Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I have a lot of of Protestant friends whom I love dearly. I am always encouraged and built up by their faith. One thing they often worry about however that I do not have to worry about as a Catholic is when my children will allow Jesus to come into their heart. You see, Jesus already lives in their heart through baptism. It is now up to me to cultivate that and help them fall in love with Him.  Some ways I do this is through the rosary, reading scripture, playing worship music in our home and helping them to encounter Him everyday. Continue Reading >

Keeping a spiritual journal can be a great asset to growing in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. I began keeping a journal about eight years ago and it has proven to be one of the most fruitful practices I have. I am not an expert, but here are seven lessons I have learned through journaling. --- 1 --- Many of the saints kept journals.  Journaling has a long-standing history in the Catholic Church and some of the greatest saints have kept spiritual journals. Two examples of well known saints' journals which have been published are St. Therese of Lisieux's  The Story of a Soul  and St. Ignatius Loyola's  Spiritual Exercises.  These journals, published many years after the saint's death, continue to be a source of  inspiration and encouragement to millions of people. More recently, Blessed John XXIII kept a personal journal from the age of 14 until his death, which is available in a book entitled  The Journal of a Soul.   Read more about his journal  here . The

Father Ignatius sat in the empty church right up front by Our Lady’s statue. He watched for a while the votive candles burning at her feet and then started his Rosary. Suddenly, out of nowhere, these words came whirling fast into his head, totally uncontrollable and spontaneous, yet as clear as if they were spoken to him there and then. Continue reading about Father Ignatius' encounter with Our Lord. Please click HERE

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem Melozzo da Forli, 1477-82, Fresco, Basilica of Santa Casa, Loreto [ Web Gallery of Art ] The Commemoration of the Lord's Entrance into Jerusalem  Gospel  Matthew 21:1-11  (New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,   saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.   If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.   This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you,   humble, and mounted on a donkey,   and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;   they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on

  I have watched Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion Of The Christ a number of times especially during Holy week.     The scenes in the movies are forever implanted in my memory and heart. As I pray the sorrowful mystery of the Rosary or pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, my mind and heart go to these images of the Passion of Christ. I share my reflections on the scenes of the movie below “ Everything within me cries Holy! Holy! Holy is the Lamb that was slain.” These words are from an inspiring worship song that I have song occasionally at Mass and at pray group.    However, after watching Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion Of The Christ , the words of this song have taken on a deeper meaning for me. I have always understood and believed intellectually that Jesus had to suffer and die for my sins. But watching this movie has made me intensely aware of the extent of his inconceivable suffering.  Continue reading

A 520,000,000 year old fossilized heart caught my eye this week: so did genetically engineered bacteria, and the continuing search for life in the universe.... ...I don't need an iPad to be Catholic: which is just as well, since I don't own one. My son has smartphone, and that's another topic. Catholics coped quite well without WiFi gadgets in their pockets: and without pockets, for that matter. But our faith doesn't depend on avoiding new ideas and technology. We've even been at the cutting edge of new tech a few times: like Gothic cathedrals , stone buildings with walls made mostly of stained glass. The pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses of Gothic architecture are traditional now, but 12th century traditionalists were horrified at the 'barbarous' style. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I was reading Elizabeth Scalia's (The Anchoress) blog post,  How I Loved My Kitschy Madonna , when I realized I have my very own Catholic Kitchen Kitsch! We have lived in this house thirty-one and half years and I just didn't pay much attention to the switch plate that has been in the kitchen all these years (and probably long before that!). You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

I grew up in the shadow of my sister who was 18 months older than me. I followed her around, copying her every preference and obeying her every request. She convinced me that her likes and dislikes, friends and fashions were the best and only choices possible for me.  When she was 16, she got married, leaving me wondering who I was without her. Perhaps like me, you habitually compare yourself with others, find yourself lacking and stop trying to succeed. Stuck in comparison mode, we can never develop into the person God created in his image.  God doesn't create clones. When we measure ourselves against others, all we see are our weaknesses. Our uniqueness hides from others and ourselves. Blessed John Paul II wrote about this, "We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son Jesus." Continue reading at JOYAlive.net

SAVE IN THE MIDST OF THE RAGING WATERS     “The Lord, was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, whom made the depths of the sea a pathway for the redeemed to cross over.” Isaiah 51:10     The children of Israel had marched on dry land through the midst of the sea; with the water like a wall to the right and to the left. I often wonder what the people of Israel thought as they went through the dry land with the water from the sea like a wall to the right and to the left of them. Were they in total awe at the magnificent power of God as he saved them from the approaching enemy? I can only imagine that some were amazed and terrified at the same time.    It was probably not until they arrived safely on the other side, did the people finally grasp what God did for them. It is true in my own life as well.  Continue Reading

Lenten Reflection for April 10 :  GN 17:3-9 ,  PS 105:4-5, 6-7, 8 The Scribes and Pharisees are presented with a conundrum when they argue with Jesus in the temple. They are  the religious experts of their day. They know the scriptures inside out and upside down and keep every letter of the law. Yet in their arrogance, with only their human wits to guide them, they are clueless about the true nature of the God they are supposedly worshipping. continue reading> image- The Holy Trinity, miniature from the Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany, Queen consort of France (1477-1514).

Have you ever been to a fox hunt?  Me neither. In fact, as a city girl, a fox hunt is about as foreign to me as a game of stickball is to an English country gentleman. The idea that a spiritual lesson based around a fox hunt could in any way resonate with me is a stretch, but a few years ago at a faith formation program I was attending, that is precisely what happened. Here's how it went: In a fox hunt, the hounds who lead the pack have seen the fox they are chasing. They have sniffed his scent. These hounds have encountered the fox and this encounter motivates them to chase him with abandon - always keeping him in their sights. Read more here....

THIS MAN   To read script please click HERE

What kind of prayer life do you have? Father Jonathan Morris says that most people struggle with their prayer life and it usually comes down to praying when things get bad or asking God for "things." Though I pray daily, I am always conscious of asking God for anything for myself.  When it comes to my husband and children, I can be pretty demanding.  Their spiritual and physical health are of the utmost importance.  I also pray that God reveals Himself to them and that they do His will. You can read the full article here at Being Catholic ... Really .

I was talking with a good friend of mine recently. We were making the observation that we really lack energy these days but then there are others, even older than us that could probably run circles around us. We were wondering what they were doing that we weren't. We were discussing nutrition and exercise, wondering if we just needed to exercise more and eat better. We both came to the conclusion however that even if we did those things it still would not be enough.   continue reading>

4 : 12    Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword,  penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. 13          No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. I was born a Sagittarian. I was next to the last one to be born in my family. My aunt and 2 cousins shared being Sagittarians. There are no other clusters of birthdays, just us 4. My aunt would capitalize on our Sagittarian traits with great frequency. It was very natural to me to be one, I had 10 fingers and I was Sagittarian. Somehow, I wore that pride my aunt exuded myself flaunting my traits as badges of superiority over the rest of the zodiac what to know more? . http://theoutlawedgod.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/hebrews-4-12-13/

So far no one on earth can explain what happened to the Malaysian plane that disappeared somewhere over the ocean. This horrifying occurrence may forever remain a mystery. The shocking, sudden deaths of 239 people poses a greater mystery: why would God allow this to happen? I’m writing this on the feastday of St. Julie Billiart, the spiritual mother of our community, who incessantly proclaimed, “God is good.” How could a good, all-powerful God not prevent this catastrophe and others like it? Purportedly God loves us and regards us as his children. Does a good Father stand by and let his children suffer?  Continue here.

It is a Catholic tradition to acknowledge and honor the unselfish and holy life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One way of doing that is to plant a Mary Garden . In the Middle Ages, missionaries and travelers spread stories across Europe about flowers named after Mary and various times of her life. Mary Gardens that featured these flowers became popular there, and later the tradition made its way to America . Around 1932 it is believed that the first Mary Garden in the United States was constructed on the grounds of St. Joseph 's Church in the Woods on Cape Cod . To read more, please visit http://bezalelbooks.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-mary-garden-great-mother-daughter.html

EWTN’s Family Prayer for the day today is for the grieving, which I wanted to share with you here, since (as Fr. Joseph would say) “a prayer that we pray together is   a powerful prayer” …even if, of course, at different times–or days... Click Here to Read More

Hi, my name is Melanie Jean Juneau and I have been the administrator of this site since the summer.I am asking for your insights, expertise and help. Do any of you have ideas for format or organization?   I seriously considered using a dynamic template to only post the introduction to each article but then the header and sidebar disappear. I  am also tempted to  switch to wordpress  because  I would choose a theme which would only post excerpts on the blog page. Even better, we could create a static home page which would describe and introduce ACWB to our readers. One idea I have is to create a page to list our writer's published books. This is also a gentle reminder to only post an introduction to your article on our front page. I have resorted to compressing articles by making the type and images smaller when I cannot find the article on your own personal blog but this is not aesthetically pleasing.  It is imperative that one article does not dominate the front page;

Monument to St. John of the Cross in Frontiveros, Spain. You can’t read the Carmelite saints for long without encountering the idea of detachment. We find it in the writings of John of the Cross, of Teresa of Avila, and even of St. Therese. Detachment for Catholics is not the same as mere  penance. Detachment, like the entire spiritual life, begins and ends with love. St. John of the Cross is the master teacher about detachment. Here is his famous passage on detachment from The Ascent of Mount Carmel: Endeavor to be inclined always: not to the easiest, but to the most difficult; not to the most delightful, but to the most distasteful; not to the most gratifying, but to the least pleasant; not to what means rest for you, but to hard work; not to the consoling, but to the unconsoling; not to the most, but to the least; not to the highest and most precious, but to the lowest and most despised; not to wanting something, but to wanting nothing. Do I detect a few sighs?