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Faithfulness to God was never equated with respectability in sacred scripture. Just look at those biblical characters who we raise up as examples of faith today. In their own time, these paragons, who obeyed God in their personal lives, were considered quacks and for good reason. What would you think about a fellow like Noah who built a huge ship, far from any large body of water? Or a man like Abraham who still trusted God for a son for decades, even after his wife was menopausal? Or what about a general  like Gideon who challenged a huge army by ordering his dwindling troops of 300 to bang on their shields and uncover lanterns after dismissing 31,700 men in his army? Jesus himself shocked the respected, religious of his day. He upset their conventions, shocked their sensibilities so much so that the Pharisees thought Jesus was a bad influence. In the opinion of the Pharisees, God Incarnate was not holy but from the evil one. From our perspective this reaction seems shock

I decided it was time to write down Joel and my story. It's a bit long so I've broken it into two parts with lots of photos (all for your amusement of course). Putting together the pieces of our full story is actually kind of hard to do because when we first met, we certainly didn’t think we’d ever get married (or at least I didn’t) so remembering important dates and events wasn’t important. However, we put our heads together and I think we’ve come up with what we’ll call Our Story with semi-accurate dates and timelines. I’m glad we’ve done this now… cause there is no way I’m going to remember this in 10 years unless I write it down! Read all the romance here .

A Wet Sunday Morning by Edmund Blair Leighton In the following piece of advise, St Francis talks about what is required for our Sunday obligation in which we receive Jesus in Holy Communion.  The last bit of counsel for married couples was quite interesting. "There is no danger in doing all sorts of good and necessary tasks and in working on the day when one has been to communion.  In the primitive  church when everyone went to communion everyday, do you think that they sat their with their arms folded for the rest of the day?  And St. Paul, who generally said Mass, went on earning his living by the work of his hands. To read the rest, visit The Sincere Gift

A Hermit Praying in the Ruins of a Roman Temple by Hubert Robert Last week I wrote about St. Teresa’s of Avila’s method of mental prayer. Today I want to discuss misunderstandings about prayer from a different angle. Since we desire contemplation, should we sit still in prayer and wait for it? Should we try to make it happen by quieting our minds? Like last Friday’s post, this series speaks to the differences between Carmelite teaching and Centering Prayer, yoga, and other types of meditation influenced by eastern religions. Some people falsely equate silence with supernatural (infused) contemplation. They read about the need for interior silence in prayer, and they mistakenly think that if they sit quietly, God will necessarily bestow contemplation upon them. They equate the peace they find in silence to communion with God. The Vatican has cautioned us about certain methods of prayer In 1989, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), as head of the

About 39,000 years back, maybe more, Neanderthals made a mark that looks like a hashtag. Maybe it was a 'you are here' sign, the first tic-tac-toe game, or something completely different. I think humanity's back-story , implications of DNA's high phosphate levels, and why rocks (occasionally) move in Death Valley, are fascinating. Your experience may vary.... ...Folks have known that God's creation is vast and ancient for thousands of years: and seemed confident that God wasn't overextended. ... I figure that part of my job is appreciating God's creation: not telling the Almighty how it should have been designed.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

So, I had planned on posting a new {p,h,f,r} with Auntie Leila , since it has been a whole month since I have. Where does time go?  However, it seems God has other plans, since I cannot get my pictures to load and something has just come through my news feed that I must share!  So here is an unconventional, but important {p,h,f,r} post. Pretty   On September 20th at the beautiful Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, there will be a "kick-off" event for the International Week of Prayer and Fasting.  All Catholics are asked to pray, fast, give, adore, repent, and attend Mass during this week for the conversion and defeat of ISIS.  Please join in.  The Basilica's website has information as well as the official IWOPF website and this article from Zenit .   Please read more at Veils and Vocations .

UNEQUAL REWARDS IN HEAVEN? REALLY? CLICK HERE

Where did these past 3 weeks go?? …Three weeks since I first mentioned on ‘The Way to Nourish for Life’ my desire to share a personal journey with you---my journey back to being well again, back to being me!  So I apologize for this delay in explaining what brought me to this point [plus much more] still… But I’ve remained very much in awe & wonder of the many changes occurring in and around me--- and with all I’ve been learning this past month (which indeed I’ll be sharing soon).   Meanwhile, though, I needed to come back here once again to offer praise--- with the help of two Psalms and a song…  A contemporary Christian song being played on the radio here, which struck a chord with me upon hearing it this past month, as I’ve been spending much more time this summer with my Bible (rather than my laptop!)—being filled by Him, and for Him, with love… A love that cannot be contained— so much so that I’ve been wanting to sing & shout. (:  So here are three such ways …

Make Me a Saint! Lord, Let my life always be Yours. Let my heart always be Yours. Let my thoughts always be Yours. Let me praise You with all my being. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Let Him direct me in  His ways, For His ways are Your ways. Let Him guide me and counsel me So that I will walk in Your Footsteps. Your burden is easy and Your yoke is light, Be with me that I might carry my cross with joy Knowing that by embracing my cross, I am filled with Your love and peace. Read More At:: His Unending Love

We believe that God communicates with us through Sacred Scripture. His word, which is living and effective, can speak to us personally in many ways. When I was in the novitiate, one day the novice director explained that the Scripture readings for the Eucharist on our birthday contain a special message for us from God. My heart sank. My birthday is July 29, the feast day of St. Martha. If you recall, when Jesus was a guest at her house, he chided Martha for fussing preparing a meal while her sister, Mary, sat at his feet absorbed in him and his teachings. I figured that each day on my birthday I would hear God him say to me, “Kathleen, Kathleen, you are busy about many things. Stop being a workaholic and pay more attention to me.” That scolding would be my birthday gift from God. But I wasn’t entirely correct. Click to continue

Normally the word contemplation is used to describe the mystical awareness of God's action in a person, working through the Holy Spirit as they are being gradually transformed into the image and likeness of Christ. It begins not when we so choose, but when he chooses. Although we can prepare for it, it is essentially God's gift. To begin with it is often called 'obscure contemplation' , or 'the prayer of faith' or a ' ray of darkness' . This is because at first, the action of the Holy Spirit only highlights all that separates us from the transformation into Christ that he is working to achieve. The 'ray of darkness ' suddenly becomes a 'ray of light' when God chooses, giving the believer ever deeper experiences of the presence of God within, as the journey into Christ deepens. read more...

Well, school has begun.  After months of researching, planning, charts, lists, and book shopping--we are here in our school, which looks an awful lot like our kitchen.  While others are posting about first day victory dances at the bus stops, champagne toasts, and kid-free afternoon celebrations; us homeschoolers are breathing deep, girting our loins and plowing ahead.  Parenthood is life's toughest job, homeschooling takes it to an enitrely different level. ... But what do we do when our efforts don't pan out as we planned, or worse our children don't grow to be men and women grounded in faith and love set to rock the Catholic world? I am continually reading about homeschooling philosophy, curriculum, and teaching methods.  I seek out articles, blog, books, and magalogs to fill my head with all that is good and encourage me for the long journey ahead. ... The title of one lingers in my memory and gives me hope on the worst of homeschool days--"B

  I mentioned in my post a couple of weeks back about having hosted a potluck get-together most Fridays this summer.  We just had our last one of the season a few days ago. Issuing this invitation was a huge step for me.  Although I've often hosted holiday meals and birthday celebrations, opening my home on a weekly basis seemed next to impossible.  Normally when hosting, I'd plan weeks in advance what to cook and would go out of my mind trying to figure out how to maintain company-clean amid daily life.  What caused me to take the plunge and have people over almost every Friday?  I realized that it was the sin of pride, a lack of humility, and fear of what I think someone might think of me that was holding me back (and my family), from enjoying an even more rich and full life, even in this small way.   Sinful pride left me with little time and energy to put on the mask of perfection when there wasn't a compelling reason to do so.   The fine line b

Don't you just love a season with an unnecessary letter? A misspelled  Autum  looks so weird, while  Autumn  embraces its gratuitous silent letter and invites us to linger on that final  mmmmnnn  sound. I am excited about autumnnn. Strangely, autumn is the time for school to start and family calendars to EXPLODE. Sometimes I want to hire an event planner just to help us get through a week of school, work, sports, music, theater and church activities. This autumn is no different than any in that regard; we really do have an abundance of scheduled opportunities. Nonetheless, I plan to slow down. Read on at Praying with Grace !

FACING FAILURE CLICK HERE

Accepting God's Will May I resist the inclination To present Him with A "multiple choice test" Of my own feeble design It is He who tests me When  unbearable trials And  frightening... Please continue reading here @ mommynovenas.org Thank You

Jackie Parkes: Christianity without the Cross : Matthew 16 : 21-28 Douay Rheims 21From that time Jesus began to shew to his disciples, that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer man...

I used to have very little appreciation for the Liturgy of the Hours. I considered it ‘too structured,’ ‘too formal,’ and a mere recitation of words other people had written. It could be spoken while the speaker’s mind wandered anywhere and everywhere (I decided)… so wouldn’t such a practice just lead to dry, lifeless prayer? I could not have been more wrong..... (click here to continue) 

After nearly five hundred years, the Roman Republic had grown from a small city-state to a major world power: and it was a mess. I'm not talking about the chronic SNAFUs perpetrated by America's Congress. If America's government was like the Roman Republic's, we might see the House ways and means committee lead an armed assault on the Senate: while their assassins took care of a filibuster the hard way. Yes: things could be worse. Run-ins like the Catilinarian Conspiracy and Second Catilinarian conspiracy made the worst Washington mudslinging seem like a sedate poetry reading. The Roman Senate finally named one of their members " dictator perpetuo " ("dictator in perpetuity") — hoping that Julius Caesar would solve their problems. A few Senators got nervous: cutting the term, and Caesar's life, short. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST CLICK HERE

I finally figured out what matters. This is it. (1) I do not need a happy ending in life.   The Meaning:   Life isn't meant to be a fairy tale. Whether.... The Freedom:   No matter how my life ends, .... (2) How I feel about my life doesn't matter.  The Meaning:  Whether I think my life is going well or not is.... The Freedom :  Less time wasted with pointlessly evaluating my life in.... (4) Even if I became a god or goddess, it wouldn't matter.   The Meaning:  Having "personal power," or realizing the greatness in my soul in order.... The Freedom:   Who cares who I am?... "Lord, when we ask you for honors, income, money or worldly things, do not hear us." -St. Teresa of Avila (7) Never stop asking- "How Could I Do Better?"  The Meaning:   It doesn't matter... The Freedom:   This is the annoying part... Here's the rest of this post: " The 7 Most Mindblowingly Liberating Things I've

The Crucifixion of St Peter , Caravaggio, 1600-01 Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Populo, Rome [ 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   Matthew 16:21-27  (New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition: Canada)     From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.   And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.”   But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themse

Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden.   Robert Brault One is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.  by Dorothy Frances Gurney I always let my kids dig in the dirt with me, even if they pulled flowers instead of weeds. Now they all love gardening as much as I do. Gardening is a soothing, balm for my spirit. I can sense the Spirit of God permeating nature. In fact gardening is a prayer when we are quiet and listening. Perhaps most people also sense His life-giving presence in nature; that’s why so many love the outdoors, even if they are not especially spiritual.  As for us we are blessed to live on seven acres by a creek.  Much of it is still wild but I am slowly reclaiming more and more area, creating meandering gardens.  read more >

.... nineteen years ago seems like such a life-time ago.  In recent years we have both guided her and provided her with the tools needed for this day.  But while I was guiding her and provding for her, I forgot one thing......to prepare myself. Read the rest of the post here.

Recently, I’ve  found myself enjoying the writings of St. Francis de Sales.  Due to discovering much inspiration in his spiritual advise that is relevant to my vocation,  I’ve decided to dedicate Fridays at The Sincere Gift as a day to share some of the meaningful insights that I’ve found to be helpful.  His spirituality is a gentle one and very doable for the ordinary person.   “Go on kindling the spirit of joy and sweetness in your heart, and believe firmly that this is the true spirit of devotion; and if you are sometimes attacked by a contrary spirit of sadness and bitterness, make a real effort to lift up your heart to God, committing all to Him..... To read more, visit The Sincere Gift .  

St. Teresa's Transverberation by Joefa de Obidos (Wikimedia Commons Last winter on social media, I came across another Catholic author who was promoting yoga. Not as an exercise program, but for spiritual growth. I was shocked. I asked her why she wasn’t promoting prayer instead. She answered, “Meditation is prayer!” Nope. Two months ago, my brother forwarded an email from a colleague, asking about Centering Prayer. A friend was pushing it relentlessly. I looked at the website of the Catholic group that promotes Centering Prayer and found this in the FAQs: This form of prayer was first practiced and taught by the Desert Fathers of Egypt … the Carmelites St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Lisieux… Nonsense. The other day a new reader asked in the comments about meditating on Sacred Scripture. “Is this the same as the method of Fr. John Main, who has adapted an Eastern mantra method for Christian meditation?” Uh-uh. I have written a

Too many folks die, waiting for a compatible donor organ. We can't coax a patient's body into growing a new heart or kidney: yet. But we can build made-to-order bladders, and scientists have grown a new thymus: inside a mouse. It's a first step.... ...If starfish and some mice can regenerate complete missing parts: why can't we? Right now, we don't know. Not for sure. It probably has something to do with our immune system, and the way our bodies deal with injury.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Catholic 365.com  and my first article  God Reveals: We Respond As Christians, our lives revolve around God and not the other way around. the Tower of Babel Decades ago, I ranted and raved at the efficient, organized people who tried to carry out their own personal agendas within the Catholic Church. Yet I lacked the words to connect with these proactive Catholics who dismissed me as some sort of  irrelevant, passive mystic.  It seemed that I was the proverbial contemplative Mary type trying to reason with practical Martha types, all to no avail. I have literally given up on committees for years as a result, because the impasse is simply too frustrating. Often busy Catholics  think that they can bring the methods of  the secular business world and use them in the kingdom of God. Yet the truth is that Church growth and Christian activities are all about God’s actions, not man’s. Listen to Pope Francis: As for us, if we wish to form church, we need only to listen

Who needs to carry a cross? "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." -Mathews 16:24   In Sunday's (August 31) Gospel, carrying our cross is a prerequisite to being a follower of Christ. You can read more at Being Catholic ... Really .

Real prayer Portraits – Cesar Augusto Is not a mental exercise, a game. Honest prayer Opens our core, our heart to the Almighty, The Creator of the universe. Such prayer is necessarily humble because He is God and we are not. No room for pride; He knows us better than we know ourselves. Stark prayer  is rooted in this reality. All we can do is place ourselves in His  Presence,  in the Light, Letting go of all demands and control, Open to receive His transforming Love. Mother Teresa said:     read more >

For those of you who follow this blog on Facebook , I posted an urgent prayer request that I received from Mary.  Below is my original post, copied from an email: An Urgent Prayer Request, Please Read and Pass On: Dear Friends, Just a few minutes ago I received the following text message on my phone from Sean Malone who leads Crisis Relief International (CRI). We then spoke briefly on the phone and I assured him that we would share this urgent prayer need with all of our contacts. "We lost the city of Queragosh (Qaraqosh). It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically. This is the city we have been smuggling food too. ISIS has pushed back Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) and is within 10 minutes of where our CRI team is working. Thousands more fled into the city of Erbil last night. The UN evacuated it's staff in Erbil. Our team is unmoved and will stay. Prayer cover needed!" Continue reading on Veils and Vocations .

This week I directed a Bible study on next Sunday’s readings. The Gospel passage, Matthew 16:21–27, includes statements that Jesus made about discipleship. Doing research on these gave me new insight into the meaning of “deny yourself.” I thought I’d share this with you. First some background. All the statements explain what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. But they also are an unfolding of how to live by the greatest commandment, “Love God with your whole heart and soul, your mind and all your strength.” The first statement is “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” click to continue “Denying yourself” conjures up images of giving up candy for Lent or forgoing an episode of “Downton Abbey” as penance. It is a way of exercising self-control so that we are strengthened to resist temptation. It also can be a means of making up for sin. However, there is a broader meaning to “deny yourself,” one that is more demanding…and more beautiful. This interpretat

Many of the traditions practiced within the Catholic faith—from the priesthood to the burning of incense—can be found by tracing their roots back to the Jewish faith. Marian virtues are also deeply rooted in the lives of the women of the Old Testament. Just as God planted the seeds of preparation for Christ, so, too, did he plant the seeds for the preparation of Mary.  In the Old Testament we witness the commitment and deep faith of women who pre-figure Mary in profound ways. Women whose lives also provide role models for the way we are all called to live as Catholics. Read more here

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely,” (Proverbs 3:5). God sees everything. He sees the clerk short-changing the old man, the boy stealing the heroin, the man cheating on his wife, the girl lying to her teacher. He also sees the teenager turning in the $100 bill he finds in the parking lot, the wife praying for her non-Christian husband, the daughter loving unconditionally her siblings who taunt her. He sees everything. He is a just and loving God and that’s why we can trust in him. His 360-degree vision takes in the full panorama of time and space. He sees behind closed doors and around corners. He sees things that happen at work, things that happen in our government, things that happen in our schools. He not only sees all in the present, he sees all that is beyond us and he sees all that is behind us. He sees it in the full context we will never see. And because he sees everything, everywhere with loving eyes, we can trust

Touring Chicago's beautiful churches was my summer blog project.  My husband and I were able to visit nine parishes.  It was an amazing experience that we  both enjoyed. You can see all the links to all the parishes we visited at Being Catholic ... Really .

" 1 First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, " for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. " ( 2 Timothy 1 - 2 ) A post on Google Plus ( August 25, 2014 ) let me know about Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna's challenge or request for a half-hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament at a particular time today. Video post Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna, on Facebook The time was 6:00 p.m. Iraq time. Here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, that's 10:00 a.m. — and there's a Eucharistic adoration chapel about a half-mile north of my home.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .