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What is Carmelite spirituality? A couple of readers have asked me this question, and I assume several more have wondered and not asked. So I'm going to write this as a post (for maximum visibility and readership), then make it a permanent page soon. Carmelite spirituality stems from the teaching and lifestyle of one of the oldest surviving religious orders in the Catholic Church. Like the Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans, and others, the Carmelites have a particular way of living out the faith, which has been approved by the Church. St. Therese of Lisieux, one of the best-beloved saints of our age, was a Carmelite nun. From ancient Mt. Carmel to medieval Europe In the 12th century, a group of Christian hermits settled on Mt. Carmel,  where the prophet Elijah had once lived in a cave. St. Albert of Jerusalem wrote a rule of life for them to follow. They built a monastery and came together for prayer, but each lived in his own cell. They dedicated their orat

    Today I got to help my friend K., who teaches at the same high school I do, celebrate her daughter's first birthday! It has been a long time since I have been to a child's birthday party, given that our own sons are 13 and 16 years old. So I didn't mind driving an hour each way to help her large extended family and circle of friends celebrate Joy's first year on the planet. Keep Reading...

This is what faith looks like. I just got off the phone with Jane , one of my dearest friends. Her husband is our younger son's godfather. Jane had emailed me to let me know her 85-year-old father, Richard, is dying. He has had a massive stroke. She is sad; my usually stoic friend has been shedding tears. Her four daughters and her husband are comforting her. Jane told me this. "God loves my father more than I do. He is more God's child than he is my father." Keep Reading...

St Peter , El Greco, 1610-13. [ 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  John 21:1-19. [or 21:1-14]  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberi-as; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathana-el of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, &quo

My  first post on sex  caused quite a stir. Unwittingly, I had walked into the middle of a pitched battle between those who admire the popular theologian Christopher West (i.e., "Westians") and those who believe that his approach plays into the  Main Stream Media's cult of the orgasm.  So, it is with some trepidation that I venture my review of Christopher West's most recent book, Fill These Hearts. It is with even more trepidation that I announce that I liked it. More...

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...