Association Of Catholic Bloggers

View from the Domestic Church: A Holy Whirlwind: Pittsburgh and Birmingham!

I never met a mom who thought she had enough help. So here's a few ideas to make your days a little easier. Some ideas come from me, and some from other moms, but they're all offered from someone who's been there, done that, and wants to pass on what she's learned. 1.   Ask for it.  Moms sometimes have trouble asking for help, either out of pride or because they don't want to burden those around them. "For me, the word ‘help’ stuck in my throat like a fishbone," admitted author   Serena Kirby . "When you don’t ask for help you don’t get support and research shows with decreased support comes increased isolation, anxiety, fatigue and depression," she continued. So, overcome your reluctance, and ask for the help you need! Continue reading...

I am an English Literature Grad who loves a well written book. I refuse to read pedantic, heavy-handed, moralistic, Catholic books masquerading as fiction. Ellen’s books are anything but. I could hardly put down the first novel I read. My reviews will come next week but first I urge you to pick up one of these novels on Kindle and enjoy well-rounded, realistic characters who will work their way into your heart as they keep you spell-bound, insuring you read well past your usual bedtime. Enjoy! Introducing Ellen Gable Hrkach Ellen is an award-winning, best-selling author of four books. Her third book, Stealing Jenny, a pro-life suspense novel, spent six weeks at #1 on Amazon Kindle in Religious Drama in June/July of 2012. All three of her novels have been in the top ten of that category since January of 2012. She is a columnist for Amazing Catechists.com, a columnist at CatholicMom.com, and a reviewer for CatholicFiction.net. She and her husband create the “Family Life” carto

Open Air Rock Cross also called Nasrani Sthambams in front of the 2nd Century built Marth Mariam Catholic Church at Kuravilangadu, Kerala, India. This church belongs to the  Syro-Malabar Catholic Church , in full communion with Rome. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 13:22-30  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) Jesus went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. And some one said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us.' He will a

Antoinette Tuff looked at the face of death at the Atlanta school where she is a secretary. The young man was full of hate and without hope. He was also armed with an AK-47 and other weapons. He wanted to die that day and bring as many innocent children with him as possible. It was another Sandy Hook in the making. But this time there was no tragedy. Instead there was peace through a rare type of heroism which the world doesn't understand. Antoinette Tuff stopped the power of hate with a force even more powerful. The power of Christ's unconditional love. With it, she stopped a crazed shooter without pointing a gun. The world is in awe at the unbelievable strength of this modest woman. What amazed the public is her calm under tremendous pressure, she knew the situation was extremely volatile, and could turn at any moment. Antoinette had fear, as anyone would, but she also had love, and as Scripture says, "Perfect love overcomes fear." She had an advantage, however.

John chapter 17 is a record of Jesus’ prayer for us.  He has already taught his disciples how they ought to pray, and here he is, walking the walk, showing us what it looks like.  This passage is packed, so to try to do it justice, it will be separated into three separate posts.  We’ll start with the first three verses, and work our way through as we go. After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,  2  since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.  3  And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I’ve heard it said that a text without context is a pretext.  Because this passage begins with “After Jesus had spoken these words”, I think it’s important to go back to the previous chapter to see what He said that preceded this prayer.  This is for the purp

                                                             Bottecelli In the Old Testament, under some Davidic kings, the gebirah, the  “Great Lady” , usually the Mother of the King, held great power as advocate with the king. In 1 Kings 2:20, Solomon said to his Mother Bathsheba, seated on a throne at his right,  “Make your request, Mother, for I will not refuse you.”  The Crowning of the Virgin by the Trinity.Velázquez, 1645 In the New Testament, the title has several biblical sources. At the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel announces that [Jesus] “… will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David. He will rule over the house of Jacob forever and his reign will be without end.”(Luke 1:32) The biblical precedent in ancient Israel is that the mother of the king becomes the queen mother. Mary’s queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship.   Mary as the woman clothed with the sun in the B

This brainchild of hosting a virtual retreat came out of my own need and desire to unplug, pull away to a quiet place and meet with God.  Since I had a good block of time on my hands with my youngest away for the month, I thought it would be neat to put together a mini-series of articles, links, music, and prayers for ladies to get lost in for a day or two…or three.  I had no idea where the Lord would lead, or the amazing things He was eager to show me while working on the study portions. I'll post what I have learned from my personal study of what Ray Stedman calls "the longest prayer", our Lord's prayer for us in John chapter 17, as well as the prayer that is called "The Lord's Prayer" or the "Our Father".  I will refer to this prayer as  "the Disciples' Prayer" since it is an account of our Lord teaching His disciples to pray, and has become a model prayer for us, His disciples now.  There is a separate blog po

Tech Inquiries: No Question is Too Dumb This page is a friendly place to ask serious and dumb sounding questions  in comments  which will be answered in plain English by other community members! This is the e-mail that triggered the idea for this page I am new to blogging and the entire on line/technology community.  Any tips, tricks, or advice you'd like to share would be greatly appreciated.  I am trying to find the time to utilize my blog efficiently -- it seems there are endless possibilities and opportunities to share and spread God's message!  18 months ago I could not even understand the explanations in the  how to sections  so if you need layman's directions just ask.

I did a series of posts on prayer for a virtual ladies retreat at New Things.  I would love to have you pop over and join in the conversation, and share your testimonies and insights with me. Here is a link to the series, go all the way down  for the first post, beginning with the invitation, and work your way up. Hope to see you there. <3 Lyn

I've been studying Spiritual Canticle by St. John of the Cross as part of my OCDS Secular Carmelite formation program .    Every Friday afternoon, I spend an hour in the Adoration Chapel at church. Today, I had the idea to practice lectio divina with the stanzas. I was surprised by some of the reflections I had. For some reason, I was pulled to the topic of mental illness, specifically anxiety disorder , panic attacks and borderline personality disorde r.  The first twelve stanzas struck me as "angsty" and full of longing and distress. Anxiety permeates the entire section. The "bride" has seen God, who is "the bridegroom," only for an instant, and then He was gone. If she had not seen Him or known He was there, she could not feel the pain of loss, and because he caused the sense of loss, only He could heal her. The phrases of the Canticle are intense and dramatic,such as, " If you shall see Him Whom I love the most, Tell

Mary Crushes Satan  -  We cannot allow fear of the devil and deception to be stronger than our trust in God’s Mercy and Grace. Fear freezes us, often preventing the inner spiritual journey that leads to fullness of life in Christ.  As Catholics, we are often leery of personal revelation. Of course we should be cautious but what are we so worried about? The Church protects us with the gift of confession, the mystical tradition of the Church, spiritual direction and encourages us to study the bible. All theses tools act as personal sign posts and safe guards. Like all  Christians, Catholics  have received the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth. Why don’t we, as Catholics,  give the Holy Spirit permission to do His job? The Holy Spirit is our inner Companion who leads us; we do not  live in fear of  spiritual revelations. Many of God the Father’s children are so afraid that the devil will lead them astray, they do not even listen to His interior whispers of love. Surely w

UBI CARITAS ET AMOR. DEUS IBI EST. A Fr. Ignatuis Story Sometimes events coincide together, almost by conspiracy, only to accentuate something which you knew already but had kept at the back of your mind. Father Ignatius went to his usual supermarket this morning and as he approached the door the customer immediately in front of him let go of the door which swung shut in the priest’s face. It was obvious that the man saw Father Ignatius behind him as he looked back on entering the store; but he just didn’t bother to hold the door open. Father Ignatius on the other hand, entered the supermarket and held the door open for the old lady following him. She entered, followed by a young woman pushing a pram, then two teenagers, then a young couple, and then two men talking with each other. None of them acknowledged him standing there or thanked him for holding the door open. They walked past him and totally ignored him. He

I am so excited to welcome even more writers to our family. Katherine Stroud  -- Having Left the Altar http://www.havingleftthealtar.com/ "A married woman must often leave God at the altar to find Him in her household care." ~ Saint Frances of Rome e  Lyn  has just introduced herself in the post Introductions. She writes at New Things: See! I'm doing something new! Isiah 43:1   Cynthia Scodova - - The Mad-Eyed Monk The Mad-Eyed Monk Because we are all Monks and our place of work is a seminary, our work a sacrament, our family a monastery, our home a sanctuary; may we learn what they are teaching us without believing God is elsewhere... Elena - My Domestic Church

Thank you Melanie for the invitation and warm welcome to the ACB.  I am blessed to be here, and pray that God will use my experiences and thought ramblings to bless others.  I’m Lyn, aka Honey, Momma, Sis, Auntie or Grammy, depending on who’s calling me. I married Kevin in 1988. We have four great kids, and the five most beautiful, smart, and perfect grandchildren in the world.  Of course, I’m biased, but it’s still the truth ...read more at http://newthingspringingforth.wordpress.com/about-new-things/ Blessings!

I need help.  I need a lot of help.  Yes, I know that Our Lord makes His home within me - even within sinful, distracted me.  But oh, how easy it is to forget this as I go through my day to day life. Wouldn't it be lovely to have a little "prayer closet" to duck into from time to time, something with reminders of Our Lord's presence?  A place where we could steal away from chaos and distractions and focus our minds on the reality of God? If we are here, we obviously spend at least a bit of time on the Internet.  Perhaps we would like to take a moment or two for prayer as we do so.  For anyone who might need a bit of re-focusing, I invite you to click this line to come visit Prie Dieu.