Association Of Catholic Bloggers

The Two Trinities , Murillo  [ 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  John 16:12-15 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)     Jesus said to his disiples: ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Léachtaí i nGaeilge John 16:12-15 in Filipino Sign Language During my kindergarten, primary and secondary school years, 1947 to 1961, m

As a Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Coordinator, I work with people who search for a deeper relationship with Christ.  Some come from other faiths, and others come to my program having never been baptized. When I hear their stories, I hear a common theme; a search for truth. Those that come from the Protestant denominations, come with questions that their former pastors/preachers cannot answer. The unbaptized appear like a clean slate; open to learning how to develop a relationship with Jesus. What is everyone’s goal? To find faith! If you are feeling lost, then look for the gift of faith in your own heart. God infused within you, at birth, the capability to believe in Him, along with a desire to know and love Him.  He also gifted you with reason and an intellect that He expects you to use to come to know the Truth. Where can you find the Truth? You will find it in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Faith in Sacred Scripture Sacred Scripture is the inspire

Por Tessy Gil y Blanca en nuestra nueva sección ¿VERDAD QUE SÍ?  en nuestro canal de You tube, en el que nos acercan a nuestras realidades humanas con un sentido más humano y solidario que la fe católica nos brinda.

Parents of special needs children face additional challenges taking their children to church. But parents with children on the autism spectrum struggle mightily to ensure their children learn the faith.   This weekend, on Pentecost (of course - thanks, Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom), I learned why one of my friends was unable to attend church - and the huge hurdles facings parents with autistic children, children with learning disabilities, children with intellectual disabilities and sensory processing disorders and more - to even take their children to church. Read the whole piece on my website, here: When Church Means Pain, What's a Parent to Do?

We live in a very intolerant society. We see it in the actions of our politicians, as well as our co-workers. Intolerance rears its ugly head in our communities, and even in our churches. It shows its spiny bristles in the forms of anger, hatred, racism, vengeance and vindictiveness – all violations of the Fifth Commandment! How so? Well each one of these forms of behavior, when applied, diminishes the dignity of others – each behavior kills the spirit of the victim. How do we combat intolerance? We seek Charity. If we would embrace the concept of loving our neighbor, we can eradicate intolerance from our society. So, what does it really mean to love one’s neighbor? Well, if we were to follow Christ’s teaching, it means to love others unconditionally. Regardless of one’s color, gender, nationality, or other difference, we are called to love everyone with respect. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you should love one another  (John 13:34).

I’ve been thinking about breathing a lot lately.   Because my mom has end-stage COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), we are beginning to accumulate various fans for her, because when you have trouble breathing, sometimes the airflow from fans eases the struggle to breathe. Whenever I exercise, I think about this with every deep breath I have to take to continue my workout.   I think about how precious the simple act of breathing actually is and how we take it for granted, because for most of us, it comes without difficulty. All this pondering about flowing air is rather timely now that we are celebrating Pentecost.   Pentecost is 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus (Easter) and is often called the birthday of the Church.   It is the day that the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles in the upper room. This event is beautifully described in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, which can be found in the New Testament. Forty days after his resur

Pentecost , Sir Anthony van Dyck  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Vigil Mass    (Years A, B and C) Mass during the Day Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  [This page gives the readings for both the Vigil Mass and the Mass during the Day] Liturgical Note.  Pentecost, like Easter and some other solemnities, has a Vigil, properly so-called. This is not an ‘anticipated Mass’ but a Vigil Mass in its own right, with its own set of prayers and readings. It fulfils our Sunday obligation. There may be an extended Liturgy of the Word, similar to the Easter Vigil, with all the Old Testament readings used.   The prayers and readings of the Mass During the Day should not be used for the Vigil Mass, nor those of the Vigil Mass for the Mass During the Day.  Gospel    John 20:19-23  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic

When I speak of seeking confidence, I am not referring to confidence in anything humanity has to offer. Confidence in one’s own abilities is fleeting. Any confidence one might have in others is subject to disappointment as a result of selfishness. Instead, I suggest that we all need to seek confidence in God. So, when you experience doubt, confusion, and distress, seek confidence in what God can do for you. God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (ever present). Our Lord knows what is best for you and has the power to make things happen for you. He knows your future, and what you need. Also, He never leaves your side. He walks the journey with you, guiding you, comforting you, and giving you confidence in His abilities. God gives us everything we need to fulfill His plan for us. Seek Confidence I experience my own doubts, confusion and distress. For example, a family member recently told my husband and me that she has cancer. Such a diagnosi

So here’s part of our story so far . . . My husband proposed to me on a bridge overlooking a river that runs through what used to be a golf course in our old neighborhood. The bridge rotted away because the river kept flooding and it eventually had to be torn down.   At the time, I had actually thought about preserving a piece of wood from the bridge, but heaven only knows what disgusting things were on its boards. Speaking of disgusting, about a year later, we got married by a beloved priest whom everyone adored . . .except the children he was sexually abusing (we didn’t know about it, of course.) So then we moved into our first apartment, in the building where we first met. Yes, I literally married the boy next door.   I met him the day he moved into his apartment. A number of years later, after we had long-settled elsewhere, our apartment burned down. So our bridge rotted, our priest turned out to be a pedophile, and our apartment burned down. Geesh.   I