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As a mother of a large family, struggling to wash, dry, and fold three or four loads of laundry every day, I secretly wondered if there was an obscure saint, with little to do, who could fill in as my patron saint of missing socks. Little did I know, God was using the dilemma of unpaired socks to purify me because I was trying too hard to be the perfect mother and housekeeper. read more

I have always heard the mother is the heart of the family, especially a stay at home mother with a crew of kids, who also helps with a hobby farm. So why was I not missed when I spent hours locked in the chicken coop? You must first understand that even if this was a subconscious belief, I behaved as if  I  was the most important member of the family. It took a drastic experience to shake me out of my arrogance. God has a sense of humour and will use any and all experiences to teach us. continue

My husband, Michael, and I will have been married for 39 years on Sept. 1, 2017. After a difficult life, we are happy and still in love. Surprisingly, we have become one in reality, deeply in tune with each other’s spirits even though we are still opposites in personality. Our tangible joy is inexplicable through secular eyes because from all outward appearances our life together has been a tough journey through poverty, raising nine kids, facing overwhelming chores on a small family farm and dealing with long-term, clinical depression. Accessing Power in the Sacrament of Marriage How did our marriage survive never mind thrive? The grace available in the Sacrament of Marriage is not some esoteric theology;  it is real and it is powerful. The power available in the sacrament is what kept my husband and me together through the rough years. We both understood, beyond a doubt, that God brought us together. We never questioned this basic call from God, our vocation together, even

After moving to the Ottawa Valley with our first child, my new obstetrician was a brilliant, strong, feminist. Although she did have tropical fish and a parrot, she did not have any children of her own; I was an enigma to her as she was to me.   In her office, successful professional women waited for gynecological care and women in their late thirties or early forties, pregnant their first child. Then, I walked through her door for my first visit, pregnant with one toddler on my hip and by my last visit with three or four other children clustered around me.   Enshrined on my doctor’s desk and encased in glass were birth control devices that glared at me every time I sat across from her. After one visit, my obstetrician said, in what I hope was a teasing tone, “Would you quit bringing your beautiful children to my office. Someone always wants a  reversal  (from tubal ligation) after you leave ”. continue

Consider this

There is an old saying that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.  This adage  is especially true when we need insight into our own characters because there is nothing like laughter to sneak past our defense mechanisms. A good joke is worth ten heavy-handed sermons. Many people want to serve God… but only as advisors. Prayer: Don’t give God instructions — just report for duty! If God is your Co-pilot – swap seats! continue reading>

Today, Oct. 15,  is the Feast of St. Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus. I love this woman. Although she is a doctor of the Church and  one of the three great 16th century Spanish mystics (along with St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. John of the Cross), she is funny. St. Teresa is down-to-earth with a wonderful sense of humour which is always a sign of holiness for me. Her humourous quotes tell me that she was real, humble enough to laugh at herself and that she lived in the joy of the Lord. Thank heaven she did not take herself too seriously. Famous  HUMOUROUS Quotes Even the first line of her autobiography is amusing.  “Having virtuous and God-fearing parents would have been enough for me to be good if I were not so wicked.” After a donkey threw her into a cold river “If this is how You treat Your frie nds, then it is no wonder You have so few of them.” You’ve gotta love that level of practicality and annoyance in a mystic. On false piety

painting by J. Kirk Richards Think about the last time you broke a rule (a big one,  not just ripping the tags off your pillows).  Were you burned, or did things turn out for the best?  I did not simply break a rule here and there;  no, like every other human being, I continually break the most fundamental law of the universe without any conscious effort by refusing to accept reality. Instead of realizing my place in the universe, as one of God's creations, I put on masks and false personalities in a vain attempt to deny my very nature. In pride, I act like a queen at the centre my own little world. According to Thomas Merton ( Seeds of   Contemplation ), a frog or tree are holy simply because they are who they were created to be. On the other hand, I broke all laws of nature out of pride. Steeped in delusion, I clung to a false persona and refused to relax and accept the reality that I am not the centre of the universe. The result? I was not simply burned. Oh

On Easter Sunday afternoon in the chapel in the village where I live here in Bacolod City I baptized a girl born in January. At the celebratory dinner later a boy of nine, whom I'll call 'Carlos', approached me with a big smile on his face and told me that he wanted to be like me - a priest. But he had something even more in mind - he wanted to be Pope! And he knows the name he will call himself - Pope John Paul III. 'Carlos' is too young to have any real personal memories of Blessed John Paul but he must have heard, read and seen quite a bit about him for that pope to have made such an impression on him. He goes to Blessed Carmel Sall és School, named after the foundress of the  Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Mary  who run the school. She was canonized last October but there are 'hoops' to be gone through before the Conceptionist Sisters can change its name.  St Carmen Sall és   (1848 - 1911) The three Sisters at

 I came across this on Facebook. We'll have to wait in the Philippines, in Hong Kong and, I think, New Zealand, until next Advent for this.

Commonweal Online Enjoy and Have A Merry Christmas!!!