Association Of Catholic Bloggers

If you ever get tired of the predictable Campbell's tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich combo, why not kick it up a notch? Add a little gourmet to your kitchen by making cold tomato soup (Spanish-style!) and grilled Brie sandwiches on a tasty baguette. With a little time and effort, you can turn tried-and-true into new and exciting. My husband's family is from Spain, so the cold tomato soup known as gazpacho is a summer staple in my mother-in-law's kitchen. Salmorejo is a lesser known version, which ups the kid-friendly factor by eliminating vegetables like green pepper and onion from the recipe. Read more here...

 Max Lucado's children's book "You Are Special" is a favorite of mine and a beautiful story with many fac ets to it and much to be learned from it. It is a sad story of judgment; of pride and slavery; of sin and brokenness.  It is also a beautiful story of witness and hope - a story of intercession and prayer. Ultimately it is a story of love and the heart of God. Click here to read 7 lessons from the story that I shared a few years back with a women's group at our parish. Please note that I will include the main plot line as I go, so you should be able to follow along even if you have not read the book.  I do highly recommend that you pick up a copy for yourself  - it is a story whose message is ageless and timeless.

Have you ever consider what hell is like? Not many people these days believe in fire and brimstone. And devils with horns and tails and long forks. Read how Father Ignatius experienced hell. Share his vision and beware. Click HERE

Apostle St Thomas   El Greco, 1610-14, Museo de El Greco, Toledo [ 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 14:1-12   ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe   in God, believe also in me.   In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.     And you know the way to the place where I am going.”   Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”   Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one c

I don’t want “Because you said so” to be a regular chorus in our household. It’s OK when the kids are two or three, don’t understand why it’s wrong to play with the electrical socket or touch the hot stove, but need to avoid it “because we say so”. In the said situation, we are fulfilling our role as parents – protecting and teaching our kids, and they are doing what they are capable of doing at that age: learning to respect our “no”. But I don’t buy it for kids older than that. Even why my three year old makes reference to doing something “because we said so”, I try to focus him on the cause and consequence of his action. Don’t get me wrong – I am NOT advocating for less respect or letting your kids do whatever as long as they give a reason for it. The bottom line is, we ARE their parents, and they DO have to respect what we tell them to as long as we are responsible for them. Head over to Eyes On Heaven to read more about how to help your child make a connection between wh

Scientists seeking niches for life in the universe have a new tool, we've finding stars that shared our sun's origin, and have more clues about Earth's early years.... A Hypothetical Habitable Moon (From Lucianomendez, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission. (" Artist's impression of a hypothetical habitable moon of Upsilon Andromedae d. ") That's a cool picture, but we don't know if Upsilon Andromedae d has moons: let alone one with an atmosphere, ocean, and clouds. Using a new exomoon detecting technique, we may soon know how closely the artist's impression matches reality.... ...A few years ago I ran into an intriguing bit of informed speculation: Earth may be about as small as a planet can be, and still support life: and that's another topic. Exoplanets: Hot Jupiters, Super-Earths, and More Scientists have cataloged 1786 planets orbiting other stars. These exoplanets are in 1106 planetary systems, including 460 multiple p

There is great evil in the world.  One need only turn on the news and see that.  As such I have cause to pray much about what I see on the news.  When I see death, I kiss the crucifix and ask for mercy for a soul before the judgement and when I hear of great evil acted from one soul to another, I ask for conversion of that most blackest of heart that did the evil. I don't usually get a direct answer to these prayers.  I don't even know the results of my prayers, and nor do I want to.  One day, God will show me all, I am happy to wait till then. However, during one prayer I realized that I was taking the very act of being able to ask God for mercy for someone for granted.   For even the ability to pray is a gift from God.  read more HERE

Lombard artist (ca. 1520), Madonna and Child Seeking Asking Not content to live on the surface Aware of a hollow within Eating, drinking, shopping or buried in entertainment Thirsty for more of God’s presence. Searching for meaning. Empty, even though  ’saved’ It drove me to Question Listen. continue>

'A mother's heart is always full of pity  for the erring and the sinner and the fallen.'   Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Painting:  Madonna, Herman Richir;  in US public domain due to age  From The Breadbox Letters

Our local Right to Life Chapter is holding a rally today at our provincial legislature: the issue of government funded abortion being at the forefront of their concerns. Being pro-life is fundamental to   our faith and its implications bleed into every aspect of our lives. I’m not sure though that we consider all the areas of life that allow us to be truly pro-life. What does being pro-life look like? What does it really mean for how we live our day-to-day lives? Read the rest here . 

I had an adorable conversation with my three year old right before he went to sleep tonight. In fact, I have a pretty adorable conversation with my three year old almost every night before he’s off to bed, so I thought I’d share what we talk about. In addition to warming my heart, these conversations, I believer, are paving the way for future communication. As part of our bedtime routine, I ask Charbel three questions each night: What is something that made you smile today? What is something that made you cry today? What is something that you learned today? With these three questions, our little son opens his heart to me each evening, and starts smiling and laughing all over again as he remember what he enjoyed that day, gets more serious as he talks about something that made him sad, and feels proud when tells me what he learned. Head over to Eyes On Heaven to read the full post and why these 3 questions can be so helpful, both for the child and the parent!

Pope Francis said this at a Sunday afternoon Regina Caeli address: These words struck me hard for several reasons: I hate to be a bother. I always feel like I am being a bother when I have a question (or several). I preface nearly every conversation with my priest/spiritual director with either the thought in my head or the words on my lips: "Father, I hope I am not bothering you, but..." I don't think I am alone in this. I have heard many friends express the same hesitations. The conversations go something like this..."I really don't know what God expects me to do and I would love to ask Father, but I don't want to bother him." of "I have a question about church teaching x, but I can't ask Father because I don't want to bother him." Are you with me?  Have you said that too?  I bet you have. It seems to be a nearly universal sentiment among the Catholic faithful I know.  Click here for some practical suggestions about "

Threats to religious liberty are nearer to us than most young people imagine, and the story of Castro's Cuba brings that lesson home in a powerful way. Born of Cuban exiles, journalist Liz Lantigua has written an eye-opening fictionalized account of a Catholic family escaping Cuba on a small raft with a mission to achieve freedom in the United States. Lantigua's book,  Mission Libertad , cleverly weaves true historical details with a compelling plot and introduces readers to common Spanish words and sayings along the way. The main character is 14-year-old Luisito, who braves a dangerous sea crossing with his parents in order to reach their relatives in America. Luisito's elderly grandmother has insisted that he carry a secret message to a priest in the United States once Luisito arrives there. The message involves Luisito in a cat-and-mouse game involving Cuban spies, FBI agents, and international smuggling. Mission Libertad  offers teens a surprising view of the U

Our Fathe r - Repentance On the  feast of Pentecost the Jews celebrated the day on which God had given the Law to Moses. However the first Pentecost after the Resurrection was the day on which God gave his new law -  the law of love . This law was not primarily a  list of rules and regulations  like the laws that were given to Moses, but the same personal  love that God had showered on Jesus. It was this love that enabled Jesus to practise to perfection the New Commandments that he taught his disciples. Namely, to Love God with their whole hearts and minds, and with their whole being, as he did, and to love others as he did too, and still does.  read on

I fell once, and the pain was great for me. My foot swelled up, and, when I tried to walk, I winced with pain. My foot, bruised, turned purple. My foot, injured, swelled, so that I could not fit in my shoes. I yelped in pain and refused to walk. Jesus fell three times. His feet, which carried Our Savior, were wounded and beaten. His precious feet were bruised and swollen, screamed in pain as they tried to bear the weight of Our God and His Cross of Love. His sandals were gone. Each step an exercise in pain, but He uttered not a word. He took His beatings. He bore the pain. His love for us, His mission of Love, Read More at:  His Unending Love

Holy Family (Barberini    Andrea del Sarto, c.1528 Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome [ Web Gallery of Art ] Richelle Verdeprado, the editorial assistant of  Misyon , the Columban online magazine in the Philippines that I edit, posted a link on Facebook to the article below that we published in the May-June 2004 printed issue. I have always found the writings of  Catherine Doherty   inspiring. She would very much approve of the 'smell of the sheep' imagery of Pope Francis. I've highlighted one paragraph in the article because too many times I've heard of Catholics, especially in the Philippines, who may not have enough knowledge of our faith, being led astray by 'Born Again' Christians and who reject our Blessed Mother. If you asked the same persons to reject their own mother, to tear up photos of her, never to speak to her again, they would be horrified.   An Ordinary Woman and Mother of God Adapted from  Bogoroditza  by Cath

The word of God flows like liquid sunshine into the shadows of our hearts.

Have you ever thought of having a spiritual director for your kids or grandkids? Have you ever thought of being one? It’s not enough to teach children “religion”–i.e., Catechism. We also need to teach them how to become saints. I am developing a spiritual growth plan for my three older children. (J is a little too young at age three!) Here are the areas I am considering: Temperament D is almost purely choleric, M is melancholic-phlegmatic, and C is primarily phlegmatic. (I haven’t completely figured him out yet–he’s eight and doesn’t know himself as well as the others do.) Each of the four classical temperaments has a different perspective on life. Each has typical strengths and weaknesses. I seek to encourage my boys in their strengths and help them fight their weaknesses. I plan to do much of this through reading. Books will inspire them where lectures won’t. Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

 An excerpt from Finding Grace ;   Grace's musings on  Fatima after she learns that her elderly neighbors  are Holocaust survivors:           And something was nagging at the back of her mind.  What dire warning had Mary given to Francisco and Jacinta Marto and Lucy Santos, the three peasant children to whom She'd appeared at Fatima?  Wasn't it that there would be a terrible war, worse than the most recent one the world had witnessed?  Our Blessed Mother had appeared to the three Portuguese children in 1917, not long after the Great War, the "War to End All Wars": World War I.  Through three poor, humble, young shepherds, the Mother of God had sought to warn the people of the world that if they didn't change their ways and consecrate themselves to Her Immaculate Heart, an even more terrible holocaust would be visited on the earth.           The horrible chastisement to which She referred was World War II!           Aside from just the testimonies of the

The last two weekly words have been Faith & Trust . As I prayed about what comes next, it occurred to me that Faith, Trust, and Surrender make a perfect trilogy; three essentials for true peace-of-mind and peace-of-heart. I see them as being cyclical, a reinforcing and continual process to living our God-designed life. Faith and trust sound nice, don’t they? Very reassuring and positive. Surrender, on the other hand…that can be a tough one for many of us! When I looked up the definition of surrender, I found: to give in, give up, concede defeat, cave in, and (from Merriam-Webster) “agree to stop fighting because you know that you will not win or succeed.” Yikes, no wonder I’m not usually in a big hurry to surrender! The truth is, surrendering my will in favor of God’s will, has NEVER left me feeling defeated or unsuccessful. Read More...