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"The traditional Christmas tree is a very ancient custom which exalts the value of life, as in winter the evergreen becomes a sign of undying life...." (continue)

Some years ago I had dinner with friends in London. When I was leaving their home I was introduced to the husband’s father, who was busy digging in the garden. Taken by surprise and not knowing what to say I asked a rather stupid question – “ And what are you doing ?” I said.  “I do be digging the garden,”  he replied, glancing at his son as if to say – “ Who’s your fatuous friend ?” Intrigued by his answer I asked a nun who taught Irish in Dublin what was meant by the expression, ‘ I do be digging the garden’ . She said that it is the English rendering of what is called in Irish –  the present continuing tense . It means –  “I have been digging the garden, I am digging the garden and when you stop asking the obvious, I will continue to dig the garden!” There is no such tense in English, but it perfectly expresses the meaning of the Aramaic idiom, as spoken by Jesus, and in this case by St John, when he said, ‘ God is Love’ . He wasn’t trying to give a definition of what love is in

I just had to share with all of you the most amazing story of a young man that I know. Patrick Sewak is all of six years old, nearing seven. He is an extraordinary young man filled with virtue, and blessed by God; destined to become God’s servant. He is raised by his wonderful mother, Meris, and by his grandparents Mark and Bernadette. Patrick is “different” from the average child, and I say that in a good way. He yearns to attend daily Mass with his grandmother. At home he “plays Mass.” This child... Read more...

Head on over to Saints365 for the first installment in a series of posts reflecting on the gift of Mercy during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.  This week's reflection focuses on the gift of God's mercy in answering the prayers that we do not dare to ask.  You know those - the one's that we are afraid or hesitant to voice - the prayers that wonder if or why God would answer - the prayers that we barely allow ourselves to acknowledge.  Read more here...

MY CHRISTMAS FAUX PAS CLICK HERE

Real life interferes. I had other plans today. I planned to get up, go to Mass, spend the day doing this, that, and the other, go to a Christmas party tonight. That was what I wanted to do. Last night, I started feeling poorly. This morning, getting out of bed was not an option. Graduate Sunday! I love this Sunday. I spent the morning, no, it will be the rest of the day, in bed: blowing my nose, coughing, aches, pains, and a fever. Not what I had in mind. I guess, God had other plans. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

Sometimes the activities of Advent and Christmas can feel like an intrusion. Day to day life is more or less put on hold by an urgent need to shop and wrap and plan. Chairs and tables are displaced by, of all things, a tree in the middle of our house.  There is no time to do ordinary things, as everyday life is seriously disrupted for weeks on end. It can seem like a major interruption.   A few years ago, the truth of it hit me. This is what Christmas has been since the instant of the Incarnation: an interruption. Please stay with me here, because our first reaction to the word “interruption” could be negative.  But interruptions are often quite positive, and this Interruption was the most positive of them all.... (continue...)

The Year of Mercy/Jubilee of Mercy started on Tuesday, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. 1 In my home parish, it's also when we started receiving the Eucharist under both forms: our Lord's body and blood. If you think that's sounds gory and repulsive, you're not alone. Following our Lord has involved public relations issues from day one ... ...We'll be using Latin for parts of Mass during Advent, too: which is fine with me. I like Latin. I can even understand a little of the language. Mercifully, though, most of the Mass is in my native tongue. 3 — Which brings me back to the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis, and getting a grip.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

First published on Catholic Mom It is a simple fact- there is no better way to form deep relationships than conversation over a home-cooked meal. In fact, there is no better way to encourage the development of a warm supportive family than with great food and relaxed conversation around the dinner table. continue reading

For a long time I would wake up in the middle of the night with situations or conversations from a decade or more ago, replaying in my mind.  The anger and hurt would bubble up and my soul would mourn that time of darkness all over again.  I found it so hard to move past the slights, bullying, and unchristian behavior of others.  However, by reliving it over and over again, and renewing my anger over it, I wasn't being Christian either.  Forgiving ALL transgressions is the key.  We all sin, and sin is dark and ugly no matter how big or small.  We must forgive them all, because through Christ we are released from all of our debts of sin, we simply need to prayerfully ask forgiveness in Confession. In this Year of Mercy, let us see Christ in all we encounter and pray often, "Forgive them Father, they know not what they do!" Read more on  Veils and Vocations.

That's part of a picture from New Horizons: a sample from the highest-resolution images the spacecraft has started sending back. We're pretty sure that the mountains are frozen water, and the flat parts softer "ice:" probably including frozen nitrogen. The first journal paper using New Horizons' flyby data was published in October: but there's a great deal left to study, and even more still stored on New Horizons. ( November 13, 2015 ) Other scientists think they've found evidence that those bright spots in Occator Crater are frozen water, exposed when something hit Ceres. If they're right, the impact(s) happened recently. I'll get back to that. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

: ''Open the Doors of Mercy to me, O Mother of God.'' ''Lord, I am a sinner. Come with your mercy.''  ... read more As the Morning Rising: ''Lord, I am a Sinner.''

A friend sent me the most amusing video, a song composed by a family of 12, sung to the tune of the Christmas carol, "The 12 Days of Christmas". It is hilarious because , as a mother of nine, I have heard all these phrases for decades. listen and enjoy. The very existence of a joyful mother of nine children seems to confound people. When the words  The Joy Of Mothering  popped into my head as a title for my short stories it was like an epiphany for me because those few words verbalized my experience living with little people. The very existence of a joyful mother of nine children seems to confound people.                    continue reading

I was recently contacted by a new Catholic micropublisher called Peanut Butter & Grace .  The kind folks at PB & G very generously offered to send me some of their children's books in exchange for an honest review on my blog. One of the titles I received was The Little Flower, A Parable of Saint Therese of Lisieux .  This sweet picture book combines so many things that I love and am drawn to: the story of Saint Therese (one of my favorite heavenly friends), and her childhood aspiration to become a saint; an explanation for why she is often called "The Little Flower"; an introduction to the "Little Way" of which she spoke, a way to sanctity that even the smallest and humblest among us can follow; and some gorgeous watercolor artwork to go along with the lovingly rendered prose. If you'd like to read more about this inspirational book that's perfect for kids of ALL ages, as well as some others offered by this wonderful Catholic company, head o

© 1986  Túrelio  (via Wikimedia-Commons), 1986 /  Lizenz:  Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.0 de It's fitting that the anniversary of Mother Teresa's speech upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize falls during the week we begin to celebrate a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Her call is as clear and relevant today as it was a generation ago. "Just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home, and we will be able to overcome all of the evil that is in the world. Love begins at home. If we all look into our own homes, how difficult we find it sometimes to smile at each other. That smile is the beginning of love. Make time for each other in your family." Read more at Leaven for the Loaf .

Year of Mercy: What is it all about? What can we expect? Pope Francis ushered in the Year of Mercy yesterday. This Jubilee Year of Mercy extends to the Feast of Christ the King on November 20, 2016. From now until then, anyone who enters through the “ Door of Mercy…will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope. ” 1 What is this “Year of Mercy” all about? Pope Francis declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy “ so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives ” 2 . Our world has become so fractured and broken with much hatred. We see it in the... Read more...

On December 6 we celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas, when I hold my annual party for local convents in the tradition of my religious community. We inherited this celebration from the Sisters in Holland who helped form us German Sisters of Notre Dame. The feast entails gingerbread bishops, apple tarts, oranges, popcorn balls, bags of goodies, the singing of “St. Nicholas Day” and “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” and a prayer to St. Nick. I was introduced to this feast my first year in the convent, when we usually had silent meals. Suddenly at supper, a figure with a miter and crosier appeared at the door and a creature clothed in black slithered around the floor, hitting our legs with branches. These were St. Nick, who rewarded the good, and Ruprecht, who punished those who did wrong. (Neither of these come to my party!) Through the centuries, St. Nick, a generous bishop, evolved into the gift-giver we know as Santa (Saint) Claus (short for Nicholas). St. Nicholas makes a perfe

(From The Cloistered Heart)

Star of the Sea I have read accounts of visionaries of Mary who spoke of the beauty of the Blessed Virgin as a beauty that lef... As the Morning Rising: Star of the Sea / Immaculate Conception continue reading

Pope Francis described the Jubilee Year of Mercy back in April 2015 in his official document,  Misericordiae Vultus . The final paragraph of that document knocks my socks off. Here's my favorite part: “In this Jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us and wants to share his love with us.” — Misericordiae Vultus, ¶25 Let us allow God to surprise us! Amen! I'm excited to journey intentionally through this Year of Mercy. On this December 8th morning, though, as we begin the jubilee, I am thinking less about what   I  plan on doing and more on what God can do. Truly, I am overwhelmed at what the Lord wants to offer us. “From the heart of the Trinity, from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly. It is a spring that will never run dry, no matter how many people draw from it. Every time someone is in need, he or she