Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Keiko Uemura on her First Communion Day, December 1971 Keiko died 27 April 1972, aged 14 Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Mark 6:1-6 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) Jesus left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him.  On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him.  Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’  And he

Fr Daniel Canniffe 3 July 1928 - 28 June 2018 Fr Daniel 'Dan' Canniffe was born on 3 July 1928 in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. He was an only child as were each of his parents. Educated at Bandon Naotional School, Hamilton High School, Bandon, and St Finbarr's College, Farrenferris, County Cork, he entered St Columban's, Dalgan Park, Navan, in September 1945. Immaculate Conception Church, Bandon   [ Parish FB ] Ordained priest on 21 December 1951 Father Dan was appointed to Japan. He spent seven years there. After language school he was involved in pastoral work in Yakatamachi, Wakayama City. There he was involved in using all the usual techniques to make the Church known. This included posters, street collections for the poor, film shows, lectures by invited speakers, promotion of the Legion of Mary, the Society of St Vincent de Paul and the Young Christian Workers. Those were the years of plenty in post-war Japan when many people entered

Today, in the United States, we celebrate our independence from Britain. The whole basis for the Revolutionary War was for a desire to be a free and independent nation in the New World. As Americans, we wanted to chart our own course. We wanted the freedom to make our own decisions; our own mistakes. Yet, what we really wanted was authentic freedom, which is different from a freedom that allows us to do whatever we want. Gaudium et spes  defines authentic freedom as follows: Only in freedom can man direct himself toward goodness. Our contemporaries make much of this freedom and pursue it eagerly; and rightly to be sure. Often, however, they foster it perversely as a license for doing whatever pleases them, even if it is evil. For its part, authentic freedom is an exceptional sign of the divine image within man. For God has willed that man remain ‘under the control of his own decisions,’ so that he can seek his Creator spontaneously, and come freely to utter and blissful perfect

I do not want to die only to discover I was playing society’s ever-changing games and was so caught up in myself that I forgot why I am on earth. I have been called to love, to even lay down my life for others.   I usually fail because it is impossible to love effectively without God's help. We often misunderstand other people's language of love. Some people appreciate service, others need touch or need to hear a declaration of love.  Sometimes we just have to step back and ask God to love, so we are simply a conduit of   His love. continue

In  Living Virtuously , Erin Harrison teaches us how to embrace and embody virtue in our homes. Harrison is a homesteading and homeschooling mom. She shares with us her own trials and triumphs in addressing vice and embodying virtue; using real-life recollections. Harrison’s perspective on life, and her tone of writing, calls us back to a time when manners and etiquette were valued. She’s quick to point out that the technological advances of the 20 th  century do not always give us a better quality of life. In Harrison’s opinion, sometimes it is better to do things the old-fashioned way – like talking to each other face to face! If you are a working mom, or a woman who doesn’t quite embrace the whole “submissive” thing (Eph 5:24), then you may not initially relate to Harrison’s suggestions on how to best incorporate virtue into your family life. But, I strongly suggest that you continue reading this gem of a book and allow yourself to search deeper, to find the numerous golden nu

Por: Lourdes de Domenzain

This is the first of a series of  talks  on Mystical Prayer given by David Torkington to members of the laity and the community at Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire, England. An Introduction to Journeying Deeper David introduces the journey. The Gregorian Chant is sung by the monks of Belmont Abbey. “In the Presence of the Angels” sung by the monks of Belmont Abbey  L isten to the podcast.....

Last time I introduced you to Franz Stampfl, my athletics coach when I was a boy. When transposed from the sporting life to the spiritual life his teaching taught me more about how to progress spiritually than any spiritual director whom I have even known. I make no apology therefore for introducing you to further principles that I learnt from him in the hope that they will help you too. Speed Training A favourite principle that Franz instilled in his pupils  was called speed training. The theory is simply common sense. You may be wonderful with the ball at your feet or in your hands, you may have a brilliant backhand and a superlative smash, but if you do not get to the ball in time your skills will be superfluous. Speed training therefore is of the utmost importance in the spiritual life too. The difference between saints and ourselves, is not that we sin and they do not, but the speed with which they turn back to God to seek forgiveness.    read on.....

Pope Francis is like a canary in the coal mine, identifying toxic trends in our society, then, offering hope as he suggests Christian solutions to current issues. The expression, a canary in the coal mine, is a saying which refers to caged canaries miners would bring with them into mine tunnels. These birds were used in Britain,  right up until 1999  as a way to warn miners if gases like carbon monoxide collected in the mine. Noxious gas would kill a tiny canary before miners even knew they were in danger. Now the phrase, a canary in the coal mine,  alludes to someone whose sensitivity delivers early warnings to society. Our popes have often perceived subtle shifts away from gospel values before most of us even notice. continue

In the early Church, those who spoke in the name of the Lord were considered prophets. It was important for the early Christians to discern between true and false prophets. In today’s Gospel, from Matt 7:15-20, Matthew writes about false prophets. He uses the analogy of trees that bear good fruit (true prophets) versus those trees that bear bad fruit (false prophets). The analogy is meant to correlate to the works of those who speak on behalf of the Church. Some of those who spoke were false prophets, evidenced by their bad deeds. With bad intentions, these false prophets produced bad fruit. Whereas, the Apostles and their disciples, who remained true to the teachings of Christ, produced good fruit via their good deeds. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus asks a rhetorical question: “ Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ” (Matt 7:16). Jesus’ question is more of a statement. He tells us that people know the difference between good and evil. People know

One day I was flying home after a devastating meeting with a publisher. My aisle seat was between two young men who were friends. I offered to switch places, but they told me to stay put, and they involved me in their conversation. At one point I shared with them that it had been a no-good, terrible day. When I explained why, one man said, “Work? Is that all?” Hmm. That comment certainly put things in perspective. I was in perfect health, my family was well, I had meals three times a day, and a roof over my head. I believe the Holy Spirit consoled me that day through my fellow passenger. Click to continue

How easy it is to judge others! How much more difficult is it to be honest with ourselves! In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus ask, yet again, another “pointed” question Matt 7:3-4. Jesus quickly points out that we fail to see our own sin. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? We are so quick to point out the faults of others; to admonish the sinner, under the guise of a spiritual work of mercy. Yet, we fail to see our own sins; let alone do anything about them. Rather than looking to find fault with others, we need to look inward and take stock of our own sins. Judging others is God’s business and none of our business. Only God can judge others, because only He can read every human heart and know the true intention for one’s actions. Do you not see your own sin? If you want to judge someone, the

I was so sorry to hear that my boyhood hero died recently. His name was Roger Bannister, or Sir Roger Bannister as he became later. I had seen him run several times, but sadly I wasn't present to see him break the record by becoming the  first man  to run a mile in under four minutes. When I did see the event on the news I was thrilled to see him fall into the arms of his coach  Franz Stampfl as he broke the tape. Franz was one of the world’s leading athletic coaches of the twentieth century. He was simply a genius who trained over three hundred and sixty Olympians. He was my coach too, because our sports master invited him to be our  athletic coach. It was from him  that I learnt far more than mere athletics. Although I did not realise it at the time, what I learnt from him was to help me immensely in my spiritual life later. .... read on......

DOES GOD LOVE THE DEVIL? Now there's a conundrum. How can God ask us to love one another, without exception; and then He does not love the devil. CLICK HERE

If you try to help a struggling butterfly emerge from the prison of his cocoon, his wings will be permanently deformed.  As a butterfly struggles, fluid is forced into its wings so they stretch and open, allowing them to fly but butterflies are not the only creatures who must struggle before they have the ability to fly. God uses our difficult circumstances to transform us into saints so we are free to soar into the very heart of God. If God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint. (St. Ignatius Loyola) continue 

Dismantling the Biggest Lie  could take a lifetime. Matthew Kelly has published another excellent thought-provoking book. I had the privilege of reading his latest book before it was available to the general public. (Being a  Dynamic Catholic Ambassador  provided me with that privilege). A Lot of Quote-Worthy Material This book is chock-full of quotes you'll want to remember, so make sure you have your highlighter with you each time you pick it up. There is a lot of information in this book, so you'll want to make sure you have time to really stew on it. Read more...

Today is a very difficult day for me. It was June 20, 1999, Father’s Day, that I had my last conversation with my dad. In 1999, my husband and I lived in Utah, and my dad lived in New Jersey. On June 11 th  of that year, he was taken to the hospital; diagnosed with emphysema, pneumonia and congestive heart failure.  Things didn’t look good. So, my husband and I flew home on June 12 th . When we got to the hospital, and walked into the room, my dad was so happy to see me. He kept telling me repeatedly throughout that evening that he loved me. I consciously appreciated hearing the words, but I thought it odd as well, as my Father was never the gushy type. The words “I love you” were sparse throughout my life. Yet, by his actions, I always knew that he loved me. To hear him repeatedly state his love for me that evening turned out to be one of the greatest gifts given to me. My Last Day with My Dad The next day, my father couldn’t breathe on his own, so he was intubated. From t

For this week's blog, I offer you a video that is a gorgeous celebration of creation: God's gift to us. Enjoy our Earth-home—especially this summer— treasure it, and protect it.  Click on the address below, and when you see the video, enlarge it.  (Click on the triangle on the bottom of the left side to play the video.) click to continue

UNA REFLEXIÓN DE NUESTRO VENERABLE BENEDICTO XVI SOBRE LO QUE ESTE GRAN EVENTO HUMANO PUEDE TRAER AL MUNDO... ¡HERMOSO! ver más

In the wake of the two prominent figures' suicides, an entire nation is alert to the issue of mental health.  Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain ushered in- for better and/or for worse- a discussion of mental health- its ramifications and effects.  I noticed that people within the subculture of Twitter were all over the map. Some seemed shocked that those with wealth, power, and fame could feel such despair. Many spoke out by saying, "If you are hurting, reach out to those around you."  Platitudes flowed aplenty wherever news and extemporaneous thoughts were shared. The frustration I had as someone who indeed struggles with mental illness- -and I like to call myself a "functional, sorta healthy person with mental illness"- somewhat in between the two extremes of institutionalized, definitely struggling, but also semi-healthy for the most part-- was that we do need to stop issuing platitudes.  Insiders to mental illness do not appreciate condescension, let me tell