The Perfect Saint for Bloggers

St. Francis de Sales is patron of Catholic writers.  As a blogger, therefore, I happily claim him as patron of me. 

As the Church celebrates his feast today, I can easily imagine him sitting with a laptop, clicking out the good news that indeed Jesus lives. 

Francis wrote voluminously.  Not only is he known for his books, but for his (numerous) letters. 

He also composed short papers and pamphlets for wide distribution, to help clarify the faith in a time when confusion abounded.  

I like to imagine him patting today's Catholic bloggers on the back, encouraging us to 'keep it up' as we distribute our witness to the Truth in THIS age of the Church and in the turbulence of our world. 

Francis de Sales was a bishop and founder of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.  He was definitely a busy man in France in the early 1600s. Still, he found time to take up his quill pen and spread the good news of Christ.

As we clack away at our keyboards, often in wee hours of the morning or while a baby naps, I'd like to think our patron is praying for us.  

I have a feeling he is doing just that.  


(this is an edited re-post from our earliest archives)

It's Only Write

I like the fact that this blog is a mixture.  Here, I can share antics of my amazing (you know I'm not biased) grandchildren, Bunny, Linus and Doodlebug.  Here, I've told you about my first day of school, and my first date, and that day when I went swimming and the dog died.  Snippets of my spiritual journey are here to be seen.  I enjoy matching artwork with prayers; my soul soars as I do so.

After two and a half years of doing it, I can honestly say:  I love to blog.  

Now some of my friends are entering a month-long exercise of "blogging the alphabet."  What a fun way to get into a daily habit of writing!  I actually considered taking this up myself.  But then, reality hit.

You know, Reality.  That 'thing' that slaps us square in the face and wakes us up to, well - to Itself.  The fact is, I never know what's going on from one day to the next (just like everyone).  But (and this is the kicker), if something were to slide while my life got busier, that thing just might be - prayer.

Oh, I hate to admit that.

So, I'm not doing the official challenge (whatever it's called) of signing on to blog the alphabet in a month.  After all, how silly would that be for a person who already has two ongoing, very active blogs?!

I have, instead, done something utterly Logical.

I've begun another blog.

Will that one last more than a few weeks?  I don't know.  For now, it will be a place to plop a bit of writing, where I can try blogging the alphabet at a ponderous pace.  Where I won't care if I'm still talking about bananas while everyone else is sharing stories of ladybugs and lunch.  I just might tell about the first thing I remember writing ('Heaven, Hell and Prigatory'), or that handsome boy called Eiknarf who rode the city bus.

In the meantime, this blog will continue with pictures and quotes and the occasional story - as always.  'The Cloistered Heart' will keep looking into what its analogies mean to us who live for God in the midst of the world.

And 'It's Only Write' will become...... whatever it's meant to be.

God willing, I'll be back here tomorrow with something for us all to ponder.  And if you have a minute, stop in at itsonlywrite.blogspot.com .

I am much more curious than you are to see what might happen over there. 

Painting:  Albert Anker Junge Frau einen Brief schreibend 1903

A Reader's Prayer

 

'May you be praised, Lord God, for the printed word, bread for our minds, light for our lives.

'We give thanks for the talent and dedication of all who serve the truth in love and for all whose administration and technical skills make possible the production of books, newspapers, magazines, and reviews....

 
'We celebrate the wonder of digital communications, manifesting a new iconography that can link people around the globe in solidarity of faith, hope, love.

 
'May the blind see, the deaf hear, the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them by all who rejoice in their God-given talents and their gift of creativity.  Amen.'   

                                                                            

                                            (Venerable James Alberione) 

Painting: Matthias Stom, Young Man Reading by Candlelight

This post is linked to Catholic Bloggers Network Linkup Blitz 

a saint for bloggers

Francis de Sales is patron of Catholic writers.  As a blogger, therefore, I happily claim him as a patron of me. As the Church celebrates his feast on the 24th, I can easily imagine him sitting with a laptop, clicking out the good news that indeed Jesus lives. 

Francis wrote voluminously.  Not only is he known for his books, but for his (numerous) letters. He also composed short papers and pamphlets for wide distribution, to help clarify the faith in a time when confusion abounded.  I like to imagine him patting today's Catholic bloggers on the back, encouraging us to "keep it up" as we distribute our witness to the Truth in THIS age of the Church and in the turbulence of our world.  

St. Francis was a bishop and founder of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.  He was a busy man in France in the early 1600s. Still, he found time to take up his quill pen and spread the good news of Christ. As we clack away at our keyboards, often in wee hours of the morning or while a baby naps, I'd like to think our patron is praying for us.  

I have a feeling he is doing just that. 

a reason for writing

 
"I attempt to be one of those who write because they have made some progress, and who, by means of writing, make further progress."

                                                                    (St. Augustine)