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As the Morning Rising: Grace : Grace Cleaved by grace Your heart split open Issuing forth all the love A heart can hold at any given time And like pure gold Its...

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Due to popular demand ("popular demand" being defined here as incredible pressure from friends and family), my Catholic novel Nearer the Dawn is now available in paperback. If you prefer Kindle, it is on sale for just 99 ¢.  And, as usual, all net profits from both Kindle and paperback sales go to charity. This book arose from a question I asked myself: What would an atheist do if he witnessed a miracle? The synopsis:  What if you had everything the world could offer yet were still dissatisfied? Frank Devore has it all: international fame and a billion dollar fortune. None of it, however, can save his fatally ill daughter, Audrey. But when Audrey is astonishingly cured through the simple touch of a mysterious young woman, Frank searches for answers--and is enmeshed in a battle between an angel and a demon in which the lives of thousands are threatened. For ages 13 and up. www.amazon.com/Nearer-Dawn-J-Avila/dp/1539837904

Patience is my most difficult virtue to master. I have difficulty waiting for things and answers to prayers in God’s time. I see the need for urgent response to prayer. Yet, for some reason, the Lord sees things differently. He does not see the urgency I see. That is my first clue, that MY plan may not necessarily be His plan. So what is His plan for me? When He “delays” in revealing His plan for me, I get frustrated. I lose patience. Does this sound familiar to you? Can you relate? Patience Requires Trust When I get frustrated, I must acknowledge that the root of my impatience is a lack of trust in God’s Providence. I question God’s logistics, using my limited scope of vision. I realize that much of what I hope for seems impossible to achieve without God’s involvement. Therefore, patience requires... Read more...

Last week I attended the funeral of a little ninety-three-year-old Chinese woman, "Alice." Long ago I had been introduced to her as the mother of a friend and sized her up as a sweet, gentle lady who probably spent most of her life in the kitchen making beef chop suey, wonton soup, and egg rolls.  Only now do I know what a powerhouse she was. I should have guessed it from her accomplished adult children. Alice, a graduate of a leading university in Shanghai, was one of the first female journalists in China and interviewed prominent people. During the civil war there, she led more than twenty family members to safety. The homily at her funeral Mass and the masterful eulogy delivered by her son shed even more light on this remarkable woman, whose life touched thousands. Apparently we humans are good at instantly drawing conclusions about other people. It's said that if a stranger resembles someone we know and like, we immediately think favorably of them.

"I'm not confrontational." "I'm a perfectionist." Have you ever heard one of these above statements? Life is hard. It can be burdensome, challenging, and parenthood and all that that entails is often "easier said than done." I think we make it harder, though, when we portray to the world that everything is well and good- perfect, even- and we don't allow the light of vulnerability to shine in and make community possible and even reachable. Read the rest at tacywilliamsbeck.com

As the Morning Rising: Music ( Poem) : Music We lift up our hearts. The buried song resounds Once more. From ocean depths To highest heaven There soars In silenc...

Okay! I’ve kept my mouth shut, and stayed out of the fray up to this point. I’ve listened to all of the commentary on television and in social media. I see the deep division of ideological beliefs strangling our nation. With that, I am reminded of the slogan, united we stand; divided we fall . As a nation, we are deeply divided. If we don’t get our act together, and begin to act like grown-ups, we will only see our nation go into further decline. We will fall. Our democracy is in jeopardy. I’ve stayed on the sidelines, and not weighed in, until now, because I lived that life of negativity, speaking truth to my audit clients; telling them what was wrong and needed to be fixed, only to receive a deaf ear. I left auditing and obtained my Masters in Pastoral Theology so that I could inspire people; not tear them down. However, what I see occurring within the Halls of Congress, as well as on television via the pundits, on social media, and in person-to-person discussions regarding ou

It is one of my favorite scenes in Scripture. Thomas, who had not been present when Jesus appeared to the disciples just after His Resurrection, was skeptical. "'I will never believe it,' said he, 'without probing the nailprints in His hands, without putting my finger in the nailmarks and my hand into His side...' What strikes me most about this is Jesus' tender mercy to Thomas. There are no reprimands. Our Lord doesn't say "oh you of little faith, why do you doubt? You've got to exercise faith , Thomas! You can do it! Just make up your mind!" No. Jesus simply offers Thomas the precise help he needs.. ( continue reading.. .)

My father-in-law has been asked if he's conservative — or liberal. His answer: "I'm Catholic." I'd give the same answer. Catholic teachings are quite definite, so it's possible to peg them on the American political spectrum — as long as you don't look at the big picture. Taking bits and pieces of Catholic beliefs, and the history of Catholics in America, I could claim that the Catholic Church is conservative or liberal. That would be as big a mistake as seeing all conservatives as hate-fueled foes of diversity, or all liberals as irresponsible lunatics. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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Climate change is still in the news. So is a growing crack in an Antarctic ice sheet, and a Ladybird Book co-authored by England's Prince Charles. The book, "Climate Change," is a Ladybird Expert Book: written with adults in mind.... ...This post has an afterword, mostly my take on climate change and being human.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Neubrandenburg, Caspar David Friedrich  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death  light has dawned (Matthew 4:16, NRSVCE). Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel Matthew 4:12-23 [or 12-17] ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Ed ) Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to proclaim,

It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.  Daniel 4:2-3 God Straightened My Spine  A nurse, with a freshly scrubbed face in running shoes and jeans, announced she had a gift of praying for people with crooked spines, scoliosis. My friend elbowed me and I shyly raised my hand only a little higher than my head. The nurse spotted me right away,”Come right up here to the front and I will pray with you for a physical healing.” I sighed and stood up front, trying to open my heart to God but feeling self-conscious and doubtful. As she prayed for me, I felt nothing- no heat or tingling, stretching or shifting of bones. When the nurse had me touch my toes again, I assumed I would fail this test.  Instead, the nurse excitedly announced to the crowd, “Her spine is straight”. She smiled at the audience. Then she sat me down on a chair, “Look, your legs are now the same length. How do you feel?” I was in shock as I stared a

I’ve long been interested in the Japanese Catholic Church — we love St. Francis Xavier in my family (and the CCC movie  Francis Xavier and the Samurai’s Lost Treasure  is a favorite), and this bit  from  The Catholic Encyclopedia  at New Advent  is amazing and so moving: “ There is not in the whole history of the Church a single people who can offer to the admiration of the Christian world annals as glorious, and a martyrology as lengthy, as those of the people of Japan .” Indeed there are huge lists of Venerables, Blesseds, and Saints who were  born in Japan  and  died in Japan  and — being that I’m always looking through the lens of Catholic names — I’ve always been interested by the fact that every single one of them has a familiar saint’s name for a first name. I know there are Japanese Catholics with Japanese names (like the aforementioned Shusaku Endo; I did actually look to see if he also had a Christian name but didn’t find one), so I’ve wondered how the idea of “Chr

As the Morning Rising: Lasting Truth, Enduring Love : Open my heart to the beauty of lasting truth Lord, so that I will rest safe in the knowledge that nothing can come between me and Your ...

Just like most people, I do not simply break a rule here and there;  no, like every other human being, I continually break the most fundamental law of the universe without any conscious effort by refusing to accept reality.  Instead of realizing my place in the universe, as one of God’s creations, I put on masks and false personalities in a vain attempt to deny my very nature.  In pride, I act like a queen at the  centre  my own little world. Even worse, I steal God’s job by trying to save myself by my own efforts. continue reading

Ever since Charlemagne was enthroned as Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800 Europe gradually became a safer place in which to live. It became increasingly easier to travel and to trade as the centuries rolled by. It was a slow process, but by the time Francis was a young man his father was only one of many merchants who had made a fortune in the sort of trading that would have been impossible before, when sacking and pillaging was the most common way of becoming rich. In the Middle Ages the best sackers and pillagers tended to become the worst landowners, as they enslaved most of their minions and taxed the rest into permanent penury, offering only safety from other sackers and pillagers for their pains. Gradually in Europe the survival of the fittest dictated the arrival of a new world order with the strongest at the top and the weakest at the bottom. This new world order came to be called feudalism.   read on...

If you are looking for a way to bring virtue to the workplace, without coming across as a “Holy Roller,” then Virtuous Leadership , by Alexandre Havard is the book for you! Right from the book’s introduction you learn that “leadership is character” (Introduction xi). Havard tells us that people obtain good character as a the result of perseverance toward personal excellence. So, how do we achieve personal excellence? We do so through the practice of virtue. Havard is a man after my own heart! He speaks my language; the language of virtue. We perceive and interpret things through the lens of character. By strengthening our character – i.e., by growing in virtue – we improve our ability to deliberate in the light of reason (p. 70).   In Virtuous Leadership , the author deftly covers the major components of virtuous leadership; ... Read more...

In November as I sat in a Newark airport at a crowded gate, across from me was a dark-skinned man in a turban, a Sikh. Suddenly he left. When he reappeared, he was pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair, which he parked by me. Her husband sat on the other side of the empty chair beside me. The four of us chatted, and I gestured to the Sikh that he sit in the empty chair. He shook his head, probably because he was thoughtfully leaving it for someone else. Shortly, a Black woman dressed elegantly for a funeral sat in the chair. The woman in the wheelchair asked the Sufi if he were a doctor. He was. She said she thought so because of his kindness. He explained that in his religion when someone was in need, you must act to help. It has to be so much a part of you that you don’t think twice. You respond spontaneously. And then you don’t reflect on your good deed later, or you will get a swelled ego! Boarding the plane, I glanced back and the Sikh gave me a thumbs-up. Click

El Señor Jesús se ha donado y sigue donándose a nosotros, para llenarnos de toda la misericordia y la gracia del Padre. Somos nosotros, por tanto, los que podemos convertirnos en cierto sentido en jueces de nosotros mismos, auto condenándonos a la exclusión de la comunión con Dios y con los hermanos, con la profunda soledad y tristeza que esto produce.

I was determined to leave my mark before leaving school, but, as I could not make it in the academic field, I decided that I would have to do it on the athletic field. I spent hours in the gym building up my muscles, on the track increasing my speed, and with my trainer perfecting my technique. On the very last day, I broke the school record at the pole vault and won a gold medal for winning the county Championships at the same time. But, as there were no other competitors, I threw my medal into the bin – it was not worthy of a place in the school’s trophy cabinet. I thought the whole thing was a waste of time, but on reflection, it did teach me something worthwhile that I have never forgotten. There is no accomplishment of any kind that you can attain merely by desiring to have it. It must be learned and this means giving ever increasing time and energy to perfecting it. As my trainer used to say,   practice makes perfect.  This is particularly true of trying to master the most imp

As the Morning Rising: Purity of Intention : Purity of intention Sometimes we do something with the intention of pleasing another and the whole thing is misunderstood. We can...

Do you ever get the feeling that when you are facing struggles, you are alone? That no one other than you face such challenges? That everyone else seems to have it so much easier? That is exactly what happened to me recently. Back in 2008, when the US suffered the financial meltdown, and many people lost their jobs, I was one of the lucky ones who maintained my job. Selfishly, at the time, I didn’t give this national problem much attention, because it didn’t impact me directly. Now eight+ years later, with an unemployment rate lower than 5%, my husband lost his job in August, and at 63 is having difficulty finding a new job. With such a low unemployment rate, we don’t know anyone else in such a position – therefore, we feel as though we face this struggle alone. Then one day, I was standing... Read more... 

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(from The Cloistered Heart.org)

Last week's Gospel reading, Matthew 2:1 - 12 , ends with a sort of cliffhanger. "Magi from the east" arrived in Bethlehem, found our Lord's house, and paid their respects.... ...Or maybe not so much — we read Matthew 2:13 - 18 on December 28. I don't suppose we'll see the massacre of the innocents 1 in an animated Christmas special any time soon. It's far from the most cheerful parts of the Bible. That didn't keep folks in Coventry from including it in their Shearmen and Tailors' Pageant . We got " Coventry Carol " from that mystery play.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Madonna and Child with the Lamb of God, Cesare da Sesto Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales,) Gospel John 1:29-34 ( NRSV ) The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’ Sunday Reflections for the Feast of the Santo Niño (Philippines) are here . San Alfonso de Liguori Parish, Rom

Life, and evolution, has been happening for quite a while. Cities are new, but the same processes happen there; with slightly different results. We're learning how urban environments affect critters, and are piecing together more of humanity's story.... ...I see no problem with believing that God is creating a universe that's following knowable physical laws. That's just as well, since it's what we're told to believe.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: The Cross ( Poetry Pamphlet ) : I'm happy to announce the publication of a new pamphlet - the third in a series of five. It contains 33 poems and refl...