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.. By the way, if you are viewing this post in a reader,  click over to my blog  to view the new Page I've added (found underneath the title of my blog)~  my articles by subject . This includes my articles since 2013 that I've written here, for Catholic Mom, and for Real Housekeeping, for the first time,  categorized by subject!   It is still a work-in-progress. ;) How do you deal if you're struggling with anger? And no, the answer isn't donuts.  Or chocolate. Or ice-cream. The other day, something happened that had me completely discouraged and disillusioned.   It got me thinking about angry outbursts, and  why they happen in the first place. imagine with me... read the rest at Picture a Skyline

St. Michael the Archangel Icon Weeping at Rhodes, Greece In 2013, in Rhodes Greece, an Icon of St Michael the Archangel began weeping.  There is a video of the event, which I will post a link to at the end of this post.  When I saw this, I was terrified.  The implications are quite frightening. Statues of the Blessed Virgin and even images of our Lord have also wept in the past, sometimes even blood. .... TO READY MORE...CLICK HERE! 

Happy Mother’s Day!  I am so thankful for you, and your example of a virtuous woman who said “yes” to God, even when the task was huge, and you must have felt overwhelmed at times by the details. Thank you, and bless you, Mother, your example helps me to walk in obedience when God calls me to difficult tasks. I know that Proverbs is one of the books of Wisdom and not typically categorized as a book of prophecy…but I’m inclined to believe that Proverbs 31:10-31 is one of several exceptions to this classification of Holy Scripture.  I see you ALL OVER in this passage.  For today’s celebration, I have compiled paralell Scriptures from Proverbs and the New Testament accounts of you and your words. Come over to New Things to read the rest of this post. Blessings, Lyn

John 19: 26-27  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her,  “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Listen to this little one as she reveals our true mother to our hearts. One afternoon, I was making dinner, standing at the counter with my back to our three youngest children. Katie and Anthony were lounging around the kitchen table, with three-year-old Lucy perched like a little elf on a high stool, happily swinging her legs. Simply making conversation, Katie who was about eight, asked Lucy, Lucy replied,”Both!”“Lucy, who’s your favorite, mum or dad?” continue reading

The odds are that you hadn't heard of Barpak , between Kathmandu and Pokhara . It's the April 25, 2015, earthquake's epicenter. Fewer than 10 of 1,200 homes there came through intact. Survivors in Nepal are getting help from many outfits, including Catholic Relief Services . I'll get back to that. (From Reuters, via BBC News, used w/o permission.) (" Residents of Bhaktapur carry their belongs through the rubble of destroyed houses " (BBC News)) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

A particularly tender moment in a nun's profession is when she pronounces vows with her hands in those of Mother Superior.  "My heart was full of joy," wrote one such Sister, "as I pronounced these words from the vow formula, '...I vow to God into your hands Reverend Mother to live my whole life in obedience, without property, and in chastity.'" ( Sister Mary Immaculata)  "I vow into your hands...." I read these words and immediately think of the total consecration to Mary according to St. Louis de Montfort:  "I, (name)_____, a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism..." In whose hands are these baptismal vows being renewed and ratified?  Into those of the Blessed Mother.  "I vow into your hands...." (continue here)

The Cocktail Queen CLICK HERE

Christians are now dealing with a new obstacle to evangelism;  we can no longer assume people know stories in the Bible or the basic tenets of the faith. Perhaps this dearth of spirituality in modern culture will serve to drive desperate people to the feet of Christ but more than ever seekers need basic catechism to lead them back into the arms of God and the Church. A few decades ago, almost everyone knew the bible, even if they did not attend church because even public schools read the bible and prayed before classes started. I am a convert. As a Protestant kid who went to Sunday School from 3 years old, I grew up on the stories of Jesus,  singing songs about His love and memorizing bible verses. I realize now that I was a prayerful kid; God was close to me. continue

Scientists found a two-century lag between temperature changes near Earth's poles — and maybe a "bipolar seesaw" temperature cycle. Other scientists say that shock waves from the Chicxulub impact may have triggered volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Traps and elsewhere.... ...We don't, I think, have all the answers about how Earth's climate changes and what we should do about it: but we're discovering what some of the questions are. That's a good start. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I saw this quote from  Abby Johnson  and started thinking about something totally unrelated: If you are a Christ follower but also hate abortion clinic workers or abortionists, then the Bible says that you are guilty of murder. We won't win this battle unless we learn to love better. If you have hate in your heart, then you need to pray.  It's really hard to hate the people that you diligently pray for. - Abby Johnson On this Mother's Day, nearly 20 years after my own Mother's death, I cannot find it in my heart to pray for her.  I've always wondered why I never do and now I know.  The  hatred I have for her still lingers after all these years  and that definitely made me pause. To read the article go to Being Catholic ... Really .

The following is quoted from a General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI from 6 February, 2013: ...I would also like to say a word about the summit of all creation: man and woman, the human being, the only being “able to know and love his creator” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,  Gaudium et Spes , n. 12). Looking up at the heavens the Psalmist wondered: “when I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have established; what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Ps 8:3-4).  The human being, lovingly created by God, is indeed tiny in comparison with the immensity of the universe. At times, as we look with fascination at the enormous expanses of the firmament, we too perceive our limitations. Human beings are inhabited by this paradox: our smallness and our transcience exist side by side with the greatness of what God’s eternal love wanted for us. Read more at  lenkdesigns.blog

I don’t know the real name of these plants, but I’ve always called them “Pocket Plants.” The flowers remind me of little pockets where we could store all of our thoughts, memories, and prayers which would enable me to stop, pull out a prayer anytime I am near these plants. You could also store any requests for prayers so that we could go back and remember the person for whom we were praying again and again. I store a lot of prayer requests in my tablet.  The problem is that I don’t always have my tablet with me. Read More at:: Prayerfully Yours

You know that I have a heart for religious vocations!  Peter Lyons is running a fundraising campaign to help him begin his priestly discernment.  This boy is such a polished, eloquent young man.   When I donated, although I wish I could have paid for the whole trip, Peter sent me a personal email. It was not a form letter, it was a heartfelt message. He thanked me, promised to pray for me, and then named exact times and places where he would pray for my intentions.  Who couldn't use a some extra prayer, especially when offered by a soul so ablazed for Christ! Read more on Veils and Vocations!

The Patron Saint of Nurses is St. Agatha.  She is one of seven women who is remembered by name in the Canon of the Mass.  She is also known as the patron saint of breast cancer and bakers.  She was martyred in the 1500’s when her breasts were cut off after she had been tortured in the Turkish invasion of 1551. Let us pray for these heroic women and men who serve in the medical field. Read More at: Prayerfully Yours

To kick off my series on the works of Mercy, I am compiling my five favorite ideas for families to live the virtue of Feeding the Hungry.  There are so many who are hungry out there, it truly is the easiest to start with.  In raising our children, we want them to not just know the faith, but live it.  St Paul said that faith without works is dead. Please join me for this twelve part series on living the works of mercy and see the faith of your family blossom and bear fruit! Source 1 Make Bag Lunches for the Homeless Our parish participates in "Midnight Run" where our priests, youth group, and parent volunteers travel to "the City" and distribute goods to the homeless. Out of the back of minivans, they spend the night handing out clothing, blankets, and toiletries.  They also distribute bag lunches that includes a sandwich, soft fruit, drink, and dessert.  For the past few years, my children and I have packed lunches for this venture. Continued

Hello.  My name is Lyn and I am a coffee addict. My observations, in the spirit of Forest Gump…how life is like coffee: Visit  New Things  to read the whole post.

Just a quick snippet about something I created for my littles! Hope you find it helpful! Blessings, Jen

It is easy to look at the state of the world and get discouraged and distracted. It would seem as if the devil is triumphing. It is often easier to lose faith and just focus on circumstances. However, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more - Romans 5:12. I believe God would have us look beyond the evil forces at work around us and focus on him, his beauty, grace and goodness. Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns >

What happens when you begin to fear doing something you've done for much of your life? How to cope? This scenario has been playing out since I received a healing of my singing voice. God was calling me to go public again. I share to show that fear never conquers so long as we are willing to go where God leads and we trust in him. from picturespost.blogspot.com During the fifteen years that I was a professional musician I went out on gigs, holding concerts and sometimes doing some public speaking. When my mother died in 2010, I stopped doing that sort of thing. Now, five years later, I've decided to dive back in. It is not without fear and trepidation for I am rusty! While I had my years of experience to fall back on, I wasn't sure I would remember how to do it. Something once familiar to me had become unknown territory. Was it worth trying? Yes! Click to continue reading.

© Design Pics/Getty Images When societal structures designed to protect the innocent come crashing down, we need prophets. We need messengers who remind us that, despite all desperate appearances,  God has a plan of goodness in mind for us, to give us "a future of hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). Parents can be the prophets their children need. We point them to truth, unity, goodness, and beauty; we lead them to God. We teach them how to pray, so they can develop their very own relationship with the infinite God who created them out of love. We need strength for all this prophet-work. We will find it in God, and in each other. We will find it in scripture, and in a particular way in church. It was at church on Sunday, in fact, that Reverend Sykes' words popped into my head unexpectedly Read the whole enchilada at Praying with Grace !