Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I'm a week late in sharing this, but I always love learning new Irish things, and I thought you might too! My March column at CatholicMom.com has some fun info about the Irish love for Our Lady: Our Lady: Queen of Ireland . Happy Feast of the Annunciation!

Modern artists are still fascinated by Mary and her encounter with the angel Gabriel. There are so many moments to capture her initial shock, fear, sense of awe and wonder, questions, acceptance and final glorious infilling by the Holy Spirit. Each artist reflects a different facet of truth with the Spirit of God shining through each painting in a myriad of different hues and tones and nuances. continue

As the Morning Rising: A Paste of Clay and Spittle : Sight I did not see the wind But I saw a rain drop Blown clean off a leaf That had been shaken I did not see the secret ...

So, if you have been following my blog for any length of time, you have probably figured out that I like analogies. It is also the way God gets my attention and speaks to me. I believe the Lord gave me an analogy that some people reading this blog post may need to hear. I share it in order to encourage you in your walk with the Lord. Continue Reading @ beautifulthorns>

Once upon a time there was an old priest who became rather forgetful and tired of giving sermons at Mass on Sunday. He used to write down his sermons and then read them at Mass; but more often than not he used to forget bringing his sermons to church; so at sermon time he had nothing to read anyway. He reasoned that if he had to write down his sermons in order to remember them, then how could the congregation be expected to remember them after leaving church. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

These are exciting, or disquieting, times. Which it is depends partly on how much a person likes living in a world where scientific knowledge is rapidly changing. I like it, a lot.... ...Since this is a "religious" blog, I'll be discussing — briefly, for me — how my faith relates to experiments using CERN's Large Hadron Collider and science in general.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Blind Pensioner with a Stick, Van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Ar t] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India Gospel John 9:1-41 [9: 1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38] ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Ed ) As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. [His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’] When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘I

March 24, 2017 Media Release – Flooding in Peru. In wake of the unprecedented flooding in Peru, Columban Fr Kevin McDonagh in his parish in Samanco near Chimbote [420 kms north of Lima], has been cut off from the outside world. He is managing ok, but the situation is getting precarious for the people. The worst is not quite yet over as rain is still expected over the next few weeks, with some of it moving south. The challenges ahead are enormous in terms of reconstruction, etc. There is little bottled water available, but fortunately there is water flowing again in Lima though with low pressure. It is worrying to think of so many people without clean water especially in the provincial areas. So far there are 75 known deaths and over 100,000 people who are homeless. That figure will be multiplied when help reaches all the areas that have been incommunicado since the flooding began. It is mind boggling. We had bad flooding in 1982, and we all thought it was terrible. But that was

Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: "Before the cock crows you will deny me three times." He went out and began to weep bitterly.  Matthew 26: 69-75     When Jesus first  met Peter, He fixed his gaze upon him and said, 'You are Simon, son of John; you will be called Peter'. ( John 1:42 )That was an experience of the grace of God in giving the fisherman a new vocation to proclaim the love and mercy of God. Later on, Peter  had a unique experience of grace with James and John when they witnessed the Transfiguration whereby the body of Jesus was transformed by Light.  Matthew 17:1-13 Despite experiencing miracles , healings and the Transfiguration, Peter was still full of fear of death and therefore denied knowing Jesus in the courtyard. Read on:  https://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

As the Morning Rising: Radiant Lights of Fatima : Radiant lights emerging from shadows, the hope of the world and the light of the church of tomorrow.

THIS BOOK WILL SHINE A BRIGHT LIGHT INSIDE YOUR DOG PLEASE CLICK HERE

No able-bodied human or animal would live in my house without contributing in some way to our household The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the family as the original cell of society which teaches children all about justice and responsibility. There are countless ways to teach kids about responsibility and one of the best ways is assigning everybody a chore. Even family pets are not exempt. continue

I’ve been slowly reading the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska; a little each week during my time in Adoration. I read a few pages and then stop to meditate on what she and Christ are communicating to me. You see, it is a story of Saint Faustina’s visions of the Lord, who instructed her on His mercy. It’s packed with a lot of great information; digestible in small bits. At this point, maybe I’ll finish the book by the end of this year! I started this book prior to the end of the Year of Mercy, because I wanted to learn more about Christ’s mercy. My Lenten mission is one of seeking mercy from Christ. Oh, am I learning a lot about His mercy! Seeking Mercy: A “See” Change This Lenten season has been fruitful in that I see a change occurring within me because of reading this book. I find myself seeking mercy a lot more than I had ever done in the past, and not just for myself. I find myself saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for our country, my family and friends. And, to be hone

Last week I listened to a panel discussion about God, sponsored by Notre Dame College's Abrahamic Center. A Jesuit priest, a rabbi, and a Muslim were to answer three questions, but never got beyond the first one, "Who is God?" Their talks and the discussion that followed provided much rich food for thought. In this post I share some of the information and insights gathered there. You might find them as stimulating as I did.     The rabbi began by pointing out that naming animals was the first thing Adam was told to do. Names reveal people, and our names for God reflect what we think of him—like El Shaddai, the almighty one, or God of Hosts (a military title). A name for God in the Bible is Elohim. This name is mysterious because it is composed of a feminine beginning and a plural masculine ending. Click to continue

As the Morning Rising: Singing His Praise : To call God my Saviour is to bear the Cross while singing His praise.

St. Joseph was a worker, strong, capable but spiritual enough to see and hear messages from God. He was courageous enough act on those commands even though they went against all common sense. His young betrothed pregnant yet a virgin? A move to Egypt, the place of slavery in the minds for the Jews? How many of us could obey such ludicrous messages? Modern artists reject sappy images of St. Joseph, choosing to capture a strong, loving man but supported by divine strength. continue

As the Morning Rising: Joseph's Dream : Joseph's Dream Quickly now, we must leave this place - The baby's life is in danger! We will travel lightly And return ...

Saint Joseph, a man of few words; no – make that no words –had a huge impact on salvation history. He is portrayed in the Bible, without ever having spoken one word. All mention of him is in the third person. Yet, silent Saint Joseph was one of the most important instruments of Christ’s salvific action. Had Joseph refused to take Mary as his wife, Mary would have been placed in a tenuous situation, and so would the safety of her child, Jesus. You see, in Mary’s day, if a woman was caught having relations with a man out of wedlock, she could have been stoned to death. Because Mary was pregnant with Jesus, everyone else would have assumed that Mary was having relations with a man. Therefore, no one would have understood that Mary’s pregnancy was a result of the Holy Spirit’s overshadowing of Mary. Saint Joseph’s silent “yes,” – his own “fiat,” to taking Mary as his wife – paved the way for fulfilling God’s plan for salvation. Thus, Jesus could be given a safe and secure means to gr

Recently I watched the new Disney animated movie,  Moana . The Producers spent 5 years researching and visiting the islands in the South Pacific before making the movie. In doing so, they were able to get acquainted with Polynesian culture. Under the special features section of the  Moana  DVD, one can learn about the culture as well.  While I was watching the "making of the movie", it occurred to me just how far we have strayed from the way God originally intended the world to be .   Continue Reading @ beautifulthorns>

PLEASE CLICK HERE