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Today the church celebrates the first official feast day of Saint Pope John Paul II.  His heroism and total devotion to his prayer time, even during times of illness, injury and suffering, that propelled him to the heights of holiness and made him a compelling witness to the world of a life lived in complete surrender to the Lord. Click here to read more about Saint Pope John Paul II's morning prayer routine.

Once when I was in charge of the songs for a retreat Mass, things went very wrong. I came too late to begin the opening song, I started one song too high, and so on. After that fiasco, I sat in the chapel feeling ashamed and miserable. As the other sisters filed out, one of them gave my shoulder a little squeeze. Suddenly things weren’t so bad . . . because of that little gesture. Click to continue

My least favorite time of year is when the political ads on TV and phone calls incessantly fill my life.  Facebook is filled with everyone's opinion on politics and my head starts to hurt and then explode. You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

There were two Mary's who  went to the empty tomb to finish the burial work of Jesus.  One was Mary Magdalene and the other was Mary, the mother of James and Joseph. Both of these women  had been at the cross with Jesus, Mary, His Mother, and John, and Joanna.  Mary Magdalene is the woman who was weeping in the garden who spoke to Jesus and didn't recognize Him at first in all His Glory. When I meet her at His Tomb, I would like to ask her so many questions about her meeting with Jesus. Of course, you were distraught over your Master's death.  How did you feel when you went to His tomb to finish His anointing for burial? Did you leave the home of Mary early to spare her the duty of finishing the burial rituals? What are your memories of the cross?  You must have wept with the other courageous women there? Read More Here at:: His Unending Love

You can view the videos at Being Catholic ... Really .

Crypt of the Basilica of St. Therese in Lisieux (Wikipedia). In the thinking of St. Therese, what does it take to be a saint? Therese grew up in a culture influenced by Jansenism. Jansenism was a heresy from the seventeenth century that over-emphasized the role of grace in man’s salvation. It had a long-lasting effect on  the Church in France. In the late nineteenth century, during Therese’s life, the French clergy often preached “fire and brimstone” sermons. They focused on man’s sinfulness and the horrors of Hell. During the school retreat before the first anniversary of her reception of first Communion, Therese was greatly frightened by the priest’s warnings against mortal sin. She was suddenly overcome by scruples. How could she be sure she was on the road to salvation? How could she be sure she was in God’s graces? Maybe she was guilty of mortal sin without acknowledging it. How could she ever be good enough to please God? Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschoo

Come! Let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the rock who saves us. Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord. Psalm 95:1-2 "Americans spend more money on music than on sex or prescription drugs." "There is no known culture now or anytime in the past that lacks [music], and some of the oldest human-made artifacts found at archaeological sites are musical instruments." Both of these provocative lines come from books written by Dr. Daniel J. Levitin. The first is from his 2006 best seller This Is Your Brain on Music: the Science of a Human Obsession , and the second is from his more recent book (2008), The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature . Once a professional musician, sound engineer, and record producer, Levitin is now a neuroscientist who runs the Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University. In The World in Six Songs, Levitin

There's an old saying,  "you can't go home again,"   but I have many times.  I live just a few blocks from where I was raised and sometimes when I go on my walk, I visit the  neighborhood  where I grew up. Come walk with me: You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

What God wants is for us to say “yes” to him and “no” to everything else. Of the millions of good things available to us, he wants us to have the best. That’s because he loves us so much. He loved us, even while we were yet sinners. Every one of us doubts that we are loved. After all, each one of us knows who “we” are. It surprises us when someone loves us completely and thoroughly. But the Lord is after us to believe it. He wants us to know that he loves us inside and out. We can begin by saying “yes” to believing that we are worthy of God’s love. We can say “yes” to believing deep within our being, that God, our Creator and Savior, loves us. We belong to him. He loves and cherishes us. He wants to protect us with his gift of faith and trust in him. Before we can serve him and love him fully we must first say “yes”’ to letting him love us.  How does he convince us that he loves us? That’s up to us. He’ll do whatever it takes to convince us, but n

Somedays  life isn't Pinterest or blog post worthy.  Somedays  you don't bother to put on makeup.   Somedays  you don't bother to shower.   Somedays  you wear jeans to mass.   Somedays  you sleep in and arrive at mass late.   Read the rest here . 

'.....I'm sweeping my kitchen floor and my back is starting to ache a tad more than usual. ('O God, come to my aid; O Lord make haste to help me!')    Help me to sweep without grumbling today. Help me to be grateful for dust and kitchen crumbs, and a few extra twinges. ('Lord, I offer these pains up for our dear friend who is battling cancer and who loves You so much!')    Help me choose to do this monotonous housework with a light heart, even though I'd rather be reading a book or gardening. Help me to be careful not to put too much stress on my old broom today...  and to remember this... I am broken too.  So broken, You have to reach right down from Heaven itself to make any use of me.... ' ( a guest post from our friend Trish. C lick here to continue)

Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)  [ Wikipedia ] Catholic synod: Gay rights groups 'disappointed' As I write this at 07:45 GMT/UTC, Sunday 19 October, the above is the main story on the website of the BBC. It was also the lead story on BBC World when I watched the news there at 22:00 Saturday and again at 04:00 today. Both bulletins featured two men in Rome living together, one of them speaking fluent English and telling of his desire to raise the three young children that they have  as Catholics. The 04:00 bulletin also included an interview with a representative of The New Ways Ministry, described on the BBC website report as 'a US Catholic gay rights group'. James Reynolds' report on the BBC website begins with this sentence:  Catholic gay rights groups say they are disappointed after bishops rejected a call for wider acceptance of gay people, which had the Pope's backing. Full post here .

Some mainstream news isn't "journalistic infotainment-like art-product," as Hyraxx , the alien reporter in Buck Godot, described her work. That said, there's a reason for my concentrating on News.va , the Vatican's official news source, for Synod 14 coverage.... ...Emotions are part of being human. We're supposed to feel happy, sad, or whatever. But God gave us brains: and expects us to think , too. I have no problem with emotions: which is a good thing, since I'm a very emotional man. I've enjoyed shows like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Revenge of the Cybermen , but that's entertainment.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Here I am… on the road again! …to “take the next good step” (as Fr. Groeschel dearly liked to say), in moving forward towards a much better place of health & holiness— to where I’ve been called to go, still with the help of some very good friends. [Thank God for friends in high places!] And now that I’m getting back on Route again (after being held up in bit of a jam this summer!), I’ve become quite alert these days to the important connection between Route “66” [ The Route 66 Challenge™ ] and that of Teleios [ that's Greek to me :) ...Greek, that is, for “perfect”]—to take the next good step in answering the call by Jesus to “be perfect” [Mt.5:48]—because we are not on a ' road to nowhere' !   But, Lord, this really sounds like the type of call I’d normally hang up on! …Thankfully, though, I’ve held on for it instead—because this call by Jesus isn’t being made to lead us to discouragement or to a state of hopelessness … …Let’s go

"Mom, why do you go to Mass everyday?" "Because I love Him."   "Who?" "Our Lord." "Oh." "You don't understand do you." "Not really."   TO READ MORE CLICK HERE!  

'I die His Majesty's good servant - but God's first.' St Thomas More A Man for all Seasons Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 22:15-21  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition : Canada)  Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said.   So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.   Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’   But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?   Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius.   Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is th

Sometime ago I wrote a blog on what I called ‘mystical premonitions’ or ‘touches of God’, nevertheless I would like to write something further to make myself a little clearer. In that blog I used St Augustine to make my point, this time however I would like to make my point by describing common experiences that we have all had particularly in our youth. Here are a few examples to show you what I mean. You may be at a party, having a good time with your friends. There’s plenty of fun and games, plenty of food and drink. There’s music and dancing and everything is in full swing when suddenly it happens – ‘A touch of God.’ It’s not a physical, but a spiritual touch, that amidst all the merriment makes you suddenly feel alone. It makes you feel that you don’t belong, makes you want something further, something higher, something nobler, though you’d be hard put to give a name to what you really do want if someone pressed you. But if you were pressed you’d probably say, ‘God’.  read on.....

'Listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, and the whole world. Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to glorify the sublimity of that sovereign Artist who has given them being.' St. Paul of the Cross (from The Breadbox Letters)  

Are you addicted to the snooze button? Feel like the rest of your house has begun their day before you? Looking to grow in holiness, but struggling in controlling even the smallest of your desires? Wanting to carve out more time for prayer and silence in your busy life but don't know how? Join me at Saints 365 as we begin the 14 Day "Heroic Minute" challenge - click the link below to find out which great Saint coined the phrase "Heroic Minute" and read more about the challenge! http://saints365.blogspot.com/2014/10/take-14-day-heroic-minute-challenge.html

On Wednesday the Church celebrated the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, founder of the Order of Discalced Carmelites and Doctor of the Church. The Carmelites are celebrating the 500th anniversary of her birth with an entire year of events beginning this month. Over that time period I hope to have many vibrant discussions here about Teresa, her life, and her teachings. Sometimes we become interested in a saint when we hear one story about him or her. We don’t always view that story from the total context of a saint’s life and teaching. With my melancholic temperament, I like to look for the unifying principles behind things. This gives me a greater grasp of the meaning of individual facts. For St. Therese, that unifying principle was a childlike trust in God. So what is the unifying principle behind true Teresian spirituality? Intimacy with Jesus. Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

I wrote this quite a while ago, but never shared it here. I have gone back to praying the rosary every day.  Usually at night before I go to bed.  The rosary is a prayer that I can easily get lost in.  I can lose my place, lose my focus or even drop it and wonder which bead I'm on! You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

This year's Ebola outbreak has killed thousand of folks in West Africa: and one in the United States. By any reasonable standard, it's a very serious health problem.... ...As I've said before, being healthy is okay. ( June 13, 2014 ) Not being healthy is okay, too: but I'm expected to take care of my health: within reason.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I wrote this piece three years ago, but I thought it appropriate to publish it again.  Being bullied can stay with a child for years. October is a crowded month.   Hispanic Heritage  and  Breast Cancer Awareness  is but two of the many causes being touted.  It is also  Bullying Prevention Month .  Something I know a little bit about. You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

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Many women today suffer from chronic illness. It may be autoimmune related diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus or it may be digestive issues like Colitis or Crohn’s.  And those are only the very tip of the iceberg.  I don’t think there are verifiable statistics for this phenomenon because it doesn’t appear that there is a real awareness of the seriousness of this trend—but it is there. I see it. I hear it, too. Since I’ve spent the better part of the past three decades (and probably even more time than that but I just didn’t put the pieces together) with what can best be described as “chronic illness” that evades concrete diagnosis, I may just be more sensitive to seeing and hearing the telltale signs of this trend among our female population. read more here

I often use the phrase,  “this, too, shall pass”,  usually with a grin on my face because it puts my problems in perspective and helps me not become too dramatic about my suffering. Although the exact words  this too shall pass  are not in the Bible, the verse in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 talks about things being temporary. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.   So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Some think this phrase stems from a fable written by Persian Sufi poets. Others credit it to  Jewish folklore , saying it originated with  King Solomon , even though it is not recorded in the Bible.  It is said that the King, feeling blue, asked his advisors to find him a ring he had seen in a dream. “When I feel satisfied I’m afraid that it won’t last. And when I don’t, I am afraid my sorrow will go on forever. Find me th

It’s that time of that year again when girls groups are starting in home settings and Catholic parishes. We’ve received many exciting inquires about the new release of  All Things Girl: Friends, Fashion and Faith  and wanted to share these two excerpts as an example of what you will find in the book for Catholic tween girls and the  accompanying journal .  The Table of Contents is also offered here. And if I can be of any help, please just let me know!  Cheryl@BezalelBooks.com Having a Soul Gives You Inherent Dignity… Joan  lives in a neighborhood where the houses are huge and everyone has a pool. Katie lives in a neighborhood where some of the houses have broken windows and lots of kids share bedrooms. Which person has more dignity? Tamar  is from the Middle East and has olive skin, she speaks with a thick accent. Mary has long, beautiful brunette hair and perfect skin. Betty is chubby and has greasy hair. Gertrude is skinny and cuts her own hair. Which girl h

So, my real passion and desire is to create a treasure chest of resources for leading little ones to vocations.  I am working on a series of posts for both boys and girls to do just that. My hope is to eventually write a book for children about the different orders, something that would have fascinated me as a child and even now.  I started this blog after searching for years to find these resources but never finding what I really wanted. Continue reading on Veils and Vocations .

(Photo taken by:: Conniemod  Found on Wikimedia Commons)   Yes, you can.  Not only can you find more time to pray, you NEED to find more time to pray.  We all do!   Prayer is direct communication with God.  God wants to hear from us, and we need to hear from God.  Through prayer, we lift our hearts and minds to God.   Without prayer, we are dry.  God's love fills us with joy.  This is what happens when we pray--communicate--with God.  His graces flow to us and for us.  We need to find more time in our busy days to open our hearts to God in prayer. So, how can you find more time to pray?   Use Sacred Scripture to pray.  Dust off that family bible and begin to read.   If you have favorite verses,  find those in your Bible.  If you don't own a bible, you can download one into your e-reader.  There are also free resources online.  Check these out and use them. Read More at:: His Unending Love

Since we are approaching the feast of the halloweds (the saints), I’ve been musing about sainthood. One of my favorite prayers as a teenager was, “O God Who art all powerful, make me a saint.” Some people exclaim, “I’m no saint,” yet we are all called to be saints. As French novelist Leon Bloy pointed out, “The only real failure in life is not to be a saint.” If we are not saints by the time we die, then we will have a miserable eternity. In view of our weakness, faults and temptations around us, being holy may appear farfetched, for some impossible! Keep in mind, though, that saints were sinners too—they had “tilted halos”— yet they loved God and others. The canonized saints are to serve as models for us, although the martyrs’ path to sanctity is not very appealing. The uncanonized saints, some of whom we rub shoulders with, may be easier to imitate. Click to continue

This encounter started sometime back, I will begin there.   For some time after my husband's death, I had been not living a good life.  I was breaking a commandment pretty regularly.  It wasn't I was mad at God for my husband's death, it was because of the intensity of the pain I was suffering because of grief.   In truth, it hurt worse to go to Church than it did to sin.   I knew better, I had already had the Vision of the Eucharist, so I knew the truth, and I would say to myself, "What are you doing! You know better!!"  After three years, when my heart had healed sufficiently, it was time to come home. Mother calls.  ....TO READ MORE OF THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE VIRGIN...CLICK HERE.

Let Jesus be Your Shepherd. This Sunday's Responsorial Psalm has long been one of my favorite Bible readings, especially in times of crisis. If you know a family in crisis or if it is your family that is, unbelievably, falling apart while you watch powerlessly, I hope you find Psalm 23 comforting and strengthening as I have. Responsorial Psalm  PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6 R/ (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. Right away, this Psalm takes away our arguments. The marriage, the family, the car, the health insurance, the dreams of the house with the white picket fence…all are gone, and yet, the Lord tells us to not want. This verse reminds me of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. When the Good Son asked his father why he hadn't received the good the sinful brother had, the father replied, "all tha

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014: Isaiah 25:6 - 10a Philippians 4:12 - 14 , 19 - 20 Matthew 22:1 - 14 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas October 12, 2014 This is a story of an older couple to be married. Both had lost their spouses to death and had grown children. The combined children sent out this wedding invitation to their friends on behalf of their mother and father, Philip, Richard, Karen and Allison, John, Matt and Steve, we request your presence at the marriage of our mother and father. Because they are combining two households, they already have at least two of everything, so please! no presents! Reception and garage sale immediately following the ceremony.... (A guest post) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Our Mother reminds us to pray for peace. Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Each of us must pray for the peace of God  in our hearts, in our lives, in our nation, and  in our world. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.  If our world converts, then there will be peace. The peace of God, which transcends all, will fill our hearts, our minds and our souls.   Read More at:: His Unending Love

Tribal Textiles   License : CC Fanny Schertzer Who’s your "tribe"? Who supports your mission as a family? Historically (and pre-historically), humans congregated in tribes. Tribal living made us safer, distributed our work, and connected us with strong bonds. Many people, especially women, probably didn’t have much choice about the tribe they belonged to or their place in it. Our modern, mobile society has improved things in this respect: if I don’t get along with my family or I hate the weather, I can always pack up and move. Yet this mobility has weakened our bonds. Read on at Praying with Grace !

When I find myself in times of spiritual dryness and discouragement, my "go-to" devotion is the Stations of the Cross. My flesh is indeed weak, but the grace and power that flows from the Lord's crucified body is enough for me. Click here to read more...  and share what your favorite prayer or devotion is when you are experiencing discouragement.

Do you go to  confession ?  Do you still go to a priest one on one?  Or do you just do the Communal Confession at Mass? To read the rest of the article and to respond to my very scientific poll (!), go to Being Catholic ... Really .

The Lord heals wounds caused by death & divorce. In a "normal" week (I'm a single Mom of five boys. Nothing in our lives is "normal!" ;) ) I'd talk about Sunday's Gospel reading and how it applies to hurting families. Today, I couldn't look at just the Gospel though. Today, every reading struck me as so applicable to what so many of us are facing, so this week, I'm taking separate looks at the  first reading, the responsorial Psalm, and the Gospel . Today, we start with the first message I got from reading: Isaiah 25: 6-10. Is Divorce Worse Than Death? The 1st Reading - Isaiah 25:6-10 Early in the reading, we are told that God will destroy death forever. What living death is more pronounced, what death is felt by more than a small group of people, what death impacts the entire society more than the destruction of the family? I can think of none. It has been said that divorce is worse than death. This is not at all bel