Association Of Catholic Bloggers

© Ron Chapple Stock/Getty Images It was 3:07 on a glorious afternoon in late May. I was sitting in my car with the power turned off and the windows wide open. The baby was dozing in her car seat while we waited in the car line for the school bell to ring, signifying the end of another busy school year and the beginning of sweet, sweet summer. Read my unique tip for enjoying summer with your children at Praying with Grace !

Courage cannot be denied! Think about that for a moment. Other people can deny you love, joy and peace, but no one can take courage away from you. That is because courage is found only from within. Solely by the grace of God, you have courage when you need it. Courage of Martyrs/Persecuted Christians When I think of courageous people, I first think of martyrs; from the earliest Christians, like the Apostles, to the persecuted Christians of today. They all have one thing in common, the persecutors robbed them of their physical freedom and took their lives because they were... Read more...  

DynamicCatholic.com's  comparison of my spiritual life as a house caught my attention.  Let me answer the questions. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really.

As Catholics, we are often leery of personal revelation because we are afraid of being deceived but, really, do we trust more in the power of God or the devil? Of course, we should be cautious but what are we so worried about?  The Church protects us with the gift of confession, the mystical tradition of the Church, spiritual direction and encourages us to study the bible.  All theses tools act as personal sign posts and safeguards. Like all  Christians, Catholics  have received the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth and to recognize the lies of the devil. continue reading

Do you ever have a moment when your camel's back is broken by a little, tiny straw? Recently, I had a day where I remembered  the post I wrote about anger,  and how much it impacted me. Let me share. I have to tell you honestly that this story almost hurts to tell, because it's vulnerable, for sure,  but...  it is a story  worth sharing,  because it was a teachable moment for me. And it made me think about that anger thing again a lot. For about 24 hours in a row, or so. I had a moment with my husband one night last week. We were talking about my daughter’s year, and how I felt like every time the instructions came for her homework, I didn’t understand one piece of it- a piece that I felt ended up being very, very important. It had to do with one of the subjects my daughter struggles a little in.  I was telling my husband that even though I attended the orientation at the beginning of the year, I felt there was no instruction or preparation for this aspect of her year

I talked about Sauk Centre's Corpus Christi procession last year : and, in another post, background on why this is a special day and what that in the procession is. I put links to that one at the end of this post. (Before Mass, at Our Lady of Angels church. The monstrance is there on the altar, between the candelabras, with its back open.)... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We who live for God in the midst of the world are like lightships sent out on mission.  We do not have to look far to see darkness, rising tides of sin and secularism, waves of materialism, winds of confusion threatening the world in which we live.  We all have our roles to play in the midst of it, in just the spots where we've been placed.  We have much light to carry, for the storms surge all around and all we have to do is pick up a newspaper to see the truth of this..... (continue here)

It's Corpus Christi Sunday: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Weather permitting, we'll have a Corpus Christi procession here in Sauk Centre. That photo is from last year's event. I won't be walking, but I plan to take photos, posting them later today. Taking what looks like a bit of unleavened bread for a walk makes sense to Catholics who understand our faith — maybe not so much to other folks. Corpus Christi is Latin for Body of Christ, and what happens to unleavened bread connects to why we've been celebrating ever since that first Easter. ( April 20, 2014 ) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'm new here to ACWB!  Here's a bit of my Catholic journey... I was raised Catholic.  I wandered away in my teen years.  I recommitted in my mid-twenties.  I roamed off again in my 40's.  I came home again after four years.  As a youngster, going to Mass was an obligation, part of my Catholic school training - Mass once a week at school and always on Sunday.  If I missed it on Sunday, I was probably going to hell. Me and my brother, who studied for the priesthood for several years READ MORE HERE... what brought me back to the Church time and time again?

The week before Mother’s Day, Allison Gingras hosted five Catholic Women Bloggers to bring an awareness about a new type of Catholic writer.  Bloggers are real writers, she stressed,  they simply use a different medium to reach the public with their message. Allison is the host of a  10 a.m. weekday talk show called  A Seeking Heart  with Allison Gingras .  continue

Human remains in Sima de los Huesos/Pit of Bones show evidence of a lethal attack — 430,000 years ago. On the 'up' side, evidence of human compassion goes back 1,800,000 years. The sauropod we've called "Brontosaurus" has that name again, probably, which gave me an excuse to mention Gertie the Dinosaur and Anne Elk's Theory on Brontosauruses.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

With all of the never-ending (and sometimes conflicting) diet-related news in the media these days, it can be difficult to know which stories really matter—and that should be (or not be!) taken seriously. Well, this is one I'm taking very seriously... especially now that it has become necessary for me to be 'gluten-free' for the sake of my health & well-being.... A story that circulated through the news several months ago, stemming from the Consumer Reports' article on arsenic in rice ["How much arsenic is in your rice"]… Yet, lately, I couldn't help but notice how my own rice intake seemed to be creeping up on me [rather than down!], particularly by way of 'hidden' sources... There are side-dishes of rice, rice soups, rice cereals, rice cakes, rice crackers, rice drinks, rice syrup, rice flour, rice in many gluten-free baked goods, including rice in my gluten-free pretzels and pasta!  Time then for a little review, for us all, ri

Today’s Gospel:  Mark 12:28-34 This passage is a unique exchange between one of the scribes and Jesus. This particular scribe is not out to ensnare Jesus but approaches Him with an open, honest, and extremely intelligent mind. Jesus is actually impressed by this man’s insights and intuitive understanding of the Word of God; even though He does not give the man a traditional, rote answer, the scribe agrees and even expands on Christ’s answer with further insights that are in keeping with the spirit of Jesus’s own, new spirituality. The scribe asks, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replies, quoting from the Old Testament: “The first is this: The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Now Jesus has added a second commandment to the traditional, Old Testament command. However, the scribe

My niece and her husband are in the process of thinking of the right name for their next baby boy. It’s a crucial decision, for the lad will carry that name throughout life. Mary and Joseph were exempt from this duty because the Angel Gabriel gave them orders from heaven that Mary’s son should be called Jesus. Now that’s an appropriate name: it means “God saves.” One day my mother informed me that she and my sister had learned the meaning of my name. “Kathleen means pure,” she said. “No wonder you entered the convent.” Do you know the meaning of your name? Click to continue

ARE YOU REALLY EXHAUSTED? TIRED? CAN'T GO ON ANYMORE? READ THIS

Surrender to Me. Give Me everything. I ask a lot of you, I know, I have greater plans than You can imagine. I will make you whole. I will heal you. I love you. Give Me everything that distracts you So that I may be the focus of your life. Don’t worry. I AM taking care of your concerns. I have great plans. You don’t need to worry. Give Me everything. I carry you, still, on my Shoulders, As I bore My Cross of Love for You. Read More at: Prayerfully Yours

"God is with you. The Blessed Trinity dwells in your soul in grace... Learn to have a special devotion to the Blessed Trinity: "I believe in God the Father, I believe in God the Son, I believe in God the Holy Spirit; I hope in God the Father, I hope in God the Son, I hope in God the Holy Spirit; I love God the Father, I love God the Son, I love God the Holy Spirit. I believe in, I hope in and I love the most Holy Trinity." – St. Josemaría Escrivá. St. Josemaría goes on to say… >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way to Nourish for Life >>

©mocoo/Getty Images Only the best for God I spent most of high school and college assuming I would never marry or have children. God had set me on fire with faith, and I wanted to give him my absolute best. In Catholic terms, as far as I knew, that meant entering religious life. For a couple of years I attended campus ministry meetings for wanna-be nuns and priests, and my weekends were often scheduled with "come and see" retreats at various religious communities. And then I met a guy. . . . This guy, David, was different from others I had dated. He loved life, he loved God, and he knew God wanted him to be a father. Please join me for the rest at Praying with Grace .

I have been Catholic most of my life however the topic of Indulgences is something I never really thought much about. Until this year, the topic of indulgences never really came up. The only time that I thought about indulgences in the past was after reading through one of my grandma's Pre-Vatican II prayer books. After each prayer, it would say how many indulgences a person would receive after saying the said prayer. I thought that was a little odd! After all, shouldn't we be doing spiritual acts out of love for God and not just to gain an indulgence?! Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns >

I like great art and not shoddy paintings or modern images which border on the obscene.  Images of the Virgin, pale, limp, crying with her eyes rolled back in her head do not appeal to me either. So, I have collected 3,509 images of the Madonna on Pinterest which either appeal to me or are of historical significance and I have barely scraped the surface. To see more images you can visit  my blog post or Pinterest at  https://www.pinterest.com/motherofnine9/ The Virgin with St. Joan d'Arc Our Lady of The Rockies ~ Montana- 90 ft. tall

Prayer cards have been a Catholic tradition going back to  the 1400's in Europe .  As a convert, I was aware of prayer cards and have had a few over the years.  However, now I've become obsessed with them. My prayer card obsession can be blamed on  Melanie Rigney . Please read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

Someone I know died yesterday. She wasn’t a close friend, but she was a friend. The last time I saw her, she was the picture of health. That was in April. We attended the same retired teacher’s breakfast that is held monthly. She was happy and talking about traveling. She was scheduled to go to an event that focused on her specialty, English. I don’t know what happened. In the month and a half since I had seen her last, she was diagnosed with advanced stage lung cancer. She was not a smoker, nor had she been a smoker. She was a good woman and touched many lives. Read More at: Prayerfully Yours

THE HOLY TRINITY AN EXPLANATION BY FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE CLICK HERE

'How seldom do I remember  that at any time, in any place, I can find You, commune with You,  by simply turning towards You  the eyes of my soul.'   B y 'A Religious,' LISTENING TO THE INDWELLING PRESENCE, Pellegrini, Sydney, 1940,  p. 55   From The Cloistered Heart

I grew up in a mainstream Protestant household, so I think of today's Gospel reading, Matthew 28:16 - 20 , as describing the "great commission." The phrase started rattling around in various European languages a few centuries back. Hudson Taylor , a Protestant missionary, popularized the English translation. Folks at the Vatican describe evangelization as the "great commission" occasionally, generally when communicating with those who are more familiar with Protestant culture.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

When I made my First Holy Communion, we were taught to fold our hands like a church steeple with hands together and fingers pointing upward to heaven. This, we were told, was the proper way to approach the altar when we were preparing to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Look around today as you walk up to receive Holy Communion. What are the others doing with their hands as they prepare to receive Jesus? Better yet, look down at your own hands. I have to admit that I no longer walk up to the altar with my fingers pointed up and hands together, but I do walk forward with my fingers knitted together in a prayerful position. Read More at:  Prayerfully Yours

MY FAITH WALK CLICK HERE

Australopithecus deyiremeda, a newly-discovered member of humanity's family, was in this week's news. We're also learning more about when some wolves started becoming dogs, and have discovered really old stone tools.... ...Humanity's family history is nowhere near as simple as folks figured when Carl Linnaeus published " Systema Naturae " in 1735.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Where are you going for summer vacation? My only plans this summer will be to continue my series, "Touring Chicago's Beautiful Churches. My daughter and I went to  New York City in March , so I'm financially tapped out for another vacation. To read about where I'm going, you can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

Did you get a load of this  New York Post article ? A New Yorker named Wednesday Martin just wrote a memoir called  Primates of Park Avenue , due out June 2. The book chronicles her experience with Upper-East-Side women who wear motherhood like an assault rifle. According to Maureen Callahan's article about the book, these moms pay $400 an hour for play-date tutors, enroll 3-month-old infants in music classes, and time pregnancies so their children will be the oldest ones in class. Loyola Press offers a  rosary kit  for children ages four and up. They sent me a kit and asked me to share my thoughts. So, I turned right around and shared the kit with some families (including one family with a son who has developmental delays), and asked what  they  thought. The  Loyola Press  rosary kit includes 61 prayer cards, 1 lacing string, 4 Mysteries of the Rosary cards, and a diagram explaining how to pray the rosary. Join me at Praying with Grace for the whole article!

We spend a lot of time talking about God.  Jesus is all over social media; he is on billboards, he is depicted in paintings and worn as jewelry. He is on bumper stickers. There are all kinds of books written about how to find him. We argue about him. Some of us spend our lives trying to disprove him. Others plan new and exciting ways to try to bring others to him--flashier, louder, more exciting--" A new faith for a new generation ." We come up with innovative slogans and new and improved programs.  We judge people who don't follow him. We shake our heads at those who walk away. We worry that our young people will ignore him. We think we have all the answers. We want others to know that  we  know him. But  do we actually talk to him? Do we listen to him?  Are we in relationship with the Risen Christ? Have we ever actually met him? Shortly after his death, two women went to the tomb... Read more:  http://www.restfulwaters.net/they-doubted/

Did you read Matt Walsh’s latest (or one of his latest) posts  Maybe Christianity in America is Dying Because It’s Boring Everyone to Death? I have to say, this just made me feel even more thankful for the “vibe” of my own parish, and the passion I see in the members of its community.  Catholicism and our culture today needs  true belief  and  true repentance . These are the things that I admire in the members of my parish.  These are the things that the world needs.  What do I mean by that? 1. True (sincere) First of all, the Church needs sincerity.  This means a disposition of really meaning what we say and living it out.  The church right now suffers from dissipation. Perhaps it is an apathy because of the various weeds that need to be uprooted. Perhaps it is because of greed, or entertainment-saturation, or materialism arising from great wealth. Whatever it is, we need to shed the snake skin of discouragement, cynicism, and apathy, and rise up, claiming all of the blessin

Fr. Mike Driscoll's new fiction book  The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange and Supernatural  is now available. Delving into his dissertation on Catholic exorcism, Driscoll's  Father Capranica Mysteries  is sure to please fans and those curious about the "strange and supernatural."  Fr. Mike Driscoll is a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, IL.  He was ordained in 1992; has been pastor of several parishes; and is currently serving as chaplain of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Ottawa, IL.  He has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in Moral Theology from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University.   His doctoral dissertation is entitled “How Catholic exorcists distinguish between demon possession and mental disorders.”  His non-fiction book on the subject of spirit possession, Demons, Deliverance, and Discernment, is published by Catholic Answers.

As we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Church, it’s good to reflect on just who this Person is and who he is for us. Remember when we called the Holy Spirit the Holy Ghost? That spooky term did not do much to encourage a relationship with the third person of the Trinity. As it is, except for at Confirmations, we rarely give the Holy Spirit a thought or prayer. That’s why the Holy Spirit has been dubbed the Cinderella of the Trinity. This is unfortunate. It is also totally contrary to the major role the Spirit plays in our lives as Jesus described it at the Last Supper. The Spirit is actually more like the Venus of the Trinity, for the Spirit is love personified. click to continue

This is the  second  in a  series  of posts on the works of Mercy and how to live them as a family.  Today we will explore Giving Drink to Those who Thirst. Source 1 Like feeding the hungry, reaching out to the poor and homeless is a great first step.  Food pantries can use donations of bottled water or other healthy drinks for those who frequent them.  Likewise, soup kitchens need drinks to distribute to the hungry that pass through. It's a niche that is often overlooked.  Unfortunately, one of the greatest threats to the homeless is dehydration. It is very difficult for them to find adequate ran water supplies and they are most often provided with carbonated or sugary beverages... Continued on Veils and Vocations.

I am part of an upcoming anthology of four other Catholic mums due to come out in about a month. All the women are great writers, each writing from a completely different perspective. Roberta Cottam is the creator and editor for this project. It started out as a project for a class but with her mother’s illness and the death of one of the contributor’s full term baby, the book was put on hold. Now Roberta is working on this book because she is passionate about it, working strictly pro bono along with designer Laura  Wrubleski.     continue reading

Does God always hear our prayers? Yes, God hears our prayers, all of them. If God hears all of our prayers, why doesn’t He answer them? God always answers our prayers. That’s not true! I’ve prayed for years for my family to come back to the Church, and they never go to church! Do you always go to Mass on Sundays? Well, I try to go. I go at least 1- 2 times a month, if I can. Is this the kind of example you should set if you want your family to attend Mass regularly? That’s not the point. God is not answering my prayer. I’d go to church more often if they would come with me. Maybe, they would come with you, if you attended Sunday Mass regularly. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

The truth of our Salvation is far more terrifying on this side of the Cross than for the Jews before the Incarnation of God in the flesh.   When you study His Passion, you only begin to understand the truth of what His Blood truly means to both those who accept Him and those who .....reject Him.  TO READ MORE....CLICK HERE!! 

See more at True Dignity of Women.

It is morning in the monastery. Sister silently enters the chapel and takes her place in a choir stall, a chair made exclusively to be a place of prayer....  In the cloister of my heart, I, too, have a "choir stall."  Mine is a portable place of prayer, traveling with me to supermarket, airplane, mall.  I can "sit down" in this prayer-chair regardless of surroundings, seeking God's touch upon my life and on the lives of those around me. There are no bells to call me to the choir stall. I must build reminders into my own life. For me, discipline is quite difficult; therefore, I find the following practices helpful. Actually, I find them personally necessary if I hope to keep my life focused and on track... (click here to continue)