Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Happy February! February is considered by many to be the month of love! And what better time than now to talk about poetry. Poetry has been a big part of my life. Nerds far and wide, unite! I have taken consolation in poetry over the years, and being an English major, I have had to read my fair share of poetry.  Although sometimes challenging, I love all things reading and writing poetry, and naturally, my favorites have risen to the top over time. ;-) E.E. Cummings (excerpt!  ;-) in Just- spring   when the world is mud- luscious the little lame balloonman whistles far and wee What is the value of poetry? I have a memory from when Molly was a toddler and I was pregnant with Frances. One Spring, an elderly lady - very distinguished (instant friends!)- came up beside me at the swings on the playground and started chatting. She asked me several questions about Molly and the baby-to-be as she pushed her grandchild on the swing...😉 Then, out of nowhere, she started quoting

Trained to evangelize, with social media at their fingertips, modern Catholics might be surprised to discover that the most effective missionaries are still those who humbly carry Christ in their hearts to others. When Catholics actually  carry Christ , they are filled with the love and joy of the Lord, which is infectious. These ordinary folk spread the Good News everywhere they go to those who still live in darkness, existing outside the heart of the Church. The Heavenly Father asks such disciples, who are attuned to His voice, to write and speak about their spiritual experiences and to share the truths found in the Church. In this way, modern Catholics are like jet landing strips, or perhaps modems, connecting the presence of the Unseen God in a tangible way to those on earth who are seeking heaven. "joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."  St. Teresa of Calcutta. Evangelization Techniques continue reading

Do you struggle with pain? I do! I live with congenital clubbed feet. This means that I was born with all of my bones, from my toes to my pelvis, twisted out of alignment. In essence, my feet curve inward, where your feet stand straight. At birth, the doctors thought that I would never walk; that I would be in a wheelchair my entire life. Yet, I defied the odds, and at age two, stood up and started walking, albeit clumsily. This meant that I would need special shoes. Throughout my almost 60 years, I have... Read more...

(from The Cloistered Heart)

Back in my 'good old days,' a half-century back, some claimed that science, technology, and a changing culture, made the 'outmoded morality' we'd been working with obsolete. Others apparently believed that moral decay was caused by newfangled gadgets like the telephone and television: and, of course, 'Satanic' rock music.... ...Folks who claimed that a changing world made 'conventional morality' obsolete were right: sort of. That may seem odd, coming from a Catholic who agrees with Fulton Sheen.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: World Day of the Sick - World Missions Ireland : http://www.wmi.ie/ Each year in the approach to World Day of the Sick a beautiful booklet of prayer and reflection is promoted by ...

‘My doctor is  discussing palliative care.' Mary looked at me with sadness in her eyes. My friend had just had the worst news and all she could think of was how it would affect me. Three weeks later  I got the phone call. ‘Mary is in the hospice and is failing fast.' Her bed has  been pushed out in the garden in the shade of a leafy tree. An impossibly blue sky stretches overhead and friends gather to pray and say farewell. Sadness overwhelms me.  We support each other, wondering why life has to be like this. She slips into  unconsciousness. We hold her hand and sing her favourite songs. We even dare to smile a little though our hearts are breaking. A gifted vocalist,  Mary exited the conscious world in the same way she had thrived in it, amidst singing and music. Mary's heart was  ready. We witnessed God's final note on Mary's page.  We, her bereaved  friends, pray. We give thanks. For we know that with the same infinite care, our Lord G

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We can often think that the spiritual life and our journey to heaven is just a straight line but it is not. We are called to climb the mountain of the Lord.  This mountain however is not like other mountains. You can not just go straight up this mountain. The path on this mountain has dips and valleys. Every time you make a dip and take advantage of the valley, you go up a little higher when you come out of it and obtain greater freedom. I like to think of a spiral staircase that slopes down before it goes up. A staircase like this can not really be found because it isn't natural. No one would naturally choose to go down before they go up. Naturally, it isn't very practical and it would take longer. This is more of a supernatural concept. God's ways aren't always our ways!  Continue reading @ beautifulthorns>

Scientists are pretty sure that Saccorhytus coronarius is an ancestor of lancets, sea squirts, fish, amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs, and mammals: including us. Much more recently, about 3,660,000 years back, five Australopithecus afarensis strolled across volcanic ash. One of them was "astonishingly larger" than any other A. afarensis we know of. Exactly what that means isn't, I think, clear. Not yet. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

A View of Toledo, El Greco 'A city built on a hill cannot be hidden' (Mt 5:14) Readings  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings  (Jerusalem Bible) Gospel  Matthew 5:13-16 ( NRSV )  Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’ Childhood of Christ, Gerrit van Honthorst  'Let your light shine before others . . .' (Mt 5:16). One of the darkest periods in the history of the world was 1939 to 1945 when much of the world was at war. At the heart of the darkne

Consider these quotes from the saints: "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world a blaze! "  - St. Catherine of Sienna   " The nation doesn’t simply need what we have. It needs what we are. " -  St. Teresia Benedicta (Edith Stein)                                                                                                        In other words, be who you were created to be; discover who you are in Christ and then simply allow this inner reality to slowly manifest itself in your life.  Then, consider this humourous insight b y Einstein: continue reading

Today, we usher in February, known familiarly as the month of love and kindness. During this month, we celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week, February 12-18. And let’s not forget Valentine’s Day smack-dab in the middle of the month on the 14th. We see hearts everywhere, on boxes of candies and greeting cards; in store-front windows and in commercials on TV, as if we needed a reminder to show our love and kindness to others. I think it is all well and good that we highlight these virtues during the month of February, as I am all in favor of highlighting virtue, given any opportunity! Yet, we are called to express these virtues day in and day out; not just during one week in February. Test Your Love and Kindness Quotient Here’s a little quiz for you to see how much love and kindness flows from you on a regular basis: Read more...

As an English major in college, I learned that much literature has a journey motif. Think of the Canterbury Tales where pilgrims are en route to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket and Huck Finn floating on the Mississippi with Jim. Journeys also mark our spiritual history. God sent seventy-five-year-old Abraham from Ur to Canaan and later sent his descendants on a forty-year journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Luke built his gospel around a journey theme, following Jesus as he makes his way from Nazareth to Jerusalem. For centuries Christians have embarked on pilgrimages—spiritual journeys. The preeminent pilgrimage is the journey to Jerusalem, which saints like Ignatius and Francis of Assisi made number one on their bucket list. There the faithful walk the Way of the Cross in the footsteps of Jesus. Perhaps the second most famous pilgrimage is the Camino de Santiago de Compestelo, the one to St. James shrine in Spain. I know someone who returned from that pilgrimage

Folks were hanging around after an evening prayer service Sunday, when someone came into the building and started shooting. 19 of the 50-plus folks there were injured, five hospitalized in critical condition. Six are now dead.... ...This week's news hasn't been all bad. A GoFundMe page raising funds for the Islamic Center of Victoria, Texas, that burned last Saturday has collected upwards of $900,000 so far. 1 I've never met the men who died Sunday night, I don't know their families. The same goes for folks affected by Saturday's fire. Why should I care what happens to them? I've got reasons: some involving enlightened self-interest . More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

    En un mundo plural y diverso, la palabra tolerancia ha ido tomando importancia ante la globalización e interconexión del mundo   para saber convivir con el otro cuando éste piensa o es distinto de nosotros .Pero en el camino a la popularidad se le ha asignado una esencia radicalmente distinta a su significado e intención que le ha asignado la cultura del individualismo moderno, , rayando en la indiferencia y el abandono. Pero entonces ¿es tolerancia lo que se promueve en las esferas políticas y organizaciones internacionales?

As the Morning Rising: When Mercy's Work is Done. : When Mercy's Work Is Done St Brigid used rushes to make a cross when giving instruction in the faith to a dying man ...

Hold onto your knickers, because you are about to be taken on one heck of a ride with Hijacked , by Leslie Lynch. Ben Martin, undercover DEA agent, finds himself between a rock and a hard place after a drug bust goes bad, leaving him with a bullet wound in his shoulder and a need to escape – quickly! He sees no other outlet than a small plane going through pre-flight checks at a small airfield. The lone pilot should be easy to overtake, thought Ben – and away we go! As Ben hijacks the plane, he learns the pilot is a woman, one Lannis Parker. As Lannis is forced to fly Ben out of harm’s way (by the barrel of Ben’s gun), the adventure begins; so too, a relationship, of sorts, between captive and captor. You see, the actual hijacking is only one-half of the story. Once the plane lands, Ben must keep Lannis captive for several days, so that she will be safe from the people after Ben. What follows is an examination of the human soul in relationship, one to another. This story is fill

As the Morning Rising: A Spark of Human Kindness : Any of us can experience Michelangelo-type moments if we stretch ourselves, if we move beyond the comfortable and reach out with all t...

I like to imagine that, were he living in our age, St. Francis de Sales would be a blogger.  After reading the following on Catholic Online, I suspect my idea may not be all that far-fetched....   "Francis' unusual patience kept him working.  No one would listen to him, no one would even open their door.  So Francis found a way to get under the door.  He wrote out his sermons, copied them by hand, and slipped them under the doors.  This is the first record we have of religious tracts being used to communicate with people."  It is primarily because of his tracts, copied tirelessly by hand and slipped under doors, that Francis de Sales has been named patron of Catholic journalists. I cannot imagine a more appropriate saint for bloggers. May he pray for all who slip faithful, God-honoring, blog posts through today's cyber-doors... from thecloisteredheart.org

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft." ( Psalms 19:2 ) Okay, so who is this message proclaimed to? Us, apparently. One of the ways we can learn about God is by noticing order and beauty in the universe. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 31 - 32 , 319 ) St. Bonaventure said that the universe communicates God's glory, St. Thomas Aquinas said that the Almighty creates because God is good and loving. (Catechism, 293 ) I think they're right. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Reflection by  Susanne Timpani 'The sun has played havoc on your Celtic skin.' Dr Raju tilted her head. I'd never considered myself a member of the Celtic clan before. For a moment I felt I had been plucked from their midst and deposited into my current, sunburnt, country. 'The cream will irritate, redden, wrinkle, blotch and burn your skin,' she muttered as her hand swept across her script pad, 'but it will halt the changes to your cells and prevent skin cancer...  Read more: https://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/ If I take the wings of the morning     and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me,     and your right hand shall hold me fast. Psalm 139: 9-10

Sermon on the Mountain, Károly Ferenczy Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible Gospel Matthew 4:12-23 [or 12-17] ( NRSV,Catholic Ed ) When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on

The Fire of Australia, a whacking great chunk of opal, isn't particularly interesting from a 'science' viewpoint. But I'm human, which is probably why anything big and shiny gets my attention: including that rock. Wrenching myself back on-topic, scientists found a stream of liquid metal flowing at the edge of Earth's core. Studying it may help us learn why Earth's magnetic field flip-flops at apparently-irregular intervals. What we'll learn is beyond me: we didn't know much about geomagnetic reversal when I started school. We still don't, for that matter. As I keep saying, there is a very great deal left to learn. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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I sat in  Mass Sunday praying for Christian unity as Catholics have done this week for at least 100 years. The irony that this week, THIS  week, we dedicate to prayer for unity struck me as I sang one of my favorite, old hymns, They Will Know We Are Christians . This weekend Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America, and this weekend women marched on Washington DC and in cities all over the world in opposition to Trump. While opposing parties were ideologically far apart, too often their dominating messages were indistinguishable, filled with accusations, vulgarity, and ridicule. United in Ugliness. United in Sin. Both groups, in varying degrees, turned their backs on love and unity preferring instead to inflame and degrade. In varying degrees both engaged in six of the seven deadly sins this weekend alone as they chose to respond to what should have been the world's best example of a peaceful turnover of power with lust, gre

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