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While browsing through my  Magnificat , I came across this quote from Saint John XXIII at the opening of the Vatican Council in 1962: “Now the Bride of Christ wishes to use the medicine of mercy rather than taking up arms of severity ... The Catholic Church, as she holds high the torch of Catholic truth at this ecumenical council, wants to show herself as a loving mother to all: patient, kind, moved by compassion and goodness toward her separated children.” The phrase, “medicine of mercy,” struck at my heart.  That our Church would be a balm for those in pain and misery was almost overwhelming to me. To read the rest of the article, please go to Being Catholic ... Really .

Inspired by my fellow blogger's post, B's Best Books of 2015 by the  The Book Whisperer , I took a look back on the books I read in 2015.   To see the photo gallery of the books I read, go to Being Catholic ... Really .   I hope you find something you'd like to read!

For Christmas, my daughter gave me this lovely little book entitled, "What I love about Mom."  She gave her dad, "What I love about Dad." My husband and I couldn't believe how thoughtful she was. You can read the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

What is Advent?  According to  Merriam Webster's Dictionary , it is " the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting ," and " the coming of Christ at the Incarnation. " Please go to Being Catholic ... Really to read the rest of the article.  Happy Advent to you!

Have you tried the new adult coloring books?  You can find them on  Amazon ,  Barnes & Noble  and even the grocery stores.  I came across them quite by accident and when  Crayola  had a sale through Amazon, well, I was in. To read the rest of the article and view the photo gallery, please go to Being  Catholic ... Really .

33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael E. Gaily, MIC (on  Amazon  and at  Barnes & Noble ) is a do-it-yourself retreat to prepare for your Marian Consecration. Why consecrate yourself to Mary? As I read the introduction to this book, it is the pathway for all of us to become saints. Please read the rest at  Catholic365.com  and join us at Being Catholic ... Really on Facebook for the discussion of the book!

Years ago I signed up with Classmates.com but got irritated with the fact that I had to pay for it to access certain information.  I abandoned it and didn’t think much about it. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

In my  previous post , I wrote about how I didn't get to go to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.  Two of my friends were able to go and they were nice enough to bring me back a few things. You can see the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

One of the things I decided to do while on vacation was to visit the  Swedish American Museum  in Andersonville in Chicago.  I hadn't been there in at least ten years.  It was nice to see the exhibits again and to visit my dad's brick on the Immigrant Wall. You can read the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

My daughter and I traveled to New York City in March.  One of the highlights of that trip was our visit to the  National September 11 Memorial & Museum . To read the article and view the photo gallery, please visit Being Catholic ... Really .

Touring Chicago's beautiful churches brought my husband and I to  St. Monica  and to a mini family reunion. You can read the article and view the gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

Blessed are the peacemakers is the 7th of the eight beatitudes that can be found in St. Matthew: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You can read more about Melanie Rigney's new book at Being Catholic ... Really .

If Planned Parenthood was defunded where would women go for help? All over social media I've seen this question asked and now there is an answer. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

The older I get, the more I love summer. Despite the fact that I have my own "private" summers, I treasure every day during the summer. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

I recently came across this video, "Atheists Who Oppose Abortion." Watch these atheists eloquently speak about being pro-life. To view the video, go to Being Catholic ... Really .

What have you been reading?  I've been reading a lot lately and on a regular basis.  I do that sometimes.  Then other times, I go for long stretches and I don't read anything at all.  I also like to mix it up.  I love fiction, but I also like a variety of other genres.  For a long time I read one western after another. You can read the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

Why does Planned Parenthood need to be funded in the first place?  Don't they make enough money to do their genocide (oops! I mean women's health care) in poor neighborhoods for free? You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

Touring Chicago's beautiful churches continues with   St. Thérèse Chinese Catholic Church .  It is a church close to my heart as our choir has been singing there since September 25, 2011. You can read the rest of the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

Touring Chicago's beautiful churches brings us to  St. Viator  located at 4170 W. Addison.  St. Viator was established in 1888 by the clerics of St. Viator and the original site was at Belmont and Crawford (Pulaski). You can see the photo gallery of St. Viator at Being Catholic ... Really .

Twenty years ago this week, Chicago experienced the worst heat wave in recent history.  According to the  Chicago Tribune , the temperature was 106 degrees on July 13, 1995.  Over 700 victims were claimed by the intensity of that heat and our city was left reeling. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .