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If you’re active in parenting social media groups and the blogosphere, you know that we talk a lot about ways we can be more patient with our kids, more kind, more balanced. We talk about ways to get over anger and stop yelling. And all of this is important. The next time I have a rough week with the kids, I’ll probably be reading more such tips. At the same time, there’s a different perspective I think we need to consider once in a while. Sometimes, it seems like we can place too much pressure on ourselves and, collectively, on each other, to be perfect.  Basically, if you take a look around at parenting pictures, stories and tips, we’re often telling each other in subtle ways that to be good parents, we need to be happy most if not all of the time. And, we’re sometimes saying:  when you’re not happy, try not to show it. The basic logic here is that we want to be fair and kind to our kids. We want to be strong for them. We don’t want to react hastily or for the wrong reasons

Isn’t this amazing! Pope Francis will visit our country beginning next week. I won’t be going to visit him, but I will be glued to the television watching as much as I can of his visit. That aside, here’s where you can go to get ready for our Pontiff’s visit. If you go HERE , you’ll find the official schedule for Pope Francis’ visit. It’s nice and detailed, so you will be able to follow Pope Francis around. so to speak. Read More at:  Prayerfully Yours

DID JESUS HAVE A UNIVERSITY DEGREE? I WONDER ... WHAT DO YOU THINK? YOU'D BE SURPRISED AT THE ANSWER THAT'S IF YOU CLICK HERE

While our Sisters and Brothers in monasteries are chanting Vespers, we who live 'in the world' may well be in the busiest time of our day. The world, at Vespers-time, is right in the middle of rush hour. It is when many are leaving work, pouring into roads and trains to make the journey home. Some of us are preparing an evening meal, knowing that growling tummies will not be soothed if we hide away in prayer corners to sing and chant praise. So we do what must be done.... (click to continue)

Spiritual Direction with St. Teresa of Jesus Two Types of Peace In this excerpt from the writings of St. Teresa, she instructs us to be on guard against the false experience of peace that comes from a conscience that has no sense of sin and no remorse when it has fallen into sin. It is the awful predicament of a soul without self-knowledge. St. Teresa teaches us that prayer and the gift of contemplation bring us to self-knowledge. In this blessed state, we have the light of the Holy Spirit to guide us and convict us when we have fallen into sin.   Continued Peace be with you! Rosemarie, OCDS

St. Cyprian. (Image via Catholic.org) I decided a few months back to sign up for a service that sends me the biography of each day's "Saint Of The Day".  Over the last few months since I signed up for the service, I've found that I look forward to seeing the emails in my inbox every morning.  Not only have these informative emails helped me to be prepared in advance for daily Mass, but more importantly, I've been able to get to know the saints on a human level.  It was such a comfort to me, for instance, to learn that St. Cyprian struggled with patience and anger - things I struggle with, also. And I loved reading that St. Thomas of Villanova did not bow to peer pressure "...h e wore the same habit that he had received in the novitiate, mending it himself. The canons and domestics were ashamed of him, but they could not convince him to change." I've been daily inspired (and mentored!) by these human examples of imperfection and their st

I was surprised and flattered when two tourists from Thailand asked me if I was Jewish. That was about four decades back, at Grand Canyon National Park, near the visitor center. I'd brought a big topographic map of that massive gulch, spreading it out at intervals to see what I was looking at, and taking photos. That's not mine, by the way: it's from Tom Bernard Anyz . I think the Thai tourists had noticed that I had a full beard and never took my cap off. Quite a few gentiles in America wore caps indoors and out at the time, and still do: but not many American men grow a 'haven't shaved in years' beard. The plain black jacket I wore probably helped, too. I enjoyed being mistaken for one of our Lord's relatives, but my ancestors are about as gentile as it gets, west of the Urals. They probably hadn't even heard of Abraham or Isaac until missionaries arrived, and that's another topic. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'm embarking on a new project of translating the Summa Theologiae from "English" to English. It's a process of trying to simplify the language and examples to what I can relate to. You can look at it as an informal summary of the Summa. It's already making me think overtime--I hope it proves useful to you too! Here is Question 1 Why should I study theology? Objection:  It seems like we can learn everything we need to from science, experience and philosophy. All these are based on human reason: but theology is not based on human reason. It’s beyond what human reason can know, and so we shouldn’t study it. Reply:  Some truths cannot be explained by science, experience and ph ilosophy, but only by theology (for example, the nature of man’s final purpose). There are also truths that can be discovered by science, experience and philosophy, but which are harder to discover without the guidance of God through theology. And the reason why it is important to know bo

This is a polymer clay pendant that I have been working on for several days. I’ve added different paints. I’ve sanded. I’ve added more paints. When I am not happy with what I have done with a piece, I put it down and leave it alone. I walk back to it several times a day and look at the work. It’s taken as long as a month, but one day, something changes, and I see the piece in a new light. This time, the process took 3 days. I was looking at the leaf pendant. I picked it up and held it in my hands, then I saw it! Read More at:  Prayerfully Yours

The secular world desperately needs to hear the perspective of Catholics on pressing issues, especially on the sanctity of human life. However most religious authors write in a small niche, read mainly by fellow Catholics and perhaps a few other critics we would secretly love to block. An amusing analogy came to me the other day which clarifies this dilemma. Consider the life of an ant, not a queen ant, a worker ant. Worker ants scurry about, hauling loads of food that are bigger than they are. They are completely oblivious to the world around them, fixated solely on their own tiny society. Often this narrow viewpoint leads to disastrous results, with whole colonies wiped out of existence when the macrocosm surrounding them crashes into their little world. continue reading on joy of nine9 or on CatholicStand

As Pixie and I were out for our evening walk, I began to think about prayer. God does reveal His ideas in the silence as we walk. This revelation, made me stop as we walked, to ponder some things about my prayer life. I realized then, that I use prayer very selfishly. I pray so that I might have a communication with God. I pray so that I might ask God for His help in my life. I pray so that God will give me what I ask. I pray so that God will love me. I pray so that God will… Read More at:  Prayerfully Yours

I was spending a little time this late afternoon on Pinterest and came across the above pin, which took me to  this wonderful story of conversion . It really made my day!  If you're on Pinterest, please re-pin! Happy Friday to you and yours, Sabrina

My daughter and I traveled to New York City in March.  One of the highlights of that trip was our visit to the  National September 11 Memorial & Museum . To read the article and view the photo gallery, please visit Being Catholic ... Really .

Neanderthals apparently had bigger eyes than folks living today. One scientist says that means they didn't play well with others. Bonobos , chimps living south of the Congo River, squeak. The squeaks are the same, whether they're happy, sad, or angry — and may tell us something about how language developed.... ...I think accepting God's universe 'as is' makes sense, so I'll ramble on about hubris, movies, and St. Thomas Aquinas, before discussing Neanderthals and squeaking bonobos .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

19 folks killed nearly 3,000 other people on September 11, 2001 . They were waging Osama bin Laden's religious war against the United States. 14 years later, Osama bin Laden is dead, and a great many more folks have died in various 'holy wars.'... ...A third of a million people fled their homelands this year, heading for Europe. The survivors may or may not find shelter there. 1 ... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Apostle Peter in Prison , Rembrandt, 1631  Israel Museum, Jerusalem [ Web Gallery of Art ] Gospel   Mark 8:27-35  ( NRSV, Catholic Edition , Canada)       Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”   And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”   He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”   And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.   He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.   But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but o

JMJ I was still teaching at the time. One of our students had been called to the office and was refusing to leave his classroom. I was sent to retrieve the student and escort him to the office. The hallways always had televisions scattered along the way. Both the student and I looked up at one that was showing the jet that first crashed into the Twin Towers. He, the student, jumped into the air and yelled, “Awesome.” when he saw that. I gasped and stood there in disbelief until this youngster said, “Umm, we’re at the office.” I dispatched him quickly and returned to the Resource Room. The decision was made to close the school district wide. Students, as well as teachers, were sent home. Of course, for the rest of the day, we were all glued to our television set. My children, who attended the same school where I taught, came home with me. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

(from The Breadbox Letters)

My husband and I believe kids need to relate to animals to grow up into balanced, caring adults who can relate and feel connected to the natural world not just technological society. Just watching our children’s delight in pets and farm animals confirmed how important animals were to their development and happiness. We love animals almost as much as we love kids. That love has been a powerful source of energy transforming both animals and children into confident, intelligent beings with strong, unique personalities.  Our livestock kept us entertained with their antics even more than our more traditional pets because well-loved farm animals want to part of the family, too. continue

My husband and I were watching the investigative reporting program 60 Minutes recently, and one of the segments had to do with Buddhist "mind-emptying" meditation. The reporting journalist told of how he'd decided to try to immerse himself in the practice as part of a week-long journalistic piece he was preparing, but that he'd not ever given it much thought and didn't expect much to come of it. 

Why do  many faithful, American Catholics label  Pope Francis a modernist heretic? Every time Pope Francis speaks, the papers are filled with sensational headlines; he does not emphasize many of the popular, hot issues like abortion and homosexuality, issues which often simply serve to divide voters into an  us  and  them  mentality. When did these issues become  the  only  issue that concerns the Church? Yet when the pope reminds us that our life in Christ is so much more, vocal advocates become extremely angry, denouncing the pope as the anti-pope. How ridiculous!  Why such a strong reaction? continue reading

Jesus is the quintessential model for obedience. We see the first example of obedience in Luke 2:49, where we read, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Jesus had an awareness of the Father’s will and was obedient to the calling to discuss scripture with the learned men in the Temple. Yet, on the heels of this statement, in verse 51, we also see that Jesus was obedient to his step-father, St. Joseph and his mother Mary, when once reunited with His parents. Luke tells us, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them” (Luke 2:51). We see another example of Jesus’ obedience to the Father in the passages of the Temptation of Jesus... Read more...

Where did you learn the Hail Mary? the story of Christmas? to go to Mass? that you should share your toys with others? that hitting someone is wrong? Undoubtedly, in your family. In view of the focus on the family this month in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia and in the upcoming Synod on Families in Rome next month, for the next few blogs, I plan to write about families, in particular, about nurturing the faith in families. The posts will include some wise advice from Pope Francis. Click to continue

Hello! My name is Rosemarie. Thank you for accepting me into your community of Catholic bloggers. Although I’m new here, it’s gratifying to know that we have a few things in common : our Catholic faith and a love for writing. I look forward to getting to know you by reading your posts. I am a parish secretary in the Diocese of Cleveland. I am also a member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. My husband and I have been members of the Akron Community of the Holy Family for almost 25 years. Some people say that I have a calm and soothing voice.  I pray that this comes across in my posts at Spirit Singing , where I write about prayer and virtue from a Carmelite perspective. I will be praying for all of you. May God reward your efforts to encourage others through the gift of writing. As you get to know me, you’ll see that I always end my posts with the same signature: Peace be with you! Rosemarie, OCDS http://www.rosemarie-spiritsinging.blogspot.com Here is a rec

On the Feast Day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my patron saint, it occurred to me to wonder how others of the faith relate to their own patron saints. Are they perhaps seen as far-off, above our lowly human state, unreachable other than by solemn prayer and petition to intercede on our behalf? Or perhaps (and, to me, better!) as companions and constant friends, ready and willing to be there for us at any time, for any reason? + + + If I may, I'd like to share with you my own relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary, my beloved patron saint. It is ever-changing in the most wonderful and helpful of ways.  When for years I would only reach out to her respectfully and from afar to intercede on my behalf with petitions and requests, I now feel quite comfortable and free to reach out to her in a constant stream of companionable and silent conversation throughout my days, just as I would to a trusted friend and confidante. And what I feel is especially

The Feast day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated throughout art history. continue  Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – February 12, 1538) was a German painter, Domenico di Pace  Beccafumi  (1486 – May 18, 1551

Getting back to Interior Castle, we’ve been talking about the sixth mansions. Last time we looked at raptures and ecstasy. There are many more types of mystical phenomena that one can experience in the sixth mansions. Among them are what St. Teresa of Avila calls transports, touches, wounds of love, flights of spirit, and even levitation. Teresa sometimes experienced the last of these in community prayer, to her great embarrassment. All of these are external phenomena that are rooted in the growing union of love between God and the soul. Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

Two weeks ago, Pope Francis used his  General Audience  to implore parents to teach their children how to pray: “There are children who have not learned how to make the sign of the cross!” the Holy Father lamented. “You, mother, father! Teach your children how to pray, how to make the sign of the cross!” Many parents I know make family prayer a joyful priority in their homes. They pray with their children at church, at bedtime, at meals, and at random moments throughout the day. But most Catholic parents in this country are shy about praying with their children. Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) and Holy Cross Family Ministries are gradually releasing a four-part study on young Catholic families. More than 1,000 adults aged 25-45 responded to the survey, providing insights into faith and family that the Family Feud show would never have dreamed of. Family Feud by Dennis Crowley (2008) via  Flickr . Read excerpts from t

Today, as I was perusing the  New York Times  online edition, I was thrilled to find an absolutely beautiful  photographic essay on life inside a cloistered monastery . I loved the piece for many reasons, not least because it gave me a glimpse of the life I might have led had I chosen to walk through that lovely door, instead of the one that led me to the very lovely life I chose, instead.  I hope you find it as enchanting as I did.   You may find the larger article  here . From  How to Live A Lovely Life  by Sabrina Booth Phillips 

Obedience, what does it really entail? Everyone always wants to know just how much we can get away with before we are deemed disobedient. Instead, how about giving some thought to what it means to truly obey God, with our free will fully exercised? Does that concept sound daunting? Well, Peter Kreeft offers an excellent definition of obedience to God while fully exercising our free will, and this quote gives me hope that I can be obedient to God: Since our highest freedom means freedom to be ourselves, we are most free when we are most obedient to God’s will,… Read more...

“Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.”  Luke 5:33-39 Friday’s Gospel reading really struck home as just moments before I had received an unexpected call from someone about to enter a mandated rehab program. Knowing that I was to speak with this young man later, I found myself considering both the change offered in the new wine and the comfort he has found in the old wineskin. Was he really ready to accept a dissimilar mode of intoxication, a radical way of moving through the life he had been accustomed to?  Or was this opportunity to be lost, unable to be readily accepted in the worn and toughened shell he conveyed? Whether we choose to admit it or not, his story is not unlike our own. For, so too our daily choices in life help to fashion the shape and degree of flexibility of our own wineskins to accept the t

I have the book Have a New You by Friday by Dr. Kevin Lehman, but I haven't read it. It's on my very long TO DO list, although by the title, it sounds like it should be at the top of that list. Imagine, a new me by Friday...    ...cue the wavy, dreamy scene change as I am transformed into A New Me by Friday... I'd always find my keys and cell phone but lose the extra 20 pounds I've been carrying around the last few years... I'd be thin and in shape and curvy but only where I want to be curvy...  My hair would finally tame itself and listen when I tell it to relax and straighten out... The line between my brows would be gone, my upper lip wouldn't disappear when I smile, and my lashes would be long and lush... I'd be smiling and happy, filled with Joy every day, in every moment no matter what was happening - or how crazy those boys drove me to be some days... continue

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).