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HOW DO YOU MAKE A SAINT? IS A SAINT BORN OR MADE? ARE YOU A SAINT? CAN YOU BECOME ONE? CLICK HERE

This week I head north to Lancaster, PA to attend the annual Catholic Writers Guild (CWG) Conference (8/1 to 8/3/18). I’m looking forward to spending time with my fellow Catholic authors and publishers, as this conference gives writers an awesome chance to network with skilled professionals. My ability to review many of the books you’ve read about, on this website, results from the development of personal relationships, cultivated with quality Catholic authors and publishers. This week holds great promise for me. I will be speaking at one of the breakout sessions on  The Reality of Self-Publishing . This is my opportunity to “pay it forward,” by sharing my experience of entering the self-publishing business. My goal is to share with others some lessons learned, so that they can be successful. At this conference, ... Read more...

IS IT A SIN TO HAVE FUN ? CLICK HERE

We were all shocked and shattered when my brother announced that he wanted to become a priest. It was not just that he wanted to become a priest, but he wanted to become a Cistercian priest. That meant that once he left home he would never return. Naturally my mother was totally bereft. She was proud that her son wanted to be a priest, but why, oh why, did he want to become a monk as well? She did not know what to do, but fortunately she did know whom to turn to. She turned to Gus, a friend since childhood.  read on....

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes , Lambert Lombard  [ 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   Mark 6:1-15 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.   A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.   Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.  Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.  When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’  He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.  Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’  One of his

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the mother of James and John, what do you wish (Matt: 20:21)? Their mother asks Jesus to allow her sons to sit on Jesus’ right and left in the Kingdom of Heaven. This mother has a lot of moxie! In response, Jesus asks an additional question, directed at James and John: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink” (Matt 20:22)? What do you wish? I find the question, what do you wish, to be quite intriguing. If Jesus were sitting at a table across from you right now, and asked you that very question, how would you answer? Some of you might respond by requesting material comfort, in the form of money and a cushy lifestyle. Perhaps you might request power to rule over others. Maybe you seek fame. My hope is that you would dispense with these types of requests, and you might ask for any of the following: Read more...

Today I came across this short talk on my computer. I forgot where I gave it. May you will find it inspiring: You've probably seen photos from the Hubble telescope that show the galaxy Andromeda, the one closest to us. It makes you dizzy. There are billions of stars in it. Beyond that there are zillions of other galaxies. And here we are on tiny planet Earth, just a blue and green speck in the enormous universe, but Earth contains life. It’s a miracle. Reflect with me a few minutes about what your life means. From all eternity God planned to create you. Then at a certain time and place, almighty God loved you into being. A certain woman and a certain man met and came together and gave you a set of genes unlike any other person’s. You are unique. And you are marvelous. Your eyes keep blinking to keep them lubricated. Right now your stomach is digesting your last meal. Put your hand over your heart. It beats more than 100,000 times a day, sending oxygen to cells to keep you alive

Fr Francis Vernon Douglas (1910–1943) Fr Francis Vernon Douglas, known as 'Vernon' to his family, was taken away by Japanese soldiers on 27 July 1943 and never  seen again. It is presumed that he died on that date. This brief article is by my Columban confrere Fr John Keenan who has spent most of his life since 1966 in the Philippines, with a stint in Britain, and has done more than any other Columban to tell the story of Fr Douglas. He first wrote about Fr Douglas in 2001 in  Here was a brave and strong man , an article that describes the suffering of the New Zealander and that has appeared in a number of publications since then. Fr Francis Vernon Douglas Remembered by Fr John Keenan L to R: Vernon Douglas (nephew), Verne Turner (niece), Brendan Douglas (son of  Vernon) and Cliff Turner (husband of Verne) Douglas Family at St Mary Magdalene Church, Pililla, Rizal, September 28, 2016 It is now 75 years since the martyrdom of Fr Vernon Douglas on 27 Jul

  Mucho se habla del problema del tr áfico o trata de personas y, gracias a la reciente concientización, su visualización ha crecido en el mundo entero y las denuncias también . E n México, éstas han aumentado en un 600% en los últimos años, descubriendo que afecta principalmente a las mujeres (93% de los casos). (1) A simple vista, parecerá un delito lejano, como de cine, donde se amaga a las víctimas y se les mantiene encadenadas en lugares obscuros. Pero la realidad de este mercadeo violento es más cercana a nuestro diario vivir de lo que nos imaginamos, y nosotros podemos estar siendo parte de su cadena productiva. Esto puede darse s in darnos cuenta, pues todos nosotros podemos estar cooperando a su proliferación al comprar productos que “utilizan” personas en su producción. En Estados Unidos se han identificad o 139 productos d e 75 países que usan “esclavos modernos ”. ( 2 ) ver más...  

I see much intrinsic evil surfacing in our society. Whether it be racism, hatred, or lying – they all stem from selfishness. What makes many of these acts intrinsically evil is that nothing good comes from them. What makes an intrinsically evil act different from a morally unjust act is the intention of the sinner. For example, if a person steals a loaf of bread with the intention of feeding his starving family, the act of stealing is evil, but the intention does not make it intrinsically evil. Contrast that with the sins of racism, hatred and lying. When a person expresses racial slurs, aimed at demeaning or dehumanizing another human being/race, nothing good comes from that. The racist shows his/her vulnerabilities and insecurities. The recipient of the racial slurs is humiliated. Therefore, racism is intrinsically evil. If one individual hates another, wishing ill will on that person, nothing good comes from that. In fact, it only eats away at the goodness of the hater. Also,

WHAT IS HONESTY? IS IT THE BEST POLICY? ALWAYS? REALLY? EVEN IF IT HARMS YOU AND OTHERS? EVEN WHEN OTHERS CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH? WHAT IS TRUTH? SHARE YOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS HERE

Photo by  Leo Rivas  on  Unsplash When I was a little girl, I'd pick weeds from the lawn - dandelions, mostly, and bring a bouquet in to my mother. She'd smile and put them in a little green glass vase, add water, and put the vase on the kitchen windowsill. Every time I walked by the window and saw my gift to her, my heart would fill with joy, and I'd be so happy. I had given my mother the best thing I knew. In today's randomly chosen reading from St. Francis de Sales, a letter he wrote in 1605 to Rose Bourgeois, one his spiritual daughters, gently reminded me of a simple truth: God wants our weeds. Read more on my author site: Jeanne Grunert - God Wants Our Weeds

What a treat it was to read  Secrets – Visible & Invisible , a selection of seven short stories, written by seven different Catholic teen authors. Each story centers on a secret, and each story’s protagonist(s) depicted virtue, worthy of emulating. So, here is the run down: Secrets of Faith The  Underappreciated Virtues of Rusty Old Bicycles , is a dystopian tale from Corinna Turner. In this story we meet Margo and Bane, two pre-teens out for a joy ride. They live in a futuristic time where religion and faith are taboo, yet Margo and Bane are practicing Catholics. Masses are said underground. After attending a secret Mass, they get into trouble while trying to get home on time. Will the authorities let them go, or will they convict them of joining the “Resistance?” Margo and Bane’s faith is only one of several secrets revealed in this page-turning, fast paced story, that serves as a prequel to  I am Margaret . Secrets of Generosity In  Recreation , by award winning nove

Cattle and Sheep in a Stormy Landscape , Paulus Potter  [ 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  Mark 6:30-34 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.  He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.  And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.  Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.  As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things . Fr Ragheed Aziz Ganni  (2