Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Why, God? Why the senseless tragedy?  Help us, send us angels of protection! In the wake of senseless violence (Vegas) and the death of a man who championed lust and using women (Hefner), I think what is needed in our culture today is a pure mind. And of course we need men and women of pure minds, who scorn lust and all of Satan's empty promises! I remember when I was a young Mom, I participated in a Bible Study every week. Although many times I wasn't in the mood to go, I was always glad when I did!! One week, one of the Moms ahead of the journey- a bit older than me- opened up about her own life when we were talking about having a servant's heart.   read the rest at tacywiliamsbeck.com

My mother was very proud of her roses. She knew them by name: the American Beauty rose, the John F. Kennedy rose, and so on. When roses were in season, her kitchen table was never without at least one gorgeous rose from her garden gracing it. Roses are the most popular flower. We present them to loved ones as a sign of our love, to the sick, to graduates, and to others who have achieved success. Roses are not only beautiful, but they have a lovely fragrance. For good reason they are known as the queen of flowers. We associate roses with the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is queen of heaven and earth. One of her titles is "Mystical Rose." In 1947, during appearances at Montichiari, Italy, to Pierina Gilli, Mary asked that we celebrate July 13 in honor of her as mystical rose. St. Bernard wrote, “Eve was a thorn, wounding, bringing death to all. In Mary we see a rose, soothing everybody’s hurts, giving the destiny of salvation back to all.” A rose's thorns could als

I don’t know about anyone else but money problems definitely keep me up at night. And I am glad to know that even the “Proverbs 31” woman is up late at night trying to make sure that there’s enough and that our families are going to be taken care of. However, this is not a gendered based thing is it? Everyone is up late at night worrying about money. No matter how rich or poor they may seem. Either way the easiest way I have found to manage my money is to just schedule it week by week. I know like us most of you live week to week. If you begin managing your money week to week, you will begin to worry less because you’ll know what you have. You’ll also realize, that you have more money than you thought. Seriously because of payment scheduling, we were able to afford a much needed new car. The hardest part is sticking to it to be honest. Click here to continue 

The new network TV season is upon us. I've been on the lookout for anything promising among the new series, and I think I've found one. It's a half-hour PG comedy called “The Mayor,” airing Tuesday nights on ABC. And if the pilot is any indication of the type of show it's going to be (which, theoretically, a pilot should be), then I'm excited to see the rest of it... Continue Reading

Angels saved my son’s life. The phone call comes on a Saturday night. I listen to the police in shocked silence. “Your son has been in a serious car accident.” “No, we have not ascertained the extent of his injuries.” “We did use the jaws of life to extract your son and his girlfriend from the vehicle.” continue

"When I woke up this morning at 2:15am to feed the baby, I scrolled through Facebook to stay awake for ten minutes, not imagining what I would find. I didn't sleep well the rest of the night, and like all of America, I haven't been mentally calm all day. I've been listening to the radio, following the latest revelations online, and watching with deep sorrow as the death toll continues to rise. Photo by young-soo Park (2015) via Pixabay There is something extremely aggravating about the uncertainty of the events and the knowledge that we will probably never know what happened exactly. I hate having to wait and see what narrative is trotted out, and I hate even more the opportunistic posturing from both political sides. But most of all, I hate the feeling of helplessness that comes after a tragedy like what happened in Las Vegas last night. As I reflected, listened, and prayed today, three non-partisan, non-controversial, and actually productive things came to m

My plans for today did not include writing about mass murder on the Las Vegas Strip and rush hour panic in Wimbledon. Instead of trying to ignore what is now international headline news, I decided to look for whatever useful facts might be filtering through. I'll share what I found, along with what I think about the events. How I feel about them is — sad, for what happened in Nevada. No words can console folks who lost family and friends there. I won't try. The Wimbledon panic? I'm not entirely sure what I feel about that.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Spokes , by Deanna Klingel, a fast paced, easy to read novel, sends Kelsey Merritt and Brendon Cohen on an adventure to solve a mystery. Kelsey, a home-schooled teen, is a triathlon athlete. While cycling one afternoon with her mom, in preparation for an upcoming triathlon event, tragedy strikes. This tragedy sends Kelsey on a mission; to determine who is responsible for a hit and run accident. In her pursuit, she teams up with fellow triathlon athlete and home-school student, Brendon Cohen. Together, these two teens, take us on a wild ride through the hills of North Carolina. We come across some unsavory characters. But, we also come across some rather funny, and down-to-earth Franciscan Friars. These Friars add a comical, yet heartwarming dimension to this wonderful story. As I raced through this book (a real page turner), I kept asking myself... Read more...

    Tras el sismo del 19 de Septiembre del 2017 en México, la realidad de los ciudadanos se vio invadida por el miedo, la impotencia, el dolor, pero también por la solidaridad, la unión y la heroicidad. Muchas de estas expresiones y acciones solidarias fueron transmitidas y retransmitidas a través de medios y redes sociales: Frida, la Marina, los soldados, los topos, los brigadistas, Telcel, el metro, otras empresas   y muchos voluntarios, cuyas caras, brazos y hasta sillas de ruedas se plasmaron en tuits y posts. Al mismo tiempo muchos otros ayudaban de forma discreta y desapercibida a   videos y   cámaras, entre los que se encontraban los voluntarios   y organizaciones católicas que han ayudado desde el primer sismo de septiembre de este año y que pocos han retuiteado o compartido, e inclusive han recibido el escarnio del mundo virtual.

My third Christian novel,  Amaranth , is now available in paperback. Here’s the story: Would you take an elixir that made you perpetually young and physically immortal? What if the price for it was your eternal soul? Billionaire Desmond Sceller acquires such a wonder drug. But when eighty-year-old Marie Long is rejuvenated by it against her will, she quickly discovers unending beauty and youth is not the paradise it seems. Sceller, however, intends on using the elixir to entice all mankind into submitting to his tyrannical control. When Marie and her grandson Peter unearth this evil scheme, they soon discover that only an extraordinary sacrifice on their part can free humanity from Sceller’s nefarious plan. Amaranth on Amazon Also, right now the Kindle version is on sale for just 99¢. Amaranth on Kindle

I think that God knows everything, including what I'll do for the rest of my life. I also think I have free will, deciding what I do for the rest of my life. I'm not, however, emulating the White Queen.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

So here is an old family recipe that I wanted to share with everyone. I come from a long line of women who are into holistic health and preventive and natural medicine; so basically what that means is everything in here actually is helping you prevent colds and fight the flu! Which is something I know we all want to prevent. I want us to all remember Luke 5:31 “And Jesus said Healthy people do not need a doctor sick people do”. Preventing yourself from getting sick is and will always being a problem for humanity according to Genesis. I want to pray and make sure I can have everyone pray for those for are hungry, because I know many of us have FELT that hunger and there are people out in this world still living that way today. I also want all of us who have escaped or never felt this struggle to praise him!!!!! Click here for more! 

MY DECISION AFFECTS YOU ALL SO SURELY YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO ADVISE ME NOT JUST IGNORE MY PLEA - OR VISIT MY BLOG AND NOT COMMENT TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK CLICK HERE

The world didn't end last Saturday. That's nothing new, and neither is another fizzled End Times prediction. I'll be talking about how a current End Times prediction affected someone whose name is the same as the wannabe prophet's; but is an entertainer, not a doomsayer. I'll also take a look at the continuing, and serious, search for Planet 9; predictions involving close encounters of the cometary kind; and what we're learning about the outer Solar System.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The Inspiration of St Matthew , Caravaggio  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 21:28-32 ( New Revised  Standard Version, Anglicised CatholicEdition )   Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went.  The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collect

Christ offers even adults an easy way to commune with Him.  Relax. Give up striving. Surrender to His love and let it saturate every cell of your body. Then simply let His love flow through you. It ends up being a long journey to such carefree lifestyle because pride and ego get in the way. It is so simple that it seems complicated to our adult, logical minds. No wonder Jesus praises children, I assure you,” He said, ‘unless you are converted and become like children, you will never get into the kingdom from heaven’ [ Matthew 18:4 ] Union with the living God is child’s play.  Listen to this debate between two of my pre-schoolers. continue reading

To be filled with the joy of Jesus is an experience like no other. For it is a joy unmistakably from Him, and only Him. There is no uncertainty as to whether it comes from someone or anywhere else. This is the beauty of Our Lord. He gives ultimate clarity, ultimate certainty, ultimate peace, so we know something to be His Truth and His Will. I am not speaking of the “truth” in the kind we speak of in our world where truth is relative, but the ultimate “Truth”, to which there can be no disproving it, no denying it. This is because this Truth comes from Our Creator, Our Redeemer. So when He speaks His Truth, His Will to our heart, there is no uncertainty. There is only peace that comes from Our Almighty God. Read more

Born in 1581, Saint Vincent de Paul, of French descent, earned his Theology degree, in 1612. Ordained a priest in Clichy, France, he dedicated his entire adult life to addressing the needs of the poor. Saint Vincent de Paul took the Corporal Works of Mercy to heart. He gave food and drink to the poor, via the establishment of soup kitchens. He clothed the poor, via donations from those who could spare items. A true missionary to the poor, he sheltered the homeless, visited the sick and imprisoned, and buried the dead. Saint Vincent de Paul, Apostle of Charity Saint Vincent de Paul, became an inspiration to many, because of how he lived his life in self-service to those in need. He is fondly known as the Apostle of Charity. Today, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, made up of laity, follow in Saint Vincent’s footsteps by... Read more...  

At the National Catholic Teachers Association convention next year, I will be speaking on prayer. The organizers asked me to rework my talk’s title and description to reflect the theme “missionary disciples.” In doing research, I discovered that Pope Francis used this term in his encyclical “The Joy of the Gospel,” and this year our United States Bishops Conference issued a document called “Living as Missionary Disciples.”  Click to continue

Apparently, I missed hearing about this movie when it first came out in 2014. I'd never heard of it until we stumbled upon it on Netflix one day while looking for a family movie we could watch together with our toddler. Now I usually assume, if I haven't heard of a family-friendly movie but find it on Netflix, that's it's not going to be very good. Because there are plenty of poorly written, poorly acted, all around lame options available particularly in the family category. We pretty much expected this to be one of those but for some reason decided to give it a try anyway... Continue Reading