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Is there anything for us to learn in this story about the raising of Lazarus? Is it not just another miracle by Jesus? What is so different this time? Please continue reading HERE

When Christ came it was to announce something that no other religion had ever  taught, nor any other religion taught since. Namely that the ultimate power, the ultimate energy the  infinite source of all creation, is not some impersonal super-power, but infinite  love , no,  infinite  loving . Love cannot exist without a lover. Before time began, Christ was the recipient of his Father's love. He was inextricably caught up in a mystical maelstrom of loving that flowed to and fro between him and his Father  from all eternity ......   read on

Psalm: 40-“I have waited, waited for the Lord, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.”       As I reflect on this scripture verse, it brings me back to a time when by the grace of God I made my way back to my Catholic faith after many years of “doing my on thing.”    I was raised Catholic and I am so grateful to my parents and the religious sisters who laid a good and solid Catholic foundation for me. As I sat in the pew listening to the song, Here I am Lord the sun was shining through the beautiful stained glass window and seemed to be shining directly on me.  Continue reading   

The Raising of Lazarus , Rembrandt, c.1630 [ 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 11:1-45 [or John 11:3-7, 20-27, 33B-45]  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)  [Shorter form of the Gospel: omit what is in square brackets] [Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.]   So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazar

  Soul Sister: Saint Therese of Lisieux     The above  video link  contains rarely seen Art  done by the sister of Saint Therese of Lisieux, Celine Martin. The Art depicts Saint Therese and other family members.This also contains some photographs taken by Celine. Also, in this video are scenes of the Carmel of Lisieux in France.This is where Saint Therese resided as a Carmelite nun.The crown of roses depicted in this video were worn by the saint on her death bed.    I wrote the song entitled," Soul Sister" for Saint Therese. She stated that after her death she would send a shower of roses to the earth. This song is employing the Communion of the Saints which is asking the saint for her intercession in heaven. Catholics do not worship saints. We do believe they can help us from heaven if God so wills it. And, this song is an intercessory prayer that is sung continure reading>

In this story, Father Ignatius is asked a question which should tackle our consciences even today ... Please continue reading HERE

It's easy to forget that life is a gift. I am reminded of this now while I'm carrying my fifth child. Many days I am nervous about my child, his health, his future life. Anxiety pairs up with a tense grip around what is  mine . Both responsibility and desires for everything to turn out just right become preoccupying... Yet, we only have life on loan--our own life as well as the lives of those given to us. It's not easy to accept but still necessary. We are not in control of our own life or others. Still, we are truly given the life of others as well as our own life. Particularly children are given to us as gifts. The same goes for our spouses; they also are gifts entrusted to us directly from God. The sacrament of marriage confirms both the gift of our spouse and the gifts of our children. So, how does one hand life back to God? It isn't, or shouldn't be, a throwing back of a gift in God's face. Once He entrusts them to us, He obviously expects something of us

Gospel reflection Today’s Gospel:  John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 This section of scripture leaves me feeling irritated, almost as irritated as Jesus seems to be. Of course part of that frustration is because this was written by John who loves to talk in circles, leaving his readers hanging. At first glance this passage simply talks about Jesus moving around Galilee, not wishing to travel to Judea because the Jews are trying to kill Him. In the end He does slip secretly into Jerusalem but everyone is gossiping about whether He is the Christ or not. Finally Jesus seems angry as He actually shouts out  in the temple. Remember, this is John’s gospel, so Jesus speaks in riddles telling the crowd that yes people know where He comes from physically. However they do not fully grasp where He actually comes from because they do not really know the one who sent Him. Naturally the authorities know that  Jesus is referring to God, the Almighty. They try unsuccessfully to arrest Him but it is not ye

Some years ago, I heard a talk by an amateur kindergarten theologian. I found that talk the most interesting way to explain how it is that Divine Mercy works on us.    Let’s call him John, and he was intent on having a large family. But I met him and his family on baby #3. He has 8 now. And he described how happy they all were most of the time with 3 kids in 4 yrs., meaning mom had one more in the oven. to continue reading    http://theoutlawedgod.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/the-tantrumy-tot-and-divine-mercy/

I was born to daydream.  Born to gaze out windows in the classroom, and in curtained parlors, and oh.. most especially on the bus. Being a student in a "downtown" Catholic grade school, I rode the city bus back and forth every schoolday.  I rode it a lot on weekends too, in those days before two-car families were the norm.  Daddy took the car to work, Mother stayed home and ironed while soup simmered on the stove, and girls rode buses to friends' homes on the weekends.   My favorite time of all, however, was the bus ride to or from school, packed in with businessmen heading to work with briefcases in tow. Sitting by bus windows, I learned to love writing.  Not that I ever wrote a word.  But now, looking back, I know that my love of writing was born there.  On some unmarked, unremembered day, as I sat by a rolling window most likely streaked with rain....... (continue)

Pope Francis tweeted the following earlier this week: "Dear parents, teach your children to pray. Pray with them." My husband and I are parents to an 11 year old son and a 9 year old daughter and over the years we have learned many lessons in trying to teach our children to pray. We are by no means experts at this and we certainly do not have it all together, but the lessons that we have learned, we gladly share.  Read 7 lessons that we have learned along the way here... Please use the comments box to share what has worked for you in teaching your children to pray. As my children are approaching the Tween and Teen years, I would especially love to hear how your family's prayer has evolved during those years...

If you can spare just 5 minutes, come and share my thoughts about our relationship with God. Please click HERE

  "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12 Read More at:  His Unending Love

Hi! My name is Debbie Gaudino and I am new to the Association of Catholic Women Bloggers and blessed to be here.  Melanie asked me to introduce myself and my blog, Saints 365 to you. Why Saints 365? Saints 365 is my personal blog. Through it I provide reflections designed to encourage others (and myself) to "strive for the heights of holiness in the trenches of everyday life." My writings draw from the living word of scriptures, the wisdom of the saints and the teachings of the church and are presented through the lens of my own personal experience. My hope is that the blog becomes a place where readers can encourage each other on the journey by sharing their thoughts, experiences, struggles and questions related to each post in the comments. A Little About Me I am a child of God!  Through the gift of Baptism, I have been adopted into the family of the Holy Trinity.  This is my primary identity, and each day I discover more and more what that really means. I am also

Reading 1 IS 49:8-15 , Responsorial Psalm  PS 145:8-9, 13CD-14, 17-18 , Gospel  JN 5:17-30 In the first reading from Isiah, God promises a covenant  to the people that will restore the land. In issuing this covenant, The Lord does not simply wave a magic wand and transform evil into good. If someone wants to be saved, God gives instructions that must be obeyed. For example, God commands ” the prisoners: Come out!/ To those in darkness: Show yourselves!” First people must listen and obey God’s call to step out of the darkness into the light of truth, step away from their old ways and start on the spiritual journey. Once they have chosen the path, the Lord will have pity on them. As the Lord leads them on the road of salvation, He will supply their need for food and water, cut paths through the mountains and make level the highway.The fact that the God of the entire universe takes time to comfort His people and show mercy to the afflicted should entice heaven and earth to break

I see her every day at Mass, frumpish, about 60, shaved head with a little longer bit at the top, like a man’s. She wears thick glasses and a long handle purse across her chest. I don’t know her name. I also don’t remember when she began to notice me and smile. I can’t imagine why, among all parishioners why she would more and more glance at me. She says all the responses of the Mass, a bit loud, with a pronounced baby talk speech. That was my clue that she is mentally handicapped. to keep reading......     http://theoutlawedgod.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/the-mirror/

Occasionally,  I post "unsolicited advice". I was told, after I turned 50 that I was old enough to give unsolicited advice, so I though - why not?! One of my favorite posts from last year that I re-blogged today is about praying the Rosary. When going through security, Sister Helena Burns was asked if she had any firearms or weapons, her response, "I'm wondering if I should declare my Rosary". HA... My unsolicited advice today – PRAY THE ROSARY! I have a special relationship with Mary. She has always been with me, since we met long ago. I needed a mother and she stepped in. Praise God!  And – Because I have an affinity with Mary, I love to pray the Rosary.  It helps that my birthday month celebrates praying the Holy Rosary. How lucky am I? For more, read  Unsolicited Advice - Vol. 5 - Pray The Rosary ! Blessings All, Emily

The other day as I prayed the Liturgy of the Hours, at the line “God himself will set me free from the hunter’s snare” suddenly I imagined myself in the woods with my foot caught in the sharp jaws of a trap. I felt the pain and the desperation. “Hmm,” I thought. “This is how I teach people to pray the Gospel stories, by putting themselves into the scene and letting all their senses come into play.” For some reason it never occurred to me to apply this method St. Ignatius promoted to other prayers too.  Let’s experiment with a psalm. Psalm 127:1 is “Unless the LORD builds the house those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.” For the first sentence see and hear someone hammering the last plank of wood onto a house. But then the house collapses. Hear the deafening sounds. Breathe in the dust. For the second sentence visualize a city with a soldier stationed in the tower but hordes of enemies forces breaking through th

Today I have a guest post at Julian O'Dea's blog on the controversial topic of prostitution laws.  It includes a Catholic historical perspective and should provide plenty food for thought.

  On March 19, 2014, Ellen Gable, a Catholic Fiction author, released another beautifully written Historical Romance called A Subtle Grace which is Book 2 of the O’Donovan Family Series. This Kindle book is published by Full Quiver which will publish the print version on March 25, 2014.  1896, Philadelphia. In this sequel to “In Name Only” (2009 FQP), “A Subtle Grace” continues the story of the wealthy and unconventional O’Donovan Family as they approach the dawn of a new century. At 19, Kathleen (oldest daughter) is unmarried with no prospects. Fearing the lonely fate of an old maid, her impatience leads to an infatuation with the first man who shows interest. The suave, handsome son of the local police chief seems a perfect match. But will her impulsive manner prevent her from recognizing her true beloved? A disturbing turn of events brings a dark shadow that threatens   continue>