Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Wisdom builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. —Proverbs 14:1 I was clueless as a young wife mother and– on top of my naivety…I was alone a lot raising the boys while my husband traveled extensively with the corporation that owned us but paid our bills. We had moved far from any family or friends, had no church yet and nights were very difficult for me because I was still in the throws of PTSD and those dreadful nightmares . It was a really difficult time in our marriage and I had a choice to make; Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.. —Proverbs 3:5 Or, become a noisy, contentious, irritating wife that would make her husband prefer to live on the corner of a roof, rather than in the house with her. —Prov 21:9 Contentiousness doesn’t occur in a vacuum, but there was only one heart I could do something about. God will have nothing by halves….all my heart meant, All. This is when Scripture became practical for me. Proverb

heart speaks unto heart: Catholic Witness – Friday Penance | Peter Jennings... : Catholic Witness – Friday Penance | Peter Jennings.co.uk

Besides the  Feast Day of Blessed Mother Teresa , there are a couple of other memorable events coming up this September, namely Mama Mary's birthday (or  Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary ) on September 8,  The Exaltation of the Holy Cross  on September 14 and The  Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows  on September 15. Exciting huh?! ;-)  Let's take a look at what two of my favorite Catholic mommy bloggers have posted with regard to ideas and activities for celebrating these feast days: First of all, may I just say that  Lacy  is really one of my favorite Catholic mommy bloggers?!! She is so blessed with creativity and resourcefulness, and I always refer to  her blog  for crafts and activities that highlight the beauty of the Catholic faith. Here is  her compilation of ideas  (from other amazing Catholic moms!) for celebrating Mama Mary's birthday: So the most obvious idea for celebrating this feast day is to make a birthday cake for Mary. Anything blue is a great idea si

While I was at the Adoration Chapel recently, an older Italian gentleman came in to pray. After taking some time before the Blessed Sacrament, he approached my chair. Standing at a respectful distance, he said something along the lines of, "It is very warm today. May I turn the fan on for you?" No thank you, I said. "Please do let me know you would like me to turn it on later, or perhaps open the doors for you." I was struck by his dignified demeanour. He was carefully, though not formally dressed. He didn't crouch by my chair or put his hand familiarly on my shoulder. He didn't press his case, and he deferred to my preference. I was comfortable in his presence and felt cared for - by this complete stranger. This episode came to mind again a few days ago when watching a movie set in the early 1960s. The opening montage showed students of a London school for girls going through their paces: walking with a book balanced on their head, taking

Archbishop Longley Recalls Heroism of English Martyrs during Harvington Pilgrimage Mass Peter Jennings.co.uk

    By Allison Salerno   Yesterday morning my family attended the bar mitvah of a neighborhood boy we have known since he was a baby. I never had attended a Conservative Jewish Shabbat morning service, much less a bar mitvah. It was exquisite, reverent and beautiful. (The sanctuary is pictured above) I wiped tears from my eyes as I considered the overwhelming faith and courage of Jews through the centuries of persecution that enabled this boy to encounter this moment. I also meditated on the links between my Catholic faith and Judaism as I listened to the prayers of the worshipers. As the Catechism teaches us: When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People, "the first to hear the Word of God."  I always have been taught that Judaism is the root of the tree of our faith. And that without that root, our faith would not have flowered. For the most part, this insight has remai

Well it is the ACWB! I'm still 40 something on 18th September! Well..OK..just about..ie 49! & I have a middle-aged spread! There are different pictures of tummies with suggestions. I think my best bet might be to stop stuffing my face & exercise! Any tips ladies..or gents? lol How to tame your tum: Is yours a spare tyre or a stress bulge? Finding out your tummy type is the key to getting a perfect midriff By   DAILY MAIL REPORTER For many women, getting bikini ready means tackling one dreaded area in particular — our tummies. Most of us still think the best way to achieve a washboard stomach is by doing hundreds of sit-ups. Not so, says A-list trainer and body guru James Duigan. Read more:   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2007052/How-tame-tum-Is-spare-tyre-stress-bulge.html#ixzz1Wuwn8neF

Today’s saint was born in Rome and studied law before entering into public service and becoming the city’s prefect in 572. Two years later he became a monk and converted his own house into a monastery. But a life of prayer away from the activities of the world was not God’s will for him. In 579 the pope sent him as his personal representative to the Eastern Emperor in Constantinople. Seven years later he was called back to be the papal advisor and when Pope Pelagius II died, Gregory was elected to succeed him on this day in 590. Thus began the great work that earned for him the title “Great.” He wrote many theological and pastoral books and sent missionaries to the people of a distant island now known as England. He promoted a form of Church music which bears his name—Gregorian Chant. He took upon himself responsibility for the safety of Rome and helped protect it from barbarian invaders. Let us ask St. Gregory to pray with us for our current Pope and his intentions as we reflect on

Prayer of the Penitent Monks , Alessandro Magnasco (1667 – 1749) Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England @ Wales, Ireland, Scotland). Jesus said to his disciples: 'If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector. 'I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven. 'I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where t

This afternoon I headed to a Target discount store with L., our 11-year-old, to pick up some khakis, dress shirts and ties for the boys to wear at a bar mitvah we are attending tomorrow. Imagine our surprise when, halfway through the visit, most of the lights in the store went out. It turns out that Milltown, NJ has been without power since Hurricane Irene. The store never closed, but has been operating with generators ever since. It is slowly trying to ease its way onto the small town's tenuous power grid. Today, managers shut off all but one generator while we were shopping there. Last week, Hurricane Irene brought tragedies to hundreds of thousands of families: death, the destruction of homes and communities and livelihoods. My inconvenient shopping trip has led me to thinking that the rest of us, those who suffered slightly flooded basements, the temporary loss of electricity or phone service, need to quit complaining. We are, after all more than the sum of our m

This afternoon in the tea aisle at an HMart, I spotted an old colleague from behind, wearing his yamulke. I called him by name "Isaac?" (not his real name) He turned around and we smiled at one another and chatted for several minutes. He said he was looking for a certain kind of tea, but he only knew its name in Korean. I found a Korean-speaking employee for him and we figured out it was barley tea he was looking for. I hadn't seen Isaac, a married father of three, in months. We stopped working together years ago. In March, he was charged with sexually assaulting two teenaged girls. Read more...

Women have a gift for hospitality. We have a knack for making our homes welcoming; we pay attention to the little details that make for comfort. We are interested in people, and our instinct is to care for them. An illustration of the last point can be found in the gospel of Luke, "Jesus entered the house of Simon. Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with Him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them." (Lk. 4: 38,39) She was a Jewish mama. There were people in her home and they needed feeding, of course she got up immediately! In Matthew 25, the parable of the talents reminds us that God does not like stinginess. He does not want us to hoard what we have in the hope that at the end of all things He Who Has Most, Wins. In fact, the opposite it true: it is when we give away what we have been given, that we receive more. How can we give away our talent of h

"I shall put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers" (Gn 3, 15) Janet Smith (Professor of Moral Philosophy) Articles by Dr. Janet Smith on topics ranging from   Abortion, Bioethics, Feminism & Women and the Family to Moral Philosophy   and an exhaustive defense of Humanae Vitae, etc.,.    ( read on... ) Humanae Vitae: A Generation Later   ( read on... ) Contraception: Why Not? ( read on... ) Natural Family Planning and Self-Mastery ( read on... ) The Christian View of Sex: A Time for Apologetics, not Apologies ( read on... ) Language of the Body ( read on... ) Premarital Sex ( read on... ) He Taught Us Who We Are ( read on... )   Dianne Irving (Professor of Philosophy and Medical Ethics) Lifeissues.net has published a large number of articles by Dr. Irving on the Development of the Embryo, Cloning,   the Nature of Bioethics, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, In Vitro Fertilization,   the Role of Ethics in Science, etc.,.   ( rea

One of our blog authors Genevieve Kineke writes wonderfully at link below: The Lost Essence of Femininity

Ave Cor Maria.. The ACWB now has 36 blog authors who all have full admin access. We began May 12th 2011 & have had 318 posts on topics such as: Adoption; Assumption; abortion; bible; Billings ovulation method; Bishops/Priests; Catholic homeschooling; Catholic parenting; youth; Catholic retreats; Catholic devotions; dementia; pregnancy; childbirth; period problems; miscarriage/stillbirth; grief; spritual direction; Saints/Blesseds .... The posts have been very inspiring & uplifting touching on very difficult subjects that affect us in our daily lives. We welcome other women..married, single, widowed in order to support each other in a true Catholic feminity based on the full magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church. We have priest bloggers who post which is incredibly helpful. Any other Rev Frs are welcome to post. Often times the Frs have talked about their own mothers & their influence on them & other topics which are helpful for us mothers of sons p

On this last day of the month, let us pray one last time for this month’s papal intentions. May young people find the treasure of their lives in Christ and be rooted and built up in him. May the Christians of the West rediscover the freshness and enthusiasm of their faith. The reflection is from Pope Benedict’s Message for World Youth Day. In the history of the Church, the saints and the martyrs have always drawn from the glorious Cross of Christ the strength to be faithful to God even to the point of offering their own lives. In faith they found the strength to overcome their weaknesses and to prevail over every adversity. Indeed, as the Apostle John says, “Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 Jn 5:5). The victory born of faith is that of love. There have been, and still are, many Christians who are living witnesses of the power of faith that is expressed in charity. They have been peacemakers, promoters of justice and workers f

St. Jeanne Jugan

 Pope Benedict celebrating Mass ad orientem in the Sistine Chapel on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 2008 when he baptised 13 children. In this post I don't wish to enter the area of controversy. I'm simply sharing some experiences and thoughts . A very irritating experience I have here in the Philippines occasionally is when I am invited to celebrate Mass on some special occasion such as a recollection day for students. Usually there is a commentator. I would love to see this role abolished, since it serves no useful purpose. Many parishes here still have someone telling them when to sit, stand or kneel, which is not the business of the commentator at all. The General Instruction of the Roman Mass No 105 b) clearly describes the commentator's job: The commentator, who provides the faithful, when appropriate , with brief explanations and commentaries with the purpose of introducing them to the celebration and preparing them to understand it better. The commentato

“ Natural family planning ? What’s that? And does it really work?” These are probably some of the most common reactions or statements we get when people ask us how we spaced our two kids (Tim is turning 5 in October and Rysse just turned 2 last July). Those who are already in the know though can testify that NFP is the best way to go when it comes to family planning. Our kids are products of NFP, just like Umbert. ;-) What is natural family planning (NFP)? Wikipedia defines  NFP  in the following way: Natural family planning   (NFP) is a term referring to the  family planning  methods approved by the  Roman Catholic Church . In accordance with the Church's requirements for  sexual behavior  in keeping with its philosophy of the dignity of the human person, NFP excludes the use of other methods of  birth control . *To read the full article, please go to Philstar.com's unBLOGGED section by clicking  here .

Sir Thomas More , Hans Holbein the Younger, painted 1527 Readings (New American Bible, used in the Philippines and USA). Gospel Matthew 16:21-27 (Jerusalem Bible, used in Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, Scotlanc)  Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. 'Heaven preserve you, Lord;' he said 'this must not happen to you'. But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God's way but man's.' Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will

St Monica, Luis Tristán de Escamilla 1616 I posted the following two years ago on Bangor to Bobbio  and thought it might be of interest to the Catholic Women Bloggers this year on the feast of St Monica: The second reading in the Office of Readings for the feast of St Monica (332-387) always brings a smile to my face and leads me to ask, ‘Was St Monica an “Irish mother”?’ St Augustine’s brother had said to their mother when she was dying that it might be better if she died in her homeland in north Africa, rather than in Italy. The extract from St Augustine’s Confessions goes on: But as she heard this she looked at me and said: ‘See the way he talks’. And then she said to us both: ‘Lay this body where it may be. Let no care of it disturb you: this only I ask of you that you should remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be’. The latter part of the last quotation appears on innumerable memorial cards and I don’t know of a better request for prayers for the dead. But i