Association Of Catholic Bloggers

  (From The Cloistered Heart)

I was getting ready to talk about 1 Kings 4 - 8 and John 6:41 - 51 , two of today's Bible readings, when I read about Niloy Neel: (From Facebook, via BBC News, used w/o permission.) (" Niloy Neel was an atheist from a Hindu background " (BBC News))... Niloy Neel's killers probably thought they were committing an execution, not a murder. Either way, Niloy Neel is dead: and quite a few other folks in Bangladesh are in serious danger. At first glance, this looks like something that doesn't matter to me. I'm not an atheist; my life hasn't been threatened; and I live in central North America: a long way from Bangladesh. But "atheist" bloggers in Bangladesh are human, I'm Catholic: so I must care about them, and everyone else.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

From  The Gospel of John  (2003)    Directed by Philip Saville. Jesus played by Henry Ian Cusick; narrator, Christopher Plummer. Gospel   John 6:41-51  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) Then the Jews began to complain about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”   They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”   Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves.   No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.   It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.   Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.   Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.   I am the bread of life.   Your ancestors ate the manna in t

When I was younger, my husband used to tell me that I “never forgot anything.” He was right that time. I remembered how he came home late when I needed him to help with the kids. I reminded him how I cried when he washed my new white blouse with my beautiful red, wool sweater that shrunk to the size of a 5 year old. (I think he did that on purpose so that he wouldn’t have to help with the laundry.) I also remembered how he slept through the night when the babies were crying.  Read More at:  Prayerfully Yours

 I have been trying to blog, but quite honestly, I have been reeling from the recent videos released about Planned Parenthood.  I've watched undercover videos of them before, but these are the most raw and troubling ever.  I had so much to say, yet no words to share it.  Last night, as I was getting my little guy to bed, this article came to me.  It is not a debate of the abortion issue but why we cannot let this drop, we cannot let it be forgotten, we cannot throw up our hands and accept perceived defeat. 1 There are many who say this is just more right wing extremist reactionary to nothing. Get over it and move on, it means nothing.  However, the most significant development for me, is that Congree convened to debate this issue and vote in late July.  That is prime time for summer recess.  They were not just hanging around working on more important issues and squeezed this incidental item in to appease the right wing.  In all likelihood, most if not all members were in th

You and your smartphone are tied at the hip. Emails, phone calls and Google Calendar reminders direct your day’s activities. What if that same smartphone could help you develop spiritual discipline? I love technology and I use it to keep me aware of God throughout the day. Using my iPhone to remind me hourly to pray has probably been the most helpful in creating this mindfulness. Click here to continue reading.

Scientists found evidence that Earth's magnetic field is more than a half-billion years older than we'd thought. As usual, that raises more questions. The European Space Agency's Philae lander detected a "rich array" of organic compounds on Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko 67P, including hydrogen cyanide (HCN). This is a big deal, since much of Earth's water came from comets: and HCN may have helped life begin on our world. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The recent ruling by the Supreme Court on the legal state of marriage has reverberated across the country. People cannot stop talking about it and the conversations are often heated. A seismic shift has taken place in our culture. It caught me unprepared for the personal storm of confusion and fear that I would experience as a result. Facing the inevitable KatLevPhoto fear of rejection, Flickr Creative Commons Christians are facing a “brave new world.” Confrontation is now inevitable; I cannot avoid it no matter how uncomfortable it makes me feel. I have to be clear as to what I think and how I feel and learn how to express it both firmly and in love, as Jesus would do. Confession These recent events have revealed in broad daylight what had been concealed in the shadows of my soul: I am a weak-kneed, timid Christian, locked in the tyrannical grip of caring about what others think of me. My instinct to self-protect causes me to hide away my faith and avoid discuss

I have prayed on a roller coaster that I thought would be the death of me. I have prayed in the village of Medjugorje on Apparation Hill and on Mount Podbrdo where the Mother of God prays at 5 AM each day. I have prayed on my deck at the break of dawn. I have prayed on a hospital gurney as I lay sick, prepped for surgery. I have prayed in Chicago riding the train. I have prayed in New Mexico at the Santuario de Chimayo. I have prayed in the bathroom. I’m sure your list will be long or longer than mine. Read More at: Prayerfully Yours

If Planned Parenthood was defunded where would women go for help? All over social media I've seen this question asked and now there is an answer. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

Accepting someone else’s reality can be difficult; especially when someone else’s reality does not jive with our own. What are we to do? How are we to behave when we see what we deem to be unacceptable behavior, and/or hear inappropriate speech? People’s perceptions (realities) and points of origin will differ, resulting in a need for diversity; the accepting of another’s reality. The need for diversity could stem from a myriad of origin points: race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, culture – just to name a few. We must understand and accept another person’s reality, to practice the virtue of acceptance. No one is asking you to condone sinful behavior. However, we must remember to love our neighbor as Christ loves each of us. As Saint Augustine originally coined in Letter 211 of his writings, we are to have “love for mankind and hatred of sins.” To do so is acting in a Christ-like manner. Here is a perfect example: Read more...

Looking for a woman's study for your small (or large) group but not sure where to start? Whether you are new to women's studies or well-versed, you will enjoy the Servant Books publication of W rapped Up: God's Ten Gifts for Women . It has all the pieces that make it an ideal choice. There is the book itself which explores the ten gifts God gives every woman. These include such things as living a sacramental life, forgiveness and accepting God's love. . Each chapter is explored from an Old Testament perspective and a New Testament perspective. ( The book is also available on Kindle.) The accompanying journal  gives general instructions on running a study and encourages every woman to explore the gifts in-depth. What makes this a particularly enjoyable study is that there is also an  audio component  where you can hear each author (Teresa Tomeo and myself) read her chapter. A nice way to use this is play the audio for the group and then let the Spirit move the

(From The Breadbox Letters)

                                                                        “There is quite a lot written by our Holy Church regarding Freemasonry… So that you understand where the Holy Catholic Church is coming from in condemning Masonry, a general statement is in order. The Catholic Church exists to assist Jesus in saving our souls and getting us to heaven. Holy Church does not make a habit of condemning people or organizations. Holy Church will only admonish a person or an organization that is involved in mortal sin for the purpose of helping the individual(s) involved to repent and convert.” "Therefore the Church’s negative judgement in regard to Masonic associations remains unchanged since their principals have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden.  The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion ." [1] [1]  Declarati

Many of you have patiently followed the saga of our Catholic marriage advice book through the stages of  proposal ,   publishing contract , and  editing .  Over the summer, we found out our title: The Four Keys to Everlasting Love: How Your Catholic Marriage Can Bring You Joy for a Lifetime And.... we found out that  Christopher West  had agreed to write the foreword!!!! In every informal poll we conducted on social media, when we asked who would be the BEST person to write a foreword to a Catholic marriage advice book, you overwhelmingly responded, "Chris West." Read more here...

Acceptance is a two-fold virtue: accepting yourself and accepting others. How difficult is it for you to acknowledge and accept your own limitations and weaknesses? How difficult is it for you to accept the same in others? Do you hold others to a higher standard than yourself, because you expect more from others than you do of yourself? Finding acceptance in our lives requires that we first unlock the door to the interior self. It is there that we commune with God. We discover and come to accept who we are, as God has created us to be: in His image and likeness. In looking at the interior self, we assess our strengths and weaknesses; our possibilities and limitations. We acknowledge our sins. Within the depths of the interior self, we come to accept... Read more...

I recently received a question in my email box, and  I thought it was an interesting question and the thoughts it brought out seemed like they would be beneficial to share in this space. Now, my prior disclaimer is twofold: first, that I am a convert, and none of my (extended) family is Catholic. And two: I'm not sharing this to threaten anyone into converting. I'm just doing so because it gives me joy to share more about my faith. So. There's that to contend with- I'm new at this- and two, keep in mind as I answer this and perhaps other questions in the future that I'm doing this simply in response to a question I received.  I still wanted to address it here on the blog, and do so anonymously, just to remain, as always, on the safe side. The person asked: Tacy, As someone who was Protestant and is now Catholic, what do you think of the following article? The Gospel for Roman Catholics @ For the Church Is he representing Catholic doctrine fairly?  If he i

Touring Chicago's beautiful churches brought my husband and I to  Old St. Mary , Chicago's oldest (founded in 1833 by the  Paulist Fathers ) and the first Catholic parish in the area.  Old St. Mary is on it's  sixth building .  You can read the rest of the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

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(From The Cloistered Heart)