Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Since we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) on Sunday, let's think about the Eucharist. What ever gave Jesus the idea of having bread become him so that we could consume him? Talk about crazy love. Although many faith traditions consider Jesus' words, "This is my body" a figure of speech, we Catholics take it literally. After all, when Jesus multiplied a mere five loaves of bread to fill the stomachs of thousands of people, he flatly declared, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day" (John 6:54). His Jewish followers, who even drained blood from their meat, were horrified at this seeming cannibalism. They turned around and left, but Jesus didn't call them back, saying, "Wait a minute. I don't really mean it." In the sacred host and sacred wine, Jesus is truly present as the risen Lord, his glorified body. It is a supernatural mystery. Click to

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Driving Home from Work. Suddenly I had such a feeling of appreciation of all the times that I had been protected by my Guardian Angel and Saint Michael the Archangel.  I thought I would give thanks to God.  Me:  "Z, my Angel, I know how God has allowed you to protect me in the past when I have gone to battle for souls that are lost, and I thank God and you for this gift.  For  Z, you know I will go to battle again soon, as God wills it." Z: "I will be there."  Me: "I know, and I appreciate that." Z:  "It is not by your appreciation that I serve."  TO READ MORE...CLICK HERE! 

© 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 >>