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Pope Benedict XVI is to resign at the end of this month after nearly eight years as the head of the Catholic Church, saying he is too old to continue at the age of 85. The unexpected development - the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years - surprised governments, Vatican-watchers and even his closest aides. The Vatican says it expects a new Pope to be elected before Easter. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope in 2005 after John Paul II's death. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me” Pope Benedict XVI The BBC's David Willey in Rome says the move has come as a shock, but in theory, there has never been anything stopping Pope Benedict or any of his predecessors from stepping aside. Under Canon Law, the only conditions for the validity of such a resignation are that it be made freely and be properly published. A Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, s

Our gracious heavenly Father, in Jesus' name I ask you to bless this food that by its nourishment I may better serve you. That it will fill me up without filling me out. I thank you for being a guest at our table. Amen. My dear friend offers this prayer before meals and when she recently said it while we were at a restaurant, I asked her for a copy so that I could share with others. Cheryl Dickow www.BezalelBooks.com

Lent is approaching. Many of us, including yours truly, have food-related Lenten penances, good habits we want to develop and continue after this season of preparation. So one day after Ash Wednesday this year comes the Feast of Saint Valentine but better known as a secular day designed for indulgence in everything sugary. Keep Reading...

Do we ever consider the gift that God has given to us in our free will? We take it for granted, this freedom to choose or not choose the divine will for us.  For if we truly understood the freedom of will that has been given to us, and the perils within, we would tremble so much that we could hardly draw breath.   We take it for granted that we can do what we wish, but do we truly understand that the gift of free will last only while we live on the earth? When we die, we will  have to give an account of the gift of free will and how we have or have not conformed our will to God.  This is why God sends no one to hell,  exercising our free will on the earth does .  When at death our free will is sealed, stopped, we, and our will are then presented before God.  Now we are overshadowed by God's will for the judgement for it is God's will alone that determines the placing of the soul in God's kingdom.  Do not be deceived, God will give you the desires of your heart and will

In the future the Catholic church will again be despised as it was when it was beginning. The culture will rise up against the church all over the world. The Holy Mass will be outlawed and the Holy Mass and the sacraments will go underground again. The weaning out of those that will not be able to stand those times has already begun. Many will not be able to stand the pressure that the culture will bring to bear on our faith. They will just fade away quietly, but fade away they will. In many hearts is not the fortitude to stand up to what is to come as we are again attacked for our faith. What will be left is what we had in the beginning of the church, no weakness, faith as strong as iron, those who don't "believe", they KNOW.  The remnant will not only give all they possess, but not even deny God their own blood to be shed for the faith, for they will know that if God wills, it is by shedding their blood that there is victory and many will be saved.  Now is not th

Miraculous Draught of Fishes ,  Raphael , 1515 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  Gospel  Luke 5:1-11   (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a great sho

Was St. Joseph free from original sin? Yes, I do believe he was.  This is only logical.  Since Mary was immaculate at her birth, and Jesus was of course free from all sin as He was God, why would God put in place a husband, stepfather, and protector of the Virgin Mary and Jesus that carried original sin? This doesn't make sense.  That which stained by sin does not oversee and protect the pure, therefore at some point Joseph must have been immaculate also. St. Joseph was not just the member of the Holy family, but he  led  the holy family, and what we forget is that while Joseph lived, Mary and her son Jesus were  obedient   to him.  As God is  never subject to sin , then logically St. Joseph was immaculate also. The only question is when? When did God make Joseph immaculate.  I don't think at birth, because I feel strongly that he had a family and was a widower when he was chosen to be with Mary.  So not at birth, but later...but when? Perhaps, as God is very efficient,

1. It's snowing here. Hard. The Northeast of the United States is expecting a major blizzard. Our home is ready with newly made beeswax candles, food, unread books and for me, some cross-stitch. My husband and I worry we will lose power; Superstorm Sandy showed up the infrastructure here is pretty fragile.   newbrunswick.patch.com   Keep Reading... 

In this occasional series of posts, I recommend resources for you and your family in 100 words or le ss. More detailed reviews may come later. Read the review of Fire Within.

Reading a blog post last night, I immediately thought of Bunny. When this oldest grandchild of mine was three, she sometimes had trouble with tantrums. Anger would overtake her and cause all of the manifestations we can associate with that age: crying, kicking, screaming, flailing, stomping, hurling herself backwards onto the floor. One day when something didn't suit Bunny, we endured a painful stretch of minutes filled with 'all of the above.'  Finally, (after exhausting what I thought of as my options) I leaned in close and said, softly, 'Sweetie, you don't have to do this.' (click here for what happened next...) Painting:  Hermann Kaulbach Die Schuchterne

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Contradictions, struggles, and God's grace : Today is the feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita. Happy feast day! I wrote something about her in my book, Embracing Motherhood regardin...

S Skyline of  Myitkyina The Columbans first went to what was then Burma in October 1936 and went to the mountainous area of the north where the Kachins live. Priests of the  Paris Foreign Missions Society  had already been there for many years. The area the Columbans were asked to take care of has become two dioceses,  Myitkyina  [MITCH in awe] and  Banmaw , also known as Bhamo. There has been an  ongoing conflict  in the Kachin area for many years, a second phase beginning in June 2011. It is in the context of that conflict that the Diocese of Myitkyina issued this statement the other day. DIOCESE OF MYITKYINA, MYANMAR St. Columban's Cathedral, Aungnan Yeiktha, Myitkyina 01011 Tel: (+95)-74-23017 , Fax (+95)-74-23016, Email:   myitkyinabishop@gmail.com  Call from the Catholic Church in Myitkyina to all parties in Conflict in Kachin Region  to halt hostilities and begin the Journey  towards  Peace Based on Justice Date : 3 February 2013 -----------------------

I posted this yesterday on Bangor to Bobbio. I've simply copied and pasted. The British Parliament  yesterday voted in favour of a bill  that would legalise same-sex 'marriage' in England and Wales. A majority of the Conservative Party that governs in a coalition with the much smaller Liberal Democrats, voted against the bill which still has a few hurdles to jump over before it becomes law.  Three days earlier the French Parliament voted in favour of a similar bill, though it too has some way to go. Hans Christian Andersen It might be good if those who voted in favour of the absurdity of same-sex 'marriage' would either read Hans Christian Andersen's  The Emperor's New Clothes  or listen to Frank Loesser's musical rewriting of the story [video above] for Danny Kaye to sing as he played Hans Christian Andersen in  the 1952 movie  of the same name. Illustration  by Vilhelm Pedersen, Andersen's first illustrator.

There are many types of devotion to Mary. Carmelites honor Mary by imitating her. In particular, they imitate her way of meditating on the great things that God has done. Luke’s Gospel tells us twice that “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” She was the first contemplative Christian.  What did she ponder? What God had done for her, and what He was doing in and through her Son. Here are some concrete ways you can live a more contemplative life, following Mary’s example. Continue reading.

We are all parts of one body...one community...one society.   Everyone of us belongs, there is not one single life set at a higher or lesser scale in the bare facts of human life. I don't care who says otherwise....it's not so. Just think about this:  " 12  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." We are all baptized in to one body...one society...one world.  ONE 24b "But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it." Do you see this?  "If one member suffers, all s

True Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter: Book Review: The Church Building As A Sacred Place... : "How can we recover the sense of the sacred in our temples and shrines? We seem to have lost the ability to make new buildings which exu...

View from the Domestic Church: Catholic Mom's Cafe: Are our lamps burning with love?

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 This verse was on my mind as I was trying to go to sleep last night.  How?  How do I give this burden to the Lord?  Am I supposed to find this easy?  If I had more faith..?   My experience of being Christian has usually aligned more with C.S. Lewis: “I didn't go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” Except that Port is not my beverage of choice.   I have thought about how to find joy in suffering.  I was moved reading about  perfect joy  in the Little Flowers of St. Francis a long time ago.  It makes sense to me that in our suffering we can come closer to our Lord in a very re

This video presents the newly-launched campaign by the Archdiocese of Bombay to raise awareness and initiate change in the attitude toward and the treatment of women in India, in the aftermath of a horrific gang-rape of a young woman in December last year. This video and report were  posted by UCANews  on 28 January. A  diya  is an oil lamp, usually made from clay, widely used in India, especially during certain religious festivals. Nature seems to provide 103 - 108 boys to 100 girls at birth. The video gives figures for three locations in India: Delhi: 866 girls / 1,000 boys; Haryana: 877 girls / 1,000 boys; Chanidgarh: 818 girls / 1,000 boys.  It is thought that sex-selection abortion and the killing of newborn girls are factors in skewing the natural proportion between males and females in India and in some other countries. The '37,000,000 Diyas' campaign of the Archdiocese of Bombay - it retains the old name for 'Mumbai' - is for the excess of

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