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I feel whiny today. Yesterday, I cried. Why, oh why, do I have to slow down? I hate it. I want to stay busy. Everyone who cares about me annoys me by trying to get me to stop. I want them to go away, since I'm too busy for them anyway. My therapist said I need more breaks in my day to take care of myself. My spiritual director said I need to keep doing Eucharistic Adoration for the next three months and then we'll re-evaluate whether I need to continue. I don't have to obey what he says, but I'm not seeking direction because I'm a genius at how to grow spiritually. My talents lie more in the realm of driving myself to the edge of psychosis and back. So, I agreed and I do what I agree to do. I realize that what I want isn't always what I need. I don't want to slow down. It's almost as if I feel the world will come to an end if I do. I used to play computer games non-stop at night, five and six hours at a time, to de-stress. But, tha

CatholicFamilyGifts.com offered me a free first-Communion gift to review and give away to one of my readers. Since my boys are currently interested in hidden picture books, I chose C an You Find Saints? : Introducing Your Child to Holy Men and Women. After the review, I will tell you how can enter to win this book. Can You Find Saints? is one in a series of four  books by Philip D. Gallery. The series also includes Can You Find Jesus?, Can You Find the Followers of Jesus?, and Can You Find Bible Heroes? Janet L. Harlow illustrated all four books. They combine hide-and-seek fun with learning about the faith. Given the cover and the genre, I was prepared for cartoon illustrations similar to the Where's Waldo? series. Harlow provides more than that. The inside front and back covers contain a parchment-like timeline of saints, beginning with Abraham. "Search 1: Mary Lives a Life of Perfect Virtue" delighted me with its depiction of the mysteries of the R

Did you ever wonder why in apparitions of the Virgin Mary (approved apparitions please!... Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, etc) that there is a description of Our Lady's feet?  (...and she had a golden rose on each foot." St. Bernadette)   Even in the picture of the Divine Mercy, Our Lord was barefoot.   Why?  I have learned that the demon cannot hide his hooves , that is why in the true apparitions of the Blessed Virgin or our Lord is shown barefoot to let us know that it is truly our Lord and Savior or our Blessed Mother. We must be VERY WARY of apparitions of our Blessed Mother or Our Lord, etc.  The demon never ceases prowling seeking the ruin of our souls.  

My latest on Catholic.Mom.com t the end of this month, my little girl will make her First Holy Communion.  She is my sixth child, born to me right after my 46th birthday.  It’s a bittersweet time in a way – it is her first – but it is one of my lasts – the last first communion of my children.  I’ve been having a lot of those lately as she grows up and moves through phases and events that her siblings have already passed through. Recently, when I was feeling a little melancholy, I re-read something I wrote shortly after she was born – and it is as true today as when I wrote it nearly 8 years ago.  see the rest at: The Last First Communion | CatholicMom.com

On Easter morning I was watching the Easter Mass with Pope Francis afterwards he rode around St Peter's Square greeting the crowd. He was shown a little boy with cerebral palsy and of course, he reached down, picked him up and held him for a minute, whispering into his ear and kissing him.The entire world was watching in awe of the beauty of this moment.   I was delighted to discover I knew that little boy, I just met the previous December him with my daughter Christina who has Down syndrome.  Here's the whole story . 

My husband Manny actually lost his wedding ring on our honeymoon. It's true. We were swimming in the Dead Sea in Israel, which has such a high salt content that you can almost float sitting up. A little wave passed by, as Manny explains it, and plucked the ring right off his finger. Down, down to the bottom of the Dead Sea. Someone was snorkeling nearby and offered to search underwater for the lost ring. The salty water made it hard to stay submerged for any length of time, and he ultimately searched without success. "I have many rings in my tent," the snorkeler offered, but my husband turned down his offer and left the ocean discouraged. Sinking down onto our towel on the sand, Manny told me what had happened. More...

There seems to be a dilemma in the spiritual life. We want to do great things for God, but we are caught up in the little tasks of everyday life. We think holiness must wait until some future time: when the kids are grown up, when the job is less demanding, when we retire, when we can go on retreat. But if, as Vatican II taught, holiness is meant for everyone, shouldn’t it be accessible in every circumstance? How can we become holy now? Although some saints have been martyrs, missionaries, or miracle workers, others have been parents, kings and queens, businessmen, and even children. How did they become great? Through “abandonment to divine providence” as Fr. Jeanne-Pierre de Caussade called it. Don’t let the big words confuse you. This is simply the “Little Way” of St. Therese of Lisieux, who said that even when she picked an object off the floor, she did it out of love for God. Likewise, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said, “We must do little things with great love.” T

April is "Autism Acceptance Month." Some organizations have called it, "Autism Awareness Month," but because so much of the negative advertising of many autism charities, autistics like myself have re-titled the month, "Autism Acceptance Month." It seemed most charities only wanted to make people aware of the negative parts of autism, leaving out the good parts!  I've had a tough time accepting my autism since the day I was diagnosed. The part I hate most about it is that I need help in areas and ways that other people don't. Because of that, I feel like I'm not equal to other people. So, "Autism Acceptance Month" has given me a lot to think about. Autism is a difference in neurological wiring. Although some aspects of this are disabling, they are balanced by the many strengths we also have. Autistic people generally have a great eye for detail, an unparalleled conscientiousness, sincerity and honesty. In general

Christ and Doubting Thomas , Andrea del Verrocchio, 1476-83. [ Web Gallery of Art ] Zenit  carries  a review of this sculpture by Elizabeth Lev  in its bulletin of 4 April 2012. There is an article on it in Wikipedia  here . Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings    (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  John 20:19-31.  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to

Pro-choice people sometimes complain to pro-lifers, "Why don't you stop telling people what to do and actually help them?"  Actually, there are a lot of pro-life organizations that extend a helping hand to women in crisis pregnancies.    Good Counsel Homes   is one of them.  My husband and I attended their annual From the Heart benefit dinner in early March. Good Counsel Homes runs four homes to shelter homeless single pregnant women and their children.  They also teach the moms life skills, such as nutrition, social skills, parenting, personal budgeting, and computer education.  "There's a lot of classes," one of the former moms, Fellesia, grumbled good-naturedly in her speech during the benefit dinner. More...

This post is part of an occasional series called Finding God in Children's Liter ature , in which I look at children's books in light of the Bible and Sacred Tradition. All correlations between these books and the Christian faith are my own insights, unless otherwise noted. You may quote me or link to these posts, but please do not re-blog them or use these ideas as though they were your own. Thank you. Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss is the story of a proud and power-hungry reptile. He starts out as king of a pond of turtles. Unsatisfied with that, he commands his subjects to stand on one another's' shells in a stack, while he climbs to the top. The stack of turtles keeps growing, despite the protests of the turtle on the bottom, named Mack. Yertle believes he is king of all he can see, so the higher his throne of turtles goes, the more powerful he becomes. Eventually, he over steps and the stack of turtles collapses. At last, Yertle is only King of t

Daily Donna-Marie: A Dose of Inspiration: Interview with Author of "Under the Mantle: Marian... :   I'm honored to interview Father Donald Calloway MIC about his newest book, Under the Mantle : Marian Thoughts from a 21 st  Cent...

OSV Daily Take Blog: EWTN anchors recall covering the conclave : By Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle I recently chatted with three EWTN news anchors who covered last month's papal conclave: Joan Lewis,...

After much behind-the-scenes work, the Spanish version of the Can We Cana? blog is up and running.  The final title choice is Comencemos en Caná: Para Vivir el Sacramento del Matrimonio. Roughly translated into English, this means We Begin in Cana: In Order to Live the Sacrament of Matrimony.  Many thanks to my family and friends from Spain and Latin America who helped me to find the perfect title. The Spanish blog address is   http://comencemosencana.blogspot.com .   More...

Do you blog primarily on Catholic spirituality? Not a blog on Catholic doctrine or apologetics, politics, book reviews or a “Mommy blog”–but one focused on helping your readers grow closer to Christ? I have not been able to find an exclusive list of  spirituality links, so I decided to create one. Send me an email at crossini4774 at comcast dot net to have your blog listed on my new link page. See more details on the requirements first.

On Easter Sunday afternoon in the chapel in the village where I live here in Bacolod City I baptized a girl born in January. At the celebratory dinner later a boy of nine, whom I'll call 'Carlos', approached me with a big smile on his face and told me that he wanted to be like me - a priest. But he had something even more in mind - he wanted to be Pope! And he knows the name he will call himself - Pope John Paul III. 'Carlos' is too young to have any real personal memories of Blessed John Paul but he must have heard, read and seen quite a bit about him for that pope to have made such an impression on him. He goes to Blessed Carmel Sall és School, named after the foundress of the  Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Mary  who run the school. She was canonized last October but there are 'hoops' to be gone through before the Conceptionist Sisters can change its name.  St Carmen Sall és   (1848 - 1911) The three Sisters at

When I checked my email this morning before work and opened the attachment from a colleague, I burst into tears. My colleague Mary, with whom I co-teach a Natural Science class, had put as the subject to the email "Aunt Eileen." "Aunt Eileen" was Eileen Jaqui Kuhn, 88, of Metuchen, who died on Holy Thursday at home with her family by her side. My husband and I have lived in this corner of New Jersey since 1995 and our lives have intersected with the Kuhn family's ever since. Tonight, Easter Monday, my husband and I attended Mrs. Kuhn's wake, which gave me a glimpse into the beauty of a life spent from start to finish within a three-mile pocket of friends, family, work and parish. Keep Reading....

The one part of church that my toddlers have always enjoyed is the sound of bells ringing at the moment that the priest consecrates the host.  If the kids were feeling bored or tired of sitting still, I could always whisper to them, right then, "Shh!  Can you hear the bells ringing?  Jesus is here in the bread!"  And a few minutes later, "Shh!  Did you hear the bells?  Jesus is here in the wine!"  Sometimes, the kids would respond with a wise, open-eyed nod or maybe a single word spoken  sotto voce , "Jee-jus!" On Easter, I get the same feeling of wonder that the kids get.  Jesus is here! More...

Last night - Good Friday -  felt like the right time to download on my brand new Kindle a book - really more like a 50-plus page essay, by L.A.-based writer Heather King called "Poor Baby," a raw meditation on her three abortions. No matter one's personal history, or one's political views on whether abortion should be legal, or one's moral belief as to whether abortion ever can be an ethical choice, this book is worth reading. In fact, I would say anyone with strong views about abortion should read this book with clear eyes and an open heart. We need King's voice in the conversation. Keep Reading....

"We are not called to be successful. We are called to be faithful." -Mother Teresa of Calcutta Lately, I ponder this quote and its meaning on a daily basis. In my mind, I am never successful enough. I never get enough done in a day. The work I actually do is not productive enough. No matter how much I do, it does not make enough impact on society. And, you know what? It won't. Ever. I can't do anything without God. I can't blog. I can't brainstorm. I can't even breathe. Without God, not only is doing anything at all impossible, but everything I do becomes meaningless and pointless. Our new pope said something today which rang true for me. He said, " "...self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live by going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and

The Resurrection of Christ , Rembrandt, c.1639 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings for Easter Vigil   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings for Easter Vigil   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings for Mass on Easter Sunday   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings for Mass on Easter Sunday   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel for Mass on Easter Sunday  John 20:1-9.  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid

When my beloved and I were one on the earth, I wore a wedding band of solid gold, it felt so good to be on my finger, a symbol of our love and that we were one and whole.  We lived in Eastern Kentucky up a 'holler' in Greasy Creek, KY where Loretta Lynn's husband Mooney Lynn used to Moonshine before they were married (and maybe some afterwards). A trailer on one acre of land and I was never so happy.  I had my beloved and if we were apart, I would sometimes turn my wedding band on my left hand and remember that he was mine, all mine, forever.   Terry's Dad got sick and needing money for gas, I pawned my gold wedding ring, an unfortunate necessity for the family. Dad became almost bedfast at home and required round the clock care, we all were pitching in.  My beloved was becoming ill also, so I would come to Dad's house right after work.  As a result I didn't get my wedding ring out in time and lost it to the Pawn shop.  I have no regrets.  I would have

The van pulled up to the candy factory, our very first homeschool field trip!! Calvin was dressed neatly in his pressed jeans and clean T-shirt, and Sam was secured in his stroller. I had just met this group of homeschooling ladies and I wanted to make a good first impression with all of them. It seemed that most of them knew each other and we were outsiders hoping to join. Just before we went in for our group tour of the factory, another young women hollered for us to wait! She was pushing a little girl in a umbrella stroller while wresting with the diaper bag and all that went with it. She flashed me a friendly smile and we soon started up a conversation.  Robin was a new first-time mom, although she had been friends to most of the ladies in this group for many years.  She had waited and waited to become a mom and was now thrilled with her pretty little girl, Chloe. And although it would still be a few years before Chloe would be school aged, Robin wanted to be part of the homes

"Could you not watch one hour with me?" Jesus asked His disciples (MT. 26:40). On Good Friday, our hearts and minds turn towards the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus began to suffer for us. He was abandoned by those who loved Him, even after pleading with them 3 times to watch and pray with Him. We hear the call on this holy day. We go to venerate the Cross. We watch "Jesus of Nazareth." We read the account of the Passion. We take time to pray. But what about the rest of the year? Do you abandon Jesus as soon as Easter Sunday is over? Is daily prayer low on your list of priorities? Are you "too busy" to spend time with the One who suffered and died for you? Resolve today to commit (or re-commit) yourself to prayer. If you can't watch for one hour, try half an hour. If that's too much to start with, try 15 minutes. Read from a book of meditations. Gaze at a holy picture that fills your heart with love for God. Think of all Chri