Blog Post:
It is a little late, but February 11 - 17 was “Random Acts of Kindness” week in the US. Still, kindness never goes out of fashion no matter what week it is. For some good ideas on how to spread kindness in the world, check out The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.
Do […]

The Apostle John stands at the foot of the Cross with Our Lady on Calvary. John is the sole witness among the Twelve to Jesus' crucifixion, and the only evangelist to record his cry of thirst (see Jn 19:28). Yet we can presume that he already had a rela­tionship with Mary, who in turn led […]

Blog Post:
The Mercy of God to the Penitent
from St. Maximus the Confessor

 
 
God's will is to save us, and nothing pleases him more than our coming back to him with true repen­tance. The heralds of truth and the ministers of divine grace have told us this from the beginning, repeating it in every […]

Blog Post:

 
Jesus, Man of Sorrows, those drops of Blood that flow down Your Face, those deep gashes caused by the thorns that cir­cle Your holy head, make You dearer to me than if Your forehead shone with pre­cious stones. Such signs remind me of the Divine love that burns in Your Heart for […]

Blog Post:
THE TRIUMPH OF CHRIST THROUGH THE EUCHARIST

Christus vincit, regnat,  imperat; ab omni malo plemem suam defendat.
Christ conquers, He reigns, He commands. May He de­fend His people from all evil.
Pope Sixtus V had these words engraved on the obelisk which stands in the center of Saint Peter's Square at Rome. […]

Blog Post:
Think of someone you know who is not working at full potential.  Why isn't their productivity what it should be?  Reasons might include illness, family health issues, depression, an unreasonable workload, burnout, etc. 
Or, there might be another reason: vice.
Vice is often defined as an "evil habit" or even as a "fault" […]

Blog Post:
This past week, I threw in the towel on a technology problem I've been frustrated by and called in a consultant.  The headache in question was related to my Catholic Moments Podcast, a weekly thirty minute talkfest related to my CatholicMom.com web site.  A major feature of the podcast has been the […]

Blog Post:
Ave Maria! The most common time to make or remake the St. Louis de Montfort 33 days of preparation for Marian Consecration is February 20th-March 25th. Now this year March 25th is in Easter week and will be celebrated the following week, I believe. However I just follow the date as I […]

Blog Post:

 
O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth,
refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother,
God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you.
I, (name), a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet,
humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have,
wholly to […]

Blog Post:
This week, there's been much discussion about a recent study involving sugar substitutes.   Time Magazine references the study in its article entitled Can Sugar Substitutes Make You Fat?   The article seems to point to weight gain in animal test subjects who were fed artificially sweetened substances, owing to the fact that they […]

Blog Post:
Have you struggled to get organized but still feel burdened by your clutter? Is there one room that just drives you crazy or do you have a hard time finding things when you want them? If so, it may be time to call in a professional organizer.
The National Association of Professional […]

Blog Post:
Greater love has no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends. (Jn. 15:13)

 
I dare say that God in His omnipotence could not give more; in His wisdom, He knew not how to give more; in His riches He had not more to give(than Himself).–St. Augustine
 

 
Love divine, […]

Blog Post:
Over the years, I have subscribed to various e-mailings. In addition, some folks have taken it upon themselves to also send me lots of e-mail. For every important piece of email I was getting, there must have been five that were very low priority. And there were many that I didn’t want […]

Blog Entry:
I don't buy what the New Age writer is selling in his latest book, and I'm guessing most other CE readers don't, either.

Blog Post:

In 1947 Mother Teresa was shown a vision in three parts. In the first scene she saw the painful plight of the poor and the yet greater inner poverty that was hidden beneath their material poverty…they were reaching out to her.
In the second scene, Mother Teresa saw the same crowd of the poor…Our Lady […]

Blog Post:

Blog Post:
 
 
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused! (Mt.23:37)

Blog Entry:
Ten years ago, when Anne was four years old, and Betsy was a toddler, I had my first inkling of real Lenten temptation.
Oh, yes, previously, I'd been tempted to eat chocolate, or to have a juicy burger on a Friday, but all that seemed quite benign in comparison to a moment […]

Blog Post:

I'm not like your typical 40-something year old suburban mom.  I have no desire to spend long afternoons shoe shopping and the thought of spending money on a designer purse makes me a little sick to my stomach. 
But I do have a vice when it comes to consumerism - I'm a […]

Blog Post:
SAINT MARY MAGDALEN
 A meditation from St. Peter Julian Eymard
 
Jesus loved .. Mary. (Jn.11:5)
SAINT MARY MAGDALEN was the privileged friend of Jesus. She served Him with her wealth and accompanied Him everywhere. She honored His humanity magnificently with her gifts. She loved to pray at His feet in the silence of […]

Blog Post:
First Sorrow of Mary - The prophecy of Simeon

(Luke 2:22-35) When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and the Holy Spirit was […]

Blog Post:
Everyone knows what a time-waster meetings can be. Here is a good idea for making that time more beneficial - Assign tasks before the meeting! With everyone on email, it is possible to send out tasks to people easily. Have each person be in charge of some research so that once the […]

Blog Post:

Blessed José: teen martyr of the 20th century The 80th anniversary of the death of one of my heroes is coming up on Feb. 10. Blessed José Sanchez del Rio was martyred during the persecution of Catholics that occurred in the early part of the 20th century in Mexico. He joined a […]

Blog Entry:

If you're Catholic …and you homeschool …you're A Catholic School!
Celebrate!
You're doing all that you can to give your child an authentic Catholic education. That's worth celebrating.
Personally, I think chocolate should be involved, but follow your own instincts. If your celebration is particularly interesting (with or without chocolate) drop me a […]

Blog Post:
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVIFOR LENT 2008

"Christ made Himself poor for you" (2 Cor 8,9)
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
1. Each year, Lent offers us a providential opportunity to deepen the meaning and value of our Christian lives, and it stimulates us to rediscover the mercy of God so that we, in turn, […]

Blog Post:
Right before Thanksgiving I began GTD’s organizing methodology. I did a pretty good job of purging most of my office and getting all my things, both personal and business, into the “system.”
The only thing I didn’t do was to go through every single paper in my two large filing cabinets […]

Blog Post:
When it comes to the art of social network, I am a slow learner and a late bloomer.  It normally takes me fifteen times being invited to the latest and greatest before I'll dip my big toe in and take the dive.  This experience occurred this past weekend, when I finally consented […]

Blog Post:
O loving Pelican! O Jesu Lord! Unclean I am but cleanse me in Thy Blood; Of which a single drop, for sinners spilt, Can purge the entire world from all its guilt . (St. Thomas Aquinas)

0 loving Pelican! 0 Jesu Lord! In Holy Communion, Our Lord does not offer us only spiri­tual […]

Blog Post:
 
The Son of God is the first-born of many brothers. Although by nature He is the only-begotten, by grace He has joined many to Himself and made them one with Him. For to those who receive Him He has given the power to become the children of God.
He became the Son […]

Blog Post:
CNN Money has an interesting article today entitled Don't Spend Your Rebate Just Yet.  With all the talk of recession and the craziness of the market this week, it's hard to imagine that anyone in their right mind would be contemplating how to spend a spare $600 that may be coming at […]

Blog Post:

 
Dearest Jesus: You loved me from all eternity, therefore you created me.
You loved me after You created me, therefore You became Man for me.
You loved me after You became man for me, therefore you lived and died for me.
You loved me after You had died for me therefore You […]

Blog Post:
There has been somewhere around 46 MILLION abortions in the United States in the past 35 years. Such a figure is hard to fathom. And so it follows that millions of women and others have been affected by abortion which was made 'legal' in this country in 1973.  A big lie was […]

Blog Post:
If you've noticed a decided lack of CEOT blog posts from me in the past week, it's due to the fact that I've been deeply involved in a home renovation project with my husband.  The impetus is an impending family visit during which we will be hosting my parents, my sister and […]

Blog Post:
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."

Blog Post:
As today marks the national holiday in memoriam of Martin Luther King Jr., it's good to get philosophical.  Life, as MLK, pointed out, is often about paradox.  It is only when I forgive that I can move on and only when I serve others that I gain return. 
Productivity is that way […]

Blog Post:
Do you reach the end of your day and wonder where the time went? Is there some activity that you want to make a priority in your life but you aren't sure where you would ever find the time? Consider keeping a "time journal" for a couple of days. Keep a notebook […]

Blog Post:
 
On January 21st the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr. She came from a noble Roman family and was about thirteen years old when she suffered martyrdom. She was tortured and beheaded. Her name is included in the Roman Canon.
+++
When I received the Sacrament of Confirmation at […]

Blog Post:
"But pray, my children. God will hear you in a short time.
My Son allows Himself to be moved by compassion."   

She was dressed in a star-studded robe of dark blue with slippers of the same colour. A black veil on which she wore a gold crown decorated with a red band covered […]

Blog Post:
The Curse of Broadmindedness
(Fulton J. Sheen: Moods and Truths-1932)
 

 
"The Catholic Church intolerant." That simple thought, like a yellow-fever sign, is supposed to be the one solid reason which should frighten away any one who might be contemplating knocking at the portals of the Church for entrance, or for a crumb […]

Blog Post:
A while back I posted that I was upgrading my smartphone and considering some options. The time has come like many gadget aficionados (’geek’ after all is no longer in vogue) I have invested far too much time in my selection.
I chose the Blackberry Pearl 8130, a sexy little number with snappy […]

Blog Post:
My slow evolution into one of the world's geekiest moms will take a giant step forward tomorrow when I attend my first MacWorld Expo.  My bargain basement "Exhibits Only" pass will not afford me a seat to the Keynote, but I'm still very excited.  My wonderful husband will be taking the reigns […]

Blog Entry:
Monday, January 14, 2008"Mom's Corner" tomorrow for EVERYONE!
Tomorrow morning, Tuesday, January 15th at 9:15 to 9:30 AM Eastern Standard Time on "Catholic Connection" Ave Maria Radio, Teresa Tomeo and I will be discussing our upcoming trip to the Vatican! We will let you in on our roles in the International Women's […]

Blog Post:
And behold a voice from heaven saying:
This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mt.3:17)

(Is.42:1) Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights.
God the Father: (Mt. 17:5) from the cloud there came a voice which said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; […]

Blog Entry:
Got a favorite in the horserace and want to watch him pull ahead, fall back, and take the lead again… maybe.  What you need is an easy way to keep track of the polls.  Of course they might be all wet – like the predictions that Obama was going to take New Hampshire, […]

Blog Post:
From the swashbucklers garrisoned in his hometown in Sicily, the young Philip Latini learned a dubious skill-immensely popular in the 17th century-swordsmanship.
Indeed, he acquired the reputation of being the best blade in Sicily.

But after mortally wounding his opponent after being challenged to a dual,
he knew his life must change.
+++
ST BERNARD OF […]

Blog Post:
When I "retired" from full time work after the birth of my eldest, I became the CFO of my family.  I felt it ironic that suddenly I, who brought no income to the table for many years, had complete control of our family's financial outlook.  But it also gave me a sense […]

Blog Post:
 
 
SOME OF THE GRACES AND FRUITS TO BE DERIVED FROM DEVOUT ATTENDANCE AT HOLY MASS:
1. For your salvation, God the Father sends His beloved Son down from Heaven.
2. For your salvation, the Holy Spirit changes bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Christ.
3. For your sake, the […]

Blog Post:
This week, I will be writing on the topic of New Year's Resolutions. Today, I discuss resolutions related to Learning and Professional Development. 
Today, I took my first baby steps towards learning to hand-knit a sock.  As of tonight, I have approximate one half an inch of a ribbed cuff - […]

Blog Post:
I just finished reading "Raising Children on Purpose" by Wesley Fleming. It was a very good book with many practical parenting sections. One of the topics Fleming takes on is spending more time with our children. He offers some good ideas for making time to spend with your kids:
 
1) If you can't […]

Blog Post:
Image by Amanda Woodward
There are several resources that I consider a must when it comes to articles that are on-topic and BNET is one of them.  As a follow up to an earlier post on ending meetings on time, here are some additional posts that are quite good, all related to […]