your help I hope and resolve to  live a different life; that is, a life closer to You.'   St. Gemma Galgani (from The Cloistered Heart)

Even though I live in southern California, my family went to see the Tournament of Roses Parade only once. Battling traffic and hunting for the ever elusive parking space made it more worth our time to watch it on television. One year, back when I was quite young, my older sister and I viewed the parade, in glorious black and white, with all its brass bands and spectacular floats. I imagined myself as the Rose Queen, waving to hordes of cheering spectators. At the end of the parade, Sis came up with a brilliant idea. We would build a float!We got the wagon out of the garage. Now all we needed were some rose petals.And there, lining the chain-link fence along the driveway, were my mother’s prize roses.  Continue

Altar of Our Lady, Church of St Nicholas, Überlingen, Germany, Jörg Zurn  Gospel Luke 2:16-21 ( NRSV, Catholic Ed )  The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. The Adoration of the Name of Jesus, El Greco At the moment I am re-reading Finola Kennedy's Frank Duff: A Life Story published by Burns and Oates in 2011. Frank Duff founded the Legion of Mary on 7 September 1921, though for a very long time he did not consider himself the founder. The biographe...

As the Morning Rising: Peace Prayer/Poem : Peace I wish you peace of a thousand years Bedded in valleys of silent snows I wish you peace of eternal beauty Enshrined in a...

As the Morning Rising: Mary Mother of God : Mary, Mother of God Mother of the Son of God Mother of the Eternal Word Mother of the child divine Mother Mary, Mothe...

Modern Holy Family Sculpture often focuses on the intimacy and love Joseph and Mary have for their son, Jesus. They also depict Joseph’s protective strength which is something that I really had not considered before looking at these statues. continue reading

As the Morning Rising: The Holy Family : The Holy Family To think of their saintliness would place them far beyond our reach so we come first to contemplate their humanity...

Today’s Gospel:  Matthew 2, 13-18  – Holy Innocents Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, a day when Catholics remember the baby boys in Bethlehem slaughtered by Herod. It is also called Childermas, instituted around 450 AD, and celebrated during the octave of Christmas to not only remember but honour the Church’s first martyrs who gave their life for Christ. More recently, the modern Church annually reaffirms her commitment to the sanctity of life on this feast. However, I want to focus on the question of the existence of evil in our world.  continue reading

With every years’ end, we tend to enter a time for reflection. We assess our lives, our dreams, and the course we are on. We look to see where we need to make changes; therein lies the proverbial need for the “New Year’s Resolution.” I bring you suggestions for how to approach making your New Year’s resolutions this year – resolutions that will last! These suggestions might be considered as slightly off the beaten path; nonetheless, they are a path work taking. Rather than: Going on a diet to lose weight, try to better understand why you overeat, or eat the unhealthy foods, and then resolve to fix the underlying cause instead. Going cold turkey to stop drinking or smoking, try to better understand why you do it in the first place, and then resolve to fix the underlying cause instead. Do you see where I am going here with these suggestions? .. Read more...

My present to you:  An encouraging poem as we face this new year. Happy New Year! God Knows  by Minnie Louise Hoskins And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East. So heart be still: Click to continue

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Even after the celebration of Christ’s coming, we need to create space and time each day at Christmastide and in the New Year, to enable God’s fatherly love to penetrate us ever more fully until we begin to experience it welling up from within to possess every part of us. Almost 25 years ago, I spent Christmas with a family who had one son who was adored by everyone. However, that Christmas there was another child present who had been semi-fostered. She stayed with them for some weekends and most of the school holidays. At first, the girl looked bewildered and not a little disappointed when she was given her Christmas present from under the tree, for when she unwrapped the parcel all she found was a bundle of papers. Then it was explained to her that they were her papers of adoption. From then on, she was a full member of the family. She didn’t need to go back to the orphanage at the end of the holiday. In fact, she did not need to go back ever again. Tears of joy just rolled down ...