Association Of Catholic Bloggers

School's out and it is time for sun and fun!  We're excited at Bezalel Books to offer  All Things Girl: Truth for Teen s--one of our most popular teen books--at an amazing price of .99 on Kindle to kick start summer for our precious Catholic teens! As one Amazon reviewer wrote: All Things Girl is jam-packed with Catholic girl awesomeness and we think you will agree! Contributors include best-selling author  Peggy Bowe s and the effervescent Heather Renshaw.   So for this week only we are offering "Catholic girl awesomeness" for the special Catholic teen in your life!

In prayer I asked the Lord, "Lord guide my steps to where you want me to be and give the words you wish me to say." This is apparently a very powerful prayer as I am about to explain.   After praying this prayer, I got a strong inclination that I needed to go to the hospital.   So I drove to Clark Memorial and sat at the end of the long hallway and began to pray my Rosary. To find out what happened in the Hospital Waiting Room, click HERE!

"Music is the soundtrack of our lives." -  Dick Clark  (or  Berry Gordy , depending on who you believe said it first). Ever since I can remember, music has been in my life. My father could pick up any instrument and figure out how to play it. He was my first guitar teacher. Music kept me sane when I thought I would go insane living with my  mother . To read the rest of the article and listen to some amazing music that I posted at the end, go to Being Catholic ... Really .

How do you explain the Holy Spirit to someone who knows Him not? How do you explain fire      to someone who has never warmed her hands over a blazing wood stove on a bitter winter night? How do you explain anointing      to someone who has never been healed by a Mother's gentle touch? How do you explain water      to someone who has never gazed at the sea and wondered what lies on the other side? How do you explain wind      to someone who has never raised a sail and been sent to where she needs to be? How do you explain clouds and Light      to someone who has never seen the sun's rays sing through the darkness after the violence of a storm? How do you explain the dove      to someone who has never seen the purity of its whiteness           the graceful curves of its form                or heard the compelling coo of its call? How do you explain the Holy Spirit to someone who knows Him not? To read more on this post or to add your own explanations

There are times in life when a piece of music, or an item, suddenly bring memories from the past flashing back. What is it that Father Ignatius suddenly remembers from his past? And how does it affect him now? Do not miss this story which will no doubt strike a chord with many of you ... CLICK HERE .

A picture's worth a thousand words, so when I went off to lunch with super-popular author Jen Fulwiler and 7 other lovely ladies I was dead set on getting a picture. Except then I forgot. "You've got to Photoshop  something ," one of my friends insisted. So with Jen's permission and the guidance of my 9-year-old daughter, I produced this expertly-crafted image, which proves beyond doubt that Jen and I were in the same room on the same day having lunch together. Who says old bloggers can't learn new tricks? Jen and I lunching together. Clearly. The reason I forgot a picture was because the conversation was so awesomely distracting. We started off talking about recipes, since women do cook. The equivalent for men would be something like "How 'bout those Mets?" The discussion quickly moved on from the genius of bacon-stuffed deviled eggs to who are you, where do you blog, and what was your favorite part of Jen's new memoir/conversion s

What are you doing this summer? Are you going on vacation? Are you staying home? Our choir will be on summer hiatus so that only means one thing for my husband and myself: Road trip! Whenever we get the chance, Dan and I like to go to different parishes and see what they are doing in regards to music. Or as my friend put it, "Spy and collect data." You can read the rest of the article and see a great summer song video at Being Catholic ... Really .

In a recent Sunday Parade magazine there was an article about two young men who were best friends. One died fighting in Afghanistan and the other in Iraq. Their families had the two friends buried side by side in Arlington Cemetery. Similarly, Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman asked to be buried in the same grave as his best friend (something that was done in those days).  The Sisters of Notre Dame began with two French friends, and our branch originated with two German friends. Working together, saints support each other and accomplish great things. Friends encourage, give advice, warn, share, and simply journey through life with you. Writer Francois Mauriac noted, "No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever." Friendship is a blessing to be enjoyed and cherished. Like a lovely flower, it is to be cultivated. Click to continue

Bezalel Books has published a 2014 second edition of All Things Girl, Truth for Teens (the first edition came out in 2009).  This fabulous book, written by Cheryl Dickow, Peggy Bowes, Heather Renshaw, and Kayla Brandon, contains a wealth of information and practical advice for teenaged girls who are navigating the treacherous minefield known as adolescence.  For the next four days, the Kindle version, originally priced at $5.99, is on sale for $0.99.   If you are currently raising, or will one day raise, a daughter, you should really get your hands on a copy of this book.  Written in a conversational style that makes material that might otherwise seem too dry very entertaining and compelling, this book covers a variety of important topics. All Things Girl, Truth for Teens includes chapters on Relationships, Fashion, and Skin, Hair, and Make-Up, among a number of others.  It discusses practicing virtues, imitating the saints, and dating the right types of boys.  But most of all, t

The Casino The Lord had put it on my heart to go to the Casino.  I wondered why I had to actually go to the Casino, so I asked Him, "Lord, why do I have to go?  I can pray for them in front of the Blessed Sacrament!"   The answer was silence.  So, in obedience, I filled up my car and went to the Horseshoe Casino.... To find out what happened at the Casino, click HERE!

Throughout his life on earth Jesus made it clear that the Kingdom he promised had not  yet come . The question is then, when would this kingdom come? St John gives us the answer, as an aside when Jesus was celebrating the feast of the Tabernacles. It was the final day called ‘The Day of Hosannas’. A priest had carried a large bowl of water from the temple precincts to the pool of Siloam followed by a long procession. Once there, the water from the bowl was poured out into the pool to ‘commemorate’ the rock that Moses had struck in the desert to save his people from dying from thirst. Whilst he was doing this a prophetic text was read out from Isaiah. It looked forward to the living waters that would be poured out when the Messiah would inaugurate the new world order promised by God through the Prophets. This was the moment that Jesus chose to speak out in a loud voice so that all could hear him, claiming to be the new and living rock prefigured by the rock struck by Moses in the de

This is still in progress, working on combination of light, mystery, and gentleness.  I don't know how to tell when it is done exactly.  It's close I think.  Here is the whole gallery. The goal here is to create an image of the face of Christ that is interesting to the secular world, which means it needs to be not traditional.

This is my family (plus two friends) on June 10, 1974. I’m the one with the braids in the front. Terri is behind me next to our mom. Here is how our car looked thirty minutes later. Today is the fortieth anniversary of one of the saddest events in my life so far. On June 10, 1974, our family was driving to the annual Catholic Charismatic Conference at the University of Notre Dame. We began our journey in Spokane, Washington, where we had spent a weekend on retreat. Just outside Missoula, Montana, the car rolled over three times, landing in the median of the freeway. I was in the back with the seat down and no seat belt. So were two of my siblings and two friends. I ended up with stitches in my leg and a bump on my head. My sister Terri, who had been sitting next to me, was thrown from the car and died. She was ten years old. Why did God let this happen? Didn’t He know where we had come from and where we were going? Hadn’t He heard Terri’s voice, when

Happy Feast Day of St. Columba of Iona - priest, abbot, poet. St. Columba ( Wikipedia , SQPN ) was one of the first saints I was aware of. My father had gone to Iona, and had brought back a booklet about the life of the saint. I read it and for some reason it stuck with me. In fact I read it several times. And after a while I started to ask, why is it that we Protestants never hear about saints? Read more.....

Add caption There are three reasons I decided to start this blog series by addressing the common misconception that Catholics worship Mary. One is that a friend of mine actually did express some interest in having this cleared up in a previous blog post comment. Another is that I think that this might be one of the biggest objections that non-Catholics have to Catholicism, so I thought it would be good to address upfront. The third is that, to me, it's one of the easiest misunderstandings to set straight. As a child, I didn't think about Catholicism much (my only point of reference for the phrase "Hail Mary" was a last-second desperation throw to try to win a football game), but when I did, I vaguely thought that Catholics worshipped Mary. The fact is that I didn't know the first thing about Catholicism in reality. My belief about Mary was simply a parroting of something I heard an adult say.         Read more HERE .

  How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;                                              Songs 4:1     What a captivating statement. “Your eyes are like doves….” Those are the Words of God to His lover. That is how God thinks of His beloved. With eyes like doves. That is so romantic, it sounds like dreaming floating slow-mo white doves a top church steeples. Bells ringing beautiful melodies that raise the hair on end at the overwhelming sounds that awaken the spirit.   But … eyes like a dove’s….. hmmm, think about it. to read the rest.....  http://theoutlawedgod.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/your-eyes-are-like-doves/  

 Jesus promised us that he would not leave us orphans when His body left the earth but he would still  love, guide, comfort and counsel us by sending the Holy Spirit to each believer. This is not an allegory, a nice bedtime story. This relationship is not just for the saints. A vital relationship with God is the normal Christian life. But if you are wired like me,this sort of intimacy with God takes decades. read more>

  The painting on this post is one I have used for the last two Pentecosts.  I love posting it in large size.   I love the truth it underlines as it breaks through the margin, spills into the background, and causes this blog to burst at the seams.  I can think of nothing more appropriate for today's feast. The Holy Spirit of God BURST into our world on Pentecost.  Not in a gentle whisper, we're told in Acts 2, but with noise like a strong, driving wind.  Tongues as of fire appeared and came to rest on each person.  All were filled with the Holy Spirit, expressing themselves in foreign tongues and making bold proclamation.  There was so much noise that it drew quite a crowd.  The onlookers were 'confused,' 'amazed,' 'astonished," "dumbfounded.'  Peter, who had once denied Jesus out of fear, stood up and proclaimed boldly what the Spirit was doing. The events of that day certainly did not fit into neat, tidy categories.  Sud

Partly because of the visual drama, this is one of my favorite scenes from the Bible: " 1 When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. " And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, 2 and it filled the entire house in which they were. " Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, 3 which parted and came to rest on each one of them. " And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, 4 as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. " ( Acts 2:1 - 4 ) It's also part of what we read during Mass this morning: Acts 2:1 - 11 ; 1 Corinthians 12:3 - 7 , 12 - 13 ; John 20:19 - 23 .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America

Pentecost  Juan de Flandes Museo del Prado [ Web Gallery of Art ] Pentecost Sunday, at the Vigil Mass (Saturday evening) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  [This link is to the readings for the Vigil Mass and for the Mass on Sunday] Pentecost Sunday, Mass During the Day Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)    [This link is to the readings for the Vigil Mass and for the Mass on Sunday] Gospel   John 20:19-23   ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)  When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace

As long as I was changing A Catholic Citizen in America's display format, I thought about switching to a white background for posts. I've read, and believe, that black text on a white background is easier to read than what you see here. However, since I've used alternative text colors in a few posts: sticking with the bright letters/dark background seemed prudent. Not much has changed here, apart from wider posts.... More, at A Catholic Citizen in America .

One day God was looking down on Earth and saw all of the rascally behaviour that was going on. So He called one of His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time. When he returned, he told God, 'Yes, it is bad on Earth; 95% are misbehaving and only 5% are not. God thought for a moment and said, 'Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion.' So God called another angel and sent him to Earth for a time. When the angel returned he went to God and said, 'Yes, it's true. The Earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving, but 5% are being good.' God was not pleased. So He decided to e-mail the 5% that were good, because He wanted to encourage them, and give them a little something to help them keep going. Do you know what the e-mail said? Okay, I was just wondering, because I didn't get one either!!! Visit HERE

Here’s a hanging done a few years ago for Pentecost based upon a Russian Icon. I like this one as it shows Mary in the center – some icons show the disciples around a central figure, who is Cosmos, representing the people of the world that are in sin and darkness. Personally, I feel that Mary would have been there, as the first one the Holy Spirit came upon for the Incarnation of Christ.  I've also heard that when we see the flames on the heads of the disciples, we are to see that as an overflowing from the fire that has been ignited within.   

The following is a re-post from February—with a few new edits to now reflect the change in month to June , the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart ! 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. The one & only heart!  And although February is often considered the month of the heart within the secular and healthcare worlds ["American Heart Month"], there really is a much bigger and broader picture in need of seeing.  But initially, this is a picture that get

When light shines through stained glass windows, they can lift our souls up from our own narrow miserable awareness into His presence as we contemplate them.  Light is more powerful than darkness and beautiful colourful glass works of art can touch us with a mystical, heavenly light that moves our hearts and souls towards God. No wonder stained glass windows were developed in the Middle Ages as a way of teaching illiterate parishioners the basic Christian message and inspiring them to live holy, prayerful lives. pieter coecke van aelst When the Holy Spirit inspires artists to create art with, through and in Him, their creations touch our inner selves. They are not only beautiful but also imbued with a mystical essence which gives them spiritual power. read more  

  Morning, Daily and Evening Prayer The first prayer that Jesus would have learnt from his mother, like all other Jewish children, was called the ‘Shema Israel, part act of faith, part prayer. Its first words proclaimed belief in the One God who should be loved ‘with the whole heart and mind and with one’s whole strength’ . This embodied the essence of Jewish wisdom that Jesus had come to bring to perfection. The ‘Shema’ was the first prayer to be said on the Sabbath in the synagogue where it was also said three times a day to coincide with the sacrifices made in the Temple. For those who were unable to go to the Synagogue, it was said at work, in the fields, or at home, so that the whole day would be dedicated to the love of God.  more

Studying ticks preserved in amber, mutant crickets in Hawaii, and flint tools from paleolithic London give scientists a few pages from Earth's story: and help us understand how this astounding world works.... ...Living Amid Ancient Splendors (From NASA; ESA; G. Illingworth, D. Magee, and P. Oesch, University of California, Santa Cruz; R. Bouwens, Leiden University; and the HUDF09 Team; used w/o permission.) About a half-dozen centuries after Sargon of Akkad became the first known emperor , quite a few folks thought we lived on a circular plate , surrounded by a cosmic ocean. That's where we get the Old Testament's poetic imagery about this universe. ( January 3, 2014 ) More recently, a 17th century Calvinist decided that God created the universe at nightfall before October 23, 4004 BC . A remarkable number of folks still think he was right. ( April 4, 2014 ) I'll grant that, as far as my personal experience goes, the universe might be no more than a few tho

If you have more than one child, you’re likely to have a high spirited one in the bunch. Here are a few tips for dealing with these delightful, rambunctious, sensitive and determined kids. Some of these strategies apply to all children, but are included here because they are even more important to keep in mind when you have a strong willed, sensitive and spirited child. 1. Highly spirited children get easily excited and easily disappointed.  Whenever possible, let your child know your plans ahead of time. This gives them time to enjoy their excitement, but also to get used to things that disappoint them. For example, if you know they’re going to be sad when it’s time to leave the park, give them a five or ten minute warning so they have time to transition. This can help avoid the outbursts of surprise or disappointment that can occur when the child is expected to change tracks abruptly. Head over to Eyes On Heaven for 8 more ways to help your high spirited child.

I cannot believe we have been married for one year now - time has certainly flown by. Since after one year, I'm officially a marriage expert, I thought I'd put together a few things I've learnt from the journey thus far.  Read the rest here: http://www.melodysharmonies.com/blog/2014/6/3/the-first-year-10-things-i-learnt-about-marriage

Through You, with You, in You… All in All. “ It’s there in the newborn cry, there in the light of every sunrise, there in the shadows of this life, Your great grace. It’s there on the mountain top, there in the everyday and the mundane, there in the sorrow and the dancing, Your great grace. Oh such grace..." ... Click Here to Read More at:   The Way to Nourish for Life Holy Spirit , Come