Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I do not know how I would cope with my life if I were not Catholic. I can easily tell you that I would not cope well. Years of living beforehand would bear that out. Here are some differences in how I get through tough times today vs. during my "heretical" years.  (1) My emotions do not control my decisions as much Free will has to do with making decisions without being driven by emotions. I am making more solid, logical and clear choices now than I ever have before. During my "heretical years," I believed that free will had to do with extricating myself from the oppression of moral obligations in order to be free to follow my feelings. How did that work out for me? Hmm.. I'm writing this... so... (2) I take care to have selfless motives.  When I pursue being of the greatest service to God above the motives for comfort, public opinion or material things, each decision I make has meaning. When I work to make my life a gift to God rather than a gif

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Matthew 5:9 How do we deal with the violence, war, and conflicts that we face in our world today?  How can we serve as true peacemakers in our 21st century culture? St. Bernard of Clairvaux , a Cistercian abbot, a contemplative, theologian, and mystic of the twelfth century is an excellent example for us to follow. Due to the numerous schisms which had arisen in the Church during his age, he traveled extensively throughout Europe, restoring peace and unity. Not only did he deal with divisions in the Church, but he also mediated in secular disputes and was sought out as an adviser and an arbitrator by the ruling powers of his era. What was his secret for restoring peace and unity to a troubled world? He was merely a modest monk with no worldly power or possessions. What made him so influential and valuable to others was the fact that he was a man of heroic virtue. Which virtues made him effective as a peac

I recently read an article about a young couple whose  young son had been diagnosed with a life threatening, degenerative disease.  As his parents prayed for his healing, a priest advised them not to pray for healing.  He suggested that they pray for acceptance first.  He counseled the young couple that if healing was God’s Will for their son, then the healing would happen.  However, by praying for acceptance, they would find peace. Read more at:  His Unending Love . See you there!

I was wandering the woods in my amnesia,  Following the lights to scattered campfires, wandering to who knows where. The moon was full My heart was hungry Who am I? Where am I?  So lost, confused and crying. When my father held me as a baby, his heartbeat soothed my every tear. When I am close to Jesus, I am near his heartbeat too.  I am a baby in his arms and His Sacred Heart holds my heart in the safest place I'll ever be. As I grew older, my dad and I camped by the river. The heartbeat of the river soothed me in the intoxicating laurel thicket where we slept. Every evening, my dad's friend would say, “This is the life.” Years passed when I could not hear that heartbeat. All I could hear were chaotic sounds of need and fear, frantic crickets and cicadas seeking quickly fleeting mates. The moon was full My heart was hungry Starving, all alone. One day, I will find myself, floating on my back, nailed to my cross. I won't move there but I'll be f

Peace between warring nations comes with a hard-fought truce. Peace between the oppressor and those afraid to resist comes at the price of slavery. Peace pursued constantly through pleasure and consumption is a fantasy that leads to obsession with whatever it takes to live stress-free:   comfort foods, constant distraction of entertainment, addictions. We strive to live so that we don’t hurt anywhere. Our relationships work to our advantage. We have everything we want on our happiness checklist. For now. Are we depending on ideal circumstances for a transient peace? Peace on our terms? We ask God for peace. We ask him to take away our pain and struggles so that we can have peace. Yet in the middle of a health crisis, a faith crisis or a relationships crisis, where is God? We find him there with us. Like the soldier in battle or the cowering slave, we stay poised to discover the peace that defies our understanding—and our control. No one can take that peace away from us. Peac

This is the day Pope Francis asked Christians worldwide to fast and to pray for our brothers and sisters in Syria. It also is the feast day of Our Lady of Good Health (Vailankanni). Today, I traveled with our younger son and three of my CL friends from New Jersey to a Staten Island parish where we joined hundreds of others in fasting for Syria and feasting for Our Lady of Good Health. Keep Reading...

While thousands of faithful   gather in St. Peter's Square  this Saturday at 7 p.m., I'd like to host a virtual prayer for peace in Syria. That will be at 1 p.m. New York time. I'm not sure where I will be since I am still sorting out my Saturday plans, which include a cyclocross race in Trexlertown, Pa.. But I plan to participate in the fast from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and to pray for peace at 1 p.m.  Will you join me? Keep Reading...

Take the echoes of my heart, Lord the words I cannot speak, the dreams I've long let go of ~ the ones that are yet to be. Teach me again- to listen for Your whisper, to thank You in.... the interlude, to trust Your melodic composition, to give You the tears the world cannot comfort. And to keep singing the anthem of the ages; From the rising of the sun to it's setting, May the name of the Lord be praised. +PAX from my blog post

Gracious God, We pray for peace in our communities this day. We commit to you all who work for peace and an end to tensions, And those who work to uphold law and justice. We pray for an end to fear, For comfort and support to those who suffer. For calm in our streets and cities, That people may go about their lives in safety and peace. In your mercy, hear our prayers, now and always. Amen

Here is a post from my early blog posts. I just wanted to share it with you lovely ladies and pray you are blessed. " Fear is useless; what is needed is trust ." Luke 8:50, Mark 5:36 Easy to say, right?  I have heard and read lots of good teaching about this subject. But the best teacher has been life itself.  I've found that trust comes a bit easier for the long term issues for which I pray--especially eternal salvation for my family and other loved ones. Also for people of whom I am not personally acquainted, the Pope for example. I pray for his intentions at the conclusion of each Rosary, and sincerely ask God for his protection and guidance; but I do not suffer the same pangs as when I am praying, for instance, for my two hospitalized  daughters, one here, one in Michigan. (that was quite a time!) In that state of  prayer, I awake all throughout the night. Every waking moment I have the intention in the foreground of my thoughts, often accompanied by  the phys