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l Somehow the average Catholic does not associate joy with holiness but believes holiness is synonymous with misery. I have written articles on the theology of joy but in this post I will simply overwhelm you with quotes from the saints and the Bible, all affirming the fact that joy is at the core of our spirits when we live in, with, and through Christ. continue

The habit of a cloistered heart is a habit of seeking God's will. It is a habit of prayer, of virtue, of choosing Our Lord above all. It is a habit of holy actions acquired over time, through repetition... (continue) © N Shuman  

I ran into a familiar sentiment on Twitter: " Sometimes I wish I was religious so I could have an excuse for hating people. " Instead of seething with anger, I did a quick Google search. The phrase, with exactly those words, showed up about 60 times. The earliest example I found was posted by a bot on reddit.com , December 28, 2011. Without the quotes, I got roughly 35,200,000 matches. That's a lot of folks talking about religion and hate. Some agreed with the "excuse for hating people" quote, some didn't, and some were talking about something completely different. The "excuse for hating" quote hadn't been directed at me, and came from an account that Tweets a lot of platitudes and quotations. Instead of firing back a response, I started writing this post. That was on Monday of this week.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

LET'S ADD A BIT OF HUMOUR TO LIFE CLICK HERE (If you dare).

  Mark 7:31-37 in Filipino Sign Language Gospel   Mark 7:31-37  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)        Then Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.   They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.   He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.   Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”   And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.   Then Jesus   ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.     They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”   Man in Sorrow , Van Gogh, April-May 1890 Rijksmuseu

Gospel for September 04, 2015:  Luke 5:33-39    The disciples of John the Baptist were upset with Jesus’ disciples because they did not fast. Jesus simply explains the obvious; there’s a time for fasting and a time for feasting. The disciples of Jesus are experiencing joy, just like the joy of the wedding party in celebrating with the groom. For the disciples, this is a time for rejoicing in the Lord’s presence. The time for seeking the Lord with fasting will come after His death. Jesus goes on to warn his disciples about closed minds that refuse to learn new ways of thinking with the example of new and old wine skins. New wine poured into skins was still fermenting which released gases and exerted pressure. New wine skins were flexible enough to handle this pressure, but old wine skins were too rigid and would burst. Jesus doesn’t want us to hold rigidly to the past or be resistant to the filling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. He wants our minds and hearts to be like the new wi

from The Breadbox Letters

New Horizons will pass by another Kuiper Belt object in January, 2019, if NASA's proposal gets the go-ahead. Closer to home, Dawn is still sending back data from Ceres: including an image of a very odd-looking mountain.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'm a red-headed writer with a big family, just like my childhood heroine Anne of Green Gables. I love writing, poetry, laughing with friends, and sharing the adventure of parenting with fellow moms. I was born in Alberta but grew up all over BC with my three brothers, so I've always been a bit of a tomboy, and like climbing trees better than going to the mall.  I have always wanted to help people understand each other better through writing, and love how writing can help people all over the world connect on a far deeper level than I would have imagined before I began blogging.  I have boxes of old stories from childhood and journals and poetry from my teenage years, but they had generally remained classified 'top-secret' due to shyness. Motherhood really helped me overcome that and become more willing to take risks and be myself.  Now I blog, write articles for the paper, give talks to fellow moms, and have a newly published anthology with 4 other moms, includ

I have hosted a Novena of Novenas before.  I think it is time we do so again.  The conditions for Christians in the Middle East are beyond horrendous! When the photos were released of the Holocaust, the world vowed, never again!  Yet, photos are flooding out of the largest and most vicious genocide ever, and our world is waiting and watching in silence. Syrian Christians are on the cusp of mass slaughter, already displaced and starving, they now face certain death at the hands of ISIS. Am I being over dramatic?  I think not. I think that there are no real words to explain to horror.  We have been inundated by such horror of late, we are paralyzed, overwhelmed by the onslaught of endless evil and darkness. Continued on Veils and Vocations.

For his 100th general audience,Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the family by considering f amily prayer. In his opening statements, the pope pointed out that most people find it difficult to find time to pray. Pope Francis teaches that love of God, not guilt will inspire us to pray. Pope Francis zeroed in on the crux our lives as Catholic families by asking if we actually love God. Although we are called to believe in God, thank Him, turn to Him in difficulty, fulfilling our duties to God is not Christianity. Love is at the core of our relationship to God. continue reading 

Obedient Do you cringe when you hear the word? Does simply hearing the word make you assess how obedient you are in this life; whether it be at work, at home, but most importantly in following Christ’s teachings? I think everyone could easily come to the conclusion that when it comes to being obedient, we could all improve. There is this natural tension within us to want to rebel; to do things our own way, especially in our ever-growing secular, relativistic society. Being obedient requires us to follow certain laws, or rules, set forth by governing bodies. There are four… Read more...

A few weeks ago, some 400 of us Sisters met at a hotel to plan our future. On the last day, one of the hotel workers commented, “We liked having you because to you we weren’t invisible.” How often we take those who serve us for granted and even overlook them. (Maybe you are one of the “invisible” ones.) So, I’m thinking, what if we put on glasses that enable us to see these special people and acknowledge their presence by saying a word or two, especially a thank you. Yes, we leave a tip for the person who cleans our hotel room, but how much more meaningful if we personally delivered our thanks, looking the person straight in the eye. Who are some of the other people who make our lives smooth and help us in ways that we are scarcely aware of? Click to continue

We don't often get comments on this Blog. Your views are important. What would you do if you found someone injured on the road? Would you behave like these men did? CLICK HERE

Meet my guest, Cathy Gilmore, a children's book writer in her own right. Cathy lends her voice to the book tour by reviewing my new book, Adventures of Faith, Hope, and Charity Finding Patience, albeit from the Hare's perspective. You see, Cathy writes about bunnies. So who better to opine on the virtue of patience, whose symbol is the turtle, than the hare! As CatherineCGilmore@myeasterbunny on Twitter, I’m the “ Easter Bunny who spreads the sweet love and JOY of the risen Jesus .” This persona grew out of my collaboration with my sister in creating the storybook, Easter Bunny’s Amazing Day , in which a frightened little bunny discovers that the JOY of Easter is Jesus! So in charming irony, this bunny is here to celebrate my friend, Virginia Lieto’s book that sports an adorable turtle as the icon of the virtue that was most elusive to Aesop’s rabbit… PATIENCE. Her story portrays a family in the midst of a move; with the challenges of a new home, new neighbors, and n

O  Lord , how manifold are your works!  Psalm 104  [103]:24 [ Tagaytay, Philippines] In a letter dated 6 August 2015 , the Feast of the Transfiguration, Pope Francis established the First of September each year as  World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation . He stated that the Catholic Church will be following what the Orthodox Church has been doing for some time. The letter states:  The ecological crisis thus summons us to a profound spiritual conversion: Christians are called to 'an ecological conversion whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them'. For 'living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience'.  The quotations are from the Pope's recent encyclical  Laudato Si' , Nos 216 and 217 respectively. You make springs gush forth in the valleys;     

Warning: If you don't like books, then STOP READING! If, on the other hand, you agree with Cicero that “a room without books is like a body without a soul,” then come with me. . . . I'm continuing  my articles  about interesting books for children. I keep running into authors at conventions and discovering new books, you see, so what else can a book lover do?! Here's the latest from  Catholic Kids : (Enjoy a video of sample book pages  here !) In  Gifts from Our Father: A Catholic Prayer Book for Kids , author Tom Wall and illustrator Martin Whitmore offer a truly unique collection of All Things Catholic: prayers, definitions, teachings, devotions, and feast days. Read all about it at Praying with Grace !

The Gospel of John tells us that, shortly before his Passion began, the Lord prayed, “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are” (John 17:11). While we often associate division among Christians with the schisms that led to the Orthodox Churches and the Reformation that led to Protestant denominations, division among Christians goes back to the early Church. Paul himself asked the Church of Corinth, “Has Christ been divided?” when he heard that Christians were claiming to belong to Paul, Apollo or Cephus. He urged the Christians to “be united in the same mind and in the same purpose” (1 Cor 1:10). Two thousand years later, we look around and see that we are still far from Christian unity and must still work on being of the same mind and purpose. We talk about it. We long for it. We reiterate the significance of Christian unity every time we say the Nicene Creed and refer to the Church the Lord founded as “one, holy, catho

I am old enough to remember the Latin Mass. When I was 7, I made my First Holy Communion, and the Mass was in Latin. Even at that age, I didn’t like the Latin Mass because you couldn’t understand it. Also, the priest never turned around and looked at the Congregation during the Mass. All the readings were in Latin, and, unless you had a Missal, you couldn’t understand what the readings meant. It was way too easy to let my mind wander far away from church, the mass, and everything else around me. If the priest’s homily was based on the readings, it was hard to make a connection between what the priest was saying and the words read by the priest in Latin. When Vatican II had concluded, and I attended the first Mass said in English, I was stunned. Read More at:  Prayerfully Yours

I saw "War Room" this past weekend with friends, and it inspired me to become more disciplined about praying for loved ones. Here's my review. This movie is produced by the Kendrick brothers, the writers who gave us "Facing the Giants," "Fireproof," and "Courage." I've seen all these movies, and the messages are always good and on target. However, the actors (not well-knowns, other than Kirk Cameron) have not been stellar, and this always trips me up a bit. I understand that Affirm Pictures (the Kendrick brothers company) is a small outfit. (Hollywood doesn't, in general, produce movies with a Christian message.) But, I support them. I'm going to see every movie they produce, because that's how they will grow and bring in revenue and at some point draw the bigger names. I get that making movies is about money. I hate it, but I get it. Having said that, I loved "War Room." It's the best yet from

Grateful hearts humbly acknowledge that there is a need to be filled, via the talents of others. We consider it a blessing from God when someone steps up to address the need that we couldn’t otherwise fulfill ourselves. We are grateful to God and to our fellow man for rushing to our aid! What are you grateful for these days? When was the last time you counted your blessings? I can attest from experience that when I count my blessings and express my gratitude to God, my mood improves. I have had many opportunities to do so, while going through… Read more...

Oh the thoughts I've had about my ex and the other woman! The comebacks I've considered for their mean and spiteful comments, the responses I've rehearsed to their false and damaging accusations, the scornful piteous glance I'll offer that other woman when she learns the truth. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't gone through some of that. I'd be lying if I said I don't catch myself every once in a while falling back into that trap. But that's exactly what those negative thoughts are - a trap.  In Sunday's Gospel Reading from Mark Chapter 7, the Pharisees questioned Jesus about the disciples' lack of proper protocol. Why didn't the disciples cleanse their hands? Why didn't they go through proper purification processes? Why didn't they...? Jesus responded to their questions in this way... To continue reading, to share, comment, and follow, please join me at Single Mom Smiling. Thank you so much. God Bless...

In all history of God there have been three ages and we are in the  last  of the three ages. The first age was the  Age of the Prophets ,  ....to find out what the other two ages are... CLICK HERE!

As a cloistered nun or monk lives within a specific area known as the cloister, we can make a specific choice to live within the will of God.... (click to continue)

As a Christian, and a Catholic, I should be 'in the world but not of the world.' That idea shows up in John 15:18 - 19 and 17:14 - 16 , and Romans 12:2 . Joining a cloistered outfit like the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( Trappists ) is one option: they're part of the Benedictine family, contemplative monks and nuns. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

DO YOU FEAR GOD? WHY EXACTLY DO YOU FEAR HIM? WILL HE SMITE YOU IF YOU DON'T OBEY HIM? WHAT EXACTLY IS MEANT BY THE FEAR OF GOD? CLICK HERE

Christ , El Greco, c.1606 Cathedral, Toledo, Spain [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)      Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus,   they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.   (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands,   thus observing the tradition of the elders;     and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it;   and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.)  So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live   according to the

I Try, I Really Do. I try, I really try. Some days, there’s no trying. Prayer doesn’t come easy, so I sit, humbled at adoration. My God!  My God! Your mercy covers me. My God!  My God! You are all I see Present in the monstrance, our God in one small host. I don’t understand, but I trust. Jesus, I trust in You! Read more at:  Prayerfully Yours

HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER A QUESTION LIKE THIS? WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON THIS SUBJECT? COMMENTS WELCOME CLICK HERE

Scientists created "super-intelligent mice" — but this isn't a cartoon, so the mice aren't hatching plans for world domination. The research may lead, eventually, to treatments for Posttraumatic stress disorder , schizophrenia , and Alzheimer's disease . Other scientists found hand bones shaped pretty much like ours: from at least 1,840,000 years back.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .