5 Reading and Reflection Archives - Page 7 of 10

DUNG-COLOURED GLASSES

Posted:November 10, 2014February 18, 2015 by Melanie Jean Juneau

When I am miserable, nothing, not riches, nor prestige, or a change in circumstances, nothing can change my interior unhappiness.

We love to make fun of those in love, the young and the naive who view the world through rose-colored glasses.

But what about the rest of us, those of us who wear dung-colored glasses?

We should chuckle just as loudly when we realize this tendency to see darkly.

Our entrenched paradigms, and our refusal to take off our dung-colored glasses, prevents us from experiencing a new life when it is offered to us by Christ.

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Melanie Jean Juneau is wife and mother of nine children. The very existence of a joyful mother of nine children seems to confound people. Her writing is humorous and heart warming; thoughtful and thought provoking with a strong current of spirituality running through it. Part of her call and her witness is to write the truth about children, family, marriage and the sacredness of life.She blogs at joy of nine9 and mother of nine9

Respect – A Defining Virtue

Posted:November 6, 2014February 18, 2015 by Virginia Lieto

Do you give others and God the respect due, or is respect nothing more than what you care to give? Respect is to have concern for what is noble in every human being. It is a defining virtue regarding the basis for character building. Without respect for God and others, how could other virtuous habits spring forth? Father Romano Guardini more clearly defined the virtue of Respect within his book titled Learning the Virtues That Lead You to God, as something akin to reverence. He states…Read more…

Practice Contentment – Can that be done?

Posted:November 3, 2014February 18, 2015 by Virginia Lieto

Would you like to be more content in this life? Is it possible to actually practice contentment? To effectively practice contentment, you first need to take stock of what you find to be of most importance to you. Is it your home, your car, your job, etc., those tangible things of this world? Or is it the love of family and friends, good health, a strong faith, and hope in Christ, the intangible things of this life? Do you count your blessings frequently? If you find that you have work to do in this area (let’s face it, none of us are strong in all of the virtues), then start by counting your blessings.

The second way to practice contentment is… Read More

It happened on a Double Decker bus in Rome…

Posted:October 30, 2014February 18, 2015 by Monica McConkey

http://www.equippingcatholicfamilies.com/2014/10/happened-double-decker-bus-rome.html

As I rode on the top of the double decker bus, snapping pictures of the inspiring Churches and monuments, soaking in the Italian sun…I wondered how I had won this awesome adventure.

In a single shot, it was suddenly an experience in the heart: not just a nice thought I had been told, I had read or I had rationalized to believe. Smiling from ear to ear….I realized that I was at that moment experiencing exactly what I had been asking for….for over 20 years…

Read more about Monica’s Pilgrimage to Rome at Equipping Catholic Families

Monica is a wife and a Mom
of 5+ kids, a designer, an architecture school survivor, an author and a
crafter. Together with her husband Bill, she founded a
Catholic apostolate called Arma Dei
(Armor of God; Ephesians 6:13-17) creating solid Catholic, fun teaching tools
and gifts to celebrate and teach the Catholic Faith. She writes about these
family-building and Faith-centred crafts on EquippingCatholicFamilies.com
!

Embracing True Contentment

Posted:October 29, 2014February 18, 2015 by Virginia Lieto

Are you trying to figure out how to obtain true contentment in this life? Are you looking in the right place for true contentment? Embracing true contentment involves making a conscious disassociation with the dependence on material goods and placing our dependence on God to provide all that we need to get us through this life and into the next life. Read more…

Do You Want to Experience Contentment?

Posted:October 27, 2014February 18, 2015 by Virginia Lieto

Do you want to experience contentment? Is inner peace and happiness eluding you right now? Contentment is independence from material goods; being satisfied and grateful for what we have, not seeking to obtain excessive material goods (like that sporty new car or oversized new house). Read more …

Practice Confidence in God

Posted:October 22, 2014February 18, 2015 by Virginia Lieto

Ever wonder why your confidence is not where it should be, and you aren’t sure how to change your situation? To practice confidence in God, and in yourself, step one is to seek the Holy Spirit’s counsel and guidance, asking for the virtues/gifts of wisdom, discernment, knowledge and understanding, so that you can better traverse through this journey that we call life. Step two is…read more…

Embrace Confidence in God

Posted:October 20, 2014February 18, 2015 by Virginia Lieto

How much confidence in God do you have that He will address your every need? Your outlook makes all the difference. To embrace confidence in God and ourselves, we must first acknowledge that doubts and fears are part of our existence. Doubts and fears are the prime drivers for lack of confidence in God and ourselves. However, it is how we handle those doubts and fears that … Read more…

Book Update: Meet Faith, Hope and Charity!

Posted:October 17, 2014February 18, 2015 by Virginia Lieto

Book Update on Adventures of Faith, Hope and Charity – Finding Patience
Progress on my first children’s book titled, Adventures of Faith, Hope and Charity – Finding Patience, is coming along nicely. Meet Faith, age 8, Hope, age 5, and Charity age 3. In this book, these three sisters learn the value of the virtue of patience – a book for children ages 4-6. Read more about these lovely girls…

Atheists Need Compassion Not Condemnation

Posted:October 16, 2014February 18, 2015 by Melanie Jean Juneau

It is easy to become self-righteous or defensive when I feel attacked by atheists. It is a natural, human reaction. However, indignant rants which bludgeon the unbeliever with the ‘truth’ treats them as objects and not an intelligent people who are also loved by God.

When I am secure in the Love of God, I can love and respect everyone because I do not feel threatened. Then it is possible to encourage real dialogue which actually listens to the crux of atheists’ concerns and doubts. Such dialogue opens the door for the Holy Spirit to become the Divine Moderator of the discussion.

1 Corinthians 13:

4 Love is always patient and kind; love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited, 5 it is never rude and never seeks its own advantage, it does not take offence or store up grievances. 6 Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but finds its joy in the truth…..9For we know only imperfectly… 12 Now we see only reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing face to face.

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