Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Catholic novelist Ruth Hogan Herne about her latest novel “Refuge of the Heart”.  Ruth is a gifted storyteller; I was captivated by the characters, plot and message of this novel before I finished reading the first chapter. Her prose is well-written, and the dialogue sounds true to life.  My reaction to this novel reminded me of the English poet and philosopher Samuel Coleridge’s term “the suspension of disbelief”. “Refuge of the Heart” passed Coleridge’s test of a well-written book because I forgot I was reading fiction. However, “Refuge of the Heart” is not merely a well-written Christian romance; it tackles complex moral and social issues with equally complex, multi-layered characters .  It is actually a parable about the triumph of faith and the strength of the human spirit to thrive, not just survive, adversity. continue reading

Does Forgiveness Elude You? Forgiveness is difficult for many of us; yet, not so for young St. Maria Goretti.  Maria died at age eleven, from mortal stab wounds caused by unwanted advances of a young man. Forgiveness for this young man was one of her last words uttered before dying. She not only forgave him, she openly prayed for him, while suffering from those stab wounds prior to her death. How many of us would be so forgiving? How many of us pray for those who wish us harm or have hurt us physically, emotionally or spiritually? Read more...

Here is a guest blog from my friend Amanda Haberman:  My Great-Uncle Jim was legally blind and still driving his car weekly well into his 80s. This was comical to me as a teenager, but I’m sure it was alarming and dangerous in the eyes of my parents and probably his neighbors. While Uncle Jim would take the wheel, my Auntie Annette would sit in the passenger seat and be his “eyes” while he was driving. You see, Auntie Annette didn’t have her license, and she had never driven a car in her life. So, she wasn’t going to let her husband’s deteriorating eyes keep her from running errands and making it to Mass. She would remind all of us just how close she lived to these locations; therefore, in her eyes it was “no big deal” that Uncle Jim was driving blind. So as long as Jim could use his limbs, he was driving her. Click to continue

"Mommy, MOMMY, MOOOOOMMMMYYY!!!! " It's funny, not in a laugh out loud sort of way, but in a funny, sweet, melt your heart kind of way. I've always been the parent my kids went to when something was wrong. When they didn't feel well, they wanted to cuddle with Mom. When something bad happened at school they came home to milk and cookies with Mom (True at least when they were little! I miss those days!) When Firefighter and Jerry Rice, our guinea pigs, died (now that's a story!), it was Mom who provided comfort. But it's also Mom they go to when something bad happens, even when bad isn't so bad but they just don't feel like dealing with it, like when they are carrying groceries in from the car and drop a bag of flour leaving a mess you can only imagine! Or when the toilet clogs and there's no one but the clogger and Mom. Or in a multitude of other ways. My boys know they just have to call, and I'll be there - eventual

1. The fire of Purgatory is the same as the fire of Hell; the difference between them is that the fire of Purgatory is not everlasting. St. John Vianney 2. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1032: “From the beginning, the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.” Read More At Prayerfully Yours

Let us pray, and take heart, after all, “a prayer that we pray together is a powerful prayer” …just as Fr. Joseph M. Wolf says beginning each EWTN Family Prayer, even if we are praying at different times on different days!  So, please, pray with me… >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >> [including prayers plus 15 Bible verses on no longer being slaves to our sins and addictions]

We're celebrating  100   Praying with Grace  posts! I began this blog for the  Apostleship of Prayer  in October 2013. Through it, I have encountered many gracious, thoughtful, and prayerful people. I take a month off from the blog each summer, but otherwise here we have been together, every Tuesday morning, for two years. I am grateful. Thank you for praying with me. ©2015  Mark Frohna Photography Please join me at Praying with Grace for today's unique prayer experience.

Sixty-four wines (of the 65 wines tested) from America’s top four wine-producing states had arsenic levels that exceed what’s allowed in drinking water. … According to the report, water (for drinking) is not allowed to contain mo re than 10 parts per billion of arsenic, while the wines tested averaged 24 parts per billion (ranging 10 to 76 parts per billion); Oregon with the lowest concentration. But the likely health risks will probably depend on how many other arsenic-containing foods and beverages one consumes… >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >>

Inner issues cripple everyone’s ability to become saints. We are not told  how to grow in authentic holiness. I  have worked with a Catholic psychiatrist (who is also a friend) for 25 years on my own inner issues. I am interested in mental health and helping others through the inner healing process. My most recent understanding of our faith is that Christians must  learn how to let go of pride. Pride manifests itself in trying to save ourselves  through our own efforts. This means we do not allow Jesus  to save us. continue to read

My life flows on in endless song; Above earth's lamentation, I hear the sweet , tho' far-off hymn That hails a new creation; Thro' all the tumult and the strife I hear the music ringing; It finds an echo in my soul— How can I keep from singing?

This past March I came across this  article  about Pope Francis’ Sleeping Saint Joseph statue. I posted the picture and article on my  Being Catholic ... Really Facebook page  and everyone just about lost their minds! “Where do I get one?,” everyone asked. So the search was on and I contacted several Catholic gift stores. No one knew what I was talking about or if they did, they had no source for the statue. To find out how and where I got my statue, you can read the rest at  My Sleeping St. Joseph Statue .

The road of virtues is not necessarily a straight path. Sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back. Sometimes we take the long road, finding out that the short-cuts weren’t worth it. Together, you and I have traveled the road of virtues for the past 20 months. In that time we have reviewed and studied every virtue in the Virtues Guide – Second Edition . In series of posts, I have defined the virtues, explained why it is important to embrace the virtues and provided suggestions for how to practice the virtues. Now it’s time to take… Read more...

As the Morning Rising: The Battlefield :  Just supposing you and I ( God forbid ) were on a battlefield plunged into oceans of ugliness and injury, and terrible suffering. And then ... continue reading

There is a young man who just sent me an email that says he is ready to commit suicide.  I don't know him where he is, all I have is an email address.   What he described in email could be from a demonic influence. PLEASE PRAY YOUR ROSARIES FOR HIM!! Matthew C.

Join me in listening to my podcast on my new look website Progress in the Spiritual Life is rather like trying to walk up a downward escalator. The moment you stop going forward is the moment when you start going backwards. http://www.davidtorkington.com/podcast-entering-into-the-prayer-of-christ/

Prayer and My Personal Journey To mark the publication of my new website I would like to introduce you to my own personal spiritual journey, as I first learnt how to pray. I am only doing this so that you may learn from my failures more quickly that I did, and in the hope that what little I have learnt may be of some help to you on your journey. My first recollections of prayer were of kneeling at my bedside repeating the same set of petitions night after night. God bless Mummy and Daddy, my brothers, and all my aunts and uncles who were mentioned by name. It was only after my cousins were prayed for in order of age that my turn came. I was not taught to ask God to bless me as he was asked to bless everyone else, but to make me a good boy! Who wants to be a good boy?  I didn’t! So I stopped praying to be a good boy the moment I was left to pray on my own, and I started to ask for things instead. read on...... http://www.davidtorkington.com/first-beginnings/

To celebrate the first day of my vacation, I went to one of my favorite restaurants for breakfast. Before my food arrived, I took out  Matthew Kelly's book, Rediscover Catholicism   and started to read. Unfortunately, I was on the chapter about fasting. Oops! You can read the rest of the article at  Catholic365.com .

'We know but too well that we deteriorate by our friction with the world.  Our clothes get worse for the wear, and so do our souls...' (continue)

" The New Evangelization calls each of us to deepen our faith, believe in the Gospel message and go forth to proclaim the Gospel. The focus of the New Evangelization calls all Catholics to be evangelized and then go forth to evangelize.... " (" New Evangelization ," USCCB 1 ) In a way, the "new" evangelization isn't new. Matthew 28:19 means the same thing now that it did two millennia ago. But it isn't the first, or the 11th, century any more. We're in the 21st, and the world is changing. This isn't a new situation: " ...the world is on fire. Men try to condemn Christ once again, as it were, for they bring a thousand false witnesses against him. They would raze his Church to the ground.... No, my sisters, this is no time to treat with God for things of little importance.... " (Camino de perfección, 1, 5; St. Teresa of Avila; quoted by Benedict XVI on July 16, 2012) 1 ) St. Teresa of Avila wrote Camino de perfección

Christ Healing the Blind , Nicolas  Colombel,1682 [ Web Gallery ]   Gospel Mark 10:46-52 (NRSV, CatholicEdition, Can) They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. +++ Fr John Burger is an American Columban served as a member

LIVING IN THE LIGHT PLEASE CLICK HERE

Customer service people often let me down. A pet peeve of mine is the one who, on being asked a question, simply says, “I don’t know,” instead of “I’ll go find out right now.” Another is the one who answers a phone call while I’m speaking to her in person, as though I just don’t exist as soon as that bell rings. Another, the one who doesn’t see an item on the shelf, and must be coached and coaxed to check the backroom shelves and the back-order list for clues about how to provide a needed item to a customer. Another…well, you get the idea. But, I’m also – and often – blessed by the kindness and helpfulness shown to customers. A video was posted online recently of a fast food server helping an elderly customer cut up his food. I watched from a long line at the post office as an employee offered to help pack a shaky grandma’s gifts to her grandkids for mailing. Nobody was impatient in that line, but all seemed blessed by this tender and respectful gesture.

There are a lot of people right now going through tough times. Maybe you are one of them and it seems that there is one trial in your life after another and you will never catch a break. Maybe it feels like you are in a washing machine that is constantly on spin cycle and you are being stretched and wrung out to the max. Be encouraged that the Lord has a plan and is in control! What you are going through is not in vain! He is trying to get you to the point where you can stand and have faith even in the midst of adversity.  Continue Reading @ beautifulthorns >

As I peruse the book titles in the Catholic aisle of my local bookstore, it is hard not to notice the plethora of conversion stories being told.  What I do not see a lot of accounts from the person who grew up Catholic and drifted in and out (mostly out) of practicing their faith until something changed in them or for them.  They had a turn around a GREAT awakening in their soul as to who the Triune God really was - not distant, not mean but loving, truly loving, merciful, trustworthy and faithful - just to name a few of the infinite God's characteristics. These stories are sometimes referred to a re-conversion or reversions, and while I am awed and fascinated by conversion stories be it former atheist, agnostic or baptist minister, I am most drawn to how faithful people are set on fire for the faith or even how those cradle Catholics keep from drifting away. This is my story.  A small town suburban girl with divorced parents, low self-esteem, and moderate means - that atte

Who is this saint, you ask? What does a young 16 th  Carmelite nun still have to teach us..or better yet, what have we left to learn? Yearn to take an inner pilgrimage, or encounter God in a life changing way? Then, I invite you to join my friend and companion, saint and mystic Teresa of Avila for a time of intimate discovery. In a time when Spain was experiencing a profound theological and spiritual dialogue of cultures, religions and ideas,Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada was born. [1]  The granddaughter of Jewish merchants, and daughter of new Christian Spanish nobility, Teresa is said to have taken to the piety of Christianity with both passion and humility.  A passion witnessed early, in her readiness at age seven, to leave home to decisively embrace a beheading for Christ by the Moors. [2]  Likewise, Teresa possessed a humility illustrated in an awareness of humbler Jewish origins, as a women in a patriarchal society, and ultimately in her place before God. [3]   Read More..

I’m almost ready to kick off my shoes and enjoy a silent glass of wine. It’s Friday, and I think of all the Fridays I’ve ever lived, and there were many. In all of them, Friday was an ending to a beginning. It’s only 6:20 PM and the sun has already set. The houses in the neighborhood show signs of lights being lit. Even when you’re retired, Friday is an end to the week. I think back to the time when Jesus was still with His Mother and father, Joseph, working as a carpenter, to help support the family. Was Friday a day of rest for Him? Did He and His Mom and Dad kick off their sandals after supper and speak of the days when Moses lead the Jews out of Egypt? Did they sing psalms of praise to God, the Father, for all the blessings He had given them this week? Did Jesus help clean up the kitchen and put away the clean dishes? Read More at Prayerfully Yours

Headline: Antioxidants Cause Malignant Melanoma to Metastasize Faster. “Fresh research at Sahlgrenska Academy has found that antioxidants can double the rate of melanoma metastasis in mice. The results reinforce previous findings that antioxidants [in form of supplements] hasten the progression of lung cancer. According to Professor Martin Bergö, people with cancer or an elevated risk of developing the disease should avoid nutritional supplements that contain antioxidants.” ... >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >>

Bits of carbon encased in zircon crystals more than four billion years ago may have come from living creatures. Then again, maybe not. Either way, we're learning more about Earth's long story.... ...This space-time continuum doesn't work like Anaximander 's model, either. Anaximander's cosmology had Earth in the center: but he speculated that we might not be standing on the only world, and that worlds change. Aristotle's cosmology had Earth in the center of the universe, too: but he didn't think multiple worlds existed. About 16 centuries later, educated Europeans like Dante Alighieri had a very high opinion of Aristotle.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

BE NOT AFRAID “There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights to the holiness of God.” St. Pope St. John Paul ll continue

As the Morning Rising: The Blessedness of God : It's a strange world we live in. The material things and support structures that are needed to improve and sustain adequate living cond... continue reading

Confession . That practice of walking into a little room with a priest, whom you may or may not know, and spilling your guts to him.  That laundry list of should have nots or should have but didn't.  To many it seems ridiculous that one can not simply that their contrition to the Big Guy themselves.  What is the deal with the middle man?  Here are my thoughts on the beauty and blessing of the Sacrament of Reconciliation from my Confession Chicken Converted heart!    Petrified.  That is the best word to describe how I approached Confession as a 2nd grader before First Communion, as a teen before Confirmation, as a young adult before my wedding, and as slightly more mature adult following my reversion back to the Catholic Church -- and every other time in between.  Heart raced, palms sweat, throat closed, and FEET wanted to sprint out the door, if I even managed to get myself INTO the door (I was the  queen of excuses for confession procrastination ).  I hated every moment of it -

“Open wide the doors to Christ,” urged John Paul II during the homily at the Mass when he was installed as pope in 1978. 

When I pray, I ask for help from the Trinity, from the Blessed Mother, and from the angels and saints. I finally decided it might be easier if I had all of my intercessors written down so that I could call on them when I needed. This is how my Personal Litany was born. I add saints, and I add titles for Our God, Mama Mary, and the names of saints. Feel free to use this in your prayer time, too. When you see my list, who would you add? What titles for Our God and Savior and Mama Mary would you add? Lord, have mercy. Kyrie eleison. Christ have mercy. Christie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Kyrie eleison Read More at Prayerfully Yours

Catholics generally don’t think of Jesus as an evangelist per say, but rather a storyteller. Well, the Son of God understood parables are powerful vehicles for truth.   Since parables impact people when they can relate to the details of the story, Jesus told stories about the ordinary people of His day.  Nancy Ward also understands when people simply tell their personal journey of faith in their own words,  they can help others who are seeking an authentic meeting with God. Ordinary people can reach, or evangelize, many who are outside the traditional  Church. Nancy is a Catholic writer with a unique mission from God to encourage fellow Catholics to start evangelizing. With her new DVD,  Sharing YOUR faith story ,  she removes Catholic’s fear of the word evangelism and equips them to step out with confidence and simply share the joy of the Gospel. continue reading

(From The Breadbox Letters)

I   am learning to live in the Light, stay in the Light and connected to the Light within me. My tendency is to switch back to living in misery, burdened with interior pain because this is what I am accustomed to. Ridiculous? Insane? Absolutely, but now a mere glance to the Light and bang- I switch again from misery to joy. To nurture His Risen Life in me, the life of the Messiah, I am discovering that spiritual communion is powerful. If I simply  whisper a desire for the Eucharist, He is present like a fire burning in my heart, burning even my skin.  I   could dance for joy, like a child of God in the sunshine. St. Thomas Aquinas defined Spiritual Communion as, “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament and a loving embrace as though we had already received Him.” continue reading 

Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove Have you ever heard that phrase before? It was new to me until the day I had to deliver some bad news on an audit. The auditee said that I had an “iron fist in a velvet glove,” meaning that I delivered a hard punch, with not much comfort, since velvet wouldn’t soften the blow of an iron fist very well. In my innocence, and to some degree of arrogance, at first I took it as a compliment! Then I got to thinking about what he said. How we deliver truth is just as… Read more...

Dear Middle School bully, I forgive you for the three years of torture you put me through. I realize now that you too had struggles and pains in your life and no one to help you sort them out in a healthy way.  My adult heart truly aches for what you must have been experiencing to spend so much energy and time making another person feel so horrible, scared and hopeless.  I wish you could have shared your problems with me, so that we could have been friends and sorted life out together, instead of choosing to be my enemy.  The most baffling thing for me especially back then, was I never knew, I still do not, what it was about me appointed me your target.  I can tell you that I spent many hours trying to decipher what it was, and many more hours trying to change whatever it was I would perceive it to be.  You did not need social media to terrorize me. You did just fine with the telephone, passing notes and using other kids just as scared of you to get messages to me. So while we w

My publisher-friend from Chicago likes the Cubs as much as my mom liked the Cleveland Indians. Twice last week he asked me to pray for a Cubs game. The team won the first game by hitting six home runs. They also won the second game, making them the champs of the National League Division Series. Chicagoans were dancing in the streets. Should I take the credit for this? Jesus repeatedly told us to ask God for things and not give up. In the second reading on Sunday we heard that we should “confidently approach the throne of grace . . . to find grace for timely help.” But what if God doesn’t answer our prayers?      click to continue

The Pope has a prayer group, and it's called the Apostleship of Prayer. The  international Apostleship of Prayer website  has a map of the prayer group's offices around the world: Praying with the Pope around the world! These offices serve the Church by uniting people in prayer for the Pope's personal intentions. I love clicking on the links to Apostleship of Prayer sites from various countries. Just a few minutes on these sites helps me work on my foreign language skills and provides a glimpse into the vibrant prayer lives of our brothers and sisters around the globe. When Pope Francis visited the US last month, he asked at  every  stop for people to pray for him. The worldwide Apostleship of Prayer gives us a concrete way to do exactly that. Find out how to become a member of the prayer group St. Therese of Lisieux joined at Praying with Grace !