Association Of Catholic Bloggers

We all know that practising Natural Family Planning doesn't feel very "Natural" sometimes. I'm referring to the fact that when I say those 3 words, most people ask me to say it again and then they ask me to explain what it means. I have become a master at explaining NFP in one sentence or less. It goes something like this. " A method of avoiding or achieving pregnancy using my bodies natural signs as an indicator of fertility and infertility." Then I catch myself blabbering about how I swear we aren't aliens, and it really works and NFP is science based, it's not the Rhythm method. fertility awareness has come a long way. Usually I get a quick, hmmmmm and a change of subject and that's completely ok with me.  To read more click here  http://www.yearsofmilkandhoney.blogspot.ca

What Really Happens at the Holy Mass. This is where I am happiest, at the Holy Mass.  Now I will tell you what really happens at Holy Mass. The Lord told me some time ago, "I want you to go to Holy Mass everyday."  I thought, "O.k., I can do that."   At the time I was only going to Holy Mass once a week, an occasional day Mass but I mostly just prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  I didn't understand, but I obeyed.  Going to Holy Mass everyday required some coordination, I would have to get up earlier and find a Mass along the way to work.  Also, the Mass would have to be close enough to work that when it was finished I could still get to work on time.  I found several different permanent options, and a few back up plans if for some reason I couldn't get to my regular daily Mass. It took about a year of going to Holy Mass daily, but then things started to change.   This was no longer an obligation, but a joy!    God started to open my eyes t

“ When we carry God in our hearts, we are at home anywhere. ” ( The Living Pyx of Jesus, by a Religious, Pelligrini and Co., Australia, 1941)  An encounter that I had longed for, searched for but it had become a brittle dream, a dry leaf long abandoned. I felt   empty, despondent with all inner resources depleted. A mere shell. Yet deeper than the despair Existed a spark of yearning, an ache of hope that was  nonverbal, even preverbal A common yearning in all humanity. Unexpectedly, a mere glance slipped silently into the dark cave within me Like a wisp of smoke suddenly bursting into flame As if the dry litter in my heart was merely tinder, feeding this ethereal fire. A surge of heat surged through my inner self, Seeping into my muscles, soothing my mind. continue>

February is the month of Love. What really is love?   Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8,   “ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end." Read more at "His Unending Love," Click HERE .

Well, here it is, my first guest post on the topic of Natural Family Planning. I couldn't have chosen a better writer/blogger. Natasha has a fantastically written blog  http://ww.asthefamilygoes.blogspot.ca/ . I have always enjoyed reading about her faith journey and life as a home schooling mother of 6 because she puts her thoughts to words very eloquently. When I first began this journey of blogging, I felt a strong call to gather people's stories about their real experiences with NFP. If you have a story to share please contact me @ galeski@telus.net or leave a comment on this blog. Thank you to Natasha for being brave enough to speak the truth about your experience with natural family planning.  My Advice on NFP - guest post by Natasha Mazerolle I have spent eleven years trying to wrap my head around Natural Family Planning, but only just recently feel like I’m finally starting to get it. My sixth child is fifteen months old (I have conceived eight children, but lost t

Today’s Gospel:  Mark 5:21-43 Today’s gospel is familiar to most of us: the healing of Jairus’s daughter as well as the woman who suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve long years. As Jesus made His way to the house of Jairus, people pressed in on Him from every side, but only one woman touched Christ, drawing healing power from Him. This woman was desperate to be healed. I don’t think she was the only one who believed that Jesus was capable of healing her. I mean, the entire crowd was excited, following Him, hoping to witness yet another miracle at Jairus’s house. No it wasn’t simply faith that drew healing power from Christ, it was the woman’s desperation. Desperation is the key to change, to opening our hearts to receive anything from God. Only when I am desperate, only when I am fed up with myself as I continue to suffer day after day without changing wounded emotions, a sick body, and a tired mind, only then am I really willing to receive healing. It seems that I first mu

  On Sunday I made pizza for supper. Herbed crust, thick, garlicky sauce, uncured pepperoni, black olives, and two cheeses. Is your mouth watering yet? Is pizza among your disordered attachments? As you may know, I’m focusing on being more truly detached from everything except God this year. Before you read the rest of this post, you may want to read or review these: What is detachment in the Catholic spiritual life? Why is detachment necessary? How can you know what your spiritual attachments are? Why do you have inordinate attachments? I can’t work on every possible type of spiritual detachment at once. I have to slice it into small pieces. Here is an easy way I’m trying to start. Every time I experience pleasure or enjoyment, I am immediately turning my thoughts towards God. As I’ve said before, we are not Puritans. We don’t reject the goodness in God’s creation. The world was damaged by Adam’s fall, but not destroyed. Continue reading at Contemplative Ho

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Appearing on Women of Grace all this week! : Watch Monday through Friday at 11:00AM/11:30PM Tune in this week to EWTN's Women of Grace! I am visiting with Johnnet...

In this story Father Ignatius teaches about Papal infallibility ... Early one morning Father Ignatius received a phone call from Mother Superior. Sister Josephine had been called away to visit a very sick relative; would he take on her Catechism class of 7 and 8 year-olds. He sat down at her desk and said, “Let’s start where Sister Josephine left off last week. What did she teach?” Continue reading HERE

Christ Raises the Daughter of Jairus Friedrich Overbeck, 1825 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Today's gospel, Mark 5:21-43, weaves two different healing stories into one, that of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and that of the daughter of Jairus, aged twelve, who had just died. In the scene below, taken from Franco Zeffirelli's  Jesus of Nazareth , the director focuses only on the story of the little girl. I don't know if the servant of Jairus, whom the latter addresses as 'Thomas' is meant in Zeffirelli's mind to be the future Apostle already showing the honest directness of the saint often referred to as 'Doubting Thomas', the saint who was to make the most explicit act of faith in the whole Bible,  My Lord and my God . In this scene Jesus immediately leaves what he was doing in order to respond to an emergency. Much of our life is like that. Zeffirelli retains words of Jesus that we find in the version of St Mark of this incident a

Mary's Memories Meditations on the Luminous Mysteries The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan I knew it was time for my Son, Jesus, to leave home and begin His public ministry.  I was elated that He would soon be revealed as the Promised Messiah, but I knew that He would suffer.  The Father had been preparing both of us for this day.  I felt a great deal of pain knowing that Jesus would suffer for love of His people, but I knew that salvation was at hand.  I knew that Jesus would deliver His people from the depths of sin.  John was born before Jesus.  Elizabeth said that John jumped in her womb when I cradled Jesus in my womb.  John says that he baptizes with water, but that the one who is to come will baptize with the Spirit.  There's Jesus in the water with John being baptized.  I see a great light forming over the head of my Son.  The Father is speaking, "This is My Beloved Son in whom I AM well pleased." Read more at:  His Unending Love.  Click HE

First, a little riddle:  What am I? ... I've been considered the center, while holding many seats.  I reveal your emotions & intellect, both the physical & the spiritual.  Yet you might swear with me. And some will cross me... But I could melt, or become hardened.  Sometimes real, sometimes not...  Restless when wrong.  Cured when open.  I'll sing for you, but best at keeping beat.  In need of silence to hear well.  Heavy or broken at times.  Despised, pierced, forgotten.  Still, without me there is no life; yet humble I am ...  What am I to you? Yes.  Now that February is here, time to remember it once again... The one & only heart!  After all, we do have Valentine’s Day right at the very center of the month; But it’s also "American Heart Month"... Indeed it is, ever since 1964 (50 years now!).   And although the news makes mention of it each year, I'm hoping you'll still consider reading on because there is a much bigger and

You’ve been poorly catechized and didn’t really understand the role of a Godparent for your newborn baby and so you gave this honor to your best-friend-since-3 rd -grade. It made sense at the time and you both giggled and loved the whole idea of it. Now, years later, you no longer speak to your best-friend-since-3 rd -grade. You’ve come to regret this poor choice—in a very big way—and don’t know what to do about the lousy Godparent you chose. You have been blessed by faith-filled parents and have been living your faith in a constant manner for as long as you can remember. Bestowing the honor of Godparent upon your cousin was a good choice. After all, she’s family and your lives have the blood connection that will stand the test of time. A few years later you see that she didn’t really get how important this honor was and has really failed. She apparently didn’t read up on the “job” description and now your daughter is burdened with a lousy Godparent. And your daughter sees this a

St Blaise ,  Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, Czech Republic  [ Wikipedia ] When I was a child growing up in Dublin the blessing of throats on the feast of St Blaise took place only in the Franciscan and Capuchin churches, as I recall. Apart from my memory, the only evidence I have been able to find of this is from  a bulletin of the Augustinian church  in Limerick, Ireland, a year ago:  For many centuries devotion to St. Blaise, a fourth century  Armenian bishop, had almost completely disappeared. It  was kept alive in some Franciscan churches. On the 4th  February 2004 the  Limerick Chronicle  published a picture  in its memory section, a clear photograph of a long queue  in the local Franciscan church lining up for the blessing  of the throats on the Feast of St Blaise. The Friars stood in  the sanctuary for the entire day ministering the healing of  this popular saint to those  who streamed in and out of  their church on Henry St .  I have a vague recollection of r

To my dearest first born on his 11th birthday, you have made me a better person and here is why. 1) You have taught me self sacrifice. Not only in the first 3 months of your life, while we adjusted to the stress of having another human being rely on us to survive, but also in these recent years, you are a true witness of giving up yourself for others. to read more click here  http://www.yearsofmilkandhoney.blogspot.ca

Simeon’s Moment by Ron DiCianni © 2013.  Image used by Permission www.TapestryProductions.com The   Presentation of Jesus at the Temple  (Luke 2:22- 40) - February 2 the young-the old observance-prophecy Pope Francis said  the Presentation is “a meeting between the  young  full of joy in observing the Law of the Lord and the  elderly  full of joy by the action of the Holy Spirit.” “It is a singular  meeting between observance and prophecy ,”   Fra Bartolommeo (di Pagholo) OP (1472 – 1517) candlemas day continue >

Is it REALLY possible to trust God totally, without a hint of hesitation or doubt? Even when things go wrong in our lives? Really wrong ... To continue reading please click HERE  

If you only ever look at one thing to find out what is meant by a "cloistered heart," I suggest that the following video be the one thing.... (continue) Painting:  Heinrich Vogeler Sehnsucht (Träumerei) c1900

A phrase pierced my heart and  brought tears to my eyes today. It is not originally from a Catholic, or even a Christian.However, this quote is similar to biblical and Catholic sayings from the saints. Perhaps it was the modern wording but it pierced my heart right to the quick, where my secret longing, my true heart’s desire lies. The words were, ”we are all just walking each other home” ram dass Yet heaven is also within us. We can learn to live in our true home while we are on earth. A obscure little book on spirituality reminds me of this fact . “When we carry God in our hearts, we are at home anywhere.”  (from  The Living Pyx of Jesus , by a Religious, Pelligrini and Co., Australia, 1941) + Even better, when we live in the heart of God, we are at home no matter where we are. continue reading>

Simeon and Anna Recognise the Lord in Jesus Rembrandt, c.1627 [ Web Gallery of Art ] he Presentation of the Lord, as a Feast of the Lord, takes precedence over the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel:  Luke 2:22-40   [or 2:22-32]  ( New Revised Standard Version, CatholicEdition , Canada)  When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord   (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”),   and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;   this man was righteous and devout,