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(From Peter Kennett, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (M31, the Great Andromeda Galaxy, one of 54 galaxies in the Local Group , photographed in 2005.) Folks can see the Andromeda Galaxy from Earth's northern hemisphere: on a clear night with no moon, anyway. Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi gets credit for 'discovering' it: but I'm pretty sure that quite a few folks had seen it before he mentioned "A Little Cloud" in " Book of Fixed Stars, " somewhere around 964. Knowledge and Change In 1764, Charles Messier, another astronomer, put the galaxy in his catalog as a nebula: object M31. By the 19th century, astronomers realized that some light from the Andromeda "nebula" resembled light from stars. In 1925, Edwin Hubble used observations of Cepheid variable stars to demonstrate that the Andromeda Galaxy was another " island universe :" far outside our Milky Way Galaxy. Light from the Andromeda Galaxy passing Earth toda

What happens to the seeds that fall to you? Matthew 13: 3-8 After my husband left, I spent hours, or was it days, weeks, or even months, wondering what had happened to his faith. Despite going through 12 years of Catholic school, his faith in God was weak. He'd claimed I brought him to faith and then ruined faith for him, but as I look back over the years at red flags I should have taken more notice of and at my own weaknesses, my own feeble faith, I wonder about the seeds each of us sowed and at the ground those seeds were planted in. If I follow his suggestion that my leading him to faith planted the Seed of the Word of God in him, then I also found myself asking… Was he the path and were the birds who came to eat up the little bit of faith I'd planted, devils of temptation in the forms of greed, lust, and pride? And why did I stop at just a little bit of seed? Why hadn't I planted so much seed that it couldn't be stolen away? Was he the rocky

Have you ever reached the end of a book to find yourself feeling a little sad that it was finished; as if you were saying goodbye to good friends? That is how I felt as I closed Tobit’s Dog , by Michael Nicholas Richard .   Tobit’s Dog is a novel based on the beautiful Old Testament book of Tobit. I had never read Tobit in its entirety, and decided to do so before reading the novel. As I moved on to Tobit’s Dog , I quickly discovered how creatively and thoughtfully the author brought the Biblical book into the Twentieth Century.      The story is about the Messager family (a black family living in North Carolina during the Great Depression) and their many trials, sufferings, and joys. I immediately connected with Tobit Messager, his wife Anna, his son Tobias and of course his faithful companion Okra. Read more here...

All... I was afraid to write some of the posts I have posted lately.  Part of me didn't want to write them, because of what they could cost me.  Yes, I have written the truth, I will not deny that, ever.  And I was commanded to write.  He said,  "You MUST write."   "OK I will." And write I shall.  The truth I tell could cost me dearly.  It has already begun to cost me, but because of my love, I will be obedient.  The Mathematics I love, may be only a dream, a certificate on the wall.   I may never get to use it.  Not my will but yours.  When you know the truth, any pain of any loss is small compared to the pain of the state of souls in the world. .... READ MORE.

Whenever something wonderful would happen My grandmother would say "Only God!" Whenever there was a great need... Please continue reading @  mommynovenas.org

In my exhaustion, I choose to completely  let go and let God . In purposeful trust, I choose to finally  let go and let God . In the gift of faith, I excitedly  let go and let God . I choose to see and believe that God is for me—and if God is for me, who can be against me? I choose to understand and know that God is my friend—and if God is my friend, who can be my enemy? I choose to eagerly accept that God has a plan for my life—and if God has a plan for my life,  why would I not let go and let God? Cheryl Dickow www.BezalelBooks.com Picture: ©   Luiba Tandit   | Dreamstime.com

Another time praying the Stations.... I was at the 6th Station, offering the Station to God, asking the Father that one drop of blood that just one drop of our Lord's precious blood cover what I was praying for.  At this station, I am all the way at the back of the Church, with my back to the Altar.  I hear the Lord say to me,  "Don't Turn Around."  ....  To find out why I was told that. . . CLICK HERE . 

--- 1 --   Every week has it’s ups and downs.  I’m fighting an ongoing battle with depression.  I have to remember there are good days and bad days whether you have this illness or not.  I have to acknowledge that depression is a mental illness.  To have your mind be infected with such a disease is not something about which anyone should be embarrassed.  Depression, like all illnesses, is real.  It is something I feel in my body and in my mind.  My body hurts, at times, because of this illness.  My mind suffers from the sorrow.  I’ve controlled this disease for 3 years, now, there has been a flare up.  As with any illness,  is time to explore more treatment options.  I need strategies to cope with my days.  I have to hold my head high when people shake their heads and say, “Get over it.  It’s all in your head.”  Yes, it IS in my head.  Everything begins in the brain.  Right now, my brain is sick.  Like any other organ is not functioning properly, I need treatment.  I

Imagine this.  A woman just entering monastic life prepares to don a habit for the first time.  She looks at the pieces of fabric folded neatly on a table before her.  Soft veil, long dress, layers of material she has waited to wear.  Her new habit smells like it was dried in the sun and pressed with just a hint of starch.  It carries the scent of the wind. She picks up the dress and slips it on, sliding it down over the stained orange jumper she wore through the enclosure door.  She lifts the veil onto her head, covering a tattered woolen hat.  The veil snags on her mismatched earrings, but never mind..... (continue)

Theology has become the field of egocentrism. The Church of God, Our Creator, is a simple Church; it is not complicated. It is deep, without a bottom deep. But in its simplicity and logic, there is no room for making a mark trending into egocentrism to be distinguished and admired for new discoveries. But all it is, it’s the flowering of egocentrism on the fields of error. There is a simple truth of what the Church is, and how it is represented. Since the 4 th Century the pattern has been set, and though there are no 2 churches the same, the same pattern is used. Make no mistake. The beauty is not coloring outside the box in this field. The beauty is exulting veneration and worship within the patterns set for our Church by our Church. Here is the pattern,................ http://theoutlawedgod.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/theology-of-the-wall/

When we read the parable of Jesus about the sower and how some seeds ended on the footpath, and others on rocky ground, and others among thorns and only a few on good ground, we think of the Word of God spread amongst many who would not listen. But let's consider who is the sower? Is it God teaching us? Or Jesus preaching throughout the Holy Land? Or the prohets and Disciples? The sower is of course all of these. But he is us too. Yes ... you and me. We have a duty and responsibility to evangelise and spread the Word of God to everyone, far and wide. Not just Christians. If the Word of God was meant for just Christians we would dig a long furrow and make sure that the seeds are planted one by one carefully in the furrow and none are wasted. But Jesus does not say that. He spread the seeds far and wide and if people do not want to listen that is their problem. Not yours. Of course we're not all good at preaching from the pulpit, or standing in street corners, or kno

" The avenger of blood may execute the murderer, putting him to death on sight. " ( Numbers 35:19 ) I ran into that bit from the Pentateuch in "Judas on a Pole," an episode in the second season of Bones . The writers used an 'Olde Englishe' translation that many Americans perceive as 'Biblical,' and that's another topic. If someone murdered a member of my family, I would be very angry. There'd be something wrong with me if I wasn't. Anger, Sin, and Getting a Grip Anger is a "capital sin," a sin that's particularly serious because it leads to other sins. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1866 ) That doesn't mean that I've committed a sin every time I experience anger. I'm human, so I experience emotions. Emotions aren't good or bad by themselves. What matters is what we do with them. (Catechism, 1767 ) If I hang on to anger, let it build into a desire to harm or kill someone else: that's

At our July 4th Mass, we sang every verse of every song, something Catholics rarely do. It got me thinking about the major role song plays in our lives. I believe we are the only earthly creatures that can sing, not counting birds who each have their own sound (except for the mockingbird). Whale sounds too might be considered song, but not like ours. Song is woven throughout our entire lives. Chances are that during our first years on earth our mothers sang us to sleep with lullabies. Then we learned children’s songs like “Are You Sleeping, Brother John?” and camp songs like “Found a Peanut.” In school we added to our repertoire in music class. Famous singers are among the most popular and richest people on earth. Some are called American idols!  One of the most beautiful things I ever heard was at an opera when at one point a soprano’s voice seemed to shiver in the air. It was indescribable. Click to continue

On Pinterset, I help pin on Catholic Fun for CatholicMom and on Catholic Memes for Catholic Feast. here are a few jokes to make you smile and maybe even laugh for more giggles>

LET HIM DIE CLICK HERE

I'm sure that every Catholic blogger has asked themselves at least once why they do it. Is it really worth the time spent away from work, from family, from prayer? Is anybody listening? Does anybody care?  One of my friends recently shut down his personal blog altogether , saying "While I have a lot of respect for many bloggers, I feel the blogosphere to be a net negative to the Catholic Faith.  ... It is the epitome of Francis' 'self-referential Church.'  Far from leading to a deepening of the faith, it has led to a corrosion of it." Could this be true? My friend's words certainly don't describe the work of CatholicMom or any mommy blogger I know. But I've seen the corner of the Catholic blogosphere he describes -- the place where people attack one another viciously over minute points of doctrine or liturgical practices that baffle non-Catholics and fail to bring anyone to a holier and more peaceful frame of mind. I regularly engage in verbal

We've been learning a great deal about human origins in the last century: and discovering that there's much more to learn. Scientists studying bones from a cave used by both Neanderthals and the current human model found DNA from a girl who was 'none of the above.' She's from a previously-unknown species, or sub-species, of human Other scientists discovered that chimpanzees communicate in an unexpectedly 'human' way. We live in an exciting era: or a disturbing one, depending on a person's assumptions and preferences.... ... Denisovans lived in or near the Altai mountains about 41,000 years before we started playing baseball. Some scientists call them a different species, others say they're a subspecies of homo sapiens sapiens . Either way, they're part of the human family. We don't know much about the Denisovans yet, apart from a bit of finger bone, two teeth, and a toe bone. That's not much to work with: but scientists found i

The Sower , Vincent van Gogh June 1888, Arles, Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo [ 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)  [This link is to the readings for the Vigil Mass and for the Mass on Sunday] Gospel   Matthew 13:1-23 (or 13:1-9)   ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)  That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.   Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.     And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.     And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.     Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.     But when the s

Guess who's in Heaven? Your nemesis. The person you dislike the most. There in Heaven. WHAT DO YOU DO? CLICK HERE

Preparations are heating up for this October's Extraordinary Synod on the Family, scheduled to take place in Rome. What will Pope Francis do? What can he do?   M y debut post on the popular Catholic news website Aleteia  answers some of these questions. *********************************************************************************** The recently released  working document for this October's Extraordinary Synod on the Family  presents a remarkably candid  view  of the troubles besetting Catholic marriages and families today. Young people are frequently afraid to commit, marriage preparation is often seen as a useless obligation, there is wide ignorance of Church teaching, few understand that using contraception is sinful, and many parents show limited interest in the religious education of their children. There are bright spots. In contrast to the wide-spread confusion over contraception, most Catholics realize that abortion is a serious sin. The faithful also expr

  In ancient Athens there was no such thing as taxation. There was no income tax, no capital gains tax, no value added tax, no inheritance tax - no tax at all, at least as we know it. I know it all sounds too good to be true, because even Utopians need roads and bridges, civic buildings and public amenities. They need to protect themselves too and armies and navies don't pay for themselves. So how did they do it? They invented a unique method of public service that expected every citizen to be responsible for financing one major public work once in their lifetime. It may be erecting a statue, building a temple or equipping a battle ship to defend their shores. When they'd done that they'd be free of any other financial responsibility for life. Now this act of public service performed by one person for the benefit of the whole community was called his 'liturgy'. read on.....

Once I was at a meeting with a group of church leaders. One woman there was the mother of a teenage daughter. She was lamenting how some of her daughter's friends had gone astray and she was wondering how we could keep our own children from going astray. One of the men spoke up and said, "We just need to pray continuously for them!". This didn't sit well with me. Afterall, how much prayer would be enough? Also, that seems to put it all on us. It also makes God out to be an ogre who witholds his mercy and grace from his children. Continue Reading>

Mom and Dad Head-to-Head in Family Jeopardy Today is my first post on this lovely, collaborative blog. How exciting! I'd like to share some intriguing stories about my recent family reunion which involved 43 people, a giant tent, a rotted board with rusty nails, a shattered patio table . . . and prayer.  Here's an excerpt to pique your interest: My mom and dad gave our whole family a great gift: they taught us how to pray. We prayed at meals, at bedtime, and whenever we heard a siren. We prayed the rosary. We went to church every weekend. We prayed at tense moments: when fighting grew chaotic, Mom would holler above the noise: "LET US SPEAK OF THE CHRIST CHILD!" We are strong-willed, flawed human beings, but we pray. I am convinced that this instinct to pray--an instinct cultivated by my parents through God's grace--has helped us remain conscious of our dependence on God. Read the whole report at Praying with Grace !

  Today I’m taking a break from talking about my book to return to the new project I’ve talked about a little before–making a spiritual growth plan for children of each temperament.  First I’ll give a little overview of the four classic temperaments, tell you a little more about this project, then delve in deeper to help you with your choleric children. At the bottom you’ll find a special download to help you. What are the four temperaments? The four classic temperaments are choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, and sanguine. Catholic philosophers adpoted them from the Greeks. There are several good sources for learning about the temperaments from a Catholic perspective. Art and Laraine Bennett have written several books on the temperaments. Fr. Conrad Hock’s treatment of the temperaments can be read online. Traditional books on spiritual direction usually address the temperaments as well. To figure out which temperament you have, ask yourself two questions: Ar

I, a straight married woman with a young child, learned something and got inspired by this book. I mention that right off the bat because I want to make it clear that you don’t have to be gay and Catholic to get this book. Gay and Catholic  written by well-known blogger  Eve Tushnet  in part chronicles her discovery of her sexuality and her conversion to the Catholic faith. This is not the majority of the book, but it sets the foundation for everything she says later on. She’s been there. She is one of a very few gay Catholics who openly talk about their struggles being faithful in a world that approaches chastity with suspicion or disdain... Read more of my review here at True Dignity of Women .

"Jesus stood still." That simple sentence can be found in the story of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52).  I was reading about this Gospel story in Fr. James Martin's book,  Jesus: A Pilgrimage .  In Father's book he mentions how a nun was deeply moved by that simple sentence and explains why. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

When Laura Pearl first brought  Finding Grace  to Bezalel Books, I was impressed with her writing. At Bezalel Books, we don’t publish everything that comes our way—even if the author is willing to pick up the publishing costs. Rather, we read a sample chapter or two, a synopsis and then get a “feel” for the author’s passions and skills. Pretty much the Holy Spirit is part of everything and we are okay to say “no” if things don’t seem like a good fit. Laura was a great fit. Laura’s work at marketing and blogging and even entering the world of Twitter continued to impress me. Laura is the mother of five grown sons and I am the mother of three grown sons so there’s that, too. But I just continued to find her wit and insight to be inspiring. Every time I read a blog of hers I found myself smiling or laughing or in some way connecting with her spirit. Finish reading here (the picture used is ID 5121949 ©  Connie Larsen  | Dreamstime.com)

Holy Innocents  is the third parish my husband and I visited while touring Chicago's beautiful churches.  Neither of us had ever been there so we were discovering this treasure for the first time. What always amazes me when visiting an older parish is the sacrifice of the people who built it.  Intricate stained glass in memory of loved ones testifies to their faith and love of their church. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

Monasteries are not drought-proof.  When skies close up and rains no longer soak the ground, monastery fields and gardens are no less subject to dryness than are any other plots of land.  The monastery of the heart is not drought-proof, either.  Sometimes we feel as if our souls are barren, lifeless, parched.  There are days when our prayers seem to go nowhere, times when we feel that God Himself has left the universe to dry up and wither to dust.  If we’ve ever felt this way, we are not alone .  “I could neither pray nor read,” wrote St. Teresa of Avila about one such experience, “but there I remained, for hours and hours together, uneasy in mind and afflicted in spirit on account of the weight of my trouble......"  (continue)

This might be a touchy subject but it comes up quite a bit so I thought I would address it. I know some Protestant, non-denominational, evangelicals who pride themselves on not "being religious". "It's about a relationship not religion" they will say. I know where they are going with this and to an extent, I would agree but I'm not sure they really know what "being religious" means. They are usually too polite to tell me to my face but sometimes they will imply that I am involved with a 'religious institution', as if it were a bad thing and say it is not for them.  Continue Reading >

Image from the movie "Maria Goretti" On July 6, the church celebrates the feast of  St. Maria Goretti , one of the youngest saints ever canonized.  I count this young girl among my closest heavenly friends - she is my "go-to" intercessor and her short earthly life is an unending source of inspiration to me. While taking on a Moral Theology course, I have also come to discover that this eleven year old, illiterate, Italian peasant girl - martyr is also an astute moral theologian. Click here to read more....

(From NASA/Jim Grossmann, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (Some of America's new citizens at the Kennedy Space Center. July 1, 2010.) ...The Irish and Other 'Threats' Some of my ancestors were none too pleased when one of those Irishmen came sniffing around their daughter. When asked about her daughter's suitor, one of my foremothers said, "he doesn't have family: he's Irish." ( November 13, 2008 ) I can understand her attitude. Quite a few 'proper' folks were convinced that those Irish were violent, indolent, and chronic drinkers: hardly the sort one would want marrying into the family. The daughter of a decent family and that Irishman got married, anyway. I think we earned our reputation for being garrulous and charming, and that's another topic. When my father's father died, my father received a small inheritance from his maternal grandfather. My father figured that his grandfather didn't want 'that Ir