Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Have you ever been accused of something for which you were innocent? Perhaps your spouse blamed you for leaving the dirty dishes in the sink. Or perhaps your neighbor accused you of calling the police on them because of their rowdy party this past weekend. Whatever the reason, we all bear wrongs of others. Yet, do we do it patiently? Do we look at these incidents and become defensive? Do we feel the need to defend our honor and the truth? Or, do we weigh the situation and come to realize that the grace of peace and harmony far outweighs the need to be right? If the answer to this last question is yes, then... Read more...

We have been the recipients of God’s incredible abundant mercy. Now we are to let mercy flow from us onto others. We are to be the face of God’s compassionate love for others: our family members, friends, and colleagues. Jesus taught us this. When he was criticized for eating with tax collectors and sinners, he said, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ ” Mercy doesn’t judge; it loves. Click to Continue

I left the courtroom, again feeling drained. It's been over seven years since my husband left. You'd think he'd be happier. You'd think he'd get on with his life. You'd think he'd let me get on with mine. You'd think the court systems would protect victims of verbal and emotional assault. You'd think I'd know better by now. In this week's Gospel, Jesus tells the story of the persistent widow. We know not whether the woman is young or old, rich or poor, childless, or raising a gaggle of young ones 24/7 with no help from family or friends. We know little of her or her situation, but we do know she was treated badly and is seeking the court's help. Perhaps some of us can put ourselves in the woman's shoes. With the advance of no fault divorce, record numbers of marriages are breaking up, and increasing numbers of people are seeing marriage as broken. These people then turn to the courts for justice. Most, especially victim

As the Morning Rising: I am what I am in God : I am what I am in God I am the tree, When I am not the tree, I am the field, And when I am not the fie...

We conclude with the seventh installment of our seven-part series on the seven deadly sins. Today we discuss Pride: the root of all evil! Pride will infiltrate your soul, leaving no room for anything else. It will drive your thoughts and actions, if you let it. You don’t even know what is happening to you at the time. Unbeknownst to me, that is exactly what happened to me! Only upon reflection, and with a true dose of honesty, can one start the process of moving from prideful to humble. Here is my story: When I was a child,... Read more...

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Someone once wondered why my earliest writings on The Cloistered Heart did not mention s aints who'd had ideas somewhat similar to my own . Actually, I'd had no clue that anyone else ever thought such things... at least things with specifically 'cloistered' imagery. Imagine my surprise, then, when I first read this from Elizabeth of the Trinity:   'May the God Who is all love be your unchanging dwelling place, your cell, and your cloister in the midst of the world.' Oh my goodness... (continue...) 

(From BBC, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission.) ("I find that nothing's ever exactly like you expect...." ( Professor Richard Lazarus )) A mad scientist's lot is not a happy one. All he wants is to redefine being human: and the next thing you know, he's eating guests at his victory celebration. Doctor Who's The Lazarus Experiment doesn't have much to do with The Devil Bat and The Brain That Wouldn't Die , apart from featuring a mad scientist — and science gone horribly wrong. Some movies, like Fantastic Voyage and Things to Come , present science and technology as useful. But "tampering with thing man was not supposed to know," as Mr. Squibbs put it, keeps the plot going for quite a few; like Altered Species , They Saved Hitler's Brain , and Island of Lost Souls . Reticence, reasonable and otherwise, regarding new ideas isn't new.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

“I the Lord search the heart     and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct,     according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10 The gift of knowledge  is summed up beautifully in this passage. It is  like an heirloom of jewelry sometimes given to European children – each receive  a piece that is similar in its element and age but the jewelry itself is different depending on the child’s position in the family.  The youngest child  might receive a bracelet.  The middle child  might receive a necklace.  The eldest child  might receive their mother’s wedding ring.  In the sam e way, the Lord gives us various capacity of knowledge according to where he born us in society. He expects us to use this gift to the best of our ability. Overall, the gift  of knowledge is the appreciation of the heirloom that God has given to us – not wishing for the wedding ring if we were given the bracelet but using the full value of the wed

  En la visita del Papa Francisco a México, la Iglesia volvió a situarse en el centro de la atención de los medios de comunicación y de las comunidades política, intelectual y cultural de México. Pero ¿Conocemos realmente lo que hace la Iglesia? ¿Qué esconde la Iglesia que casi nadie sabe del actuar de sus miembros? La imagen construida de una Iglesia enfrascada en sermones y condenación de cualquier progreso de la ciencia por décadas ha concentrado la atención del mundo entero en los aspectos doctrinales que son ¨políticamente incorrectos” y que van contra los intereses comerciales y políticos de muchos líderes y empresas, y han pasado por desapercibida la riqueza escondida de la Iglesia. Nadie parece saber en dónde está, no porque la esconda, sino porque no hay muchos interesados en que se conozca, y porque a ella no le interesa quien lo sepa, sino Dios.

I managed to get an interview with Catholic writer Amy M. Bennett for my blog. If you enjoy reading mysteries, you'll love hers! Here's the interview: continue

St. Teresa of Avila is the real deal; holy, down to earth, humble and best of all extremely articulate.  Her  phrases are succinct, to the point yet those few words point to a deep, Divine wisdom. continue

As the Morning Rising: St Teresa of Avila : ‘What a great favour God does to those He places in the company of good people.’ ‘Remember that you have only one soul, that you have...

Pietro Bernadone, the father of St Francis, was proud of his son’s business skills.  He was proud too that he was  popular with his peers. He looked on with admiration to see the sons of the local aristocracy vying for his friendship and favour along with the other ‘lager louts' of his day. Father and son had dreams and the money that they made together made these dreams seem to be within their grasp. The age was already dawning, indeed it had already come, when a tradesman of substance could rise up beyond his origins. He could take his place with the minor aristocracy and have some say in the running of the world where his forebears had lived as little more than minions for more than a millennium.   read on

As the Morning Rising: The Changes ( Clerical ) : The Changes ( Clerical ) Scanning the list Looking for any familiar names Running an eye or finger along the lines And in between...

Moses, Michelangelo, 1515, San Pietro, Vinculo, Rome Gospel Luke 18:1-18 ( NRSV, Catholic ) Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’ Old Woman Praying, Rembrandt, 1629-30 Last Sunday's story about the ten lepers

Maybe 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks,' but apparently the adult brain isn't nearly as rigid as scientists thought. I'll be looking at neuroplasticity, the idea that brains can change; research that may lead to better neural interfaces; and 'brain training' games.... ...We've been learning a great deal about the human brain and how it works. That's a good thing for me, since I have maintenance issues with mine.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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 (from The Breadbox Letters)

At Play In God’s Creation  is an invitation to experience Divine Love in a concrete way. When people focus on colouring, they concentrate on being present to the moment. Playful creativity helps people relax and let go of distractions and worries. As minds gradually become quiet, people discover they are able to be simply in the moment, in silence, where they are free to meet God in a healing encounter. Many counselors use coloring or drawing to draw out what ails a child – especially in situations of abuse. This is a natural progression from this method. Most importantly, colouring is a delightful way to discover joyful intimacy with God because people find themselves creating with the Creator. In this way, it seems to me that this book functions as a sacramental. An engagement with the physical activity of picking up a marker draws people into their body, leading to an intense awareness of self and then a forgetting of self where they are open to a touch from God. continue re

As the Morning Rising: Send Down Your Spirit Like The Dewfall

"You'll never guess what he did now..." I grabbed my best friend, my confidant, and bit into the story. I should have brought my complaints solely to God, but I felt I needed someone human to empty the latest episode with my ex on. I don't believe in telling everyone the all the gory, ongoing details, but sometimes I need to unload on someone. She listened and then went into what her ex had done too. Both of us shaking our heads in disbelief as we heard each others' stories. For me, the intense agony of abandonment and betrayal has long been gone. Feelings of romantic love or longing for a reunion as well as fear of not being good enough or pain of worthlessness were long ago replaced by nothing more than amazement that I had ever loved a man capable of doing what my ex does and disbelief that I had ever found him the least bit attractive. I tend to look at him as a leper of society, one worthy of being shunned, and I think, "If people only knew...&q

Saint Margaret of Antioch The story behind this saint is mostly legendary but it was so interesting I had to share it. I hope you enjoy learning about her legend as much as I did. The information I share with you is taken from an old book, The Golden Legend, written around 1260–almost 800 years ago! Saint Margaret was born in Antioch during the third century. Her father was a pagan priest and her mother died shortly after her birth. Margaret’s father sent her to be cared for by a woman who lived about twenty miles away in the countryside. This woman was a Christian and taught Margaret about the faith. When Margaret was old enough to understand the faith, she too became a Christian and promised Jesus she would never marry–promised herself to Christ as His bride. When her father found out he was furious and banished her from the family. The woman who had raised Margaret adopted her and Margaret became a shepherdess–(a woman who raises and cares for sheep.) Read more to find out

We continue with the sixth installment of our seven-part series on the seven deadly sins. Today we discuss Laziness (also known as sloth). Everyone has goals in life; things that you want to accomplish. Whether it be obtaining a new house, or new career, spiritual growth or mastering some skill; nothing comes easily without hard work and effort. Laziness will hamper your ability to achieve your goals because it robs you of clear focus and purpose. You begin to doubt that what you want is achievable, so why try? Allowing doubts to take root is the underlying cause for laziness. Doubts come from the devil! He doesn’t want you to think that improving your lot in life is worth the effort, because he tells you that you are worthless. You begin to believe the devil’s lies and before you know it, laziness has settled into your life. Once laziness takes root in your life, you “refuse the joy... Read more... 

I’m interrupting my series on mercy by this blog that is relevant in light of current events.  God would certainly support women’s rights. According to Genesis, our God, who is neither male nor female, created women in his own image and likeness. Therefore, they are God’s children who share in God’s divinity. Women are men’s partners and have equal dignity. However, God apparently favors women! When God decided to come to earth as a human being, there were many options. God could have appeared as a grown man, a baby washed up on the shore, or the wealthy son of a king. Instead, the Son of God was conceived by a young village girl by the power of the Holy Spirit. As abolitionist Sojourner Truth pointed out in a speech, “Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with him.” God’s mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, was the first person to hear the news that the Messiah was on his way. Click to continue

As the Morning Rising: Prayer : What prayer does best is bring me out of myself - and that's always a good place to go.

Although most respectable members of our parishes try to  look  healthy and content in public, mental illness is as common and invisible among the faithful as it is in secular circles. I would wager that mental health issues are especially prevalent among the devout who are serious about their inner life; when people tackle deep inner issues which prevent God from working in their lives, their inner equilibrium is upset by stress, anxiety, and depression.  This probably explains why most saints experienced profound periods of depression when they finally looked beneath their pious actions to face the reality of their own ingrained sin and subsequent need for inner purification. God offers His children the means to become free from sin, bad habits and mental illness through the Church, prayer, confession but also through therapy. Let's bring mental illness out of the shadows of shame and into the Light of Christ. continue

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This is not St. Patrick’s. This is another Catholic church down town. It is what inspired me to go. You see I go to this part of the city at least four times a year for the last seven years and I had never been so I was inspired to take a stroll… While visiting NYC last week I was able to take my self on a date. Maybe it is just me but I enjoy the time. I had some where to be at 12:30 and was in the city by 9 am. So I figured I would just go exploring. One of my adventures that day was a MINI-Pilgrimage to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. If you would like to learn more about ST. Patrick’s so you can take a trip  click here . It was absolutely AMAZING and BREATH Taking.  Click here to continue 

           I attended Catholic school grades 1 through 8, and this of course meant wearing a uniform. In the lower grades it was a blue plaid jumper with a skirt.             That created a problem. Our play yard had a jungle gym, and some boys in the class took advantage of the situation to look up our skirts whenever we girls were on it. A few of us complained to the teacher about this unscrupulous behavior. Well, Sister came up with a not so brilliant solution: ban the girls from the jungle gym.             I'll never forget going out to recess that day, and hearing some boys on the jungle gym sneering, "Nyah, nyah. Girls aren't allowed. Nyah, nyah."             I learned a lesson that day, although I'm sure it wasn't one Sister intended: continue