Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Catholic Mom's Cafe: What do Catholic Moms really want for Christmas? : Donna-Marie (in dress on right) with her mother and 4 of her 7 siblings Moms are always thinking of others—not so muc...

The tradition of the  Christmas Crib  dates back all the way to the thirteenth century when the first one was celebrated.  It was the idea of St. Francis of Assisi and brought to life by his friend Messier Giovanni Velitta. Growing up , my family didn't have a Christmas Crib and the birth of Christ was never really mentioned.  My folks had both abandoned their respective faiths. I converted as an adult and when I was baptized in December of 1981, I received the manger and the Holy Family as a gift from a friend.  I was able to buy the three wise men, the shepherd boy, donkey and lamb over the course of several Christmases.  My first Christmas Crib was complete! To read more about my Christmas Crib and Pope Benedict XVI's reflection, click here .

Throughout history the word “light” has been used to portray goodness, charity, kindness, and salvation. Light, after all, removes darkness—whether literally or metaphorically. People say, “She lit up the room when she entered,” or “He is the light of my life.” We understand the significance of those phrases. During the Christmas season—when the amount of actual daylight is at its most limited—we are most fully aware that Christ is the light of the world. It seems rather fitting that in the long hours without light that we contemplate how He dispels the darkness in our lives. We are able to become keenly aware that He conquers the shadows that sometimes seem to overtake us. During the Christmas season we most fully realize that through the light of Christ we find our way to the Father.   A beautiful tradition during Christmastime is to light luminaries. The history behind luminaries is rich and beautiful—and varied. Shepherds marked the way to the Christ child with smal

A 33 day do-it-yourself retreat in preparation for Marian Consecration The day of our Baptism is the most significant in each of our lives. De Montfort suggests that if we were to personally and sincerely renew our baptismal vows and place them in the hands of Mary, then this act alone would go a long way in helping us overcome sin in our lives. Therefore, he makes such a renewal of vows an essential element of his prayer of consecration. Address Mary and pray to her as follows: I, (name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. Amen So, St. Louis has us attack sin right at its root – Satan and his pomps and works – has us recommit our lives to Christ, and has us do all of this with and through Mary. Why throug

Advent Repentance Examination of Conscience Sacrament of Confession     Yes, I am of the old school.  I still call the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Sacrament of Confession.  Like a rose, by any other name, this Sacrament is a Sacrament of great graces and peace no matter the name.  Read the entire article at "His Unending Love."  Click HERE.

A  WestJet  Christmas video delivers a special surprise to its passengers.  Yes, it's a commercial, but I thought the thoughtfulness and the planning that went into this to pull it off is just outstanding! You can see the video here .  

"Every Knee Shall Bow" Philippians 2:10 by Gaye Frances Willard “Whose birthday is it, anyway?” is the Christmas question asked by Alternatives for Simple Living, an advocacy group that favors simple living as an antidote to societal ills such as credit cards, personal debt, shopping malls, big SUVs, depleting the earth’s resources, and not spending time with family. A UMNS graphic by Doyle Burbank-Williams, Alternatives for Simple Living 

Since it's too soon for the Twelve Days of Christmas, here are twelve tips for celebrating Advent instead. These tips include what you should do, what you shouldn't do, and what you can get away with (I'll promise never to tell). **What to Do this Advent** 1. Explore other cultural traditions:  Learn how the custom of Christmas stockings evolved from the German tradition of slipping treats into shoes or slippers that kids leave near the chimney in the days leading up to St. Nicholas' Day (December 6). Celebrate the Feast Day of the Patroness of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe, on December 12 at the nearest parish with a large Hispanic community. On Christmas Eve, you can serve twelve fish dishes the way the Italians do. Experiment by adding shrimp cocktail or baked clams to the menu. Dilled salmon steaks garnished with lemon always taste great. Sushi platters or bouillabaisse combine many types of fish in one dish. See how many you can add to your Christmas E

                     "Desde el Cielo una hermosa ma ñ ana Desde el Cielo una hermosa ma ñ ana La Guadalupana,  La Guadalupana, La Guadalupana  baj ó  al Tepeyac" (canci ó n tradicional de la Guadalupana) ¡Gracias a  Nuestra  Santísima Madrecita  de Guadalupe ! (Enjoy:  Traditional hymns and songs celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe. )

What you put in the collection basket says a lot about you and where you are at in your journey. Some of us put in our 10% tithing without a second thought. Some of us put in the few “extra” dollars we may have. Some of us struggle with the need to “give” to the already “rich” church and so put in very little. I remember once when one of my sons was quite young and had — unbeknownst to me — picked up all his change from his room and put it in the collection basket as it passed. I think it was about 19 cents. But very few of us realize that when that basket passes, it is an incredible opportunity to give anything and everything to God. Sure, it is about money and tithing; but money is only the beginning. That collection basket is a chance to empty yourself so that your gifts may be joined to those of Christ’s at the altar and used for God’s kingdom. They will be joined in the consecration and if offered with no strings attached can be appropriately dispensed by God, who

Hello!  I really wasn’t planning on this post, until I saw such fresh-looking beauties today at the local market.  So I thought I would share with you a short post of mine [that I did earlier this fall for another site] to simply review some of this fruit's wonderful attributes...  Attributes known (per available research) to help protect cells from ongoing assault & damage that could otherwise foster disease & illness, including: cancer, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, & infection! Value of the Red Ruby  -- Red Grapefruit! Being Fruitful! ...with my Florida Reds The Red Grapefruit is admired for its: Vitamin C , Vitamin A , and P ectin/Soluble Fiber; L ow- G lycemic Index Rating; L ycopene (a carotenoid) + other powerful P hytochemicals; Reported s upply of l ittle t o n o traces of pesticides, per the EWG.   -- Peak grapefruit season relates to where it’s grown, but generally from late fall through spring in the USA [Texas/Florida,

Today is the feast of  La Virgen de Guadalupe ,  Our Lady of Guadalupe . Under that title Mary is a Secondary Patroness of the Philippines. Ten years after Ferdinand Magellan, the Portugues explorer, landed in the Philippines - 1521 - Our Blessed Mother appeared to San Juan Diego on the Hill of Tepeyac, near Mexico City. (I think it is now part of the city). At the time the Church in the Philippines was under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Mexico, which was set up in 1530. The Diocese of Manila, the first in the Philippines, wasn't erected until 1579, as a suffragan of the by now Archdiocese of Mexico. So there are long, historical links between the Church in the Philippines and the Church in Mexico. The official website of the shrine, in Spanish, is   here . Below is an article we published in the  May-June 2013 issue of  Misyon , the Columban online magazine I edit here in the Philippines. The author lives and works in Metro Manila. A Visit to Tepayac

Apparently this rather piercing painting of Mary is a forensic artist’s rendering of  the Virgin Mary  based on the image of our Lord on the Shroud of Turin, in combination with a painting by William-Adolphe_Bouguereau.  Maria (accurate face matching the Shroud of Turin)   by  JulienLasbleiz   Digital Art  /  Drawings & Paintings  /  Illustrations  /  Technical ©2011-2013  JulienLasbleiz This image is a t ribute to one of my favourite painter William Bouguereau. This painting of Maria the virgin has been done in photoshop. The project was to paint an accurate face of Maria, matching the Christ’s face in the “Shroud of Turin” Since the Lord was the biological son of the Theotokos alone, any physical features of his face would have come directly from her. His eyes would have been her eyes. His face would have been a masculine version of her face.  read More>      

UBI CARITAS ET AMOR. DEUS IBI EST. Father Ignatius was at the supermarket pushing his trolley slowly from one aisle to the next and reading his shopping list as he went along. He rarely visited the confectionery counters but this time he made a special detour to buy a box of chocolates for Mrs Davenport, his housekeeper, whose birthday was the following day. Just as he entered the aisle he saw one of his parishioners there standing a few feet away. He was a successful local business man and a regular in church every Sunday and at confession every Saturday morning. The priest was about to greet him when what he saw next made him suddenly stop in his tracks and freeze on the spot. The business man took a chocolate bar from the shelf and put it in his pocket. He then moved away nonchalantly as if nothing happened. Father Ignatius faced a sudden dilemma. Should he confront the man and tell him what he did is wrong. This m

Yesterday, 10 December,  Pope Francis published the video abov e. Below is the English translation of the text. I have  highlighted  some parts and added  [comments ]. Dear brothers and sisters, Today, I am happy to announce to you the launch of a campaign against global hunger by our very own  Caritas Internationalis  and to tell you that I intend to give my full support. This confederation, together with its 164 member organisations works in 200 countries and territories around the world and  its work is at the heart of the mission of the Church and of Her attention towards all those who suffer because of  the scandal of hunger , those with whom the Lord identified when he said, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat” . Logo  of Caritas Internationalis [ Wikipedia ] Continue here .

Five Tips For Keeping the Season of Advent Holy in Our Domestic Churches

The Angelus by Millet. In past centuries, Church bells  rang three times day to signal everyone should stop what they were doing and pray. St. Paul urges us to “pray constantly” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). But what does this mean? How can we practice it? When we reach a high state of the spiritual life, we will be in constant communion with God (see, I am assuming we are all going to make it that far). But in the meantime, we can form habits that help us pray throughout the day. When two people fall in love, they want to spend as much time together as they can. Not only do they go out on a date very evening, they also contact each other during the day. When I was younger, we would call each other or send emails. Today, couples might text each other. Just to hear the other person’s voice or read his words of love would keep the smile on the loved-one’s face for hours. We need the same kind of contact with God. Our “date” with God is our daily time set aside for nothi

After reading Melanie Rigney's blog,  On the Nightstand: December , I began to run around the house to gather up the books on my nightstand. My "nightstands" are all over the place:  living room, bedroom and the kitchen.  Most of my "real books" are stacked in the living room, piled atop and below a lamp/table/magazine rack configuration that I bought online.  I try to keep it tidy, but it seems impossible. To find out what I'm reading this Advent season, click here .

standing in the shadow of LOVE

Naturally, most of the spiritual greats knew how to laugh. I mean think about it, when you are in a relationship with the Eternal, your life in comparison is rather hilarious. It is sort of like comparing the life of a man to that of a comical, self dramatizing ant. It follows that saints are not pale, morose souls with their eyes rolled up, gazing into the heavens; they are down-to earth, humble people who know how to laugh at their own ridiculous foibles. Look at St. Theresa of Avilia.While on a journey to visit one of her convents, a donkey threw this great doctor of the Church into a stream of freezing cold water. Standing in her water-logged, heavy habit, she yelled at God, “If this is how you treat your friends,  no wonder you have so few!” I smile every time a picture this scene of an outspoken, strong, unaffected woman with a quirky sense of humour because it is diametrically opposed to some of the pious, sappy looking paintings of her.  Nope, sane saints know how t