Association Of Catholic Bloggers

By Laura Durant When Jesus heals us spiritually, mental and physical anguish no longer have power over us. We can then, without fear or reservation, without trepidation of pain or suffering, unite our mental and physical anguish and pain to that of Jesus on the cross for the salvation of all souls. For when Jesus heals us spiritually, we can both bask in the heavenly peace and joy of knowing we are one with Christ, and at the same time, experience the mental and physical pain from our earthly ailments. No longer in fear of our pain, we can freely give ourselves over to Jesus, and He then takes what could be very painful suffering, and carries the heaviest burden, lightens the load, and sometimes, in a great act of mercy and love, takes away the pain altogether. For we must remember, Our Lord is never outdone in generosity. I know a very generous and holy soul for which the Lord granted this favor. She was prepared by her doctor for a procedure in which she was warned would be very

Today we celebrate the feast day of one of my favorite saints – Saint Francis of Assisi. If anyone lived a Christ-like life it was Saint Francis. His goal in life was to live out the Gospel with these three passages in mind: “ Jesus said to him, ‘if you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me ’” (Matt 19:21). “ Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me’ ” (Matt 16:24). “ He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, not food, nor money, nor let no one take a second tunic ’” (Luke 9:3). Saint Francis – A Man after God’s Own Heart What do these three passages have in common? They each share a disregard for earthly comforts, wanting only God. Saint Francis of Assisi found joy in humility, strength in meekness, and freedom in his slavery to Christ. He gave... Read more...

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

WHAT DOES "RECEIVING JESUS" MEAN TO YOU? HERE IS HOW A PRIEST EXPLAINS THIS CLICK HERE

DO MIRACLES HAPPEN TODAY? HAVE YOU WITNESSED A MIRACLE? DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? WHAT ARE MIRACLES ANYWAY? CLICK HERE

WHAT WOULD THE TRADE UNIONS SAY ABOUT JESUS? CLICK HERE

Hi there, ya'll!! =) A few weeks ago I made an appointment (haha, just kidding, my mom made the appointment.  Making it myself would require using the phone, and this introverted lass doesn't use the phone unless absolutely necessary) with my doctor to have him look at a strange rash all over my back and legs.  Turns out it was a pretty bad Staph infection, so I have been quarantined in my room for the past couple of weeks with nothing to do but read and search Amazon Instant Video for movies to take my mind off the itching.  One of the movies I tried was the chick flick "So Undercover" with Miley Cyrus (I was REALLY bored, don't judge) and the twenty-three minutes I watched of it gave me a lot to think about.  The main character is a tough, foul mouthed, slouchy young woman who spends her days riding a motorcycle around her town and working as a private investigator.  One day an FBI agent shows up and offers her a job where she would be working undercover as a

Greed, avarice and envy are all at the root of contradiction with the Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods” (Ex 20:17). With greed, there aren’t enough earthly goods to satisfy us. We’ll always want more. Remember the old line, “keeping up with the Joneses?” With greed, we must always have more, or better, than the Joneses. Avarice, on the other hand, is an inordinate desire to accumulate wealth. One can never have enough money. And then there’s envy; the inordinate desire to want what someone else has, simply because they have it and you do not. All three – greed, avarice and envy – try to fill holes that only God can fill. All three have at their root in the sin of pride. Battling with Greed, Avarice and Envy If we don’t have the latest gadgets, if we don’t have enough money, what will people think of us? Will they think less of us? Our pride drives us to... Read more...

        The past few days have been very hard for our people, specially in the far away towns where help does not arrive quickly. Please help in any way you can! For the emergency has passed but the reconstruction just begins... and most of the ones that los

Jesus said we should always pray. Our Lord gave us pointers about prayer, too: the parable of the persistent widow and another about the pharisee and the tax collector. That's in Luke 18:1 - 14 . Maybe someone's taken those verses and decided it means that Christians should be saying prayers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or at least until our voices give out or we drop from exhaustion. I'm pretty sure that's not what our Lord had in mind. Prayer is important, though. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Nice to meet you all! My name is Hilary Thompson and I am so excited to join this family of bloggers. I am a mother of two little boys (and more to come, I'm sure) and an organist on weekends. I have a special love for the music of the Old Rite and the Big Green Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Please stop by my blog,  "Messy Buns and Latin Chant" .  From "Thank God I am a Catholic" Catholics have a monopoly on Truth. We don't have to just say, "We believe that this is true", we can also say, "We know this is true." Jesus told us that He is "the Truth" (John 14:6) and that He left His Church the fullness of Truth. While we may not completely understand the teachings of the Church at all times, we have the surety that Her teachings are infallible and will always lead us to God. The Truth we have is not something stagnant or quiet. The Truth of Christ is something that challenges us to learn, grow, evangelize, and figh

The Red Vineyard, Van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales) Gospel Matthew 20:1-16a ( NRSV,CatholicEdition ) Jesus told his disciples this parable: ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of

A nation's schools are returning to traditional values. Whether that's good or bad news depends partly on how you see what we've learned since about 1859. I think we've learned more about how the universe works, and that this is good news. We haven't consistently made good use of the knowledge, but that's our problem. We've made good and bad use of everything we've learned, from using fire to writing blogs. Whether it's good or bad depends on us, not fire or the Internet. And that's another topic. Two scientists studied an ichthyosaur that had been used as a wall decoration. What they learned adds to what we're learning about those critters. I think that's worthwhile. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

In the midst of preparing for a religious vocation, God surprised me.  He upended my life in a single day when I met Michael, my future husband. I was secretly disappointed I was not going to be a nun because I imagined myself embracing a heroic calling. I literally felt a sinking feeling when I surrendered my grandiose schemes and dreams, even though I knew without a doubt marriage to this man was the will of God. Now, I have to laugh because m arriage is a powerful vocation with the potential to transform us into saints continue

So, you think you know what it means to steal? Why, it is the taking of another’s property against the owner’s will, right? Yes, but stealing also includes: vandalism, cheating on exams, reporting more payroll hours than actually worked, wasting time at work, price gouging, shoplifting ,” 1   as well as, finding things of value and not returning them to the rightful owner. Let’s also include: “failure to pay taxes and bills, overspending the money of another person, failing to put in an honest day’s work, and reneging on a business contract.” 2   Let’s finish off this massive list with the well known actions of robbery and excessive gambling. This laundry list of 13 different actions sum up how to violate the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not steal” (Ex 20:15). You thought you were scot-free because you never held anyone at gunpoint and took their watch and money, or because you never robbed a bank, right? Well... Read more...

The centennial year of Our Lady of Fatima is coming to a close. Therefore, for today’s blog, I offer a few frivolous facts about Mary. For heavier explanations, see my previous blogs about our Blessed Mother or read one of my bestselling books The Catholic Companion to Mary , which has theology as well as “tidbits” of information.  For starters: A candidate for a religious men’s community showed up one morning with blue hair.  The novice director inwardly groaned, but then the lad explained, “I dyed it blue in honor of Mary. Today is her feast day.”  click to continue

I love a good young adult, coming of age story. And... I hate a bad one. There's been a weird phenomenon lately, where most of the ones I've see on-screen have been falling into the latter category. After watching (part of) the Netflix “ 13 Reasons Why ” series, I was beginning to doubt I'd ever find anything similar to my good old young adult favorites – movies like Mean Girls , or Juno , or Bring It On (only the first one!) that are about growing up but are well-done enough that adults like them too (or maybe even more). So when Netflix's original movie #RealityHigh showed up on their new release list, I was hopeful but had my doubts... Continue Reading

Human love demands a total self-giving of one to another within the covenant of marriage. There is no room for self-gratification, or for expressions of sexual intercourse aside from the conjugal act within marriage. For when these things happen, they are not based on love. Rather, they are based upon deception and a misuse of one’s own sexuality. Actions such as these, linked to the Ninth Commandment, diminish the dignity of all parties involved. Innately, we all know this, because God has infused within each one of us His Natural Law of right versus wrong. Yet, we still commit the sins against Chastity. Sins Against Chastity We know that to practice Chastity, we are to refrain from engaging in sexual relations with someone other than one’s own spouse. When we do not refrain from doing so, we commit the sins of... Read more...

A MUST-READ STORY FOR ALL MOTHERS ... AND FOR EVERY ONE ELSE TOO ... CLICK HERE

The neighborhood parish took a second collection again today. This week's was to help folks hit by Hurricane Irma. The one before that was for those affected by Harvey. Folks in the Caribbean, Gulf Coast, and Florida weren't the only ones dealing with disaster recently.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Quite a few parts of the Bible don't talk about forgiveness. But quite a few do, and they're not just in the New Testament. This morning's second reading doesn't mention forgiveness directly, but the verse right after it does. They all say why forgiving is a good idea. It's enlightened self-interest, in the long run.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Back when I was in college I remember experiencing debilitating fatigue and muscle weakness. I thought I was just being lazy. After I had my second kid, it got worse. Again, I thought I was just being lazy.  There were days I couldn't even pull myself off the couch. One day that was particularly awful, I heard the Lord tell me that I had a physical illness. He also showed me some other stuff which you can read about  here . That began the long road to getting answers. Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns>

The Gospel for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is the passage in which Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the Beloved Disciple, both stand at the foot of the Cross. Some Catholic artists have depicted Mary sobbing, prostrate on the ground but  the women and the Beloved Disciple stood together with courage, at the foot of the Cross. continue reading

St Peter in Penitence, El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India, Ireland) Gospel Matthew 18:21-35 ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Ed ) Then Peter came and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. ‘For this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him th

The Cassini-Huygens mission ends this week, after 13 years in orbit around Saturn. Scientists found answers to some questions they had, and uncovered new questions. I think they'll be studying Cassini's and Huygens' data for years. Decades. I'll take a quick look at what we've learned, and why scientists want follow-up missions to the Saturn system. The Enceladan subsurface ocean wasn't a complete surprise. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  Para muchos jóvenes, no parece fácil hablar de matrimonio, pareciera que no tienen en entre sus prioridades casarse, quizá, por rehuir al compromiso, quizá por tener altas y diversas expectativas. Quizá ambas o alguna otra…. La verdad es que los jóvenes que llegan al matrimonio son siempre menos.   Esto es un hecho: los jóvenes ¡no quieren casarse! ¿Por qué los jóvenes no se casan? ¿Por qué a menudo prefieren una convivencia y tantas veces “a responsabilidad limitada”? ¿Por qué muchos – también entre los bautizados – tienen poca confianza en el matrimonio y en la familia? Es importante tratar de entender, si queremos que los jóvenes puedan encontrar el camino justo para recorrer. ¿Por qué no tienen confianza en el matrimonio?  

IMPORTANT NEW RESEARCH CLICK HERE