Living Catholicism

Enter a topic name to show or a new topic name to create; then press Enter

.

Summary

Blog focused on the Catholic family and our roles in raising Catholic children.

Weblog Title

Living Catholicism

URL

http://www.livingcatholicism.com/

Owner

Jay Allen

Weblog Category

General

Description

Living Catholicism seeks to help parents develop an authentic Catholic culture within their family. The blog focuses on prayer, the sacraments, and raising children in the Catholic Faith. This blog also hosts the Catholic Carnival which travels throughout the blogosphere.

History

Living Catholicism was started in 2004.

Other weblogs owned by Jay Allen

• Deo Omnis Gloria http://www.deoomnisgloria.com

RSS Feed

Living Catholicism

Catholic Carnival 185: One of the Best

• <p>I've been doing the Carnival now for over three and half years; I have to say the quality seems to keep getting better. These articles are excellent and show the talent in the Catholic blogging community. The Truth is being preached everywhere in the Catholic blogosphere, so enjoy:</p>

<p><a href="http://hilaryflanery.blogspot.com">Long Skirts</a> starts us off with a lighthearted poem in &lt;a href="http://hilaryflanery.blogspot.com/2008/08/termites.html">Termites</a>. God made termites as well, didn't He? But what was His greatest creation? Find out in the poem.</p>

<p>From &lt;a href="http://godfearin.blogspot.com">Army of Martyrs</a> we have &lt;a href="http://godfearin.blogspot.com/2008/08/do-catholics-also-use-private-judgment.html">Do Catholics also use Private Judgment?</a> This post explores the differences between Catholic "private judgment" and how protestants view "private judgment." &lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://bookreviewsandmore.ca">Book Reviews and More</a> offers us &lt;a href="http://bookreviewsandmore.ca/2008/08/spiritual-biographies-seminars.html">Spiritual Biographies - Seminars</a>. A few years back in a course called Shapers of the Roman Catholic Tradition, RS 383 the primary text was John R. Tyson's Invitation to Christian Spirituality: An Ecumenical Anthology. He reviews his courses and links to each of them. &lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.cc.ductapeguy.net">Catholic New Media Roundup</a> brings us &lt;a href="http://www.cc.ductapeguy.net/2008/08/10/catholic-new-media-roundup-episode-4/">Episode 4</a>. It discusses the sacrament of Confirmation and features congratulatory voice messages for Inge, who received the sacrament of confirmation this Sunday.</p>

<p>And &lt;a href="http://catholicjourneyman.blogspot.com">The Catholic Journeyman</a> has &lt;a href="http://catholicjourneyman.blogspot.com/2008/08/call-to-our-catholic-married-womenits.html">A Call to our Catholic Married Women . . . it's football season</a>. The post offers advice to wives who end up in Mass without their significant other. But it also includes links to podcasts that your husband might appreciate!</p>

<p><a href="http://thankevann.com/homeschoolgoodies/">Homeschool Goodies</a> celebrates &lt;a href="http://thankevann.com/homeschoolgoodies/?p=309">100 Years of &lt;i>Orthodoxy</i></a>, the book by G.K. Chesterton. It was written 14 years before his conversion and is now 100 years old! More details in the post. &lt;/p>

<p>Next, &lt;a href="http://davidoforegon.blogspot.com">The Apostolate of the Laity</a> explores &lt;a href="http://davidoforegon.blogspot.com/2008/08/illusion.html">The Illusion</a>. God is a mystery, a truth one can never fully understand; yet the mysterious can be embraced.</p>

<p><a href="http://politicalhousewyf.wordpress.com">The Political Housewyf</a> goes a different direction with &lt;a href="http://politicalhousewyf.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/the-beijing-olympics-why-i-worry/">The Beijing Olympics: Why I Worry</a>. Image vs. reality at the Beijing Olympics; should we worry that many people will buy China's presentation of itself at the Games?</p>

<p><a href="http://acatholicmumclimbingthepillars.blogspot.com">A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars</a> tells the story of &lt;a href="http://acatholicmumclimbingthepillars.blogspot.com/2008/07/conversation-at-pillars-house-yesterday.html">A Conversation at Pillars House Yesterday</a>. When your child asks about Planned Parenthood, do you know what to say? This mom did - and explained the truth to her teenage child.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.transitustiber.net/blog">Transitus Tiber</a> knows &lt;a href="http://transitustiber.net/blog/index.php?/archives/569-The-Power-of-the-Eucharist.html">The Power of the Eucharist</a>. This post recalls and awesome homily by the Parochial Vicar and adds in a Eucharistic miracle to boot. &lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://notstrictlyspiritual.blogspot.com">Not Strictly Spiritual</a> speaks &lt;a href="http://notstrictlyspiritual.blogspot.com/2008/08/on-more-serious-note-much-more-serious.html">On a More Serious Note. Much More Serious</a>. The post explores the impact on her life of a daughter, Grace's, short life of 11 weeks in the womb. &lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://backpew.blogspot.com">View from the Choir</a> discusses mortal sin with a priest in &lt;a href="http://backpew.blogspot.com/2008/08/missing-mass-missing-point.html">Missing Mass, Missing the Point</a>. Is missing Mass a mortal sin? What if your priest says it isn't? &lt;/p>

<p>And at &lt;a href="http://catholicfire.blogspot.com">Catholic Fire</a> we learn about &lt;a href="http://catholicfire.blogspot.com/2008/08/st-clare-of-assisi-no-ordinary-saint.html">St. Clare of Assisi - No "Ordinary" Saint: Contemplative, Lover of the Eucharist, Miracle Worker</a>. On her feast day, this post shows that Saint Clare possessed extraordinary gifts, which she used for the love of God. This post contains quotes from the saint, a quote from Pope John Paul II about the saint, and links to other posts.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mydomesticchurch.com">My Domestic Church</a> celebrates an anniversary with &lt;a href="http://www.mydomesticchurch.com/2008/08/29-and-counting.html">29 and Counting . . .</a> [Ed. Note: Wow! Congratulations to you and your husband] This post includes pictures, which makes it even better (love the white suit!)</p>

<p><a href="http://soulpockets.blogspot.com">Soul Pockets</a> considers &lt;i>Mulieris Dignitatem</i> in &lt;a href="http://soulpockets.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-feminism.html">The New Feminism</a>. How does our culture understand women? And how does that coincide with Pope John Paul II's view in &lt;I>MD</i> (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women). &lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://acatholicview.blogspot.com">A Catholic View</a> points out that &lt;a href="http://acatholicview.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-york-city-has-extremely-high.html">New York City has Extremely High Abortion Rate Despite Free Birth Control</a>. Does free birth control reduce abortions? Look at the evidence and ask yourself why we keep buying these "truths." &lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://prepareformass.wordpress.com">Prepare for Mass</a> takes a closer look at Sunday's readings with &lt;a href="http://prepareformass.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/gather-us-in/">Gather Us In</a>. It looks at the big picture of what Jesus was trying to do in Matthew 15.</p>

<p>Continuing that line of thought, &lt;a href="http://hokaipaulos.blogspot.com">Ho Kai Paulos</a> is &lt;a href="http://hokaipaulos.blogspot.com/2008/08/listening-for-tiny-whispering-voice.html">Listening for the Tiny Whispering Voice</a>. This post explores Sunday's reading where Elijah hears God not in the wind or the fire, but in a tiny whispering sound. We need to be attentive - and quiet - at times, to be ready to hear God's voice ourselves.</p>

<p><a href="http://quantumtheology.blogspot.com">Quantum Theology</a> stays Old Testament with &lt;a href="http://quantumtheology.blogspot.com/2008/08/street-corner-prophets.html">Street Corner Prophets</a>. The words of the prophet Amos were hard to listen to at daily Mass last month. How would you have responded to encountering Amos in the street? This response ended up as a column in Philadelphia's Catholic paper: The Standard and Times.</p>

<p><a href="http://cathyadamkiewicz.blogspot.com">From the Field of Blue Children</a> closes us out in style with &lt;a href="http://cathyadamkiewicz.blogspot.com/2008/08/summer-school.html">Summer School</a>. What did this homeschooling family learn during their Summer break? Take a look - you'll enjoy it!</p>

<p>God bless,<br />

Jay</p>

Another Great Catholic Carnival

• <p>This &lt;a href="http://musical-chemist.blogspot.com/2008/07/catholic-carnival-183_30.html">week's Catholic Carnival is up here</a>. It's based on &lt;i>Humane Vitae</i>, so you don't want to miss it!</p>

<p><br />

God bless,<br />

Jay</p>

Boys Should be Boys by Dr. Meg Meeker

• <p>Dr. Meg Meeker is a Catholic physician who treats families and sees the effects that parents can have on kids. Last year, I reviewed &lt;a href="http://www.livingcatholicism.com/archives/2007/04/strong-fathers.html">Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters</a> by Dr. Meeker and really enjoyed it. This year she has released a new book: &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1596980575/deoomnisglori-20/">Boys Should be Boys</a> which finalizes the series of one book for each gender. &lt;BR>&nbsp;<BR><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1596980575/deoomnisglori-20/"><img src="http://www.livingcatholicism.com/images/boysshouldbeboys.JPG" border="0" align="right" alt="Boys Should be Boys by Dr. Meg Meeker"></a>Unlike &lt;i>Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters</i>, this book is written for both mothers and fathers of boys. And it is a fantastic analysis of our culture with a healthy dose of practical parenting suggestions. The practicality of both books is what makes them special; these aren't theory or esoteric suggestions, but real, actual advice that you can immediately start applying no matter the age of your son. &lt;BR>&nbsp;<BR>The subtitle is &lt;i>7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons</i> and these "secrets" are applicable now to your child's life. Dr. Meeker does a fantastic job of weaving in statistics and information from studies along with individual stories of children that typify certain problems and behaviors. There were a couple of passages in particular that stuck out for me and one was the story of Maddie and her son, Sam. As a young teenager, Sam changed from a good, obedient child to "sarcastic and volatile" at age 13. His mother was concerned and Dr. Meeker discovered that Sam had a My Space page that his mother had not seen:<br />

<blockquote><br />

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The truth is that [Maddie's] mind rationalized, her instincts brought her through my office door. She knew her son; she knew that something was wrong - she was simply afraid to face it. Because if she faced it, then she had a decision to make: what to do about it. That was what frightened her even more. If she made Sam get rid of his My Space page, or even his computer, she was terrified that he would rebel - even run away. She was afraid if she handled the problem the wrong way, she would be a miserable mother and turn her son into a rotten kid. &lt;BR>&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In my experience, Maddie's feelings typify the majority of parents I encounter around the country. We are afraid to really see what our boys are up to, not because they're bad kids, but because we're afraid of disciplining them. Discipline takes energy and it's unnerving. We want them home, even if they're engaging in unhealthy activities because we're frightened that if we stop activities which are unhealthy for them, we'll lose our sons. Let me assure you of one thing: half-way homes and jails aren't full of boys who have been disciplined, they are full of boys whose parents have left them alone.<br />

</blockquote><br />

It turns out that Sam's My Space page was filled with inappropriate language and sexual references that made him feel alienated from his parents. Dr. Meeker's insight into parents (she is one) and knowledge of the science and studies behind parenting make her a perfect expert. And the book is very readable - the stories keep it alive and the science backs up her points and theories. I recommend it for all parents of boys. Another of the little bits of advice that stuck with me:<br />

<blockquote><br />

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When boys are young, parents can begin developing their kindness by teaching them to speak well of others. Speech and behavior go together. Train a boy to speak well of others and over time he will treat those people better. &lt;BR>&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Disciplining a boy to talk differently will make him think differently. This technique works beautifully. If a parent insists that a boy stop talking negatively about a friend, for instance, over time he will either forget about the friend's bad habits or actually learn to like him. When boys are prohibited from complaining, they become happier. The way a boy talks about someone cause him to think about that person the same way. Boys think on what they say. If they complain, negative thoughts not only precede the complaint, they follow them. Then, a boy forms a very negative pattern of thinking. When this happens, he not only complains more, but begins to act unhappy. He wants to play less and go fewer places. &lt;BR>&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Many parents allow complaining because they feel that boys need to express their feelings. Boys do need to be encouraged to verbalize how they feel, but that's not what happens in complaining. More often than not, complaining erupts from a bad mood, malcontent, and boredom. Train verbal complaints out of your son. If you don't, he will mature into a miserable man and fail to see anything good past his own nose. Teach him, on the other hand, to say only positive things about others and he will act more kindly toward them. This can be simple to do.<br />

</blockquote> &lt;br />

The entire book is full of this insightful analysis of how to parent boys from young until old. And, as Dr. Meeker points out several times in the book, it is never too late to start parenting your child better (he will always be your son). So if you have boys, take the time to read this book and become just a little bit better as a parent: it can have a tremendous impact on your son. &lt;/p>

<p>On a side note, Dr. Meeker doesn't hit you over the head with her Catholicism. So even non-Catholics and non-Christians can enjoy this book. I've given her previous book on daughters to virtually all my friends with daughters and I believe this book is the same: they won't be offended by the content, but it is clearly Christian- (even Catholic-) based. So put away that Dr. Dobson stuff and read something great for your kids.</p>

<p>You can purchased &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1596980575/deoomnisglori-20/">Boys Should be Boys</a> from Amazon.com &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1596980575/deoomnisglori-20/">here</a>.</p>

<p>God bless,<br />

Jay</p>

Protecting Children from Internet Pornography

• <p>As a father, I'm always concerned about my children stumbling across some of the obscene content on the internet. As my kids become older and more sophisticated in using the internet and search engines, this reality becomes more and more likely. Recently I searched Google images with "moderate Safe Search On" and saw a few completely inappropriate images for people of any age (including "adults"). So what's the answer to protecting your kids? &lt;/p>

<p>I actually found a program that is working pretty well: See No Evil Online. So I thought I would share. I did signup to support them:<br />

<div align="center"><br />

<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="234" height="90" id="Object1" align="middle"><br />

<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><br />

<PARAM NAME="FlashVars" VALUE="promoID=http://www.seenoevilonline.com/?promo=livingcatholicism"><br />

<param name="movie" value="http://www.seenoevil.com/banners/234x90.swf" /><br />

<param name="quality" value="high" /><br />

<param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><br />

<param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><br />

<embed src="http://www.seenoevil.com/banners/234x90.swf" flashvars="promoID=http://www.seenoevilonline.com/?promo=livingcatholicism" quality="high" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="234" height="90" name="homepage-intro" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /><br />

</object><br />

</div><br />

So far so good: the software is now blocking objectionable content. And I haven't seen any problems or issues with it to date. You can put it on three computers, which is great for our family. So if you need some good internet filtering software for your children, take a look. &lt;/p>

<p>By the way, one interesting side note to this software (and a testament to where our culture is at the moment) is that you can use it to help if you have personal problems with online pornography. Simply signup a friend who has the password on your computer, and the friend can help you to say "no" when you are most tempted. It's really a great resource for anyone struggling to control their addiction to pornography. &lt;/p>

<p><br />

God bless,<br />

Jay<br />

</p>

I Love Being Catholic!

• <p>This week's &lt;a href="http://hokaipaulos.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-love-being-catholic-catholic-carnival.html">Catholic Carnival is up here</a> and it's subtitled "I love being Catholic." Not a bad name at all, if I do say so myself! And the Carnival is worth your time.</p>

<p>Also, don't miss out on the &lt;a href="http://www.holyfamilycatalog.com">big Catholic sale</a> at Holy Family Catalog.com. Just wanted to mention it!</p>

<p><br />

God bless,<br />

Jay<br />

</p>

I'm late, but still don't miss the Carnival

• <p>Go see &lt;a href="http://adriennescatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2008/07/catholic-carnival.html">this week's Catholic Carnival here</a>. I'm late posting it, but the Catholic Carnival is as good as ever!</p>

<p><br />

God bless,<br />

Jay</p>

Happy 4th of July!

• <p>To you and your family. Thank God that He allowed us to live in this great nation. And now to make it better (stop abortion, euthanasia, divorce, and bring back a true love of God among all). &lt;/p>

<p><br />

God bless,<br />

Jay<br />

</p>