Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Candlemas, a nearly forgotten holiday which happens 40 days after Christmas, began this morning when our sons took the Christmas tree out to the curb and put the tree stand in the basement.  Later, I had two girlfriends over and we made beeswax candles. None of us had made candles from scratch before, so we all learned together. I had bought the beeswax pellets this fall to dip autumn leaves and I had a whole lot left over.  Keep on Reading...

As promised, this is an example of a concrete meditation on Scripture for primary-grade kids. Please read Teach your children mental prayer for background. I will go through all the steps outlined there, and add in some other subjects for homeschoolers at the end. Read the entire meditation .

Happy Feast of John Bosco! Since I am a mom of four boys I was particularly interested in  St. John's mother,   Venerable Margaret Bosco.  Since she was so successful in raising a saint (and in becoming one herself) I think it is important to see how she did it. I thought this piece was illuminating. Catholic Culture : Library : Don Bosco, Seeker of Souls : "When he consulted his mother, always his wise adviser, she demurred and said, 'The only thing I want of you is the salvation of your soul. Follow God's will.' After praying over the matter John resolved to enter the Franciscans. At this point he was advised to consult Don Cafasso, a saintly young priest who had the gift of guiding souls. His adviser did not hesitate: John should enter the secular priesthood. 'Go on studying,' he said, 'then to the seminary, and there hold yourself in readiness to follow the guidance of God's grace.' John made his final decision in response to this advice

Oftentimes the seasons of Lent and Advent are filled with our good intentions about what we will do, what we will read, and the changes we will make in our daily lives. The weeks stretch out ahead of us and we begin with great plans and an eagerness to experience the holy season in a new way. Then reality sets in and our original plans for a “different” experience evaporate. I can’t tell you how many Lenten books sit on my shelf partially read and how many Advent wreaths are in the closet, half finished. That all changed last year when I purchased  The Sacred Heart for Lent by Fr. Thomas Williams  and  33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley.   I read  The Sacred Heart for Lent  on my own and cajoled my husband into the Marian Consecration by Gaitley. It was all such a blessing that this Lent I wanted to share those resources with others. Last Lent it quickly became obvious to me that a priest brings something very unique to a book: a priest brings to his work

Maybe it was transitioning back to our work and home routines after a three-day getaway with my family, but this morning felt as gray as the skies. It snowed as I drove to work and then it rained while I was teaching classes. I teach struggling learners and I like to think I make a difference. But today was a day when I felt discouraged. What am I doing wrong? What can I do differently? How can I help each and every student want to learn and succeed at learning? Keep Reading...

Voice as soft as popcorn Guides us along the hallways of life Black and white veil framing a face with Eyes - clear as a blue rock pool Witness pure souls Search through our hearts We are as crystal glass vases Gentle words of encouragement And empowerment The gift of life, of living Not through the womb Like the virgin bride But through an essence Intangible Passing on from her to us Now we have children of our own We distill life into them And the essence goes on Jane Frances

What is your goal for your children's education? Academic prowess? Love of learning? Knowledge of Church doctrine? All these are good, but a contemplative homeschool seeks something more. My goal is to help my children have a deep prayer life, which leads them to union with God. You too can teach your children to practice mental prayer, whether you homeschool or send your kids to a Catholic, or even public, school.   Read more.

True story. Hand to God. An acquaintance was having neighbor trouble. As often happens, things escalated rather quickly. What had begun as an issue where two sides were taking tough stands and no one was willing to budge swiftly careened into a legal battle. The acquaintance—a woman of great faith who diligently tried to live out her life as a disciple of Christ—was deeply troubled by the chain of events which left her with an impending court date. In the meantime, her young grandchild was in a school play and the play was scheduled for a date very close to the court date. The play was about different virtues or characteristics that are good to practice and to have: things like perseverance and kindness. The grandchild’s role in the play was to carry a placard for one of these virtues—marching around the stage with others holding similar placards with letters boldly proclaiming this characteristic or that trait. With the play and court date fast approaching, all

Tea at Trianon: The King's Charity

    1. The Bible is the Church's book. The Bible was written by men of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church, by the same Spirit, determined which books to include in the official Canon . The Bible tells our family story, from Creation through the early Church, with some previews of what's to come. 2. The Church urges us to read the Bible. Really. The stereotype of the Catholic Church suppressing Bible reading is false, a misreading of history. Vatican II included an entire constitution, Dei Verbum , on the Bible. "The Church 'forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn "the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ," by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures'" ( Catechism of the Catholic Church #133, quoting Dei Verbum and Philippians 3:8). Continue Reading

Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women: Opportunities for Grace! : I wholeheartedly believe that God allows us umpteen opportunities for his grace each day. All of the challenges and frustrations we face c...

Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women: Excerpt from Rooted in Love : The driving forces behind prayer are faith and the love of God. Love will overcome our times of dryness or even laziness in prayer. Our pe...

Do you need new ideas for immersing yourself in the culture of life? You and your family can enjoy fiction that promotes the value of every human being. Here are four books  I particularly recommend. Two focus on the beginning of life, two on the sick and disabled. All ages: Angel in the Waters by Regina Doman I used this book to announce my last 2 pregnancies to our boys. Beautiful illustrations by Ben Hatke accompany Doman's lyrical text about a baby in utero and his guardian angel. Echoes of the creation story and John's Gospel delight the ear. "In the beginning, I was," the story starts. And later, "Sometimes it was dark, and sometimes it was less dark." (See the parallel with Genesis 1?) The story details a conversation between the baby and the angel that continues into infancy. The baby complains that the world outside the womb is too big and cold. His angel replies, "It is very big, but you will grow big. It will feel better

How great the suffering in Hell of the mother who at death is unrepentant for aborting her child, yet how much greater, even hundreds of thousands times greater is her suffering in Hell if she has aborted a Priest, Bishop or Prince of the Church!

ROME, December 20, 2012, ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – The current push in liberal Western democracies for “gay marriage” under the guise of “equality” is just the latest incarnation of Marxist/socialist ideologies, “which have already brought so much damage in the twentieth century,” according to an editorial in the Vatican’s newspaper  L’Osservatore Romano  this week. “To say that marriage between a man and a woman is the same as between two homosexuals is, in fact, a denial of truth that undermines one of the basic structures of human society, the family,” wrote Lucetta Scaraffia, December 17. Scaraffia warned that we will “pay a high price” for the attempt to found a society on these premises, “as has already happened in the past when we have tried to achieve a complete economic and social equality.” The editorial was prompted by the position taken by the French Catholic newspaper  Témoignage Chrétien  in support of the French government’s proposal to create “gay marriage.” The magazine s

Imagine knowing, really knowing the hearts of your parents as teenagers. Imagine hearing their thoughts and feelings, of being right there with them as they courted one another. Chris Vath  had such a privilege. He is part of a family who discovered, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a duffel bag filled with 500 letters his parents (pictured here at their wedding reception) had exchanged during three years of separation during World War II, beginning when his mom was 16 and still in high school and his father was 18 and serving in the U.S. Navy. Although Katrina flooded his childhood home with nine feet of water, the letters inside the bag survived, still legible.  Keep Reading...

Ask Fr. Barron: What spiritual classic books should every Catholic read?

Thoughts on Grace: Do Whatever he Tells You : His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." - John 2:5 These are the last words of Mary recorded in the Bible. Wha...

Rambling Follower: Jesus at My Side: 365 Reflections on His Words : Last night, I began reading  Jesus at My Side by my friend Julie Cragon. This little paperback book has been sitting on my dresser for ...

The St Genesius Blog: The Vigil for Life : We had a great day yesterday at the Vigil for Life. I hope our Taoiseach now realises that there is no shortage of  pro life people and vot...