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Sometimes you go on retreats or to conferences and it is like a mountain top experience, then you enter back into the real world and nothing really changes. I do not feel that is the case with the Encounter conference I went to two weeks ago. I truly believe it was life-changing and the right timing for me. It has been two weeks so I've had some time to process and start applying what was imparted to me at the conference. Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns>

Which came first? The butterfly or the flower? And how did flowers happen at all? The question hasn't been answered yet, not quite. But scientists are closer to finding answers. Meanwhile, wondering whether chickens or eggs came first gives philosophers something to do. Aristotle came up with an answer. So did Anaximander, who figured thunder and lightning were natural events: not evidence of divine anger issues. I'll talk about those two, beetles, and Orlando Ferguson's flat Earth map. Also butterflies, flowers and why I think pursuing truth and seeking God work together. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The weather is unreliable, we were eager for a heavy snow day with temps warm enough to enjoy it, and instead we got flurries and freezing temps.  In spite of these circumstances, everyday, my goal as I raise my little people, is to truly love them.  It led me to dig through my old notes.... and I came across an almost theological treatise in the pages of my old NKJV Bible.  Now that I'm Catholic, it is fun to apply ye olde theological classes from college to my life now. We live in an age when " true care " is rare and the computer screen becomes a nice "perfect haven" to hide behind. We can hide our wounds, our true selves, and we can hide from God's call on our life... whatever it may be and wherever it leads us. For me, that looks like joyful motherhood to six and living the happy domestic life.  But instagram and other social media channels can easily steal our joy, or at least threaten it! St. Therese had something to say about the modernity of he

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Christian spirituality, inner transformation, and contemplation are not at all what I first imagined them to be. I initially began the inner journey striving, depending on my discipline and willpower. JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER HUMAN, l failed miserably. Striving to transform spiritually into a person of Love and Light is sort of like an ant straining and trying to turn himself into a human. Like my Irish grandmother used to say,”You can’t turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse.” When I admitted defeat, God had an opportunity to save me from myself continue

It seems to be common practice to take stock of our lives, as we turn the calendar on one year and welcome the next. January makes for a good time for reflection. Everything seems to calm down after the holidays, offering us an opportunity to assess our lives. In this assessment, we tend to look at the pros and cons that make up us. We identify our good qualities, as well as our faults. By doing so, we gain perspective on where we are at, on this journey we call life. Time for Reflection: Finding the “Gold” Sometimes it is a scary endeavor to face reality. We may not like what we find. But, if we look close enough, and dig deep enough, we may just find gold! Looking deep, we find some virtues that come innately easy to us. We find that there are many things for which we excel at. For example, perhaps... Read more... 

This week when the first reading at Mass was the story of the boy Samuel being called by God during the night, Fr. John Christman did not give the expected homily. Usually this story is a springboard for a vocation talk. Instead Father focused on the sequel to the reading. After Samuel replies to God, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening," God gives him a daunting task. He is to tell the priest Eli, Samuel's beloved mentor, that his family would be punished because his two sons were blaspheming and Eli did nothing to stop them. The message of this reading on two levels is "Speak up!" Imagine how Samuel dreaded bearing the bad news to Eli. It would have been much easier to keep quiet. But Samuel did what God expected of him. He spoke to Eli. On the other hand, there is Eli's silence when he should have spoken up. That had dire consequences: his two sons were killed in battle and he fell over backwards, broke his neck, and died. Today some br

Today, in the United States, we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. He was a loving father, and husband. Yet, most of us know of him as an influential preacher within the evangelical movement; a solider for Christ. King was a fighter for the underdog, as a Civil Rights leader of the 1960’s. He took Christ’s message to the streets, leading non-violent marches, seeking equality for all. This man truly understood what it meant to work for the common good of all. Today it seems that our leaders would rather work for the benefit of the elite, or few. Who espouses the qualities of Martin Luther King Jr.  today? I’m glad that we are remembering this man’s contributions to our society today, for I fear that his message of equality is quickly becoming lost on those in power, who have the ability and charge to work for the common good. Income inequality is skyrocketing. Racial inequality continues to plague our society. As in the 1960’s, we need voices like Martin Luther Kin

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We live in a material world. I like it, a lot. Quite a few folks have felt the same way. "You adorn the year with your bounty; your paths drip with fruitful rain. "The meadows of the wilderness also drip; the hills are robed with joy." ( Psalms 65:12 - 13 ) Some get overly impressed. Others apparently think it's icky. Earnest folks have celebrated and condemned it. Not necessarily the same folks, and probably not at the same time. Not usually. That'd be a problem by itself. Plato thought about the reality we live in, artists have been inspired by it. That's given us a theory of forms, George Harrison's "Living in the Material World" and Madonna's "Like a Virgin" albums, and the "Material World" 1990s sitcom. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

From The Gospel of John , directed by Philip Saville Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel John 1:35-42 ( NRSV, Anglicised CatholicEdition ) The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is tra

        Ya se fueron las fiestas. Ya se fueron los abrazos. los bailes, el chocar de las copas, los convivios y el jolgorio. Supimos tener la excelencia en esos momentos de gozo. Ahora la excelancia nos tiene que acompañar en el trabajo y en el esfuerzo.         Pero ahora las caras son serias, el entrecejo fruncido ,los labios apretados y el andar cansino para subir "la cuesta de enero".   El dinero se gastó y el bolsillo está vacío.Los buenos propósitos...¡cómo cuesta poderlos cumplir!: levantarse temprano, no fumar, no comer golosinas, no extralimitarse en la bebida, ser amable, no irritarse por cualquier cosa, estar en paz, no criticar, hacer ejercicio, saludar con una sonrisa al vecino, ser generosos, trabajar con honestidad y buen ánimo, pagar deudas, etcétera, etcétera, y así este mes de enero, serio y formal, se nos antoja un Everest cuya cima es casi inalcanzable. Visto a sí es normal que esto nos desanime y nos desaliente pero hay que buscarle u

I have always heard the mother is the heart of the family, especially a stay at home mother with a crew of kids, who also helps with a hobby farm. So why was I not missed when I spent hours locked in the chicken coop? You must first understand that even if this was a subconscious belief, I behaved as if  I  was the most important member of the family. It took a drastic experience to shake me out of my arrogance. God has a sense of humour and will use any and all experiences to teach us. continue reading

My school report was so bad that my eldest brother was commissioned with the task of teaching me to read. But when he could not even manage to teach me how to read the Beano, he resigned his commission and commended me to St Jude of hopeless cases.  But even St Jude failed. It seems that in those days it was not only in school, but in heaven too, that dyslexia was unheard of. St Anthony was the only real friend that I had. Most people who now know about dyslexia still do not  realise how it affects your short term memory. That is where St Anthony came in. He might not have known much about dyslexia, but he was able to find the things that I was always losing. It was through him that I found St Francis of Assisi who may not have been dyslexic, but on his own admission he had little more than an elementary school education. As so often with people who  have little education, they can often see complex truths  far more simply than those befuddled with too much knowledge, especially if t

My Hand in Yours, Our Hands in His , by Kimberly Cook, is a wonderful marriage workbook for exploring virtue with your spouse. Cook designed this seven-part series to show how to employ virtue in your marriage, and in the process, live a happier life. She starts with the Cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. Then she moves on to the Theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. Cook gives you, and your spouse, ample opportunity to address one virtue at a time, before proceeding onward to mastering the next virtue. She sets the stage by providing you with an opening prayer to recite, at the beginning of each session. What This Marriage Workbook Offers Within each chapter, she offers a definition of the virtue under study, and how it might best be applied within your marriage. Then Cook gives you a series of exercises to partake in that: Provide Scriptural reference for embracing the virtue Evaluate the strength of the virtue within your marriage

Here is something for the cold, gloomy days we are experiencing:  As I cleaned out things accumulated over decades in preparation for moving, I came across the following clever piece. Whenever I see excellence—such as a stunning ballet, a breathtaking piece of art, or a well-written poem or story—I’m spurred on to do the best I can in my projects. The account here is silly but incredibly well-done. I hope it makes you smile and prompts you to do your utmost in whatever task you undertake today. It might remind you of the movie Ghostbusters and make you chuckle . . . Click to continue

These are the months. The months of the year when you listen to James Vincent McMorrow, buy too many books, there is more darkness than light, more cold air than warmth, your 2-year-old gets a severe burn, and maybe more quiet and loneliness than friendly interaction, as well! I have struggled over the years with Depression, and I want to share with you how I stay attentive, and keep the demonic of comparison at bay in my life, and I'm talking currently. While I'm attending the second or third degree burn from a baby putting her hand on the stove. Yeah. If you feel like life is hard, remember that stress, demands, challenges, and disappointments are common to all.  Struggling is universal. Being a Mom has its own set of challenges, but that doesn't mean I am undermining whatever it is you are going through-- I do get it. We are all trying to do our best and enjoy life.  We are all trying to live above the circumstances, not because of them. This goes without saying that a

Someone's 'Tweet' about sin and how someone responded showed up in my Twitter feed Sunday. I noticed an unusually goofy item in my Google news feed that evening. Instead of expressing outrage and (self?)-righteous indignation over either or both, I made a few notes and went on with my day. That's no great virtue on my part. I'm no fan of emotional outbursts. I like them even less when I'm the one melting down. Avoiding that sort of eruption is much easier now.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

By Laura Durant It was a beautiful fall day this past September. I looked at the clock, and I needed to get moving – I had things to do and places to be! I hurried my bulldog, Winston, into his crate, by luring (and rewarding) him with treats, and then I called out for my kitty, Jake, to ensure he was in the house (and not wandering in the backyard) before I left. And there little Jake was, waiting on the second step from the bottom of our stairway, looking up at me, waiting patiently to be given his treats for delighting me with his presence. All good, I thought, now I can get going. I locked the house, got in my car, backed it up, put it into drive and headed on my way. As I took a left on my main street to head out into the city, I realized something, something spectacular, something miraculous. Had I been in the Eucharistic chapel at this moment, I surely would have fallen to my knees in praise and thanks to the Almighty for His Great Blessing and Miraculous Healing He