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I'm in the lower half of America's economic ladder, but I've never been homeless. That's just as well, since I've spent the bulk of my life in Minnesota and North Dakota. Winters get cold up here. I am, however, a recovering English teacher; and I like to verify my assumptions about what words mean. Here's part of my country's definition of "homeless." There will not be a test on this.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Instead of 'Christmas crackers' the parish priest had bought 'Christian crackers' for the parish party. So instead of wearing paper hats everyone wore paper halos instead and received miniature plastic saints, and instead of side-splitting jokes they had to meditate on mind-bending religious epigrams. Mine not only bent my mind but also tied it in knots for weeks trying to work out what on earth it meant. It was ascribed to a certain  H Smith (circa 1630)  and went something like this  ‘He is not thankful before God who only thanks him for his benefits’ . I don't think I would ever have fully unravelled its meaning had I not been to a retreat given by Archbishop Anthony Bloom three weeks later. .... read on

Just a few quotes from the Saints, Scripture and fellow Christians  to remind serious-minded Catholics to laugh.  Somehow the average Catholic does not associate joy with holiness but believes holiness is synonymous with misery and suffering.  However, suffering is not miserable when we are suffused with the love of God and filled with His Spirit. In this post, I will simply overwhelm you with quotes all affirming the fact that joy is at the core of our spirits when we live in, with, and through Christ. St. Ignatius of Loyola understood the power of God's joy when he  invited  believers to, "Laugh and grow strong." He understood, "The joy of the Lord IS our strength." C.S. Lewis had an amusing way of describing Christian joy as the serious business of heaven. continue reading

As the Morning Rising: Merciful Kindness : Nazareth Care Village Chapel Belfast Recently I was in the company of a retired teaching nun, Glasgow-born, who taught in Scotland, C...

Lover 5  Your head crowns you like Mt Carmel,  SS 7:5 Unlike Israel, the setting for the Song, Australia doesn’t have a lot of mountains.  In the heart of our country, we do have Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock.  Uluru is famous for its transforming colours.  Read more on Blog: http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

THEODORE LUXTON-JOYCE English eccentric millionaire of Scottish descent speaks his mind. Do you agree with him? CLICK HERE

I think God is pleased with all our prayers, no matter how imperfect they may be. After all, even if we’re pretty distracted, the fact that we’re praying tells God that we care. We believe in him. We want him involved in our lives. And he’s merciful. If we take one step toward him, he’ll take ten toward us. So if you’re praying and trying to connect with God even just once a day ( more about how to do that here ), you’re already doing great. But there is a way to make our prayers more meaningful. Our attitudes make a difference. Not because God gives more grace or less grace depending on how “good” our prayer is, but because the state of our mind and heart makes a difference on how open we are to receiving that grace. Think of the simple image of a cup. You’re standing before a waterfall. The water flows on, and on, and on… ceaselessly. How much you receive depends on you, and the cup you bring with you. If your cup is full of other stuff, you can’t take as much water away wi

If we don’t learn now, we might never learn. That’s frightening. Mercy. One of the greatest gifts from God is Mercy. Our God is Love and Mercy. He made us to be with Him in heaven. He gave us free will so that we could choose Him above all else. Even if we choose to sin, He does not interfere because of the gift of free will. We did not earn His love, because that is impossible. God gave us His love freely, without reserve, and He cannot love us more than the moment when we were conceived. That love is so great that we cannot imagine what this love could be. God loves. That is all, and yet, it’s everything. God is everything. Read more at Prayerfully Yours

Some scientist think globular clusters aren't good places to look for neighbors. Others took a fresh look at the data, crunched numbers, and pointed out that parts of globular clusters might be better spots for interstellar civilizations that the boonies where we live. Meanwhile, someone with a lot more money that I'll ever see decided to spend some of it on a systematic search for extraterrestrial intelligence. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Lover 7  How graceful are your feet in sandals,   O queenly maiden! Your rounded thighs are like jewels,  the work of a master hand.  SS 7:1 Read on Blog:  http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

HOW CAN YOU TRUST AN UNSEEN GOD? CLICK HERE

Lover I went down to the nut orchard,      to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded,      whether the pomegranates were in bloom. Beloved 12  Before I was aware, my fancy set me  in a chariot  beside my prince. [ a ]  Song of Songs 6:11-12     ' For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.'   Ecclesiastes 3:1 Read on Blog: http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

As the Morning Rising: The Guest : There's a kind of moving out that takes place on the inside. Space gets freed up, rubbish gets dumped, and before you know it there'...

Celebra las simples alegrías de la vida de familiar! Una madre comparte con sus hijos la alegría y agradecimiento que ofrece a Dios a través de sus oraciones, enseñándoles que son bendiciones, por solo ser quien Dios hizo que fueran. I am so excited to share with you the Spanish version of  Mommy, Mommy, When You Pray ! It still amazes me to see my little creation printed in English, let alone another language! I decided to take the time in this post to introduce you to an amazing woman; Erika Garcia, who translated the Spanish version. Her story is compelling, and bears sharing. She is a guiding light, and I am thankful to call her a friend, as well as to have worked with her on this project. I hope my words do her honor! Erika’s parents were born and raised in Bolivia. Her father was a Christian brother in Bolivia for several years before becoming a US citizen and joining the army. He was injured in the Vietnam war and received a purple heart. Erika’s mom was one of 11 chil

  Before Christmas we began looking at St. John of the Cross’s poem The Spiritual Canticle. I hope you were able to spend some time pondering it. This canticle is John’s equivalent of Interior Castle. He says of the verses: “They refer… to the three states or ways of spiritual exercise (purgative, illuminative, and unitive) through which a person passes in advancing to this state [of perfection], and they describe some of the characteristics and effects of these ways.” (Theme, 1) Now let’s briefly look at what he says about the purgative way. I won’t have time to dig really deeply into this. If you want more depth, read John’s commentary yourself! I just want to help you understand John’s perspective on the spiritual life, what he means by the terms he uses, and his general thought. Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

St. Paul of the Cross lived in the 1700s. A time period presumably very different from our own. But it seems like wives and mothers of all ages have one thing in common: too much to do.  In 1760, a busy married woman wrote Paul of the Cross saying that she couldn’t find enough time to pray. Somehow, I think I, and probably many of you, could have written the same letter. Continue reading at Eyes On Heaven.

Life is Precious During the Christmas holiday, I was listening to an old Bishop Fulton Sheen episode that was on television, while working around the house. I heard him make a comment that shot directly to my brain: “All life is worth living.” He made this comment decades ago, as if a foretelling of something that we would need to focus on today. He made this prophetic comment well before abortion became legal, or euthanasia became popular; or before the death penalty became the preferred means for seeking justice. I began reflecting on his comment. I began by asking myself some questions: Read more...

The other day I began watching a DVD from the library, and it was so laced with profanity that I stopped it. People must not be aware of the second commandment anymore: "You shall not  make wrongful use of the name of the Lord Your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name." (Exodus 20:7) That second part is a pretty strong warning. Why is misusing God's name so terrible that it is listed among the big ten? It hinges on the fact that God is the almighty, all-holy One who is worthy of awe and reverence. A name is equivalent to a person and something precious to us. Abusing a person's name is a major insult. I remember my anger and hurt in the third grade when a mean little boy called me Kathleen Garbage (instead of Glavich). I wonder how angry God gets when his holy name is thrown around flippantly or used as an expletive to show surprise or anger. Click to continue

Lover My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,      the darling of her mother,      flawless to her that bore her. The maidens saw her and called her happy;      the queens and concubines also, and they praised her. SS 6:9 Read on blog:  http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

When I attended University, the only place alive in the Spirit was a Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group.  I was confused how Catholics could be filled with the Holy Spirit but I assumed God simply tolerated their heretical faith and would soon show them the truth that they only needed faith in Jesus and the Bible. Period. Yet God pulled a fast one on me. I decided to accompany fellow students to a University Mass and was so shocked by the power of the presence of God, I could bearly stand.  When I heard the priest say, “This IS the Body of Christ”, I wanted, no I   craved  the Eucharist. Of course, my Catholic friends told me I could not receive Holy Communion but suggested I make an appointment with one of the young Jesuits the next day. continue reading