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"Soup-of-the-Day" Recipe Feature (I) – Nourishment for Body, Mind, & Spirit!

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Love Soup? Yes, indeed!  ...What’s not to love?? After all, soup can be oh-so nourishing & satisfying & comforting & hydrating & healing & abounding with endless possibilities, even fitting to our Lenten practices! Today's featured "Soup of the Day" [just in time for Lent]... > > Click HERE for Cabbage Soup at: The Way To Nourish For Life >>  True "Mmm, Mmm, Good-ness"!

Lord, Have Mercy on My Lent

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Have you READ this little gem yet? My Lent will never be the same. Join me at Praying with Grace to hear why this book can transform Lent. Also, free printable!

As the Morning Rising: Christ Be Near At Either Hand

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As the Morning Rising: Christ Be Near At Either Hand : No matter how hard people try, no matter how skilled they have become at concealment, the hurt they carry within has a way of slipping o...

An update on the Veil...

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A year ago, I returned to the practice of covering my head in Church. You can read the article HERE. After a year of inspirations and promptings from the Holy Spirit, I wore my first veil at Mass since the 1970’s when it was no longer required for women to cover their heads. Wearing the veil, began on Ash Wednesday, 2015. It was to be a Lenten practice. I decided I would evaluate this practice at the end of Lent. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

The Perils of Charitable Giving

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THE PERILS OF CHARITABLE GIVING A MUST READ STORY CLICK HERE

"Did you find everything you needed today?"

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Yes, thank you, but it took all afternoon wandering through aisles and aisles of stuff that I don’t need now or ever, and getting stressed out that I was losing precious time I wanted to spend with my family. This happens almost every time I go into Walmart or some other mega-store. Our local Walmart is big enough to be a village. Seriously. I’ve been around the world, and some ancient villages really and truly would have fit inside the Walmart, with room to spare. Yesterday’s holdup: birthday candles. After getting misdirected a couple of times, I did find my way to the party section: FIVE aisles of cards, hats, dishes, decorations, and more party favors than you can imagine. I was feeling pretty good with myself because I’ll be throwing several kid birthday parties in the next couple of weeks (I have 3 kids and they all have February birthdays) and I was stocking up everything I needed for all of them. Forward thinking, right? The mom next to me in the party aisle was also thin

Clothe the Naked. Shelter the Homeless.

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Clothing those in need and sheltering the homeless are considered “corporal” acts of mercy because they physically impact the human body. Everyone has a need to be physically clothed and sheltered from the weather. They have a human right to these things; to act otherwise, would be disrespecting the dignity of the human person. Expressing such indifference towards the naked and homeless indicates that we do not live up to Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). In this Year of Mercy we are given ample opportunity to extend acts of mercy to those in need of clothes and shelter; ample opportunity to “love our neighbors as ourselves.” What Can You Do to Help the Homeless? Read to learn more...

Want Love in Marriage? Cast Your Net Again!

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It's so hard to be stuck in a loveless Marriage. It's so hard to wake up every day, day after day knowing your spouse thinks you're not good enough. It's so hard going through the motions to get through the day while your concentration is scattered and your attention is elsewhere. It's so hard dreading the moment he walks through the door with the long hair that doesn't match yours on his shirt and smelling like the other woman's perfume. It's so hard dreading the moment you walk through the door after a hard day at work to find the house a mess and your wife nagging about whatever it is you didn't do right today. It's so hard going to bed each night to lie next to someone you can't stand anymore. It's so hard to lie in the darkness wondering how you made such a mistake and how you can get out of it. It's so hard to silently, desperately lie in the darkness searching for a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card to release you from the bon

Beautiful Souls: A Series on Parenting Pt. 3~ We Interrupt This Program (Practical Parenting Tips)

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Beautiful Souls: A Series on Parenting Pt. 3~ We Interrupt This Program (Practical Parenting Tips) Today what was scheduled for my Parenting series - Was: Why bother with Baptism and the other Sacraments? -the anticipatory act of Baptism -the comprehension that we are changed by the Sacraments -learning healing from the Grace of God However, I'm interrupting the regularly scheduled programming to share a fun little quiz/interview I did with my kids and to just give you a few practical parenting tips... read the rest at Picture a Skyline

Catholic Author discusses Australian Aboriginal themes in debut novel

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Twice stolen by Susanne Timpani This post appears in 'Christian Writer's Downunder'

Prayer - How to get started

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Many years ago I used to run a retreat and conference centre in London. As I had to run the place on a shoe string I tried to do as many of the odd jobs myself to save money. But I always had to call in the plumber when the drains were blocked. One day when he was having his lunch I went to look inside his tool box to see if I could find the tool that he used to save me calling him again. It was then that I saw these words written in Latin inside the lid. ‘ All for the greater  honour and glory of God’  (Ad maiorem Dei gloriam).This was the ‘be all and end all’ of all that  he said and did each day, as it has been for all sincerely practicing Christians from the very beginning, as it had been for Jesus himself.    read on.....

Lent, Faith, and Ashes

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(From U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian May, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (Ash Wednesday celebration aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp .) Ash Wednesday comes this week, so I'll get ashes on my forehead and start doing my Lenten routines — along with folks around the world. That won't include the usual fasting: I'm past the 18-to-59 age requirement for Catholics in my region, and diabetic to boot . We're called to holiness, not stupidity; common sense applies, or should; and I'm putting a 'resources' link list at the end of this post. 1 More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena

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What is it?  A book which St. Catherine dictated while she was in ecstasy over the course of 5 days and 5 nights. In it are recorded verbatim the words spoken to her by God the Father. In this marvellous book: ...every well-known form of Christian life, healthy or parasitic, is treated of, detailed, analysed incisively, remorselessly, and then subsumed under the general conception of God's infinite loving-kindness and mercy... In the  Dialogo  we have a great saint, one of the most extraordinary women who every lived, treating, in a manner so simple and familiar as at times to become almost colloquial, of the elements of practical Christianity. Passages occur frequently of lofty eloquence, and also of such literary perfection that this book is held by critics to be one of the classics of the age and land which produced Boccaccio and Petrarch. (Algar Thorold,  Introduction ). Treatise on Divine Providence The  Dialogue  is divided into four sections. The first is the Treati

His Refuge

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(from The Cloistered Heart)

Please Do Not Leave Social Media for Lent ... pretty please

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Really. Don't leave for Lent.  I understand that many use this hiatus to spend more time working on their own personal spiritual growth and I can completely respect that HOWEVER.... please don't completely disappear for 40 days when social media needs you the most.  Okay, I've always had a flair for the dramatic but this is a serious situation.   Here's why...  Lent is a time that many people, especially those who may have been lukewarm, maybe a bit disassociated or just plan lax work to spice or rejuvenate their faith life.  The internet just happens to be a place many people turn for guidance and even community to make that happen.  So, what happens when those who are most likely to post something faith based, could possibly answer questions or would be open to connect as community make a mass exodus off social media during Lent??  There are great missed opportunity to evangelize, catechize and support those seeking meaning through an experience with Christ this

Alone in a Crowd

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EVER FELT ALONE IN A CROWD? NOT QUITE FITTING IN WITH YOUR FRIENDS? NOT THE CENTER OF ATTENTION? YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN BEING ALONE CLICK HERE

'Yet if you say so . . .' Sunday Reflections, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

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Miraculous Draught of Fishes , Raphael, 1515  Victoria &Albert Museum, London Gospel Luke 5:1-11 (NRSV, Catholic Edition, Canada)  Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they

As the Morning Rising: Make Her Known to the World

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As the Morning Rising: Make Her Known to the World : http://clonard.com/ Make her known to the world, Our Mother of Perpetual Help Icon surrounded by beautiful flowers. After the Noven...

How can you grow in prayer?

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So, you have set aside a certain time every day to converse with God. You are reading short passages of Scripture as a basis for your conversation. You recognize that dryness is a normal part of prayer that even the saints experience. Meditation on Sacred Scripture is just the beginning. God has much more in store for you. He desires the closest union with you. Now that you have taken the first big step, how can you continue to grow? Let’s explore what you need in order to steadily come into more intimate union with God. St. Teresa of Avila wrote about the virtues necessary for continued prayer growth. The first virtue is perseverance. In Interior Castle she says to beginners in prayer, “Perseverance is the most necessary thing here.” Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

Luxembourg and Asteroid Mining

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Stories like " Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet " and " Red Dwarf 's" Dave Lister singing "...Lived an old plutonium miner / And his daughter Clementine..." probably didn't help make asteroid mining seem like a serious idea. Then there's the 1966 Outer Space Treaty treaty: a tribute to the high ideals, and international politics, of the '60s. The idea was that anything we find outside Earth's atmosphere would belong to everyone. Nifty idea, not entirely wrong, and I'll get back to that. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Not Being Loved on Valentine's Day

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Valentine's Day may be one of the most dreaded holidays for the divorced and separated, maybe more so for Christians who understand the meaning of Valentine's Day and what Saint Valentine, a man who strove to bring Love to the world, would have wanted his special day to mean. Today we associate Valentine's Day with cards and candy hearts, bouquets and lingerie. We say we celebrate the Love we have for a significant other by giving them overpriced, obligatory flowers and oversized teddy bears advertised with sexual innuendoes and thinly veiled promises of what a man will get in return. To make matters worse, when you don't have a special person in your life, Valentine's Day can make you feel worth less or find you searching internet dating sites and settling mistaking Mr. Right Now for Mr. Right rather than choosing to be alone on another Valentine's Day. That's because we know Love is everything, the greatest of all is Love.  Without Love

Inspired Thinking

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As I mature in my walk with Christ, I have learned to not depend solely on my own logic but to take the time to listen to the Spirit. Divine inspiration always supplies new ideas and solutions, solutions I could never have come up with on my own.  Since we are all immersed in His Spirit, He is an integral part of every aspect of our lives. God is with me and cares about the tiniest details and problems I face. There are several ways of looking at a problematic situation. Early on in my mothering career, I learned that I had a choice. I could either catastrophize every dilemma or consider each crisis as an interesting challenge. With limited funds, surrounded by lots of little people on a hobby farm, I had to discover innovative ways of coping. When I relaxed, often an unusual, creative or even funny solution popped into my head. I just needed to keep everything in perspective and listen to my own inner voice as well as the whispers of the Spirit. continue reading

FOR HEART & HEALTH: First Friday Reminder & National Wear Red Day!

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A Little Reminder For Wearing Of The RED … In Devotion To The HEART … Along With 3 Wholesome Recipes For Heart-Healthy Treats of Red... [which could be perfect for this weekend,  before Lent begins –  if giving up chocolate:] ...  >> Click HERE to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >>

Mercy Music

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St. Augustine once famously quipped: "Singing is praying twice."  In celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Contemporary Christian music provides some beautiful insights into the power of God's love and mercy. Click here for five favorite images....

Reading to Children: Tops on My List!

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Reading to the Children During Catholic Schools Week Yesterday, I got to meet with 120 children at Saint Pius X Catholic School in Greensboro, NC. As part of the Catholic Schools Week festivities, I read my new book, Adventures of Faith, Hope, and Charity: Finding Patience to the Kindergartners, as well as the First and Second Graders. Read more...

Wjhy Penance? Why Friday? Why Fish?

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I grew up near Lake Erie. Every so often our neighbor Joe brought my mother some fish he caught. She was grateful, except for the fact that she would have to clean and debone them. You might wonder why we Catholics eat fish on Lenten Fridays. It began when Christians gave up meat as a penance, a way to atone for sin. In those early days, meat was expensive, the food of the wealthy, and a treat enjoyed mostly on feast days. Therefore it would hurt to give it up. On the other hand, fish, which was cheap and abundant, made a good substitute for meat. (Meat comes from mammals, not fish.) Click to continue

Effects of Sanctifying Grace

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1: A dopted Children of God Only Christ is begotten of the Father by natural generation. We are children of God through adoptive generation or filiation. We are “begotten of God” through Sanctifying Grace. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8.14-17) We are in the family of the Trinity! This is  more  than being adopted into a human family: through sanctifying grace we share in a mysterious way in the Divine Nature. Number 2: Heirs of God Read more at helenkablog.weebly.com

Never Distrust His Mercy

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(from The Breadbox Letters)

As the Morning Rising: Mercy is a river

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As the Morning Rising: Mercy is a river : Mercy is a river Mercy is a river That sows itself In splashes Providing water For the thirsty Who are terrified of t...

For Friends in Crisis

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Today I take one last stroll through "Prayerful Thoughts of St. Ignatius of Loyola," this time searching for wisdom in the face of my friends' deep suffering. ©Rick Schroeppel/Getty Images Please join me in prayer at Praying with Grace .