"Well... that's obviously a wrong theory, because heh... that was my philosophy way back in the day ." This was how a conversation I was having with a fellow blogger started. I knew it wasn't going to go well. :-p Or end well. I was just remembering as we had this conversation, that we had some friends of Polish descent in D.C. The Dad was in the grad program with Stephen at CUA. They named their first born son Stanislaus and called him Stash. Pronounced " Stahsh ." I honestly think that is such a cool name, and I'm tucking it away for future ideas! I remember the first time they had us over for dinner. Laura made steak-frites (homemade french fries and steak) and I saw tons of games on their shelves. I was impressed to learn that they were really big into playing Settlers of Catan and Chess together as husband and wife. Laura also goes down in history as the person who said to me, "I think the coolest thing about being Catholic is that
Posts
As the Morning Rising: St Bernadette of Lourdes
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Even If Pentecost is Past, and We're in Ordinary Tiime, We Can Still be Infused by the Holy Spirit...
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Infusing oils with herbs is an easy process, but it just takes time. If you want to infuse oils with herbs, you fill a quart jar with herbs, leaving about and inch of open space on the top. You will the jar with oil, preferably olive oil, still leaving about an inch of open space in the jar. Cover the jar, put the jar in the sun, and wait 2-4 weeks. (Bring the jar in at night.) Waiting until 4 weeks to finish the processing of the oil is best because the oil becomes deeply scented. Strain and use as needed. Insert sound of a needle scratching a phonograph record. Read More At Prayerfully Yours
Hope Livingstone's Surprise: The Back Story
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By
Virginia Lieto
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The Back Story to Hope's Character Hope Livingstone, and her family, had just moved into a new house, in a new town. Life was chaotic. Boxes were everywhere. Peanuts were flying out of boxes, thanks to Hope’s little sister Charity. Hope didn’t mind that it would mean that Hope would need to clean it all up. Hope thought moving was exciting! Everywhere she turned, she found a new surprise, as she explored every nook and cranny of their new house! Hope always looks at life as if it were an adventure; something to explore; treasures to find. So moving was thrilling to Hope, who possesses an optimistic nature. She approaches life with an easy-breezy style. Nothing ever really bothers her; that is, until she couldn’t find... Read more...
Mary, Jesus Expert
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By
Allison Gingras
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In my day, if I wanted to increase my tennis prowess, I would watch Chris Evert Lloyd’s moves on the court. When my mother cut my hair in the iconic ‘Dorothy Hamill’ pixie , my whole world revolved around the dream of being an Olympic skater. I watched her every skating competition, eager to pick up even the tiniest trick to hone my skills. For the record, my moves were ample for the make-believe Pond Capades but never truly worthy of the hairdo. Here is a sampling of what I have to learn from Jesus Expert, Mary ... SEE them here All Rights Reserved, Allison Gingras 2016
Thughts on Pentecost
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Mystery. Holy Trinity. Three Persons, One God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Enter into the Upper Room. Open the door and step inside. The Apostles are in prayer, except for those who are sleeping. It’s early in the morning. The light is soft and entering in through the windows. Peter has been praying all night. He looks tired, but he gets up to drink from the pitcher of water. He blows out the lamps that have been burning all night, and he looks out the windows around the room in search of Roman troops coming to arrest them. Read more at Prayerfully Yours
10 Minute Daily Retreat: Pentecost Sunday Reflection
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A mighty wind invades the world, So strong and free on beating wing: It is the Spirit of the Lord From whom all truth and freedom spring. The Spirit is a fountain clear Forever leaping to the sky, Whose waters give unending life, Whose timeless source is never dry. The Spirit comes in tounges of flame, With love and wisdom burning bright, The wind, the fountain and the fire Combine in this great feast of light. O tranquil Spirit, bring us peace, With God the Father and the Son. We praise you, blessed Trinity, Unchanging, and forever One. (Hymn from The Divine Office)
You Can’t Make a Silk Purse Out Of A Sow’s Ear
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By
Melanie Jean Juneau
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Attendance at Mass, regular confession, spiritual exercises, fasting, and prayer are wonderful vehicles of grace but if we think pious activities will sanctify us, we will only appear to be holy on the outside like the Pharisees: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. (Matthew 23:27) Now, the Pharisees were not evil men; they were earnestly striving to be good, to follow the Law but they thought they could perfect themselves through religious practices. However, man cannot transform himself into a holy being. As my Irish grandmother would say, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” In other words, only Christ can transform us into His image and draw us into the heart of His Father. continue reading
'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.' Sunday Reflections, Pentecost, Year C
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By
Fr Seán Coyle
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Pentecost , El Greco, 1596-160 Gospel John 20:19-23 ( 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.” Or Gospel John 14:15-16, 23b-26( NRSV,Catholic Ed ., Can) Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, an
As the Morning Rising: Follow the Icon - Rosemount House Belfast
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Slow, Loving, Gentle Healing
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Dr. Helen Scieszka's desire to heal the emotional wounds of people is a calling; it is definitely her mission. To accomplish this, she has turned her talents to Catholic fiction and uses the mighty pen as part of the healing process. She writes from her experience as a therapist and her love of the Catholic faith in the Catholic fiction series Little Girl Lost, Little Girl Found . With each entry in the trilogy, Dr. Scieszka takes the reader on a slow, gentle, loving healing journey. She use her fiction series to address the pain of long-held emotional or physical trauma in a way that allows and encourages the reader to experience healing as well. To read more about Dr. Scieszka's Little Girl Lost, Little Girl Found series, read the current article on her work in The Compass .
NO STRANGER AT THE DOOR
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By
Victor S E Moubarak
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Blessings
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I’m not used to it, but that has to change. One of the priests at Church, Father A., ends a conversation with the words, “God Bless You.” The first time I heard him say that to me, I didn’t know what to say. It took a heartbeat, but I did respond, “And with your spirit.” We both chuckled because he wasn’t saying Mass at the time. Read More at Prayerfully Yours
Living solutions for large families
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By
Lucy
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Being part of a larger Catholic community who really, really love life.. I mean, we REALLY love life. In all its messy, demanding and chaotic iterations. This also means we LOVE babies, children, families, old people, grandparents, teenagers and even (sometimes) cranky mothers like me. One of the challenges, however, in a "Culture of Death" as St John Paul 2 put it, is the the issue of shelter.... Read more
Live Today Well by Fr. Thomas F Daily O.S.F.S - Book Review
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By
Virginia Lieto
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Live Today Well: Saint Francis de Sales’s Simple Approach to Holiness , by Fr. Thomas F. Dailey, O.S.F.S is a gem! This five-star book offers anyone wanting to grow closer to God a practical means of doing so. Fr. Dailey takes the reader through Saint Francis de Sales’ Spiritual Directory , using contemporary ways of applying this ever useful, and timeless instruction of St Francis on how to live today well; from one’s first rising in the morning until one lays their head down to sleep at night. This book offers prayerful ways that we can grow in virtue; thus grow in holiness. My favorite line from Fr. Dailey’s book is this: By seeking ways to practice a particular virtue throughout the day, we can counteract those imperfections toward which prior examinations have revealed we may be inclined (page 113). How to Live Each Day Well How often have we looked back on our day and said to ourselves... Read more...
Mary's Holy Boldness
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By
Kathleen Glavich
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In this month of May devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is fitting that we reflect on her. I’d like to focus on one of the many ways that she is a model for all Christians: Mary had courage as she fulfilled her mission of bringing forth Christ into the world and furthering the kingdom of God. As human as any of us, Mary experienced fear several times during her life. Yet, she conquered her nerves to do what she knew she had to do. Granted, since she was “full of grace” and filled with the Holy Spirit, she had a special reservoir to draw on for her accomplishments. Still, her life was not a bed of roses. She encountered several thorny situations. Click to continue
A Prayer and Thoughts from My Prayer Journal: Seen and Unseen
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Tim McGraw: "Humble and Kind"
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By
Virginia Lieto
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Not sure if y’all knew this or not, but I am a big country music fan. I heard Tim McGraw sing his new song, Humble and Kind , at a recent Country Music Awards show. Then, I seemed to catch it every time it played on the radio. Tim McGraw has a wonderfully distinct voice and this song speaks to my heart. Being the lover of virtue that I am, I immediately honed in on the lyrics, as well as the melody, of the song. I had some thoughts on the underlying message, but I was interested in learning how Tim McGraw interpreted the lyrics. So, I went to YouTube to see the video. Visual messages seem to have a way of really drilling the concept home. The video... Read more...
Lessons Learnt at Home
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M y mother taught me to say my Morning Offering the moment I woke up in the morning. But above all she showed me how to put it into practice by her own example. It wasn’t the little things that I noticed at first, but the big sacrifices that she made, that even I noticed. Like that terrible moment in her life when her own precious son, my older brother, died at the age of 22. It was then that, with the help of her spiritual director Abbott Williams she gradually learnt to accept his death, as Mary had done, as she stood at the foot of the Cross. Lessons learnt in such moments are never forgotten. They indelibly stain the memory and determine the way you think and act for the rest of your life, for better or for worse. In my mother's case it was for better not worse, as it had been for Mary. read on ...
My Mother's Day Rosary
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Happy Mother’s Day to Me! I found this rosary in our church gift shop yesterday. It’s an October birthstone rosary made with beautiful PINK crystals! I knew it was mine! (My birthday is in October.) I asked Father A. to bless this Rosary so now I will use it. Today, when I say my Rosary, I will offer it up for four things: 1) Our Lady’s intentions 2) All Mothers. 3) All Women 4) an end to abortion Read More at Prayerfully Yours
10 Minute Daily Retreat: Ponder with Mother Mary
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In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Luke 1:26-29 Surely Mary, the mother of Jesus, holds the greatest honour amongst mothers? Mary responded to the invitation to bear Jesus by 'pondering.' This is a wonderful example for us. Pondering implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter – reflection, meditation. Don’t be fooled into thinking that little decisions don’t need our pondering. Whatever we choose brings us closer to God or further away, and either brings others closer to God or further away. Regular ‘pondering’ facilitates the reshaping of our minds and hearts so we m
‘Tis A Gift To Be Simple
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By
Melanie Jean Juneau
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'You are witnesses of these things.' Sunday Reflections, The Ascension of the Lord, Year C
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By
Fr Seán Coyle
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The Ascension of Christ , Rembrandt, 1636 The Solemnity of the Ascension Gospel Luke 24:46-53 NRSV, Catholic Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God. When I went home to Ireland on vacation from the Philippines in 1994 before beginning six years as vocation director I took a short course for missionaries in the use of computers given
Remembering Moms on Mother's Day: The Best Gift EVER!
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When I was a kid and didn’t have any money for gifts, I used to give freely when it came to spiritual bouquets. Sister Mary Claudia let me play at recess, even though I was talking, I made her a spiritual bouquet. I needed a birthday present for my aunt or for my cousin, I made a spiritual bouquet. My best friend’s mother gave me cookies as a treat, you guessed it, I made them a spiritual bouquet. Read More at Prayerfully Yours
WHEN HOPE IS TOTALLY LOST
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By
Victor S E Moubarak
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A for Avocado: from Dip to Top of the Class!
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By
Eileen Frank
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Enjoy flavorful recipes, such as for a fiesta celebration (like Cinco de Mayo!) or backyard barbeque? … and any time at all! Here you will find recipes for: “Award Winning Guacamole” + “Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Hass Avocado and Cucumber Relish” + “Raspberry Avocado Salad with Honey Raspberry Vinaigrette” + “California Avocado, Fruit and Citrus Bowl” + more… from appetizer through dessert! >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >>
Have You Prayed Your Rosary Today? Here are 10 Reasons to Pray the Rosary!
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Common errors of Centering Prayer practitioners
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By
Connie Rossini
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Centering Prayer practitioners are often very sincere people who are seeking a closer relationship with God. For some, a Centering Prayer group at church was their first introduction to the idea of cultivating a deep prayer life. Others have read the saints’ works about prayer, but have not understood them. Both groups are vulnerable to false teachings about prayer. Unfortunately for them, they are taught a skewed interpretation of the saints, the fathers, and even the Catechism. Theses errors take root. People become emotionally attached to their method of prayer. It is very difficult to convince them that the practice is not in line with Catholic tradition. Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.