Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Emoji Virtues in our emotions? Is that even possible? When we encounter characters in the books we read, the movies and TV we watch, as well as in the ever-unfolding story we call real life, we can witness virtues. Virtue comes alive in people’s beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, decisions and actions. But, how often do we consider the way that virtue can operate in human feelings and emotions? A lifetime of research by a Catholic spiritual psychology pioneer, Richard Johnson, PhD. revealed that we  have special spiritual strengths, otherwise known as virtues; which specifically operate in the part of our personality whose function is emotion. He identifies Joyfulness, Trust , Devotion , Empathy and Gratitude as personality traits that we can cultivate as holy habits of virtue in a unique way in our emotions. Often, we think of emotions as something reactive; triggered by some new situation, or a recalled memory. However, through the miracle of virtue, aided by God’s grace, we ca

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Augustine, born in 354 in Tagaste, northern Africa. Augustine was the son of Saint Monica, a devout Christian. However, one might say that in Augustine’s youth, he wasn’t one to follow in his mother’s saintly footsteps. In his early adulthood, Augustine had a concubine, who bore him a son; yet they never married. He dabbled is a few heresies such as Manicheanism (rooted in Gnosticism) and Neoplatonism (heavily influenced by the works of Plato). The Conversion of Saint Augustine It was only after moving to Italy, where he took a position in rhetoric, and after meeting Saint Ambrose, that Augustine began to explore the Christian faith. Although Augustine was gifted in rhetoric, he was no match for Saint Ambrose, who evangelized to Augustine on the truths of the faith. In 387, at the age of 33, after experiencing a profound personal crisis, Augustine converted to Christianity, with Saint Ambrose baptizing him. Augustine’s baptism became a...

Do you have any idea WHY you must keep holy the Sabbath (Ex 20:8)? Do you view the “requirement” to go to Church on Sunday as just another chore that must be done over the weekend? Well, let me clear up a few things for you. Giving God His due, by attending services on Sunday is not something that God needs. You’re the one who needs it! God doesn’t need anything. So, the Commandment to “keep holy the Sabbath” is in place for your benefit. God created this Commandment for two reasons: God deserves at least one day per week where we honor, praise and thank Him for all that He blesses us with throughout the week. This is called giving God His due. He thinks we deserve a day of rest once per week. Giving God His Due Should Be a Joy So, rather than viewing the Sabbath as a “to do” that must be marked off on your list, think of it as... Read more... 

Hmm…Do you let the curse words fly, every now and then? Or perhaps it’s more like every other word that comes out of your mouth? Well, let me be old fashioned and tell you that cursing isn’t cool! In fact, cursing makes you sound crude, rude and undignified. Look at what happened to President Trump’s latest Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci. Newly hired, he conducted a taped interview with the NY Times. When the tape was played, there were so many “bleeps,” because of foul language, that the audio was barely intelligible. Let’s just say that many people were offended after hearing the unfiltered recording, and the man was fired ten days into the job. Cursing isn’t cool! Cursing Violates the Second Commandment Did you know that? God gave us the Second Commandment to show us how to live a dignified life. Since we are made in His image and likeness, we are meant to... Read more...

How well do you think you adhere to the First Commandment to worship no other gods besides the one true God? Do you think that because you “believe” in the one true God, that you’re good? Think again. When we place money, power, fame, or anything else first in our lives, we ask God to take a back seat. By doing that, we violate the First Commandment. Do You ask God to Take a Back Seat? We are all guilty of asking God to take a back seat in our lives, from time to time. For example, when we obsess about finances, feeling compelled to find a better paying job, we ask God to take a back seat. Rather than trusting in the Lord to provide, we feel obligated to fix the situation ourselves. This is because... Read more...

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, a 20 th century Franciscan monk. He died in the Auschwitz concentration camp, in Poland, during World War II. In true Christian fashion, he laid down his life for another person, by volunteering to take the place of another man. This one action shows fortitude, courage, bravery, and self-giving love in a truly Christ-like manner. Who among us could say that we would have the strength of faith to do the same? At the time of his death, he was only 47 years old. But what he accomplished, in such a short life, is forever memorable. Maximillian Kolbe’s Love for the Immaculate Conception As a young boy, Mary, the Immaculate Conception, appeared to Maximillian Kolbe and offered him a choice between two crowns; one white, for perseverance in piety, and the other red, for martyrdom. Maximillian bravely replied... Read more... 

Dying for Compassion , by Barbara Golder is sure to be a hit! As with Golder’s first book, Dying for Revenge , familiar characters return for more mysteries to solve. Once again, we meet our Lady Doc, Jane Wallace, the lead character. She is a strong, feminine role model carrying the titles of forensic pathologist, medical examiner, AND lawyer – quite an accomplished woman!  In Dying for Compassion , Jane is faced with several deaths occurring in her town; unexplained poisonings and a possible case of euthanasia. As the intentions behind these deaths stump Jane, she is thrown off-kilter in her personal life. The storyline from Dying for Revenge carries through to Dying for Compassion . In Dying for Revenge , Jane processed grief from the loss of her husband, John. She meets author, Eoin Connor, who helps her through her grief and the two develop a romantic relationship. Fast forward to Dying for Compassion , and Eoin Connor becomes a central character. Everything is going swimm

I’m the type of person that treasures truth. Therefore, if I learn that a person has lied to me, I tend to lose all respect for the person. My husband and I discussed this very topic early on in our courting relationship. After 38 years of marriage, I can say that being truthful with each other is what held us together. There have been times when the truth was painful, but my husband knew that lying would result in worse consequences. So, it is in the sharing of truth, that we have stayed together, through the good times and the bad. Lying Breeds Mistrust It is through the sharing of the truth that trust is built. A marriage without trust is not a good marriage; just as any relationship, without trust, is not a good relationship. It takes a lifetime to build a relationship based upon truth and trust. Yet, it takes only five minutes and one lie to smash it all to smithereens! Read more...

Do you think that you can pick and choose who you want to love? Do you think you can toss aside those not selected? Think again! As Christians, we are called to love, serve and forgive everyone. That is neighborly love! However, given our human weaknesses, that’s a tall order! Yet, as followers of Christ, it is a mantle we must take upon ourselves. Christ asks much of us, but with his command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39), He gives us the grace needed to fulfill His desire. Who is Your Neighbor? Although I have the best next-door neighbors (Mike and Carolyn), they alone are not the only ones that Christ calls me to love. When Christ says “Love your neighbor” He is referring to every person that crosses your path. He is not asking you to form a friendly bond with every human being, but He is asking you to... Read more... 

I am an adjunct professor of Theology, who specifically teaches a morality course at the undergraduate level. Given the recent shooting at a Republican baseball practice, and the ensuing remarks from Congressional representatives that “we are on one team,” I was encouraged by the willingness of both parties to place vitriol commentary into the history books; to reset, so to speak, and begin toning down the rhetoric. However strong this intention may be, the spirit is weak. It will take more than mere effort to be more civil to one another. There is an underlying concern that must be addressed to allow civility to flourish. As a society, we must face objective truth, together. Objective Truth The belief in objective truth seems to have taken a back seat to such erroneous concepts of morality as situation ethics, proportionalism and consequentialism. But before I get ahead of myself here, by diving too deep into these topics, let’s first define objective truth, as it is my greate

Today marks my husband’s 64th birthday! So, I take this opportunity to wish Nick a very Happy Birthday. Have you ever wondered why we mark birthdays as a time to celebrate the passing of another year? If we gave it some thought, a birthday means that we have one less year to live on earth. We have one less year to accomplish our goals. Yet, birthdays are meant to be celebrated. Why? Because it is a very good way to show love to those we hold most dear. It’s a day to place a loved one upon a pedestal; to show that person how much they mean to us. God’s Desire As humans, we are born into families. Families act as our nucleus for love. Within families, we learn not only how to receive love, but to how to give love in return. God created humankind to live in community with each other, making us social beings yearning for love. The love that we extend to our family and friends is an... Read more...

Love Letters from God, Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart , by Glenys Nellist is endearing, wonderful, chocked filled with virtue, and beautifully illustrated. Nellist shares with us fourteen stories from the Bible, centered on heroic females, highlighting their good traits. She takes us from the Old Testament, through to the New Testament; giving us a different story about each protagonist, salient Bible quotes, and most importantly, personalized letters from God, addressed to your child (with lift the flap notes). Love Letters from God Make for Sweet Dreams! Each of the fourteen tales make for excellent bedtime stories to read to your child; sending them into slumber with heroic females to dream about. Nellist starts with... Read more...

As schools let out, the lazy days of summer are upon us. This is a great time for some reflection and introspection regarding your spiritual life. We’re about half-way through the year. As we embarked on 2017, many of us made New Year’s resolutions. So, how’s that coming along? If you are like me, you don’t even remember what those resolutions might have been! I certainly do not remember what I vowed to do, not do, or overcome. My Own Introspection So, I sit here on the precipice of summer, asking myself what I would like to accomplish with the second half of 2017. Here’s what I came up with: Read more...

True Radiance: Finding Grace in the Second Half of Life , by Lisa Mladinich, was an enjoyable read! I approached 60 this year. So, I thought this book might offer me some insight in how I might grow old gracefully. As I opened the book and began to read, I quickly learned that Mladinich had other designs. She wants us to know that regardless of our age, The second half of life is a time of building on the past, growing in virtue, and deepening our connection with God, the source and summit of all beauty. Our beauty is not fading; it’s getting more powerful. It’s having more impact. It’s becoming what it was meant to be from the beginning (p. 135).   How reassuring is that! What a powerful statement! Mladinich tells us throughout the book that our beauty comes from... Read more... 

Today is Flag Day! Happy Flag Day to all my fellow United States citizens. Today in America, we celebrate what the U.S. flag means to us all. With that in mind, I thought I would hone in on some virtues, for which I think the U.S. flag proudly represents. Virtues of the U.S. Flag Courage : The U.S. flag is a symbol of courage. Many men and women have given their lives in defense of our freedom and democracy. It represents all the blood, sweat and tears shed, so that we might enjoy our freedom accorded by our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Acceptance : Read more...

It is wedding season and love is in the air! In the United States, June is always a very popular month to get married. The weather is usually wonderful; the flowers are in bloom, and it’s a great time for family and friends to come together. Yet, marriage is more than a celebration. What brings two people to the altar of marriage is a love formed by God; a uniting in a covenant; the giving of one, fully to another. Remember asking your mom, “When will I ever fall in love?” or asking a friend, “When will I find my soul mate?” Loving any another person is always a choice; but falling in love, with your soul mate, that’s a whole different thing! That’s because... Read more...

Hope is like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. It propels us to persevere in times of struggle. It whisks us along when we don’t know what else to do. Hope carries us when life seems at its worst. It also acts as a prelude for receipt of many other virtues. For example, if I want to lose weight, I would need the virtues of self-control and temperance to successfully lose the weight; but, without hope at the onset, how could self-control and temperance ever take hold? If I feel defeated before starting, then how could I ever achieve my goal? So, I must have... Read more... 

Common ground can lead to Peace throughout our country and throughout the world; yet, most importantly through faith. How so? Well, common ground is the starting place for dialogue; for finding that shared perspective upon which good relationships can be built. Here’s some places where we can start: Abraham is the father of our faiths. Whether one is Christian, Muslim or Jewish, we all share this common ground, as all three religions stem from this one man who placed his faith in God. The Christian Bible, Islamic Quran and Jewish Torah all contain... Read more...  

Gifts of the Visitation – Nine Spiritual Encounters with Mary and Elizabeth , by Denise Bossert, is filled with virtue! I thoroughly enjoyed how Bossert took Luke’s accounting of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and highlighted all the virtue contained within it (Luke 1: 39-80). Bossert devotes nine chapters to discuss nine virtues; so beautifully brought to life in her book. She brings a whole new, refreshing outlook to this passage. From Mary’s spontaneous yes, to her courage needed to fulfill God’s word, to the thanksgiving Mary expresses to God for entrusting her with such an important honor, we traverse with Mary to visit Elizabeth. As a mother herself, Denise Bossert, correlates stories from her own life with Luke’s Gospel passage. She peppers her life’s stories; intertwined with the story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. The reality of Denise Bossert’s life makes the story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth that much more enchanting and meaningful. Read more...

With today being Memorial Day, I thought I would use the power of my space to tell you about a fine young man who died serving his country in Vietnam. PFC Thomas Wayne Myers, born on March 9, 1943, was my next-door neighbor. I was just a child of 12 years old, on that warm Spring morning of May 27, 1969, when Tommy died at Dinh Tuong Province, Vietnam. Memories I remember being outside, playing by myself, when the Army car pulled up in front of the house, on Saturday, May 31st. It was Memorial Day weekend! Two men, dressed in uniforms, got out of the car and walked up the driveway to ring Mrs. Myers’ doorbell. I stood on my front lawn and watched as they approached Mrs. Myers’ front door to tell her that her son had died in service to his country. From that moment on... Read more...