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Should you prepare yourself and teach your children about Divine Mercy? Jesus’ words to Saint Faustina about the requirement to be merciful leave no room for misinterpretation: “Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy … I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it”   (742). To read more about St. Faustina and how Divine Mercy Sunday was conceived, please read our last post:  7 Facts about St. Faustina and the Conception of Divine Mercy Sunday  (This will open in a new tab so you can click in now and check it out after you read this post.  Resources for Moms: For the entire post and to read more resources for moms and your children, click here.

(from The Cloistered Heart)

(From Elia Kazan, via Petrusbarbygere/Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (Screenshot from a " Panic in the Streets " trailer. ( Elia Kazan , 1950)) Actually, "Amoris Laetitia" means " The Joy of Love ." Pope Francis signed "Amoris Laetitia," about 58,000 words about love in the family, March 19. The apostolic exhortation was released Friday. So far, I've heard an imaginative summary on radio news, read a few dramatic headlines, and one or two online remarks about it that make sense. The latter generally boil down to 'I haven't studied it yet, so I don't know what it says.' That's pretty much where I'm at, but that won't stop me from talking — briefly, for me — about what I have read. So far, I've finished the introduction, glanced at the index, and am working my way through the first chapter.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Jesus said to  them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. (John 21:12)     Lent is over  and many of us have returned to our pre-lenten routine. We've stored away those extra prayers and acts of good will for another year. Likewise, after Jesus died the disciples returned to their fishing business. Yet the Resurrection  changes everything.    Today we read how Jesus returns to His disciples, not as a vision or a ghost, but as the Risen Lord.  He calls His  disciples from their work and over breakfast explains how their life as His disciples can never be the same. They have His mission to continue.  Jesus extends the  same invitation to us.To join Him for 'breakfast' - per daily prayer – and discover new possibilities for a deeper relationship with Him, the Resurrected Lord.

As the Morning Ris ing: Peter: Peter Those that had gathered round a fire In the courtyard of Caiaphas's house Heard Peter's denial before Bitter t...

Efficiency is not a virtue. Efficiency is not a sign of holiness. I do not think Jesus was efficient; He was not a modern man. He was an Eastern sort of man Who delighted in long meals, conversations And long, inefficient times of silence listening to His Father. continue

Moving slowly? Trapped behind a fence spiritually? Can’t get that momentum going? The fence is too hight to climb? What’s going on? Did you ever have a pet who was literrally your “velcro” pet? I used to own a greayhound named Bailey who had been a racer. Racing dogs are not necessarily treated very well. When Bailey became our dog, he liked where he was, but he was very much afraid of being abandoned. He was my velcro dog. Where I went, he went. At times, he was, literally, attached to my hip. (He was a big greyhound!)  Read more at Prayerfully Yours

As the Morning Rising: A Blessed Moment : A Blessed Moment Nothing has seemed the same since then Neither hill nor stream Nor the pine trees' scent.  Even the cawing of crow...

You've been together for a while. You love this person, and you cannot wait to be Married! Marriage is a Good thing, a holy Sacrament given by God and reflective of the Trinity, and yet many Marriages now end in divorce. The Good news is - it doesn't have to be this way! There are many in the Catholic Church who say there are too many invalid annulments while others say there are too many invalid marriages. Either way, you don't want to be another sad statistic. You don't want to be on the end of a failed relationship wondering whether your marriage or your annulment was the invalid act, and you don't have to be! For the past several years, I've worked with women through life coaching. Some of these women are in the process of recovering from a failed relationship. Others are ready to start new relationships, and still others are considering taking current relationships to the next level. All want to be sure this is the right move at the right time

The Gospel of John   (2003) Directed by Philip Saville Narrator: Christopher Plummer Gospel  John 21:1-19  [or 21:1-14]   ( NRSV, Catholic Ed . , Canada)  read the full gospel here [ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”   A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”     He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.     Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, a

Do you remember that phrase from ages ago? You’d fall down and skin your knee and someone would say, “Offer it up.” You’d have to eat, oh. my. goodness!, gag, “beets” or “liver,” and even though you would fall on the floor gagging dramatically, you’d be told to get up off that floor, sit at the table, eat what you were given and “offer it up.” Maybe when , your favorite TV show was not on TV that night and something else was on, and you disappointed, you were told to “offer it up.” We don’t hear much about “offering it up” in this day and age, but the power of redemptive suffering is still as strong today as it was when I was a kid. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

(from The Breadbox Letters)

The BEAM Bigelow Aerospace habitat module, will be launched toward the International Space Station (ISS) today: if all goes well. BEAM is packed in the Dragon spacecraft's pressurized section. This cargo run also carries supplies for the ISS crew, and for several dozen of the roughly 250 experiments planned for Expeditions 47 and 48. ( SpaceX press kit ) After getting attached to the ISS and inflated, BEAM will mostly just sit there for at least two years: empty except when someone in the ISS takes samples and swaps out radiation sensors. I think that's a good idea, since BEAM is testing technology for Bigelow Aerospace rental properties in low Earth orbit. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Getting to the true roots of the problem [whether dealing in body, mind, or soul]... In The News: “People with high levels of good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein, are not as safe from heart disease when high levels of a newly identified biomarker of inflammation in the arteries are also found in their bloodstream, according to a new study.” “Historically, C-reactive protein has been used as an indicator of inflammation… ‘GlycA is a new particle we didn’t know much about...'" >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >>

Jared Zimmerer, author of Ten Commandments of Lifting Weights and Man Up! Becoming The New Catholic Renaissance Man is currently on EWTN's Women of Grace television series with Johnnette Benkovic in a 5-part series about Catholic men .   Man Up! Becoming The New Catholic Renaissance Man received honorable mention in the 2015 Catholic Press Awards for Gender Issues and speaks well to the dilemma facing men in general today. The ideas of heroism, virtuous living, and recognizing and honoring what masculinity truly is are central to Jared's work.   Jared himself has wide appeal as both a man of intellect and a man of physical strength. He builds his body as well as his spirit and in that way walks the talk quite well. Contributors to Man Up! include Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Kevin Lowry, Kevin Vost and other great voices for our times. The foreword is offered by Fr. Dwight Longenecker.   The Women of Grace episodes are available to watch online if you aren'

“Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’  If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.  “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’  Luke 10:4-9 This week I was reminded of this notion of “traveling light” as I left the ministries at my local parish to join the staff for two parishes a little over half an hour away.  Having already met numerous parishioners, and attending several staff and collaborative meetings, there was little concern that I would be welcome. With open arms, warm smiles and sincere prayers I have already been made to feel, within these first few days, a part of this b

See k   the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.   Isaiah 55   The women’s hand was not even completely in the air before the question came bursting forth, and the tears welled in her eyes.  “How can we let go of wanting to hear we are forgiven, when we’ve begged for it, but the other person is not willing to extend it. As a human person, I want to hear those words not from God but from the other person.” My heart truly ached as I heard in her voice the depth of her pain and her desperation for an answer.

As the Morning Rising: The House of God : I have always thought of churches as being there to give glory to God, to raise minds heavenward, and as places to which we are drawn in uni...

Visiting Those in Prison – A Corporal Act of Mercy As promised, each month this year, I will cover an act, or acts of mercy. This month we will focus on visiting those in prison as part of the Year of Mercy series, where we explore the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Visiting the imprisoned is a corporal act of mercy. My guess is that you are thinking of the incarcerated, as the only people who fit this bill. Think again! Anyone enslaved to sin is in some sort of prison. Anyone in need, who can find no way out, is in some sort of prison. When thinking of the imprisoned, I am reminded of a line from... Read more...

I just finished reading The Little Paris Bookshop, an international bestseller. It's a delightful novel about a man who sells books from his "The Literary Apothecary" located on a barge. He has a gift for "reading" people and presenting them with just the right book to meet their needs. The book is a love story on many levels as well as a travel book as the man makes his way through France. Any word-lover will savor the language in this book: "a man with a leathery skin like an iguana's," "the countryside beneath glittering stars and red summer moons," "hair like coarse flax on a spindle," cats' "tails bristling like scrubbing brushes," "weeping willows trailed their branches in the water like playful fingers," "thinking felt like wading through treacle," "wallowing in our happiness like roast beef in gravy." The book conveys the lesson that books have the power to chang

“Laugh and grow strong.” ( St. Ignatius of Loyola) I was stunned when I first discovered this quote by St. Ignatius because I associated the soldier-saint, who founded the intellectual Jesuit order, with the serious, arduous  Spiritual Exercises . I could hardly imagine St. Iggy spouting a phrase which appears at first glance to be flippant. Yet, this quote illustrates that Ignatius grasped a deep, spiritual truth which many Catholics do not understand:  joy is a gift from God. The average Catholic does not associate joy with holiness, but believes holiness is synonymous with Christ-like suffering. However, the truth is even redemptive suffering is not miserable when we are suffused with the love of God and filled with His Spirit. Joy is at the core of our spirit when we live in, with, and through Christ. This  holy joy is the source of a Christian’s strength. “God Made Us For Joy”- continue reading

The Word became Flesh through the “Yes” of Mary. Mary made a commitment to become pregnant by the Holy Spirit, trusting that God knew what He was doing. She had no idea of what lay ahead of her, she only knew that God was blessing her with the gift of His Child. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

Raymond Gawronski, SJ. All rights reserved  WWW.TOGOMISSIONPARISH.ORG Pope Francis carries a prayer intention close to his heart: African Christians. In the month of April, he asks all Christians around the world to unite in prayer for followers of Christ on the world's second-largest continent. Here are the words to his April evangelization prayer: That Christians in Africa may give witness to love and faith in Jesus Christ amid political-religious conflicts Earlier this year, the Christian charity  Open Doors  produced a report called    Freedom of Religion and  the Persecution of Christians . Though the report confirms North Korea as the most difficult place in the world to be a Christian (for 14 years running), many African countries are downright lethal. The report's six most dangerous countries for Christians are in Africa: Nigeria, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Cameroon. Nigeria, at the top of the list, has more than 8

In the Compass Catholic small group bible study: Navigating Your Finances God's Ways -- week 5 examines the 4 elements of giving: attitudes advantages amount approach   Attitudes My discovery here was si mple and was  eluded to in the last week's post .  I have no trouble giving money. I think it is a wonderful gift to be able to share with others.  I do need to be weary of my motives - the whole don't let your left hand see what your right hand is doing.  My trouble honestly is not in my generosity with treasure but with time and talent.  Although, I have also learned that my monetary generosity needs to be budgeted and that 'giving from your poverty' does not mean  going into credit card debt .  My attitude needs some tweaking as I consider how I will share my time. I am very stingy with my time.  Perhaps this is best explained by sharing that I am an extrovert with introverted tendencies; meaning I love being with people and I especially love sh

There are a lot of words we use to describe God and his mercy. God is generous and kind. His mercy is endless, boundless and limitless. We use words like faithful, agape and constant when we think of his love. One word that has never, ever come to my mind (and maybe not yours either) when I think of God is "reckless." So Fr. B. had my attention this past Sunday--Divine Mercy Sunday--when he spoke of God as being reckless. I mean he really had my attention. I tend to love homilies as they sort of wash over me and refresh my spirit, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. read the rest here

The other day, as I was hovering over the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, blowing disorderly strands of hair out of my face, in order to properly clean the pee off the bathroom floor, my two-year-old snuck up behind me. Placing his small childish hand on my shoulder, he looked at my work, and like a tiny foreman, he proclaimed boldly, “ Great job Mommy! I’m so proud of you .” Well, if that’s all it takes…! As I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the shiny pee-covered tile (I know, so poetic), I was transported to prior days. I remembered the days when I would get out of bed and choose one of my “professional” outfits, before coordinating hair and earrings. Lets just face it, I’m always running late (even in my flashbacks), so makeup usually happened somewhere between the metro and work. Work! So much of  who  we are in this society is what we  do . Think about any new conversation you have with someone. Shortly after your name, comes what you  do . And what you do is not

Becoming More Like Christ: A Daily Prayer Guide to Living the Beatitudes by Monsignor David E. Rosage Christ is sending me a message, and I am hearing it loud and clear. As with last month’s book review of Blessed are the Stressed , by Sister Mary Lea Hill, the Holy Spirit seems to have placed another book in my path centered on the Beatitudes! Becoming More like Christ , by Monsignor David E. Rosage, is a wonderful daily prayer guide to living the Beatitudes. Given that the Beatitudes are focused on discipleship, via the embrace of such virtues as humility, meekness, peace, and justice, I was in my glory reading this book. Monsignor Rosage took pains to find the most appropriate 365 Scriptural passages and aligned them with the Beatitudes, so that... Read more...

My mother's death happened so quickly and was so unexpected that I had difficulty coming to terms with it at the time. Everything seemed so unreal. I just didn't feel anything. Jobs had to be done and I had to do them. Someone had died and I had to make all the practical arrangements.  My relatives and friends were there but they didn't support me, I organised them. I heard them say all the things you expect them to say, and I said all the things I was expected to say. It was as if I was acting a part, and I was conscious of it - but what else could I do?  When I got back home and returned to work I carried on as if nothing had happened. The workload had built up during my absence and it took me months to catch up. The sudden cancellation of a major conference gave me two weeks off. Although I didn't realize it at the time, it gave me the space and time I needed to come to terms with my mother's death.     read on......

As the Morning Rising: Venerable Matt Talbot : Our Lady of Lourdes Church Dublin People come from all over the world to visit and pray at Venerable Matt Talbot Shrine.  A stri...

(from The Cloistered Heart)

(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) I care about God's mercy because I'm a sinner, which doesn't mean what you may think. First, a quick review of what I don't believe is true. ( March 15, 2015 ) I'm not "some loathsome insect," and neither are you: " ...every unconverted Man properly belongs to Hell.... " " ...The God that holds you over the Pit of Hell, much as one holds a Spider, or some loathsome Insect, over the Fire, abhors you.... " " ...you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God.... " (" Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God ," pp. 6, 9, 15, 18; Jonathan Edwards (July 8, 1741) (via Digital Commons@University of Nebraska-Lincoln)) Samuel Clemens apparently had a well-defined attitude regarding "converted" folks, and I can't say that I blame him.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Reading: " …As the Father sent me so I send you."  John 20:21 The Father's plan  relied on Jesus' obedience. Our salvation depended on it. Jesus tells us today that He sends us out in the same way as the Father sent Him. With expectations of obedience. Jesus had every  right to say no. The account of His passion and death in the Gospel reflects rejection, hatred, ridicule, physical suffering, and a humiliating death. He relied on  the Father to sustain Him. On the night before He died, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed. He poured out His desperation and honest fear. He received His Father's power to carry out God's plan. When we stumble  on our journey of faith and forget why we follow Him and feel powerless, Jesus left us an example. We return to a place of prayer. Jesus relies on  our obedience to pass on His message of salvation. He provides the power for us to carry out His plan. And like Jesus, we receive the

One day I died and went straight to Heaven where I was met by St Peter at the Gates. “Ah … you’ve arrived!” he said looking at his electronic notepad, “it says here that you claimed to have a sense of humor when alive; let’s test that shall we? “Tell me a joke … make me laugh and I’ll let you in!” I was astounded at his attitude on such a solemn occasion; I stumbled to find the right thing to say. “Ah … not so funny now, are you?” continued the Saint. “But … ehm …” I mumbled sensing my throat getting drier with nervousness.     “So, what will it be? A funny joke; or will you go straight down without a parachute?” chuckled St Peter through his thick beard. “You’ve just laughed … a little!" I pointed out sheepishly, but not without a modicum of forlorn hope, “surely that counts as a joke!” “That’s true,” replied St Peter, “you’ve always been ridiculous to look at anyway; so I’ll let you in.” I smiled, wiping the cold sweat from my brow.

What has Thomas to do with a fox? CLICK HERE

My six year old got off the school bus yesterday looking awful. "Mom," he said in the voice that makes him sound more like 60 than six, "I'm going to bed." I immediately went into Mom-mode. I felt his head. No sign of fever. I kissed his little cheek. Nothing seemed amiss, but his shoulders were slumped and he just repeated that he was going to bed. "Okay," I replied and, concerned, I reached to take his hand, but it was gone before I could grasp it. Suddenly the little hand that had been so close to my mine, the little boy with the sad look and slumped shoulders darted away, backing up, and laughing at me. "April Fools!" he shouted scampering across the driveway in an attempt to outmaneuver my hands which now reached out to throttle him. As a teacher and as a single mom of five boys I can't believe I fell for his trick! April Fool's Day is usually a big deal here with lots of tricks going on as the boys an

The Incredulity of St Thomas , Rembrandt, 1634 Pushkin Museum, Moscow [ Web Gallery of Art ] Gospel John 20:19-31 ( NRSV, Catholic Ed ,Can) When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in t

Syn 3.0, developed by the Ventner Institute, has fewer genes than any 'wild' bacteria. The 'artificial' microcritter is another important step in understanding how life works. On the other side of the Atlantic, folks in the United Kingdom will be deciding what to do about a bureaucratic SNAFU and their national DNA database.... ...I've seen attitudes toward science and technology shift from silly optimism to equally-silly pessimism. I am reasonably certainly that mutant safflowers won't destroy civilization. On the other hand, ethics matter as much now as they ever did.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I was flying home from Chicago and was seated next to a young black man. We began to converse, and he told me that he was on his way home from Washington DC. He had been there visiting his girlfriend for the weekend. Of course, he was grinning from ear to ear. He said that they had a wonderful weekend together. Since it was Sunday, I asked if he had attended church that day. He just smiled and said, “Nah. I haven’t been to Mass in years.” Of course, my ears perked up at the word Mass. We continued to talk for a bit. I asked why he had stopped attending Mass. He said that he didn’t really know. He just wasn’t interested any more. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

Success #1   Returned home - safe and sound - and healthy from my business trip to Washington, DC.  While there for the  Napa Institute 's Human Ecology conference on the campus Catholic University of America - I learned: All about Uber (as the Metro was down while I was there);  $1500 a night hotel rooms are WAY better than $400 a night hotel rooms (our reservations were given away by the Days Inn so they had to put us up at a Marriott for one night - it was nice albeit very inconvenient at midnight)!; Planes travel 'wicked fast' when there are only 11 people on board with no stowed luggage! (except the one bag my traveling companion, Jennifer Longworth had with our  Breadbox Media  swag in it!). Success #2  Jennifer and I were able to spend some time in the  Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception  in Washington, DC at the end of the first night of the conference.  ...   read more  ...  All Rights Reserved, Allison Gingras 2016