The Crooked Halo

St Gemma Galgani, the Passion Flower

2011-09-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

St Gemma Galgani

"The Gem of Christ"

1878-1903

Saint of the Passion of Jesus

post adapted from http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/ written by

Glenn Dallaire

I wish, oh Jesus, that my voice could reach to the ends of the world, to call all sinners and tell them to enter into Thy Heart....Oh, if only all sinners would come to Thy Heart!... Come! Come sinners, do not be afraid! The sword of Justice cannot reach you Here!"~St Gemma Galgani

Young saints fascinate me. I gravitate to the stories of the innocent who have dedicated their lives to Christ at a young age. Me, at almost 60, is just now getting the hang of it! How could one not admire, 18 year old Blessed Chiara Luce Badano (see my post on her beatification) and what about the Children of Fatima? I think their sacrifice, their love and devotion is made even more profound because of the contrast in the behavior of many young folk today. On that note: I'm so proud of all the youth who had visited Madrid, Spain to see Pope Benedict and those in years past who made the pilgrimage during World Youth Day. How special and blessed they all are!

I first heard of St. Gemma through my brother-in-law, David. He visited Italy where his Italian born mother-in-law "introduced" him to this beautiful saint. David had an immediate soft spot for her. Perhaps, it was his own suffering that helped form this bond. You see, David, suffered a debilitating blood disease. He endured excruciating pain for over 11 years and on many occasions spent his vacation bed-ridden in a hotel room. He hated to deny his young wife the pleasure of traveling and enjoying life, so he forced himself to accompany her on various trips. On one of these trips, he lay in a bed, in a strange country, in a strange room and stared endlessly at a photo of St. Gemma, praying to her to intercede for him and others. David was a saint in his own right. He never complained or asked, "Why me?" Rather, he'd say, "Why not, me?" Over and over, he would ask us to pray for someone who was suffering, too. He was sweet and kind with a generous heart. David died peacefully at the age of 46. I have no doubt that St. Gemma greeted him at Heaven's gate.

Having lost her mother at a young age, St. Gemma, had a deep and intense devotion to the Blessed Mother. “If God has taken away my mother,” she would often say, “He has left me His own.” .

On Thursday, June 8th, the eve of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, when she began, as usual, to make the Holy Hour, she felt a piercing sorrow for her sins such as she had never experienced, and a peculiarly vivid sense of the sufferings of Jesus. Suddenly she was rapt in ecstasy and found herself in presence of her heavenly Mother and her Guardian Angel. The phenomenon was repeated regularly every Thursday evening. Gemma seemed to pass through all the phases of the Passion and bore in her body all the marks of Christ's physical sufferings: not only the wounds in hands, feet, and side, but the punctures of the crown of thorns, the marks of the scourging, the wound on the shoulder caused by the weight of the Cross, all accompanied with the most excruciating pain. Throughout those hours she engaged in loving conversations and colloquies with Jesus in a low voice, often tenderly pleading for mercy for sinners and offering herself as a victim in expiation for their sins.
Gemma’s whole life indeed was one long uninterrupted sacrifice of the most heroic kind. To win souls for Jesus through prayer and suffering was the one passion of her life. A witness stated, “She was much afflicted by the thought of the sins committed in the world and she often offered herself to God on behalf of sinners.”

Life was not easy for Gemma. Like David, she suffered a series of illness from a severe foot infection to spinal tuberculosis. Her poor health prevented her from entering the religious life. But her devotion to Christ never wavered. Though denied entry into the Passionist community, she modeled her life after the nuns she so admired, and led the life of a Passionist Nun outside the cloister. She strictly adhered to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.

St. Gemma during
her illness

Toward the end of her life, Gemma, focused much of her prayers on the establishment of a convent for the Passionist Nuns in Lucca. She even searched Lucca more than once for a suitable site and interested herself in the material funds necessary for the foundation. Two years after Gemma’s death the first little group of Passionist Sisters came to Lucca, and though they met with many obstacles and disappointments, a full community took possession of the new convent in 1908. Her hope to become a Passionist nun was eventually realized after her death. She was known to have said,“I no longer ask to enter a convent . . . . Jesus has the habit of a Passionist nun waiting for me at the gates of Heaven." And "The Passionist nuns would not accept me,” she had said, “but for all that I wish to be one of them, and I shall be with them when I am dead.”

On Good Friday, she entered with outstretched arms into a prolonged ecstasy, nailed, as she said, with Jesus to the Cross. The end came peacefully when with a look of seraphic joy on her face she gave up her pure soul to God an hour after midday on Holy Saturday, April 11th, 1903. Gemma Galgani was beatified by Pope Pius XI on May 14th, 1933, and canonized by Pope Pius XII on Ascension Thursday, May 2nd, 1940. Today the Passionist convent in Lucca continues to flourish. Gemma’s body reposes near the altar in the little chapel and the nuns venerate her as their foundress and the patroness of their work. The feast of St Gemma is April 11th (and also May 16th for those in the Passionist Congregation). St. Gemma Booklet Offer

"I have loved You, oh Jesus. Grant me to love You even more, so that my thoughts turn only to You, all day, and all night, even while sleeping ... I wish my spirit to talk always with You, my soul to converse always with You." -St Gemma Glagani

Much of the credit for this post goes to Glenn Dallaire, a devout Catholic father and husband. His love and admiration of St. Gemma prompted him to write a most remarkable blog, St. Gemma Galgani. I was just fortunate to find it and share it with the wonderful bloggers who read, The Crooked Halo. His outstanding writing doesn't stop here, so read....Mystics Of The Church, Miracles Of The Saints, St. Paul Of The Cross, & Miracles Of The Church. I feel so blessed to have discovered this wealth of spiritual information and humbled that Christ led me to Glenn's blogs. Oh, and I bet David had a hand in this "coincidence", too. Thanks, Davey.

Prayer to St Gemma Asking For Her Intercession

Oh holy Gemma, I am near you, help me to pray. You who know what I and those near me need; look after my urgent needs and my spiritual and material wants. You take care of them! I confide in you and entrust all to your loving care.
Offer up to Jesus that tender and constant care that you bore Him here on earth.
Oh holy Gemma, you who physically suffered all the pains of the Passion of Jesus, I beseech of you the grace to meditate on and live the Passion of Jesus, and the sufferings of Holy Mary. Pray that I will be able to walk in the path of humility, simplicity, love and sacrifice, fulfilling at all times and in all ways, the holy will of God. Let me live united with Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and you, for all eternity. Amen

St. Gemma, pray for us!

GOLGOTHA PICNIC: Blasphemy!

2011-08-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

Forgive Us Our Sins, Lord!

Should a secular government help promote blasphemous, pornographic and anti-God events? ...a government funded porn blasphemous show where:

• Actors going through multiple scenes of full and frontal nudity, with a giant screen showing the genitals of the actors and actresses in detail.

• Christ being compared to a terrorist and insulted with such profanity that I cannot reproduce it here.

• There are burlesque imitations of the crucifixion, such as a half-naked woman with a false stigmata -- and a motorcycle helmet with a crown of thorns drawn on it.
Unspeakable!

"In the press kit of Golgotha Picnic, Rodrigo Garcia (director) explains how he built his own biblical imagination, translating it into an obscene language and images. Christ is here called “el diablo puto” (ndmg – whore devil) and is compared to a terrorist. He also shows Christ, crucified surrounded by banknotes. Burgers litter the floor of the stage, trying to parody grotesquelly the multiplication of the loaves. And then the Italian conductor Marino Formenti plays in the piano the “Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross” by Haydn. “ Full article can be found at this link but please be aware that it is foul and disturbing! (teaandpolitics.wordpress.com is an informative, pro-Catholic blog)

Golgotha Picnic is on tour until February 2012 in several cities across France, starting in Paris and just in time for the Feast of the Nativity!

And it gets tax payer money funded by the French Culture Ministry and by prestigious associations such as the Fuoundation Pierre Bergé and the Baron Philippe de Rotschild Society, among others.
See, it is crucial that Christians from all over the world protest this unspeakable blasphemy.

Protest this before the blasphemies that take place in France spreads like a disease to other countries.

As Catholics/Christians, we have the serious obligation to protest and pray in reparation for this atrocious insult to the sacred honor of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Besides sending your E-Protest message, Protest Now! ,to the French Ministry of Culture against GOLGOTHA PICNIC, I ask you to please offer this special prayer of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Prayer for the Reparation of Sins at America Needs Fatima

Are You A Susie?

2011-08-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened, never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

Mortified, he puts his head down and prays, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.” He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher. Has he been discovered? As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!' Suddenly, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to go away. "You've done enough, you klutz!" Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, “You did that on purpose, didn't you?” Susie whispers back, “I wet my pants once, too.'”

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. He’s sending you a Susie.

I ask that you pick six (6) bloggers that you want God to bless and send them a copy of this. If you send me their names & title of their blog, I will pray for them, too. Not a blogger? Just a name will do. Prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but lots of rewards. Let's continue to pray for one another.

The Prayer: Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Where there is need, I ask You to fulfill their needs. Bless their homes, families, finances, their comings and goings…..Amen

OBITUARY: Death Of Common Sense

2011-07-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

OBITUARY OF AN OLD FRIEND

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

· Knowing when to come in out of the rain

· Why the early bird gets the worm

· Life isn't always fair

· And maybe it was my fault

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies: don't spend more than you can earn and reliable strategies: adults, not children, are in charge.

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, link this to a friend. Remember:

Perversion..Blasphemy, Coming To A Theater Near You!

2011-07-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

You are urgently requested to protest this play that shows Our Lady-most pure & holy- as a lesbian. "Adam & Steve" in Central Park Garden of Eden with full frontal nudity. And it will be shown just in time for Christmas!!

Direct quote below from Theater Mirror
"Sandra Heffley's Jane is a bull-dyke, with the build of a line-backer and the attitude of an attack-dog. (Consider a pregnant bull-dyke's interior monolog while giving birth!) And so of course Helen McElwain's Mabel is all New-Age acceptance -- even, eventually, of her destructively violent feelings. It's Mabel who actually gets in touch with God --- and let's face it, the God thing is a big deal here for this quartet who know they were created as exactly what they are but apparently by an ambivalent Deity Who left Steve out of the book. (Upon hearing how babies must be made, the gays all reject it as just too Icky for words!) "
Icky? Icky? As if homosexual appetites and behavior isn't??!!
As if blaspheming a revered religious figure isn't? As if disrespecting God and honoring Satan isn't?
Icky is putting it mildly! The perverts performing, directing, who penned this and all involved are going to stand before God and feel a lot more than Icky! E-Protest Now!

The Oklahoma City University School of Theatre plans to host a terrible attack on the Mother of God – a play that depicts Our Lady as a lesbian.

Adam & Steve
(curtainup.com)

The grossly misnamed play, "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told", is scheduled to begin on December 4, and you and I have a chance to get it canceled – but only if you'll join me in speaking out TODAY.

Please let me explain…

Press reports say "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" refers to Our Lady as a lesbian. It presents a homosexual version of the Old Testament, with scenes of "Adam and Steve" in full frontal nudity.

According to The New York Times, the playwright himself is a homosexual, and this is how he describes his play:

"I wanted the Garden of Eden in Central Park, and Mary as a lesbian mother, which would certainly help me comprehend immaculate conception." (The New York Times, 12/06/98)

You and I cannot just sit idly by and let "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" be shown unchallenged at Oklahoma City University.

If you have any doubt of the urgent need for our protest, read this:

According to City Pages: "Contrary to church doctrine, the Virgin Mary turns out to be a flaky lesbian… Adam, Steve, and company have gathered in a Chelsea loft to celebrate Christmas and a second immaculate conception." (City Pages, 01/19/00)

**** This is an abomination. And you don't need to be Catholic to agree!*****
I ask -- will God bless those who allow His Holy Mother to be dragged into the dirt of lesbian insults? Will He allow the Immaculate Conception to be turned into a homosexual party game?

I really believe we're walking in the shadow of God's anger.

I'm convinced that we must rise to the occasion and protest with all our hearts. We must show Jesus that we care, and that we love His offended Mother, and that we will defend her honor. And our prayerful protest is the only way of showing our gratitude and our only hope of redeeming ourselves.

That's why I'm urging you to speak out. On behalf of the Blessed Mother's honor, please send this email alert far and wide. Spread it. Tweet it. Post it. Blog it. Face book it.

Let's make this peaceful protest so big that the Oklahoma City University officials will feel ashamed and cancel it.

Keep up on issues that: Defend our faith, our Mother Mary & our God by visiting America Needs Fatima

Thank you and May God bless you.

Euro Gay Pride Touches Rome

2011-07-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me as an Email from America Needs Fatima. To read the bibliography and sources cited, please visit:
http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/homosexual-ideology-satanic-pride.html?utm_campaign=9633&utm_content=E0326&utm_medium=email&utm_source=E0326&utm_term=E0326
The article was written by Luiz Sergio Solimeo and is entitled: Homosexual Ideology, Satanic Pride

June 11, 2011 saw one more parade to glorify the vice of homosexuality. Dubbed, Europride or Eurogaypride, it was held in Rome, once known as the Eternal City, the center of Catholicism. The expression, "homosexual pride" summarizes the essence of the homosexual ideology. Let us see how.
Pride and revolt against God
Sin is a revolt against the order established by God and, therefore, a revolt against the Creator Himself. The more this revolt becomes manifest, the greater is the sin.
Man can sin out of weakness and feel shame for his sin and desire to make amends; or he can sin with special malice and take pride in his sin. In this case, revolt against the Creator becomes more manifest; for, as Saint Thomas says, "[it] is characteristic of pride to be unwilling to be subject to any superior, and especially to God."[1]
For this reason, the holy Doctor presents "pride or self-love as the beginning of every evil."[2] According to Scripture, "pride is the beginning of all sin."[3]
Pride, the sin of Lucifer
Theologians commonly believe that the sin of Lucifer and of the evil angels was one of pride. Indeed, having no physical body, they could not be carried away by concupiscence as with man. Therefore, their sin had to be one of the spirit.
Two passages from Scripture are usually mentioned to describe this sin. The first is from Isaias:
How have you fallen from the heavens, O morning star [Lucifer],[4] son of the dawn! How are you cut down to the ground, you who mowed down the nations! You said in your heart: "I will scale the heavens; above the stars of God I will set up my throne; I will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly, in the recesses of the North. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will be like the Most High!"[5]
The second is from Prophet Jeremias:
Long ago you broke your yoke, you tore off your bonds, and you said: I will not serve.[6]

Photo taken from MSNBC site entitled, Gay Activits March In Rome

The homosexual ideology's Luciferian pride
To take pride in practicing the homosexual vice and to proclaim this in public in the streets and squares of the world's leading cities is a sin of the spirit, a challenge to the Law of God. It is a denial of reality as such and an adhesion to a utopia and to a pathological fantasy.
It is a manifestation of Lucifer's pride and a repetition of his desperate cry of revolt, "I will not serve."
Hatred of the Catholic Church
Let us return to Rome's "Europride." Italian newspapers and Internet blogs published hundreds of photos from the march. What stands out most—even more than the wild display of lust and the semi-naked bodies and obscene postures and gestures—is the hatred shown against the Catholic Church.
A homosexual sacrilegiously presented himself posing as Our Lord Jesus Christ in dark glasses.
The offenses against the Sovereign Pontiff could not be more vile: a large banner at the front of the march showed a photomontage depicting the Pope with woman's hair, wearing socks and skimpy lingerie. Below, the words, "[She] wears Prada but is a friend of Satan."[7]
Another banner showed a cartoon of Benedict XVI wearing a Nazi medal, holding a crosier with the Nazi symbol, and below the words, "Nazinger [Nazi+Ratzinger] attacks gays." Another banner read, "Ratzinger, love your neighbor but not as Hitler." And yet another, "Real Hell: The Vatican, mental Guantanamo."
Many homosexuals dressed up as bishops or priests in a ridiculous and debauched manner.
Destruction of the notion of good and evil
During the parade, the denial of all morality came across not just through the general in-your-face sexual license but also in scenes such as that reported on under the title, "Rome's Europride amid Angels, Devils and Spouses," by Italy's ANSA News Agency. It carried a picture of two men kissing, one dressed as a devil, with horns and a trident and the other like a good angel, with white wings and halo.[8]
The kissing "devil" and "angel" aptly represent the ultimate goal of the homosexual ideology: the complete denial of the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. Freed from morals and reason, man's will shall become the only rule; good will simply mean what gives pleasure to our instincts and senses; and evil, anything that crosses us.
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil"
Does this not remind us of the Prophet Sophonias and his rebuke to those "that say in their hearts: The Lord will not do good, nor will he do evil"?[9]
Unto them is the warning of the Prophet Isaias: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness."[10]
Here is where the satanic pride of the homosexual ideology leads us: it transforms light into darkness and darkness into light and wants to impose this darkness on the world, through the dictatorship of law and the propaganda coming from liberal media

Blasphemy! Jerry Springer, The Opera

2011-07-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

America Needs Fatima

HERE WE GO AGAIN! The Devil never stops, but we will stop It with our protests!

Jerry Springer, The Opera: Excerpt from Theater Mania:
To put it mildly, this is a highly scatological piece of work, every bit as vulgar and lurid as the trash TV talk show that inspired it. Furthermore, unlike TV, the four letter words aren't bleeped out -- and very popular words they are in the book and lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas (who is also the composer). Indeed, the F-word becomes poetry beyond even David Mamet's imagination, at one point used in a Handel-like run of competitive male coloratura between a baritone and a tenor as Satan and Jesus. Oh, did I mention that the show also mocks Christian ideology?

Please protest the Southern California Premiere of the blasphemous show Jerry Springer: The Opera, which is full of profanity, impurity and blasphemous content, such as

The Crucifixion is mocked and the Eucharist is trashed

There is a lady singing "Jerry eleison" (mocking the Mass: Kyrie Eleison)

Jesus is introduced as "the hypocrite son of the fascist tyrant on high." He wears a diaper, is fat and effeminate.

Eve gropes Jesus in a manner too indecent to describe while the Annunciation is described as immorality.

God is a fat man in a white suit who complains about being blamed for everyone's problems. He invites Jerry Springer to join Him to "sit in Heaven beside me, hold my hand and guide me." At the end, Jerry emerges as the true savior of mankind.

You and I cannot accept such insults to Our Lord and the Catholic Faith!

Stop this Opera, NOW! E-Protest here.

KKK scene from The Opera
(the playgoer)

It only takes a few seconds, so please do it now. The honor of the Faith is precious and cannot be brushed aside.
For the love of Our Lord and the Catholic Church, please send your message today, and consider forwarding this email to all the Catholics you know.

May God bless you!

America Needs Fatima, Now More Than Ever!

Call To Prayer: Nation In Crisis

2011-06-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

This email had been sent to pastors throughout the U.S.A. It is bold, but brave and much needed in these desperate times in our world....in our nation!
Many will be angry because of the Separation of Church & State issue. Let them. I love my nation, my family & friends too much to let misguided sentiments stop me from petitioning God for His help! Please keep August 6, 2011 as a Day of Prayer & Fasting! God Bless America.

In a most unusual move, Texas Governor Rick Perry has asked the other 49 governors to join him in calling a Joel 2 “solemn assembly,” a day of prayer, fasting and worship. How long has it been since a governor has called for a “solemn assembly?”

Furthermore, it appears that no governor in American history has invited all other governors to join him in such a call. Read his proclamation here

Come to Houston
forThe Response:
a call to prayer for a nation in crisis
August 6, 2011
On Saturday, August 6, the nation will come together at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX
for a solemn gathering of prayer and fasting for our country
Every Christian pastor in America should be present
Learn more at TheResponseUSA.com

Allow me to be candid. You and I both know America is in trouble. Our communities and congregations are besieged by moral disintegration, overwhelming debt, employment uncertainty, global terrorism, national disasters and more.

As Christian pastors and leaders, it's time to unite on our knees before God. The Response is not an entertainment event, a day to celebrate America, or a time to cast blame on others for the current crisis in our country. It is a trumpet call to prayer and fasting, to authentic humility and personal repentance on the part of every Christian in the nation.

We believe that there is hope for America - and we will find it as we call on Jesus' name and ask our Heavenly Father for His mercy on us as a people.

Go to The Response website to learn who is endorsing this gathering, to register, and to find materials you can use to invite your congregation to join you. Check back regularly, as new information and endorsements are added daily.

I sincerely hope I see you there!
Jim Garlow
The Response National Church Mobilization
Senior Pastor, Skyline Church, San Diego, CA
Chairman/CEO, Renewing American Leadership, Washington, DC

Our Lady Insulted & Degraded, Again! E-Protest

2011-06-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

How to hurt Our Lord? By insulting and degrading His mother! We must stop this now!

The blasphemous art exhibit "Our Lady and Other Queer Santas", by the self-avowed lesbian Alma Lopez, will be on display at the University College Cork and is open to the general public.

As you know, the digital photo collage 'Our Lady' shows Our Lady of Guadalupe in a floral bikini, hands on hips, held up by a bare breasted angel.

On June 24th, the University College Cork (Ireland) is hosting the blasphemous art exhibit "Our Lady and Other Queer Santas" as part of a conference on Hispanic Studies.

Tell the University College Cork (Ireland) how shocked you are by this. E-Protest Blasphemy To Our Lady

At the same conference on Hispanic Studies, Alma Lopez will talk about "Our Lady and Other Queer Santas."

She will also sign copies of her blasphemous book called "Our Lady of Controversy: Alma Lopez's 'Irreverent' Apparition," which has that same blasphemous and impure collage of Our Lady of Guadalupe on its cover.

The offenses against the Blessed Virgin Mary's purity seem endless!

And in response, you and I must console Our Lady by offering Her Son our fervent prayers and most heartfelt acts of reparation.

Beloved Father, I exalt you and praise you for your generosity with the human race, for accepting the sacrifice of your most beloved Son Our Lord Jesus Christ in reparation for all our sins, for permitting the Precious Blood of Jesus to wash our souls and to purify us anew in your holy image.

Prayer to the Blessed Mother In Reparation For Blasphemy:
Mary, my Immaculate Mother, I desire to offer you reparation for the offenses which your Immaculate Heart receives from the horrible blasphemies which are uttered against you. I offer you these praises to console you for so many ungrateful children who so not love you, and to console the Heart of your Divine Son Who is so deeply offended by the insults offered to you.
For Additional Prayers of Reparation visit America Needs Fatima

Love, Honor & A Four-Letter Word

2011-06-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

The word is Obey, dear readers ;) And it's a word that often rubs people the wrong way. At least in this day and age. No one wants to obey...anyone or anything it seems. Not the police, teacher, parent, clergy/nuns, or spouse. God is at the bottom of the obey list. Rules are made to be broken, right, so why obey them? Don't get me started.
The definition of obey is: to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of. I like the word "wishes". It implies emotion, camaraderie, a desire to please. Obedient means: to agree to obey. Notice the word, agree. It doesn't say demand. It doesn't say twist one's arm. Agree is: consent...mutual consent.
On several occasions, broadcasters excitedly announced that the words-love, honor and obey would not be used in the vows at the recent royal wedding. Apparently, Prince Charles and Lady Diana were the first royal couple to omit the word, obey, and substitute cherish. Cherish Diana? Charles never did. His adulterous affair turned the word cherish into a fluff word with cotton candy substance. Don't get me started.
Cherish is a word used by most of us. I cherish my alone-time, old photographs and memories. Cling to & worship are definitions of cherish. I'm surprised feminists and today's free-thinkers like the word cherish any more than the word obey, in the light of these definitions. One example of the word cherish is: Many cherished the book. Gee, that's special. It would be remiss of me not to mention that cherish has some sweet meanings like, to feel affection for. I would reserve this for my pet, not my husband.

Obey is a much misunderstood word, especially when associated with the Sacrament of Matrimony. St. Peter set off an explosion when he commanded wives, “be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, when they see your reverent and chaste behavior.” What person doesn't know that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? Why should St. Peter's words cause such a stir? Why wouldn't a sweet disposition..a woman going out of her way for her husband not reap amazing benefits and maybe even, change?

A man who is right with God, who is considerate and loving, would never abuse the word, obey. My husband wouldn't abuse the word, my son wouldn't and my nephews, too. Good men do exist. But, I guess that's not the experience for many women. How sad that women don't realize that the Holy Spirit guides the actions of a good man. How sad that it's not understood that our marriage vows are bonds of trust.

We are asked by Christ to love deeply, to love unselfishly. Obedience is when two people pledge to put the needs of the other ahead of their own. What a shame that we've dropped this word from wedding vows and lost the essence of a gospel-based marriage. One blogger wrote that obedience speaks of a sense of duty. What's wrong with ethical or moral principles governing a person's thoughts and actions, especially between a husband and wife? Don't get me started.
Why isn't the Holy Couple mentioned more often as an ideal portrait of marriage? St. Joseph didn't brow-beat the Blessed Mother. They had a most loving relationship. Mary is the epitome of obedience to both her earthly husband and to God. She is strong, decisive, independent & confident, yet feminine, compassionate, gentle and full of grace, a real woman.
I found this piece by Elizabeth Ficocelli at http://www.catholicplanet.com/articles/article72.htm a wealth of inspiration and logic: There is no dispute that women are equal in dignity, grace and worth and certainly equally loved by God. In fact, God's plan for women has always been to elevate them to a position of honor and esteem in the home and, for a long time, the role of wife and mother was highly regarded by all. However, the increasing power struggle between wives and husbands in this past century has bred broken relationships, rebellious children, lack of love and divorce. Women have lost their value, becoming subject to man and degraded by society - exactly the opposite of what “women's lib” set out to achieve. The gospel call for the husband to be an authority figure, balancing complete submission to the will of his creator and perfect reverence for his spouse, is not an easy one, and one that comes with much responsibility and accountability.
If I were to renew my wedding vows today, they would be...love, honor, obey & protect. Why? Sometimes, at night before I fall asleep, my husband holds me close and whispers, "I've got your back". I know in that moment that I am loved, secure and protected. I am flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone. Obey is an equal opportunity...opportunity.

Jesus' Folded Napkin: UnFolded

2011-05-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

I receive a lot of emails as I'm sure you do. I delete a lot of emails after reading the first line. I dislike emails that have a fluff sentiment, whether religious or secular, THAT states- if you send this email to 8 friends you will have good luck, prayer answered, a financial wind-fall, blah, blah, blah. Phooey, that's Christian voodoo!

I make a habit of checking out suspect emails. I look at a few fact-checking sites like Snopes.com...but I don't always trust this source either. It tends to have liberal leanings and if the questionable email is political...I look at a couple of other sources. The one time I didn't research and passed on an email...I got nailed by my brother-in-law. Ouch. So I try to be careful...and if it's a darling email, I will forward it with the note: I'm not sure if this is true, but it's a nice thought.

Okay, now that I've stated this: the email below is a lovely one. BUT, I had to research it. I will let you read it for the pure enjoyment. The message is beautiful and uplifting..full of hope. After the story, I'll tell you what I found:

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. It was neatly folded and placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. (The body of Our Lord was missing)

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple...Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.
When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished..

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table.. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm finished."

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........

The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!" (end of email)

Numerous Bible study sources have been checked out and nothing about this alleged Jewish custom of the folded napkins had been found. No Bible scholars could verify the meaning of the folded napkin. If you find one, please, let me know.
.
Additionally, a Jewish rabbi of TruthOrFiction.com who has been a life-long Orthodox Jew, a Jewish scholar, and lives in Jerusalem, Israel, said he’d never heard of it.

In my search for the "truth", I didn't find much more than the above...until I came to the comments left at
http://www.returningking.com/?p=78. The following are the ones of interest:

1) According to Jewish tradition, which by the way still goes on today, when a Jewish male is buried his Prayer Shawl (Tallit) is used to wrap the the head where the face is showing. The other disciple, which is John, KNEW every little detail of The Lord’s habits. When men attended the Synagogue, each man left his Tallit there. Since all the Tallit looked the same, the only way a man could distinguish his from all the others was the way it was folded. John immediately KNEW Jesus had risen…………all because John recognized our Lord’s “SIGNATURE” (fold)!!!!! (Carl)

2) I was told it was a tradition of ‘carpenters’ of that day. When a job was finished and the persons ordering the work were not present, the carpenter would fold and leave behind the handkerchief he used to wipe his brow. This was the equivalent of passing a self-imposed “final inspection and a certificate of completion”, as they did not have building inspectors then. This signaled that the job was done. (jeffery Cory)

3) The position or form of the clothes was seen by the early Church especially to support the clear and unmistakable affirmation that the body had not been removed, for had the body been stolen, grave robbers would not have taken the time to unwrap the linens and certainly not have placed the soudarion rolled up neatly in its place. (from the Catholic Bulletin.com)

They all make sense. #2 was most interesting given the fact that Jesus was a carpenter, and if this comment is true, He would be familiar with this signal. If it were a customary thing to do, then the apostles would be familiar with this, too. I don't believe that the cloth was left folded for no apparent reason. I don't believe it was mentioned in the Holy Bible just for good script-reading. There's a reason for everything with God. Nothing is coincidental with Him.

When I have dinner guests, I use lovely cloth napkins. After I clear away the dishes, I brush off the tablecloth, and reset the table for dessert. At each guest's setting, I always shake out his/her napkin, refold it, and place it neatly by the dessert plate. I am readying the table for my guests return. The savory part of the meal is complete...the sweet course is yet to come. It is what most guests look forward to, dessert. Interestingly, the word comes from the French language, desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve" Could this be more appropriate? Our Lord came to serve and we are born to serve Him with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul and with all our strength. Is there anything more sweet than the thought of Christ's Return? Is there anything more sweet than the thought of eternal happiness in heaven...the sweet by-and-by?
Perhaps, the "folded napkin" email does nothing more than get us all thinking about His Coming. There's nothing wrong with dialogue between Christians and sometimes it takes a controversial, yet innocent email to get the dialogue started. Always seek the truth. And may the image of the folded napkin remind us that the Greatest, Most Honored Guest will return and He will invite His faithful to feast at the banquet table of the Father.

St. Rita, Patroness of Impossible Cases...Feast May 22nd

2011-05-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

I would be ashamed of myself if I didn't acknowledge the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia, one of my most favorite and beloved women of our faith. Both Catholic Online & Catholic Encyclopedia (newadvent.org) had short biographies of St. Rita...but neither did her extraordinary life justice. But Wikipedia did!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rita_of_Cascia. I was at the Cathedral of the Divine Mercy in Massachusetts browsing the book store when I found the DVD of her life starring beautiful Vittoria Belvedere. St. Rita DVD at Amazon.com What a fabulous story! It had all the excitement, action and romance of any epic movie.

St. Rita was born at Roccaporena near Spoleto, Umbria, Italy. She married at age 12 to Paolo Ferdinando. Her parents (Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri) arranged her marriage, despite the fact that she repeatedly begged them to allow her to enter a convent. Ferdinando was a rich, quick-tempered, immoral man, who had many enemies in the region. St. Rita endured his insults, abuse and infidelities for years. Through humility, kindness and patience, Rita "converted her cruel husband from his wicked ways, making their home a peaceful sanctuary of holy bliss". (St. Rita of Cascia) They bore two sons, Giangiacomo(Giovanni)Antonio and Paulo Maria, who grew up God-loving children. Although Paolo Ferdinando became congenial, his allies betrayed him and he was violently stabbed to death.
As her sons advanced in years (one now 16), their character began to change. **(Biographers write that the sons were twins). The sons wished to exact revenge on their father's murderers. This unauthorized right of revenge in Italy at the time was called La Vendetta. Fearing that her sons would lose their souls, Rita tried to persuade them from retaliating, but to no avail. Instead, she prayed to God. Her sons died of natural causes (dysentery) a year later, well prepared to die and go before God.
After the deaths of her husband and sons, St. Rita desired to enter the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene at Cascia but was turned away. Although the convent acknowledged Rita's good character and piety, it was afraid of being associated with her due to the scandal of her husband's violent death. However, she persisted in her cause and was given a condition before the convent could accept her; the difficult task of reconciling her family with her husband's murderers. She was able to resolve the conflicts between the families and, at the age of 36, was allowed to enter the monastery.^[1]
Her actual entrance into the monastery has been described as a miracle. During the night, when the doors to the monastery were locked and the sisters were asleep, St. Rita was miraculously transported into the convent by her patron saints Saint John the Baptist, Saint Augustine, and Saint Nicholas of Tolentino^{[citation needed]}. When she was found inside the convent in the morning and the sisters learned of how she entered, they could not turn her away. She remained at the monastery, living the Augustinian Rule, until her death.
One day, while living at the convent Rita said, "Please let me suffer like you, Divine Saviour". Suddenly, a thorn from a figure of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ fell from the crown of thorns and left a deep wound in Rita's forehead. This wound never healed and caused her great suffering for the rest of her life.^{[citation needed]} As a result, depictions of St. Rita show a forehead wound to represent this event.

The Story of the Rose & The Fig:

When St. Rita was bedridden in the convent, a cousin visited her and asked her if she desired anything from her old home. St. Rita responded by asking for a rose and a fig from the garden. It was January and her cousin did not expect to find anything due to the snowy weather. However, when her relative went to the house, a single blooming rose was found in the garden as well as a fully ripened and edible fig, and her cousin brought the rose and fig back to St. Rita at the convent.^{[citation needed]} The rose bush is still alive and often in bloom today.^{[citation needed]}
The rose is thought to represent God's love for Rita and Rita's ability to intercede on behalf of lost causes or impossible cases. Rita is often depicted holding roses or with roses nearby. On her feast day, May 22, churches and shrines of St. Rita provide roses to the congregation that are blessed by priests during Mass.

Look for the prayer to St. Rita on my blog. It's on the left sidebar. Please scroll down to find it.
St. Rita of Cascia pray for us!

Impure Blasphemy Against Our Lady of Guadalupe!

2011-05-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Guadalupe
Pray For Us!

I'm deeply pained to tell you that Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas, is impurely blasphemed at the Oakland Museum of California.

The museum is hosting an art exhibit that includes a digital portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe wearing a bikini, held aloft by a topless woman-angel! Our pure, sinless Heavenly Mother should be honored not mocked!And it will be on public display until May 29! May, the month of Mary!!

You and I cannot sit by idly and do nothing about this awful blasphemy! Even indecent pop artists gets more respect than the Mother of God! Shame on those supporting this disgraceful exhibit. We must do reparation and lift up our voices in peaceful and prayerful protest.

e-protest this blasphemy here

The silence and indifference of Catholics encourages the promoters of blasphemy to push their agenda. No other religious group would remain silent...they would scream from the rooftops!You and I must rise to this occasion and protest, with all our hearts. We must make our indignation heard!

We must show Jesus that we care, and that we love His Mother, the Patroness of the Americas, and that we will defend Her holy honor no matter how many times she is attacked and insulted.

And our prayerful protest and reparation is the only way of showing our gratitude.
On behalf of the Virgin of Guadalupe's honor, please join me in this peaceful and prayerful protest.

(adapted from an email sent by TFP student Action defending moral values on campus. Support this godly, brave group of students and don't let their hard work be for naught.)

The Gangster Saint

2011-04-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

April 27th is the Feast day of St. Peter Armengol. This fascinating saint, whose life story is the stuff Hollywood is made of, went from gangster and sinner to a man of deep, unwavering faith with a fierce devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Born into wealthy, Spanish nobility, he gave himself over to a life of vice. Does St. Augustine come to mind? As a gang leader he terrorized, robbed and killed travellers in the Pyrenees region, until the day he came face-to-face in combat with his own father. Filled with shame, the repentant youth retired to a monastery in Barcelona and gave his life to God.

His greatest desire was to go to Africa and become a captive for the ransom of Christians. After ransoming 119 captives without incident, he learned of 18 innocent children held captive by the Moors. Unable to allow such an atrocity, Friar Peter offered himself as hostage. After being starved and tortured, the Moors accused him of blaspheming Mohammed and being a spy sent by the Christian kings, thus raising their ire. He was condemned to be hanged. The unjust execution was carried out and St. Peter’s body was left hanging from the gallows for six days! His unselfish act of love for the children touched the heart of Our Blessed Mother and she interceded for him to her Son. Her request was granted, and Friar Peter was saved.

When he returned to Barcelona, the man of God told his superior, “The Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our own mother, asked her Most Holy Son to conserve my life; having obtained this favour, this same sovereign Queen sustained me with her most holy hands, so that the weight of my body would not hang upon the rope by which I was suspended.”

Recalling the miracle of his hanging, he frequently told the religious of the monastery of this marvel: “Believe me, my dear brothers, that I do not believe myself to have lived except for those few but most happy days when, hanging from the gallows, I was held to be dead.”

For the rest of his life, Friar Armengol had a twisted neck and a pale completion, authentic signs of what had taken place. He retired to the monastery of Our Lady de los Prados, where he practiced heroic virtue and spent his days in familiar conversation with the Queen of Angels, whom he loved dearly.

In our times of profound moral crisis, let us ask Saint Armengol to obtain for us before the throne of God, graces of unbending fidelity, unwavering hope and heroic confidence in the powerful intercession of Our Lady. (retold from the website below)

visit The American Society For The Defense Of Tradition, Family & Property for the complete story of this remarkable saint, Peter Armengol.

To Tempt Or Not To Tempt

2011-04-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

We read and hear a lot about temptation. It takes on many forms. From the simple temptation of breaking that diet with a rocky road brownie to a soul-snatching adulterous affair. We are tempted to charge more than we can afford on credit cards. We are tempted to lie about our age and yes, I'm guilty....about my weight. The trouble begins when we start to skirt around temptations...playing just on the edge of sin. Rest assure: Satan is always ready to push us over that edge.

Christ, God made man, was tempted by Satan in the desert, but did not succumb to the wily enticement of the Devil. Though Satan was defeated, he continues to be a smooth talker who makes sin seem so right. Without realizing it....can we become that tempter?
Take a workplace scenario. I can't believe that a woman who dresses provocatively doesn't realize she's doing so. Add a flirtatious demeanor and being a tempter is not far behind.
When a coach suggests that an athlete takes performance enhancing drugs, he is leading the athlete to sin. He can sugar-coat the reason all he wants, but what he is suggesting is illegal and dangerous. In his heart...he knows he is doing wrong. He is a tempter.
An offer of drugs is not a "friendly" gesture. It could be the start of a lifetime of battling an addiction. Yes, we have the power to refuse, but peer pressure, depression, being in a "party" mood can weaken our resistance. Equally at fault is the person accepting the drug, but the shame lies with the tempter.

Over and over, we are told to lead by example. This is meant to be a positive statement. Yet, without being aware of it, our example can be riddled with negative temptations. This ties into my statement about skirting the rim of sin. Actions speak louder than words. How can we ask our children to be honest when we brag about the things we "got away with" or flaunt the supplies we take from work? How can we tell them to love thy neighbor when we spite the man next door? We abhor bullies, yet scream and belittle our spouse. Many bemoan the "colorful" language we hear...could it be that it's what they hear at home? Do we tempt without even meaning to? If our favorite hang-outs are bars or casinos are we tempting others to drink or gamble? It may not be a problem for us, but ...? Do the magazines we read, movies and TV shows we watch tempt us or others to dress, speak, think or behave in a way that offends God? The definition of 'to tempt' is: to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral. Or, to tempt/seduce both mean to allure or entice to something unwise or wicked. To seduce is literally to lead astray.

Remember the phrase, "The devil made me do it"? There's some truth in that. Satan and his demons relish enticing a believer. He/they are thieves, liars, and manipulators. As in the Prayer to St. Michael...'the evil one prowls the earth seeking the ruin of souls.'
Temptation is not of God. He is much too much of a loving Father to dangle temptations in front of his beloved children. He would never, ever lead His own to sin. We all have a tendency to sin, so expect to be tempted and like Eve....to tempt. Few want to sin alone. Prayer, fasting and being in the Word is our armour against temptation. Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and He will show you how to escape from your temptation". God's grace is the victory to overcome it.

To avoid being a Tempter, we must call upon the Holy Spirit, asking Him to shine His light in all the dark corners of our life. We must try to be more aware of our habits and the example we are setting for children and adults alike. Be aware of innocence, esp. that of children. When we are conscious of purity, what is clean and good, we feel shame at soiling it. Look through the eyes of a child...how must it look to a child to see us fighting with anyone? If we fill our mouth with praising God there won't be room for angry words, foul language or gossip. Our children will then be tempted to speak kindly, to know and speak the many sacred names of Jesus. Others may want to emulate our ethics and values...which points the way to God.

There will come a day when we will stand before God and give an accounting. When I think about this, I shiver. It's one thing to have to answer for my own temptations...it will be awful to answer for the things I've tempted others to do.
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. "—Revelation 20:12

Photo credit

The Blue Rose: An Act Of Kindness

2011-04-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Having four visiting family members, my wife was very busy, so I offered to go to the store for her to get some needed items.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies and headed for the checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man who appeared to be about sixteen-years-old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize I was there. He waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice, "Mommy, I'm over here."

It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged. Startled, he turned and saw me waiting to squeeze by. I smiled and said, "Hey Buddy, what's your name?"

"My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother."

"Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve."

"Steve, like Stevarino?" he asked. "Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?"

"How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.

"You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by."

I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement, because he was the center of someone's attention. He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.

PicasaWeb.google.com

Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, much less talk to him.

I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in God's Garden; however, "Blue Roses" are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a Blue Rose and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God.

She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, "Who are you?"

Without thinking I said, "Oh, I'm probably just a dandelion, but I sure love living in God's garden."

She reached out, squeezed my hand and said, "God bless you!" and then I had tears in my eyes.

May I suggest, the next time you see a BLUE ROSE, don't turn your head and walk off. Take the time to smile and say Hello. Why? Because, by the grace of GOD, this mother or father could be you. This could be your child, grandchild, niece or nephew. What a difference a moment can mean to that person or their family.

From an old dandelion! Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Christ's Great Sacrifice....Mary's Great Love

2011-04-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

This beautiful video honors Jesus, the Christ (Anointed One). During this sacred season of Lent/Easter, let us remember His great sacrifice and love. He died for all His children whether you believe in Him or not.

His Blessed Mother "died" with Him that day as does any mother who loses a beloved child. In this song, Mary Did You Know? and as always, she points the way to her Son.

Listen and reflect on the many holy names of Christ... the Perfect Sacrifice, The Saviour, The Deliverer, The Miracle Worker giving sight to the blind, The Healer, The Ruler of Nations, Heaven's Perfect Lamb, The Great I am. Jesus is God Made Man. His Resurrection sets Him apart from any other holy man, prophet or deity of another religion.

Jesus would have given His life for you even if you were the only person on earth. He was not angry that the "crowd" chose that He be crucified rather than Barabbas. Do you think He would have wanted Barabbas to have died in His place? A resounding, No.

Jesus is Love & Forgiveness. To truly honor Him...we must do both, esp. to those who hurt and humiliate us. His greatest desire is that one day, we are with Him for eternity in Paradise. He made the way; we must make the choice.

(remove ad banner on video scroll over it & click on x in right corner)

"Mary Did You Know?" lyrics by Mark Lowry
Music by Buddy Greene

An Analogy Of Death

2011-03-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I'm afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don't know.”

“You don't know? You're a Christian man, and don't know what's on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death but I do know one thing...I know my Master is there and that is enough.”

The Grace Of God Through The Rosary

2011-03-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Jim Castle was tired when he boarded his plane in Cincinnati, Ohio, that night in 1981. The 45-year-old management consultant had put on a week long series of business meetings and seminars, and now he sank gratefully into his seat ready for the flight home to Kansas City, Kansas. As more passengers entered, the place hummed with conversation, mixed with the sound of bags being stowed. Then, suddenly, people fell silent. The quiet moved slowly up the aisle like an invisible wake behind a boat. Jim craned his head to see what was happening, and his mouth dropped open. Walking up the aisle were two nuns clad in simple white habits bordered in blue. He recognized the familiar face of one at once, the wrinkled skin, and the eyes warmly intent. This was a face he'd seen in newscasts and on the cover of TIME. The two nuns halted, and Jim realized that his seat companion was going to be Mother Teresa!

As the last few passengers settled in Mother Teresa and her companion pulled out rosaries. Each decade of the beads was a different color, Jim noticed. "The decades represented various areas of the world," Mother Teresa told him later, and added, "I pray for the poor and dying on each continent."

The airplane taxied to the runway and the two women began to pray, their voices a low murmur. Though Jim considered himself not a very religious Catholic who went to church mostly out of habit, inexplicably he found himself joining in. By the time they murmured the final prayer, the plane had reached cruising altitude. Mother Teresa turned toward him. For the first time in his life, Jim understood what people meant when they spoke of a person possessing an 'aura.' As she gazed at him, a sense of peace filled him; he could no more see it than he could see the wind but he felt it, just as surely as he felt a warm summer breeze.

"Young man," she inquired, "do you say the rosary often?"

"No, not really," he admitted.

She took his hand, while her eyes probed his. Then she smiled. "Well, you will now." And she dropped her rosary into his palm.

An hour later, Jim entered the Kansas City airport where he was met by his wife, Ruth. "What in the world?" Ruth asked when she noticed the rosary in his hand.

They kissed and Jim described his encounter.

Driving home, he said. "I feel as if I met a true sister of God."

Nine months later, Jim and Ruth visited Connie, a friend of theirs for several years. Connie confessed that she'd been told she had ovarian cancer.

"The doctor says it's a tough case," said Connie, "but I'm going to fight it. I won't give up." Jim clasped her hand. Then, after reaching into his pocket, he gently twined Mother Teresa's rosary around her fingers. He told her the story and said, "Keep it with you, Connie. It may help."

Although Connie wasn't Catholic, her hand closed willingly around the small plastic beads. "Thank you," she whispered. "I hope I can return it." More than a year passed before Jim saw Connie again. This time her face was glowing, she hurried toward him and handed him the rosary. "I carried it with me all year," she said. "I've had surgery and have been on chemotherapy, too. Last month, the doctors did second-look surgery, and the tumor's gone. “Completely!"

Her eyes met Jim's. "I knew it was time to give the rosary back."

In the fall of 1987, Ruth's sister, Liz, fell into a deep depression after her divorce. She asked Jim if she could borrow the rosary, and when he sent it, she hung it over her bedpost in a small velvet bag. "At night I held on to it, just physically held on. I was so lonely and afraid, "she says, "yet when I gripped that rosary, I felt as if I held a loving hand." Gradually, Liz pulled her life together, and she mailed the rosary back "Someone else may need it," she said.

Then one night in 1988, a stranger telephoned Ruth. She'd heard about the rosary from a neighbor and asked if she could borrow it to take to the hospital where her mother lay in a coma. The family hoped the rosary might help their mother die peacefully. A few days later, the woman returned the beads. "The nurses told me a coma patient can still hear," she said, "so I explained to my mother that I had Mother Teresa's rosary and that when I gave it to her, she could let go. Right away, we saw her face relaxed. The lines smoothed out until she looked so peaceful, so young. A few minutes later, she was gone." Fervently, the woman gripped Ruth's hands. "Thank you."

Is there special power in those humble beads? Or is the power of the human spirit simply renewed in each person who borrows the rosary?

Jim only knows that requests continue to come, often unexpectedly. He always responds though, whenever he lends the rosary, "When you're through needing it, send it back. Someone else may need it."

Jim's own life has changed, too, since his unexpected meeting on the airplane. When he realized Mother Teresa carries everything she owns in

a small bag, he made an effort to simplify his own life.

"I try to remember what really counts, not money or titles or possessions, but the way we love others," he says.

May God bless you abundantly. May Mother Mary ask her Son Jesus to shower you with grace.

Please feel free to pass this on, especially to all those in despair so that they might know that they are not alone in their hour of need. Every sacrifice has a fruitful reward. Every failure has a second chance. We only have to be strong through God's grace and persevere in life's many tests! May God bless you always!

Blasphemous Vampire Mary Statue: E-Protest Now!

2011-03-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that in today's atmosphere of "tolerance," there are so many direct and blatant attacks on the Catholic Church and the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Now there's an exhibit at the Albane Gallery in Nantes, France, that depicts Our Lady as a Superwoman Mary, a Vampire Mary, and even a My Little Pony Mary – a statue that is half animal and half human! This insult to the Holy Mother of God is absolutely awful!

They are on exhibit at the Albane Gallery, and were crafted by artist Soasig Chamaillard.

Thank God, the statues have provoked some degree of outrage, to which Chamaillard says:

"…faith is not in statues, and perhaps they should remember that. Faith should be strong enough to remain unshaken by simple objects. I think they need to step back from the object and not forget that it's an artistic work."

Shame, Shame, Shame to disrespect the Mother Of Christ in such a way! Don't let this happen to the Blessed Mother, please, defend her now at this link .
If unopposed, this exhibit may travel and more people may be exposed to these blasphemies, and Our Lady will continue to be offended and insulted

This is what the e-protest contains:
I am appalled at the exhibit of artist Soasig Chamaillard, which has statues of Our Lady as a Superwoman Mary, a Vampire Mary, and even a My Little Pony Mary – a statue that is half animal and half human. This set of statues is highly offensive and blasphemous. An apology to the Blessed Mother is in order.

Visit America Needs Fatima for more information.

Blessed Mother Pray for us!

It's The Parents I Don't Get: Part 2

2011-02-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

foryourmarriage.org

I could never be silent if my son were living with a young woman. He'd hear it from me..and often. How could I encourage their playing house? Without a ring on the finger, it's easy to bail out when things get rough...like a revolving door..this year Mary...two years later, Sally, then who? Don't get me started.

A few years ago, my son visited with his soon-to-be fiancee, I made it clear before they came that they would be sleeping in separate rooms. And they did. Why? Because, I would someday stand before God and answer for what I allowed in my home. The outcome. They both understood, "My house...My rules." It didn't harm our relationship. My now daughter-in-law loves and respects me. I did what was right...what God expected me to do. I believe that someday they will do the same. We need to lead by example.

What's with....it's okay for my 18 year old to go away for the weekend with her new beau? WHAT! Not with my permission, young lady. Yeah, they may sneak away, but not with my blessing. And bull...oh, you're just forcing them to lie. Let's see, "Well, God, I didn't want my teenager to be mad at me and lie, so I didn't stop her from sleeping with her boyfriend on their weekend get-away."

"How many years do you think it'll take your son to make a commitment to the girl he's living with?" I recently asked a friend, "Ten" she answered. Her son is an almost 30 year old, well-heeled professional living with his significant other for 5 years. Didn't her son know she was the one for him, like, two years into their relationship? That must really make Miss-Give-The-Milk-For-Free feel cherished.

So our kids sleep around, live together, have babies out of wedlock and parents don't voice their objection. Our kids dress like streetwalkers or grunge slobs, attend Mass in mini-skirts and low cut tops or don't attend at all, and parents don't voice their outrage. Our kids listen to sordid music that tells them to disrespect authority, beat their women, have sex like bunnies, they watch, admire and emulate celebrities who cheat, lie, steal, send nude photos of themselves over their phones, binge on drugs and alcohol and parents don't tell them what low-lifes they idolize. Our kids don't marry in church, don't receive the sacraments, rarely pray and parents shrug. Our kids don't respect their elders, use the "F" word as if it were an adjective, and parents ignore it. Are these parents spineless? Have they read too many flawed, liberal parenting books? Have parents forgotton that they offend God by ignoring His principles?

We were all young once and did lots of fool hardy things. We sowed our wild oats. Did we do stuff we are not proud of--heck, yes. But I had hoped we learned from our own mistakes and would pass these valuable lessons along to our kids. Instead, we let all the worst of things perpetuate. Are there kids who do the right thing...yep. Are there parents who do the right thing, yep. Are they the minority....yep. And don't get me started about the geezers that decide they should live together to preserve their pension funds, etc. Oh yeah, like God is going to say, "Sure, the money was way more important than attaining heaven and you held out until you were 70...good for you"

foryourmarriage.org

Fact: The risk of divorce is 50 percent higher for cohabitors than for non-cohabitors
Fact: Living-together couples have more problematic, lower-quality relationships and report less-satisfying marriage when they do marry.
Fact: Negative impact upon children, including a much higher incidence of child abuse (10 to 33 times more likely with unmarried couples)
Fact: Live-Togethers avoid discussing or dealing with problematic areas lest those discussions weaken or break their already tenuous connection
Fact: Higher degree of repressed anger and avoid criticism of each other’s annoying behavior due to the fragile nature of their relationship
Fact: Many Live-in couples fail to develop realistic and satisfactory financial habits. Couples treasure independence and economic equality. Solid marriages require interdependence and mutual exchange of resources.
Lastly: We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are spiritual beings. It's hard to quiet the guilt associated with living together. It forces many to lie to parents or avoid spending time with them, older relatives, and with God. If we are not in the state of grace...where do our blessings come from? (adapted from Catholic Update )

If we think that God is not watching....think again. If we think we won't answer to Him when we stand before Him....guess again. If we think there's no more room in hell....think again. We are responsible for our children's spiritual well-being. It starts with prayer for them when they are very young. We pray that the Holy Spirit removes the spiritual blinders from their eyes. We ask God to protect them from the sins of this world. We storm heaven! In the end, we may not be able to persuade them to be more moral, more obedient to God's commands, but we don't have to condone and celebrate their cohabitation, negative behavior and choices. After we have done all we can do, with love and a firm resolve, we have to step back and let God have the final word. For me....I don't want to hear Him say, "And you stood by and said nothing? You gave your stamp of approval? Don't get me started."

It's The Parents I Don't Get: Part 1

2011-02-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

Some who read this will say I'm a self-righteous, pompous ass. So be it. Some will say that I should not judge...or I shall be judged. So be it. It is America and anyone who reads this can say what he/she wants. And so I shall have my say.

When I stand before God, He will ask me, among other things, why I didn't speak up, but remained silent. Was I afraid to defend decency...to defend His laws? Was I embarrassed about what others might say about my opinions? This is the sin of omission...You know, the part in the Mass when we tap our breast and say, "In our thoughts, in our words, in what we have done and in what we have failed to do..."

God remains ever the same. He does not change His law to suit modern society. St. Peter's words in Acts 5:29

"We ought to obey God rather than men." still holds true today. The way God asks us to lead our lives takes precedence over what we think things ought to be, what we think is acceptable behavior using the guidelines of today's society.

If God seems distant it is because we are far from grace, His grace. When we complain that God has drifted away, it is not true. He remains constant, the same. We are the ones that move away from God, drifting away from the Light, sometimes into the gray, sometimes into the darkness.

I can better understand the "kids" today, then I can their parents. After all, it is those of the Baby Boomer generation who took prayer out of schools, tried to be "friends" with their kids rather than an authoritative figure, gave them creature comforts and never asked that they work for these comforts, decided that soccer practice was more important than church on Sunday, eliminated the sanctity of life...just to name a few. So add to that the smut kids watch on TV, the trash they read in the tabloids, the crap they listen to on the radio and I "get" where the kids come from....garbage in, garbage out.

It's the parents I don't "get". When did it go out of style to tell our kids, no....when did we think it was okay in God's eyes? "I'm so thrilled that my son is getting married in May," said a woman I'd just met. "He's been living with his girlfriend for five years....their 2 year old will be the ring bearer." I was stunned. Not because her son was living with his girlfriend or that they had a 2 year old...sadly, that's common place. I was stunned that she was crowing about it! It took her son five years to do what was right, it took him two years to make the child legit and Grandma was just so proud of her boy. Don't get me started.

I know good men and women who just can't get themselves to tell their grown children that their immoral behavior is wrong, wrong, wrong. God says that Cohabitation is wrong, but who are we to hurt our children's feeling and tell them we just won't accept it. It's downright irresponsible for us, for the sake of their immortal soul, not to express our objection and concerns.

theknot.com

And all this living together stuff....all this having babies before the "I do". Is cohabiting a step before marriage or a step before commitment? What does the Church teach: We believe that marriage is the permanent union of a man and a woman, instituted by God. It is the total giving of each person's physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual being without reservations. This belief is grounded in the revelations of God, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. God's ways are the best ways for His children and when couples choose to cohabit there is no spiritual foundation for the union, no lifelong commitment, no promise of fidelity... which leads to instability. (adapted from: Our Sunday Visitor pamphlet, What The Church Teaches: Cohabitation )

How did living together become the norm? What happened to "principles"? A daughter moves in with her boyfriend and Dad doesn't take the young man aside and say, "No damn way my daughter is moving in with you without a commitment." How about, you're living in sin....it's against God's law, and if you die, you have to answer for this? Duh.
Yes, kids are going to do what they want. But, do we have to condone it? This is the heart of this post. Make them uncomfortable, damn it. If you have a good relationship, it's not going to end it. Yeah, he/she will be ticked at you. But God will be even more ticked off. Who are you more afraid of..your snot-nose kid? Or the Almighty King of Kings! Don't get me started.

Part 2 is on the burner. It will contain FACTS on Cohabitation. So stay tune....and pray for our younger generation and those who turn a blind eye to immoral behavior. God bless.

The Possibility Is Real: Overturn Roe V Wade

2011-02-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

"Life at Conception Act" (S.91), which will define personhood from the moment of conception. Support Sen. Roger Wicker in his fight for the Life of the Innocent Unborn. Defend those who can't defend themselves. Due to modern technology a human being is viable at the earliest stage of life. No one can deny that the tiny life moves, breaths, sucks his/her thumb and feels pain...great pain when it is ripped from what should be the safest place a child can be...in the mother's womb.

End the Murder of the Unborn Child by taking action at the American Family Association link.

Do what is right...Do what is good....Do it Now!

"Skins" And The Souls Of Our Children

2011-01-29T21:46:00.000-08:00

Young Cast Members of "Skins"

The MTV Show, "Skins", was brought to my attention by my dear Catholic blogger friend, Margo, at the Rosary Trail. Please, read her insightful post Moral Decay In America for information on this issue. Margo's concern is the "alarming manner in which teenagers are being portrayed as partying, drug-addicted, vomiting, promiscuous, masturbating, lying to their parents, sleaze-chic FREAKS." She points out that "The Parents Television Council says that the TV show may be in violation of “federal statutes pertaining to portrayals of child sexual abuse and sexual behavior.” Some of the actors in “Skins” are under the age of 18, and the youngest is only 15."
I believe that all parents and anyone concerned about the welfare of our youth needs to be aware of the show "Skins". We can no longer turn a blind eye to the irresponsible behavior of producers and writers and the filth they are feeding our kids. Eventually this smut becomes the fabric of their being and no longer is there a line of decency. It must stop. A section of my response to Margo's post was this..."The devil’s ugliness is everywhere. Accountability is what is lacking in society. It’s time good and godly people did two things..one, get on our knees and storm heaven with prayer that hearts change and two, that we state loud and clear that this is unacceptable and do whatever it takes to protect the innocence of our kids." We can't afford to lose this battle or the souls of our children. We will answer before God if we do.

There is a Zombie/Undead quality
about these "children"

The information below came to me as an email from The American Family Association. Having just read Margo's post and then receiving this email, prompted me to write this post in hopes of making more people aware of this show and "The Moral Decay of America"

MTV's Skins uses teen-aged actors to carelessly flaunt and promote underage drinking, heavy drug abuse, violence and extreme sexual activities with each other, teachers and other adults on a scale never before seen on TV. The content is so graphic that MTV is rating the program TV-MA, but MTV is extensively marketed to high-school children!
Skins may be in violation of child pornography laws. Unless you take action, the U.S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Eric Holder will not investigate and will likely allow MTV continue to sexually exploit teen-age actors unchallenged! See the Fox News video
The New York Times reported that even MTV network execs are now concerned that the show may violate federal child pornography laws. Yet, MTV went ahead and released a Skins trailer showing a teen lesbian kiss.
The New York Times said, "Senior executives are now considering additional editing for coming episodes, but that's a little like trying to lock the door after a naked 17-year-old has already busted out and gone running down the street, which is precisely what one of the characters does in Episode 3 — with a pill-enhanced erection, no less."
In addition to the sexual content on the show involving cast members as young as 15, Parents Television Council counted 42 depictions and references to drugs and alcohol use in the premiere episode.
Already, Wrigley Company, Taco Bell, Subway and GM have pulled their ad support from the show. AFA's OneMillionMoms.com division is now calling on other advertisers to drop the show. See the list of advertisers here.
TAKE ACTION
It's not enough that advertisers are pulling their financial support from MTV's Skins. Federal child pornography laws may have been broken.

Email and ask U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the MTV network for possible violation of federal child pornography laws.

American Family Association E-protest

Love Should Not Die At Death

2011-01-25T19:01:00.000-08:00

Who will pray for me when I'm gone? Those words hurt my heart to hear. They are so sad...so mournful. This was the title of Fr. Floyd Rotunno's homily several Sundays ago. He relayed the story of a woman in I.C.U who knew her death was near. Her family was not religious and there was little chance they would pray for her soul when she was gone.
Do we pray for those who have died? I'm sure we think of them, talk about them, but do we pray for them? A soul in Purgatory can not pray for itself, but needs...desperately needs, the prayers of the faithful.
It has become an alarming trend to have prayers recited at a funeral home and NOT have a funeral Mass for a deceased loved one. Not having a Mass for a practicing Catholic is unconscionable. Often the family doesn't find a Mass important...it's just a "ceremony". They just want to get "it" over with and get to the party, I mean, repast. Don't get me started.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel with angels and
souls in Purgatory
Baroque sculpture from Beniajan, Spain

So much is about window dressing....the funeral parlor is filled with flowers, collages of photos, slide shows to watch, a wreath in the colors of the decease's favorite sports team, but what's missing these days....Mass cards. At some wakes not one card can be found, the table that used to overflow with them, is bare. Fr Floyd preached that the greatest spiritual gift we can give is the dedication of the offering of a Mass for our beloved. Often, the funeral Mass is the last Mass offered to God Our Father for the soul of the deceased.

After the perfunctory prayer before the casket that solemn moment changes into a gabfest of laughter and joking. I'm all in favor of families chatting and reminiscing....softly. After all, many families only get together at weddings or wakes, so it's natural to want to socialize. But do it at the repast. What happened to mourners reciting the rosary? So much is about the grand exit....choosing "My Way" by Frank Sinatra for the recessional song. Where's the sanctity....the dignity? Don't get me started.
Many of these lapses begin way before a funeral takes place. Holiness is missing in a wedding where the vows are gurgled underwater with the dolphins as witnesses or as a couple dive out of a plane hurling to earth at 125 mph. If it wasn't important and sacred enough to be married in the House of God, the tabernacle close by and the real Presence of Christ being part of the first day of a couple's life, why should God be part of the last day of their lives?

In the book, The Hungry Souls: Supernatural Visits, Messages, and Warnings from Purgatory by Gerard JM VanDen Aadweg, the Holy Souls don't come back to necessarily shed light on the hereafter, but to plead for prayers and to ask for Masses to be celebrated in their name. Even Protestant souls return begging for Masses to be celebrated in their memory. Would it take a visitation from the dead to make one realize the importance of praying for our beloved? The souls say that it is also important to be generous to those less fortunate and to lend a helping hand to those in need. They cry out, "Be good, think good, speak good, do good" and offer our good for their release. Consider offering up humiliations for those who died with the stench of pride still clinging to them.
If your spouse, parent, child called out in need of your prayers, would you reject that plea? It does not change with death. Our deceased loved ones are often present around us...this is their plea:
" You in the world have no inkling of what we have to suffer! Being abandoned and forgotten by those who have been nearest to us in the world: that is most bitter. Sometimes they stand at the tombs of our decayed bodies and don't pray for us at all. They act as if we don't exist any more. God's justice commands us to be silent. But we stand at the doors of their houses, of our former dwellings and wait. Days. Years. We wait for them to give us a small sign of their love by prayer and sacrifices. But we stay there in vain. We cry in vain for love. For help!...We are still alive and we are hungry for love! For their love!" (Hungry Souls, p121)
Praying for these poor souls....for the souls of our deceased loved ones is a continuation of the love we had for them on earth. Love should not die at death. No one should fret and fear and ask...Who will pray for me when I'm gone?

Mary, The Path For Muslims To Her Divine Son

2011-01-09T19:18:00.000-08:00

What is common among humans? The desire for shelter, food, safety, respect, a sense of well-being, the need to be loved and to love, and for many the knowledge that there is a Supreme Being...a higher power. When strangers meet and they find things they have in common...they are no longer strangers. A city slicker and a country folk can sit side by side and fish. To be sure, the subjects discussed will be lures, and rods, fishing holes, and the "big one that got away". From there it's easy to segue into home life, childhood, and a myriad of other details. This is how friendships begin. This is how we begin to understand and respect one another. This is how peace is made.
What Christians and Muslims have in common is, Mary, the mother of God. And never has there been a greater need for finding common ground and a pathway to peace. The journey toward peace begins in Fatima. I'm sure many of you, Catholic or not, know the story of Our Lady's appearance to three children in Fatima, Portugal. You can find great posts on Fatima at The Rosary Trail. Margo has wonderful insight and information on the Fatima story as well as the Rosary. This post will explore a different aspect of the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Fatima--Mary and Muslims.

The information has been adapted from an essay taken from the book World's First Love, written by America's most prominent Catholic preacher, the beloved Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Muslims will come to know Christ, not through the direct teachings of Christianity, but through a relationship with the Mother of God. What do the Bible, the Qu'ran, Catholic beliefs and Muslim beliefs have in common? What thread is woven through the tapestry of these two religions? The Qu'ran believes in the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth. In the Qu'ran, Mohammed acknowledged the sacredness of the moment Mary was conceived with words spoken by her mother, St. Anne, "O Lord, I vow and I consecrate to you what is already within me. Accept it from me." Joseph was perplexed that Mary conceived a child without knowing a man. In the Qu'ran, Mary's answer to St. Joseph's question pertaining to this is relayed with these words, "Do you not know that God, when he created the wheat had no need of seed, and that God by his power made the trees grow without the help of rain? All that God had to do was to say, "So be it, and it was done."
In the 19th chapter alone there are 41 verses on Jesus and Mary. There are verses on the Visitation, Nativity and the Annunciation with angels saying, "Oh Mary, God has chosen you and purified you, and elected you above all the women on earth." Needless to say that Mohammed held the Virgin Mary in high esteem to the point that those who slandered Mary was subjected to condemnation!
To the Muslims, Mary is the true, Sayyida, or Lady. Her possible rival? Fatimah, the daughter of Mohammed, his only child to bear children. Yet, upon her death, Mohammed wrote, "Thou shalt be the most blessed of all women in Paradise, after Mary."
Nothing is a coincidence with God....He is in every detail. It was God's perfect plan that the Blessed Mother appeared to three simple, peasant children in, of all places, Fatima, Portugal. Jesus' promise that His name would be known in all four corners of the earth...that all human kind would know He is God and every knee would bend at the sound of His name will be fulfilled.
Jesus loved and respected His mother so much that, although, He was not ready to perform His first miracle, at Mary's request to "do as He says" He transformed water into fine wine. How could He not appreciate and take to heart the respect shown to His mother by Muslims? A sign of this appreciation--Our Lady of Fatima. A name all believers of the Qu'ran hold dear. She has always pointed the way to the Saviour, the true God, and so it will be that she will point the way for Muslims to her Divine Son.
And how did the town of Fatima receive its name? Muslims had occupied Portugal for centuries. The last Muslim chief had a daughter named Fatima who fell in love with a Catholic boy, married him and converted to Catholicism. The name of the town was later changed to Fatima.
How excited are some Muslims about Our Lady of Fatima? So much so that when the pilgrim statue visited Africa, India and elsewhere, Muslims attended the church services, allowed processions and prayers before their mosques! Many were converted. This is unprecedented.
Christians must continue to show Christ to others through their acts of charity in the Muslim world-tending to their sick, building schools and fighting against social injustice. Catholics must plant the seeds of truth by showing Muslims that the 41st chapter of the Qu'ran is taken from the Gospel of Luke. Mary could not be, even in their eyes, the most blessed of all women if she had not also born the Saviour of the world. As Archbishop Sheen stated, "The Muslims should be prepared to acknowledge that, if Fatima must give way in honor to the Blessed Mother, it is because she is different from all the other mothers of the world and that without Christ she would be nothing."
It is on common ground that mutual understanding takes root and it is always best to start with something both sides accept. It seems like an unlikely communion--the joining of Christianity and the Muslim faith. But leave it to a mother, the Blessed Mother, to bridge the gap. Mary is accepted by both....understood by both, a common ground. Through the grace of God, she was used over two thousand years ago to bring the Saviour to human kind. And this pure and simple virgin will be used again so that Muslims will know the true Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Mary will attest...With God everything is possible.

The World's First Love by Archbishop Fulton Sheen first published by Garden City Books in 1952. Available at Ignatius Press. Article adapted from the Catholic World Report, January 2002. Also found in Mindszenty Report. October 2001, vol XLIII-no. 10

Anti-Eucharist Super Bowl Commercial! Disgraceful!! UPDATED

2010-12-30T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ask Pepsi-Doritos to reject a commercial that blasphemes the Holy Eucharist as Doritos Chips & Pepsi!

This must stop! As of today, I will buy Coke until this is resolved in favor of Our Lord. Pass this on to all your Catholic/Christian friends and get the message out to any company considering this sort advertising! Fight for God and He will fight for you! Send your e-protest below, now.

Pepsi and Doritos offer 5 million dollars to the person who submits the winning commercial for the 2011 Super Bowl.

All submissions are reviewed and 10 finalists will be selected on January 3rd. Then the voting is open to the public on USA Today Ad Meter. As I said, the winner gets 5 million, so big dollars are riding on this contest.

A terribly blasphemous commercial was submitted. It is called "Feed the Flock," and shows a parish where attendance is dropping. The priest decides to distribute Doritos and Pepsi as Holy Communion to bring in the people.
Then weird looking people show up to receive the Holy Eucharist, which is really Pepsi and Doritos!

This mockery of the Body and Blood of Our Lord is outrageous and unacceptable!
Send Your E-Protest!

The commercial is on Facebook as "Feed your flock."Facebook link to video

America Needs Fatima

**A kind blogger, Fred, informed me that (Christian) comments are being deleted from FaceBook, but NOT on YouTube.

This is the link to Youtube

I received an email from Pepsi that stated that they would not air this commercial and they are sorry if I was upset over this matter. Apology accepted! This is a victory for God and our Faith. We must be vigilant and not let this sort of blasphemy go unchallenged. Thanks to everyone who supported this effort!

Socialist Blasphemey....Defend the Holy Eucharist!

2010-12-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

What's Next? Disgusting and IT MUST STOP! Defend Our Lord and Our God...
Blessed Is The Lamb Of God Who Takes Away The Sins Of The World!!

Extreme caution: this is disturbing.

According to press reports, the Socialist Youth of Andalusia Spain linked to the ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Zapatero, have launched an official AIDS awareness campaign in Andalusia that promotes condoms with a set of two pictures:

of a priest holding up the Holy Eucharist with the words "Take action" and another, just below the first,

of a priest holding up a condom and the words "Use it"

And then:

"Blessed are condoms that take away the AIDS of the world!"

Gasp...

Eprotest Here!

How could anyone – especially in Catholic Spain -- compare the Holy Eucharist to a condom?

I have no words to qualify this abomination and insult to Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

And these ads are circulating in Andalusia, the most populous state of Spain on posters, videos and billboard

Keep informed by visiting America Needs Fatima

Where's The Line For Jesus: A Christmas Song

2010-12-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Hallmark channel broadcasts continuous Holiday TV shows during this Holy Season. Some are inspirational, funny, sad...all are good, but very few are religious. The few that are, aren't shown as often as the others. Producers believe that if they throw in a human "angel" that takes care of the God obligation. I haven't heard a religious Christmas song hit the airways in awhile. Guess that's not politically correct, either. So when I was sent this e-mail, I just had to post it. The explanation below the video was written by the songwriter...the song is sung by Becky Kelley. It is truly a blessing and I hope becomes a Christmas classic. It reminds us of the Reason For The Season....the birth the Christ Child, Jesus!

While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, "where's the line to see Jesus"?

My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends. He sent the song off to Nashville without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus.

My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios. It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus... with goosebumps and emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special. The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to Nashville ... still no response.

Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins Greg and Robbie decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. We received e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages from people all over asking for the music, CD's, iTunes, anything... we had nothin'. After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious. We headed back into the studio this past spring... this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs... the real deal.... and here we are today - getting iTunes set up, a website put together, and loving that thousands upon thousands of Christians have come together... remembering the true meaning of Christmas.

Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults can not understand. Hopefully Spencer's observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him. We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas Salute To Our Military

2010-12-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

Did you know? 20-25% of Americans are Catholic
Did you know? 45-50% of those serving in the U.S. Military are Catholic

I wonder if the reason for this high percentage of Catholic men and women willing to serve this nation is that woven into the fabric of a Catholic is the sense of community, service to mankind and the willingness to sacrifice because Christ said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

It is a fact that after the Federal Government of the United States of America...the Catholic Church is the Largest Charitable Organization in the World.

The Catholic Church has a non-profit hospital system of 637 hospitals, which account for hospital treatment of 1 out of every 5 people - not just Catholics- in the U.S. today.
Generosity, Love & Compassion is also woven into the fabric of a Catholic.

The Video and Poem below is in honor of All Our Military especially during this Sacred Season when many are far from home. God Bless Each And Every One! May God Protect Them As They Protect Us. May All Leaders Make Good & Godly Decisions.

Credits: Poem by Michael Marks, Music by Era (I Believe), Video by Hal@c2cmedia.net, YouTube video

Defend Our Lady's Purity!

2010-12-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Read with caution. This deeply offends our Catholic sense of propriety:

According to Columbia University's art blog, they are hosting a blasphemous play called XMAS in which the "Virgin Mary" begs for explicit sins of impurity.

For example, a student wrote this about XMAS in the Columbia Spectator:

"This includes a…Virgin Mary desperate for sex (who, by the way, is also on birth control "just in case")."

This is a most egregious offense against the spotless purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Here's more, according to that same student:

"The show's shock-inducing brand of comedy might be a problem for the deeply religious. But for the rest battling pre-finals depression, this show might actually be the perfect replacement for Prozac."

I know you would be very upset with this unspeakable insult to our Catholic faith being played at an Ivy League University, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in America.

Send your protest NOW to the President of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger. Send Your E-Protest! Take Action Now!
Thank you for defending Our Lady's spotless purity this Christmas. And may Her Divine Son reward you with abundant graces and blessings.
Visit American Needs Fatima

Magnificent Tribute To God, The Creator

2010-12-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Utilizing footage from the BBC Planet Earth Series We, Farmers Branch Church of Christ , take a look at the wonder and majesty of God’s creation. Set to the song, “Creation Calls” by Brian Doerksen , this stunning glimpse of God’s masterpiece is meant to glorify Him and draw the mind to new places of intimacy with Him.
visit composer's site

For a spirit-filled, fun and awesome site to celebrate Advent & Christmas treat yourself to a visit to http://www.andiesisle.com/

The Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle: November 30th

2010-11-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

Isn't it interesting that St. Andrew's Feast Day is at the beginning of Advent? Perhaps we need to think not only of what we should do to prepare for the Coming of Our Lord, but to see what we need to "let go" in order to follow Christ? Sts. Andrew, Peter, James & John immediately dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. And it was life changing! As we prepare ourselves for the Birth of Christ, we need to leave behind sin, fear, and spiritual laziness. We need to become new, innocent, child-like in our wonder of God's mercy, love and gifts. Rest assure..God's loving response will be life changing!

St. Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus. He was the younger brother of Saint Peter and was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. The brothers were fishermen by trade. Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he would make them “fishers of men.”

The Gospel of John teaches us much about St. Andrew who was originally a disciple of St. John the Baptist. When John pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Andrew understood that Jesus was greater and immediately left John to follow Jesus. He visited in Jesus’ home and later brought his brother Simon Peter, who Jesus also called to be an apostle.
It is believed that Saint Andrew and Saint Peter continued their trade as fishermen until Christ called them to a closer relationship, and they left all things to follow Jesus.
After Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, St. Andrew the Apostle preached the gospel in Asia Minor and in Scythia as far as Kiev. Not much is mentioned in the Book of Acts regarding the life of Saint Andrew.

Saint Andrew was martyred by crucifixion at Patras in Achaea in Greece. Because St. Andrew deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross on which Christ had been crucified, he asked to be tied to a Crux decussata or an X shaped cross. The Apostle Andrew did not die right away but instead he was left to suffer for two days while he continued to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ until he finally died.
Although little is mentioned in the Book of Acts regarding the life of St. Andrew, much can be learned through St. Andrew's life. He and Saint Peter gave up their lifelong careers and lifestyles, leaving everything behind, to follow Jesus. Their undying faith in a difficult world is an inspiration to all Christians.
His relics consist of a small finger, the top of his cranium and pieces of the cross. These are kept in a shrine at the Church of St. Andrew in Patras.
Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, Russia and Greece. Scots celebrate Saint Andrew's Day around the world on the 30th of November. The flag of Scotland is the Cross of St. Andrew.

This article can be found at this web site

Powerful Novena To Live & Die In The State Of Grace: Nov 24 to Dec 2

2010-11-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

Saint Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus,
also known as the Jesuits.
(Wikipedia.com)

The Origin Of The Novena Of Grace To St. Francis Xavier:

In Naples in 1633 there lived Fr. Marcello Mastrilli, S.J. He had taken the vow to ask to be assigned to the Japan Mission, then the most difficult; for at that time the Buddhist persecution was most cruel against the Catholic religion and the new form of martyrdom introduced was most excruciating. It was known as the "Pit" for the martyrs were kept hung, head downwards over a volcanic pit from which sulphurous gases and waters welled up. At times the martyrdom was protracted for several days before the victim expired.
The torture was so horrible that in 1633 the Provincial of the Japan Mission Fr. Ferrara after five days of agony over the "Pit" apostatized. But hundreds of others, priests and laymen, Europeans and Japanese in holy emulation reached the martyr's crown through the terrible "Pit".
When the news of the unfortunate Ferrara's apostasy reached Europe, many Jesuits vowed themselves to the Japan Mission to replace their martyred brethren and to atone for the apostate. Marcello Mastrilli was one of them.
Fr. Ferrara was subsequently reconverted and atoned for his fall by dying a martyr's death over the "Pit" in 1652.
While waiting for the passage to Japan, Mastrilli organized on a grand scale the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the College of Naples...Story of the Origin of the Novena of Grace continues here

This Novena prayer was passed down through the ages:
Attributed to Father Marcello Mastrilli, S.J., 17th century

"Most amiable and most loving Saint Francis Xavier, in union with thee I reverently adore the Divine Majesty. I rejoice exceedingly on account of the marvelous gifts which God bestowed upon thee. I thank God for the special graces He gave thee during thy life on earth and for the great glory that came to thee after thy death. I implore thee to obtain for me, through thy powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings -- that of living and dying in the state of grace. I also beg of thee to secure for me the special favor I ask in this novena.

Mention requests here…
In asking this favor, I am fully resigned to the Divine Will. I pray and desire only to obtain that which is most conducive to the greater glory of God and the greater good of my soul."

V. Pray for us, Saint Francis Xavier.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O God, Who didst vouchsafe, by the preaching and miracles of Saint Francis Xavier, to join unto Thy Church the nations of the Indies, grant, we beseech Thee, that we who reverence his glorious merits may also imitate his example, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Add 3 Our Father's and 3 Hail Mary's in memory of Saint Francis Xavier's devotion to the Most Holy Trinity, and Glory be 10 times in thanksgiving for the graces received during his 10 years of apostleship

This post was emailed from http: http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/.

Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

2010-11-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:
Waiting With Patience
Protest Blasphemous Statue of Our Lady
Disposable Babies
Naughty or Nice Stores For Christmas

Waiting with Patience

2010-11-21T12:30:00.000-08:00

A Henri Nouwen Reflection:

How do we wait for God? We wait with patience. But patience does not mean passivity. Waiting patiently is not like waiting for the bus to come, the rain to stop, or the sun to rise. It is an active waiting in which we live the present moment to the full in order to find there the signs of the One we are waiting for.

The word patience comes from the Latin verb patior which means "to suffer." Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the full, and letting the seeds that are sown in the ground on which we stand grow into strong plants. Waiting patiently always means paying attention to what is happening right before our eyes and seeing there the first rays of God's glorious coming.

The above reflection is taken from Bread For The Journey

(Crystal Cloud Graphics)

During Advent many of the Scripture messages pertain to waiting for some form of transformation and the promise of restoration. We are to look forward to a reign of peace. Christ speaks of the transition of one age to the next..not if it will happen, but when it will happen. He asks for patient expectation from His believers. He asks us not to go blindly through this life, but to be prepared for His Second Coming and our Hereafter. At the same time, we are also waiting in anticipation for the Coming of the Christ Child. The fulfillment of the Promise is about to arrive!

But what about our Everyday Waiting? Do we have that feeling of expectation of what is around the corner, a sense of wonderment as our ordinary week unfolds? With the hustle and bustle of the Sacred Season....do we show that we are Christians by the patience we show as we wait on line in a department store? Do we cuss and cut people off in a parking lot? Are we so absorbed with getting things done that we forget to be polite to the weary cashier? It takes little effort to smile while we bag our own groceries and inquire how the cashier's day is going. Is she spending Thanksgiving or Christmas locally with family? Does she cook something special to bring to the table?

We don't know what's going on in some one's life. That person who cut in front of us may be rushing home to a sick child and aging parent....his/her mind not on displaying good manners. That sullen cashier might be worried that the earnings that week won't cover household expenses. Patience, patience. Our nod of understanding, holding open a door or a kind word might be the soothing balm some poor soul needs. Our patience isn't always rewarded in the way we think it should be. I once waited patiently for a parking spot and just as I was about to pull in, a car zipped from the wrong direction and into MY spot. I honked at the driver and shook my head in disgust. Nothing more. The woman who exited her car shot me an ugly look and stomped into the supermarket. I was peeved...how dare she give me a nasty look...I was in the right! Not five minutes later we were standing side by side at a food display. She glanced at me and her eyes showed immediate recognition, her face reddened and she said in a rush, "I'm so sorry. It's been a awful day...I just wasn't thinking." She was so sincere. I couldn't doubt the ring of truth in her words. I accepted her apology and wished her a better day. What a different situation it would have been had I reacted badly in the parking lot or fussed at her when next we met. Holding my tongue, a sort of patience like counting to ten, reaped a fruitful reward. One that I think pleased God.

Do we wait with joyous hope? Do we unwrap each day as if it were a gift from God? He is in every moment, around every corner, there when we least expect it....we just have to keep watch and be alert. Have patience. The people of Israel have waited thousands of years for the Messiah. For Christians this wait is over. Christians have the joy of knowing that the Lord is alive and active in our every day lives. Emmanuel, God near us. Our hope is that when our earthly world passes away...Christ will be waiting for us with open arms and our patience will be rewarded with the words, "Well done, good a faithful servant."

Protest Blasphemous Statue Of Our Lady!

2010-11-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

Warning: Caution. This news is very disturbing.
Protest blasphemous statue of Our Lady
wrapped in a giant c o n d o m!!!

According to press reports, there is a statue of the Blessed Mother on display in the meeting hall of the Lower Austrian Diet, in Austria...

. . . it's being called the "C o n d o m Madonna" because it is wrapped in a giant c o n d o m and s p e r m.

This is shocking. Outrageous. Terribly blasphemous!

The statue was designed by the Australian "artist" Mark Rossell
This is a horrific insult to the Most Pure and Immaculate Mother of God.

And it tramples on the religious beliefs of millions of Catholics, because Our Lady is the Mother of God and ours, who is spotless and f r e e of sin and blemish.

Thank God, our sister organization in Austria is working hard to protest this horrific blasphemy. Now, it is up to you and me to spread this peaceful protest all over the world.

Please offer prayers of reparation for this terrible blasphemy.

Protest this blasphemy at America Needs Fatima

Disposable Babies

2010-11-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

Aborted Babies

Found In Dumpster

How is this allowed? What has society come to? There would be hell to pay if these were kittens or puppies...why are human beings, the most vulnerable, the most innocent, treated so callously? God have mercy on us!

Warning: The following statement discusses details that are disturbing.
Right to Life of Michigan was shocked and saddened to learn that bodies of 17 aborted babies were found thrown into a common dumpster at a Lansing-area abortion business. The babies were found on February 26, 2010, which led to an investigation by the Michigan Attorney General and the Eaton and Saginaw counties sheriff departments.
Right to Life of Michigan Legislative Director Ed Rivet said, “When the discovery was made known to Right to Life of Michigan, we offered advice as to current Michigan laws and processes for engaging law enforcement officials regarding a necessary investigation. We are appreciative that the sheriffs of Eaton and Saginaw counties, along with the state Attorney General and Eaton County prosecutor took this case seriously and conducted a thorough investigation. The fact that human remains and medical records were callously and carelessly tossed in the trash calls for something to be done.”

There is a convoluted set of legal facts in this particular case that may or may not result in any serious charges, penalties or fines being rendered. But clearly Michigan laws need to be updated so that the horrible practice of dumping the bodies of aborted babies into trash cans is not allowed to continue.
Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, “For nearly four years, Right to Life of Michigan has been advocating for the passage of state legislation that would prohibit aborted baby bodies from being disposed of in either the trash or being ground up and flushed into the sanitary sewer system. Such practices are common in the abortion industry and the time has come for them to end.”

Right to Life of Michigan commends State Representatives Joe Haveman, Darwin Booher, Rick Jones, and Bob Genetski for taking the lead on legislation to bring dignity and respect to the memory of these tiny members of the human family whose lives have been tragically taken.

article found in : Right To Life Of Michigan

Naughty Or Nice Stores For Christmas?

2010-11-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

American Family Associations's 2010 listing of top retailers and how they recognize Christmas

Based on current advertising, below is a list of companies that avoid, ban, or use the term "Christmas" in their advertising. We will continually update the list, so check back often.
Criteria - AFA reviewed up to four areas to determine if a company was "Christmas-friendly" in their advertising: print media (newspaper inserts), broadcast media (radio/television), website and/or personal visits to the store. If a company's ad has references to items associated with Christmas (trees, wreaths, lights, etc.), it was considered as an attempt to reach "Christmas" shoppers.
If a company has items associated with Christmas, but did not use the word "Christmas," then the company is considered as censoring "Christmas."
Color Code: (I changed the original color yellow to blue for better viewing)
GREEN: Company uses the term "Christmas" on a regular basis, we consider that company Christmas-friendly.
BLUE: Company refers to Christmas infrequently, or in a single advertising medium, but not in others.RED: Company may use "Christmas" sparingly in a single or unique product description, but as a company, does not recognize it.
A company may be removed from the "bad" list by providing documentation to AFA.
For more information or other topics go to: American Family Association

SPECIAL ALERT! Legal group offers valuable resources
If you hear of instances of hostility toward Christmas expression, please let us know. AFA is working with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) to provide resources for government and public school authorities laboring under the misimpression they must censor Christmas. You can contact ADF at (1-800-TELL-ADF ) for a copy of their legal analysis and memo on rights of seasonal expression at Christmas. We want to inform public officials about the law, and then encourage them to take a stand for Christmas.

Companies FOR "Christmas"
updated 11-17-10

Amazon.com
Bed Bath & Beyond
Belk
Best Buy
Big Lots
Books-A-Million
Cabella's
Collective Brands
Costco
Dollar Tree
Family Dollar
Dollar General
H.E.B. Stores
Hallmark
Harris Teeter Stores
Hobby Lobby
Home Depot* AFA boycott
JC Penney
JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts Stores
Kmart
kohl's
Kroger
Lowe's
Macy's
Meijer
Menard's
Michael's Stores
Neiman Marcus
Nordstrom
Petsmart
Pier One Imports
Publix
QVC
Rite Aid
Sears
Super D Drug Stores
Target
Walgreens
Wal-Mart/Sam's Club

Companies marginalizing "Christmas"updated 11-17-10

Bass Pro Shops
Banana Republic
Bath & Body Works
Gap Stores
Hancock Fabrics
Hy-Vee Stores
Old Navy
Limited Brands
Safeway
Starbucks
Toys R Us
Whole Foods

Companies against "Christmas"
updated 11-17-10

Barnes & Noble
CVS Pharmacy
Dick's Sporting Goods
Office Depot
Radio Shack
Staples
SUPERVALU
Victoria's Secret

"Hallelujah!" Random Act of Culture

2010-11-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

This will make you smile, cry and clap. What a blessing to see & hear. Let's start the joy of this Holy Season early!

A Blessed Sacred Season to all!!

Who loves Random Acts of Culture? You do! Knight Foundation’s national initiative to bring the classics out of the performance halls and onto the streets has caught your eye – to the tune of over 500,000 page views on KnightArts.org and one million YouTube hits, most notably the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s performance of Hallelujah [...] full article at link below...

To see and read more about Random Acts of Culture click here

...Nasty Spiritual Weeds...

2010-11-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

Modern man has a certain understanding of the virtues. When asked about them, meekness and kindness, even justice and fortitude immediately come to mind. However, there is one virtue which is almost entirely unknown. This virtue, which "…comprehends the rest, or supplies for all that may be wanting in them,"¹ is vigilance.
The word vigilance means a close and alert watchfulness against danger. When applied to the spiritual life, it signifies the virtue whereby man directs this watchfulness against the three fetters pulling him towards damnation: the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Like an army with no sentry, the man who lacks vigilance is defenseless against the continual assaults unleashed by the devil. In the Garden of Olives, Our Lord warned the apostles to this end, "Watch ye: and pray that ye enter not into temptation." (Matthew 26:41)
Three Steps to Vigilance
To better understand vigilance, and therefore simplify its practice, the great Catholic thinker, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira divided it into three main steps: suspicion, watchfulness and pugnacity.
Suspicion
Attempting to destroy the notions of good and evil in man, the Revolution² denies the existence of Original Sin. As a result, modern man is not concerned about falling into sin and immerses himself in a world of immodest fashions, pornography and many other occasions of sin.
On the other hand, the Church teaches that after Original Sin man's inclinations are so corrupt and his passions so disordered that he is incapable of maintaining a friendship with God without the continual help of grace. Saint Paul calls men "bodies of sin" (Rom. 6:6) and speaking of the soul, Saint Louis de Montfort wrote:

We are naturally prouder than peacocks, more groveling than toads, more vile than unclean animals, more envious than serpents, more gluttonous than hogs, more furious than tigers, lazier than tortoises, weaker than reeds, and more capricious than weathercocks. We have within ourselves nothing but nothingness and sin, and we deserve nothing but the anger of God and everlasting Hell.³

Saint Louis also notes that man's "best actions are ordinarily stained and corrupted by…[his] corrupt nature."⁴
Understanding this corruption leads one to see all one's ideas, thoughts and tendencies with the utmost suspicion. This is the first step to vigilance.
Watchfulness
Suspicion gives rise to watchfulness. The vigilant soul, mindful of his corrupt nature and the lengths to which the devil will go in his unholy struggle, is constantly on the look-out. "Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
Pointing out the addictive nature of vice, the Catholic Encyclopedia classifies it as "a habit inclining one to sin."⁵ Through watchfulness, the vigilant soul identifies his defects before they become habits and is therefore much more likely to overcome them.
Pugnacity
In a generic sense, pugnacity is the practice of utterly destroying one's enemies whenever, wherever and however they exist. Pugnacity applies to vigilance when it is interiorly exercised against one's defects.
Defects, like weeds left unchecked, will grow out of control and take over the garden of the soul. Also like weeds, once uprooted, any part left in the soil will soon grow back stronger than before.
The pugnacious soul, like a good gardener, spares no effort in uprooting and completely overcoming defects as soon as they appear. History is full of examples of pugnacious saints doing violence to themselves to conquer their defects.
Saint Francis of Assisi, for example, while plagued with impure thoughts, reportedly threw himself out of a window to take his mind off them.
Our Lord Himself preached this same pugnacity. And if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than thy whole body be cast into hell.
And if thy right hand scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body go into hell. (Matthew 5:29-30)
Vigilance and Confidence
Realizing that his neighbor has the same bad inclinations that he has, the vigilant soul regards him with the same suspicion he regards himself. This is not to say that he is overly critical and unfriendly, but rather that he puts none of his confidence in mere creatures which Saint Theresa called, "dry branches that break under the first pressure."⁶
Like the wise man who built his house on rock (Matthew 7:24-27), the vigilant man possesses that special confidence which is anchored only in the firm rock of God, His Divine Church and His Holy Mother. Satan may unleash tempests and floods of fury, and his secure house will not succumb.
Vigilance, the Key to Counter-Revolutionary Living
In his book Revolution and Counter Revolution, Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira insightfully pointed out how the Revolution makes use of the tendencies of man to reach its insidious goals.⁷ It introduces temptations and obstacles inside culture contrary to the practice of Christian virtue. Because of this all-encompassing influence, vigilance is essential to identify and destroy these evils.
For this reason, anyone aspiring to a Counter-revolutionary life must especially consider this virtue in developing his spiritual life. Through this virtue, the ever-present assistance of Our Lady will give him the eyes to see and the power to overcome all adversity and attain sanctity to which all men are called.
Our Lady of Vigilance, pray for us.

To read this article and for footnotes, etc. visit:
American Needs Fatima: Pulling Nasty Spiritual Weeds From The Soul

Choosing the Blessings

2010-11-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

It is an ongoing temptation to think of ourselves as living under a curse. The loss of a friend, an illness, an accident, a natural disaster, a war, or any failure can make us quickly think that we are no good and are being punished. This temptation to think of our lives as full of curses is even greater when all the media present us day after day with stories about human misery.

Jesus came to bless us, not to curse us. But we must choose to receive that blessing and hand it on to others. Blessings and curses are always placed in front of us. We are free to choose. God says, Choose the blessings! (HenriNouwen.org)

Bread For The Journey In this daybook of wisdom and faith, Henri Nouwen shares 387 reflections

“My hope is that the description of God’s love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover . . . God’s love in yours.” -Here and Now

About Henri Nouwen

The internationally renowned priest and author, respected professor and beloved pastor Henri Nouwen (pronounced Henry Now-win) wrote over 40 books on the spiritual life. He corresponded regularly in English, Dutch, German, French and Spanish with hundreds of friends and reached out to thousands through his Eucharistic celebrations, lectures and retreats. Since his death in 1996, ever-increasing numbers of readers, writers, teachers and seekers have been guided by his literary legacy. Nouwen’s books have sold over 2 million copies and been published in over 22 languages.

Photo by Kevin Dwyer
henrinouwen.org.

Born in Nijkerk, Holland, on January 24, 1932, Nouwen felt called to the priesthood at a very young age. He was ordained in 1957 as a diocesan priest and studied psychology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. In 1964 he moved to the United States to study at the Menninger Clinic. He went on to teach at the University of Notre Dame, and the Divinity Schools of Yale and Harvard. For several months during the 1970s, Nouwen lived and worked with the Trappist monks in the Abbey of the Genesee, and in the early 1980s he lived with the poor in Peru. In 1985 he was called to join L’Arche in Trosly, France, the first of over 100 communities founded by Jean Vanier where people with developmental disabilities live with assistants. A year later Nouwen came to make his home at L’Arche Daybreak near Toronto, Canada. He died suddenly on September 21st, 1996, in Holland and is buried in King City, Ontario.
Nouwen believed that what is most personal is most universal; he wrote, “By giving words to these intimate experiences I can make my life available to others.” His spirit lives on in the work of the Henri Nouwen Society, Henri Nouwen Stichting, the Henri Nouwen Trust, the Henri J. M. Nouwen Archives and Research Collection, and in all who live the spiritual values of communion, community and ministry, to which he dedicated his life.

Catholics Killed at Mass in Iraq

2010-11-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Catholic Online urges all global readers to pray for the dead, pray for their families, pray for the wounded and pray for - and stand in solidarity with - our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq. Stories such as this must be reported and shared to make the media and the world aware of the persecution of Christians throughout the world!

One report concerning the state of the Church after the security forces stormed in to attempt to rescue the Christians is particularly horrifying. It came from a police officer, "It's a horrible scene. More than 50 people were killed. The suicide vests were filled with ball bearings to kill as many people as possible. You can see human flesh everywhere. Flesh was stuck to the top roof of the hall. Many people went to the hospitals without legs and hands." It is time for an international outcry of Catholics and other Christians. We must stand with our Christian brothers and sisters.

Our Lady of Salvation Church

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Catholic Online) - They gathered in Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church for an evening Mass. They are members of an increasingly besieged and forgotten minority in Iraq, Catholic Christians. Their herosm and love for the Lord has inspired them to continue to practice the ancient faith in the midst of what is a steadily deteriorating situation for them in this land they have called home for centuries.
Our Lady of Salvation Church is no stranger to violence. Churches have been bombed before in Iraq, including Our Lady of Salvation. The Christian faithful have had to contend with an increasingly hostile culture. However, never before have they experienced the horror of what happened this past Sunday when terrorists invaded a Church as the Holy Mass was set to begin, killed the priest and held the worshippers hostage for four hours. It ended with at least 52 dead, others injured, and our brothers and sisters in Iraq devastated. Story continues at link below.
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=38976

Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

2010-10-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

Of Food, Family & Faith
Catholic Hospitals Pressured To Perform Abortions
Psychology of the Devil
Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty

Of Food, Family & Faith

2010-10-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

This post was originally written for my Food Blog, Cucina Nanette. I feel that the spirituality in it should be shared on my Catholic Blog. I hope you enjoy the post as well as the recipe. N

http://cucinananette.blogspot.com/ The post is entitled Of Food, Family & Faith. I share my feelings on being the Aunt of 4 Law Enforcement Agents and how it affects my life and those in my family. I touch on my experience as a New Yorker during the 9/11 tragedy. And how prayer and food fit together to give comfort to body and soul. My Food Blog is mainly about friends and family. God is an important factor and He is mentioned whenever I can include Him and or when/where it is appropriate. Other food posts, I think my Catholic/Christian friends may enjoy are: Meatloaf Made In America, A Plate of Homemade Memories, Made By Nonna's Hands, Indian Cuisine: A Feast For the Senses, Lent: Simple Meals of Self-Denial, & A Pie Fit For "The" King.
So, sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy the memories I write about. There's a "print-friendly" button at the end of each recipe/story. My motto for my food blog is, Remember To Make Memories At The Table. Enjoy and God Bless!

Catholic Hospitals Pressured To Perform Abortions!

2010-10-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

ACLU Pressures Catholic Hospitals To Do Abortions

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has sent a letter to the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services claiming that Catholic hospitals nationwide are refusing to do supposedly life-saving abortions, saying “emergency reproductive health care” includes abortions.

Catholic norms allow physicians to treat a life-threatening condition even if it indirectly causes an abortion, but does not permit direct abortion.

The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty said in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services that ACLU is misinterpreting the Emergency Medical Treatment Act, a law which initially was designed to protect the conscience rights of health care workers, and that ACLU’s claim overturns 25 years of case law. “The ACLU has no business radically re-defining the meaning of ‘emergency health care,’” the legal group asserted.

The Beckett Fund letter stated they would sue if HHS tried to force religiously-affiliated hospitals to do abortions against the conscientious objections of their doctors and nurses. The letter stressed that ever since the Roe v Wade. decision legalized unlimited abortions, the conscience of medical professionals has been protected.

“Forcing religious hospitals to perform abortions not only undermines this nation’s integral commitment to conscience rights, it violates the numerous federal laws that recognize and protect those rights,” the Beckett Fund letter stated.

The Beckett Fund also pointed out that “forcing Catholic or other religiously-affiliated hospitals to perform abortions will only result in nationwide closures, thereby reducing access to health care for everyone.” Moreover, this “would constitute a large step backwards for religious freedom and would turn this nation’s foundational commitment to conscience rights on its head,” the group added.

Beckett Fund President Kevin Hasson offered to represent pro-bono any religious hospital threatened because of their conscientious objection to abortion.

Tom Brejcha, president of the Thomas More Society, called on Catholics to provide “an enlightened, invigorated and sustained response” to the ACLU challenge.

Find this article and other Pro-Life News at: National Right To Life Committee (Choose Life Newspaper)

The Psychology of the Devil

2010-10-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Catholic Writers Explain How Satan Thinks

Using Sacred Scripture and other sources, certain aspects of the psychology of Satan and his wicked Angels can be understood.
Although the devils have differences among themselves, they are alike in their desire to do evil and in their fallen nature. That is why, whatever is said about Satan, their chief, also applies to all devils.

'Lucifer' by Gustave Dore for Milton's 'Paradise Lost'

A perverted will
The devils are pure spirits, since they are Angels. They do not have the weaknesses of men. From this, we understand why their revolt against God is permanent, immutable, eternal. Their will became perverted and fixed in evil after they abandoned the Highest Good as their objective. As a consequence, the devils do not wish anything but evil in all their voluntary acts and, even when they appear to do good (as, for example, when they restore someone's health, give riches, or teach something), it is only as a means to cause more evil, leading the person to final perdition, which is their ultimate wish for all men.
Since God created them good, their nature continues good in itself. However, their will became perverted. Instead of striving for the end for which they were created – the service and the glory of God – they do exactly the contrary. They do everything to impede God's glory. Since they cannot reach Him directly, they act upon God's creatures, within the limits He allows.

Murderer and liar – cunning, false, deceiver
The Divine Redeemer summed up the diabolic psychology thus: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (Jo 8, 44).
The devil is a murderer and the father of lies, the liar par excellence, who hates truth, because truth leads to God: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jo 14, 5). Satan hates the Creator. When he rejected God, he renounced to truth and life forever. And it is by the lie that he spread death, spiritual death.
About Our Lord's statement that the devil is a murderer and a liar, Saint Augustine says: "We ask how come the devil became a murderer from the beginning and we reply that he killed the first man, not slaying him with a sword, or causing any other harm to his body, but he persuaded him to sin and thus, cast him out of the happiness of the earthly paradise".
And Father Maldonado, an erudite Jesuit exegete from the XVI Century, says on this same phrase – ‘For he is a liar and the father of lies' (Jo 8, 44): "Most authors believe this refers to Satan's words to Eve: ‘You shall be as God, knowing good and evil' (Gen. 3, 5); for he evidently lied with these words; that is, he added the lie to the act of (spiritual) murder, committing two crimes, at the same time… and we call the devil father of lies because he is the author and the inventor of the lie, in such a way that we can say that he gave birth to it".
When he tempts man, trying to take him away from God, he lies presenting a false image of reality, hiding his true feelings and enmeshing his victim in error, sophisms and deceit.
He is a cunning, false, deceiver.
"Satan is distinguished by his guile – writes Monsignor Cristiani. Guile is a deceitful scheme. The being that acts with guile has bad intentions. If he speaks, it is not to say the truth, but to deceive, to lead to falsehood. Satan is treacherous, false. One cannot trust him. He lacks equity, loyalty, frankness. He is erroneous, voluntarily obscure and dissimulative."

This article can be found on
America Needs Fatima (From Angels and Demons, by Luis Solimeo)

Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty

2010-10-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Election Day is less than one week away...Please vote on Tuesday, 2 November 2010!

article by the : Catholic Bishops of New York State

We Catholics are called to look at politics as we are called to look at everything – through the lens of our faith. While we are free to join any political party that we choose or none at all, we must be cautious when we vote not to be guided solely by party loyalty or by self interest. Rather, we should be guided in evaluating the important issues facing our state and nation by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church.

Our national and state elected officials have profound influence on countless matters of great importance, such as the right to life, issues of war and peace, the education of children and how we treat the poor and vulnerable. We must look at all of these issues as we form our consciences in preparation for Election Day.

Unfortunately, it is the rare candidate who will agree with the Church on every issue. But as the U.S. Bishops’ most recent document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (www.faithfulcitizenship.org) makes clear, not every issue is of equal moral gravity. The inalienable right to life of every innocent human person outweighs other concerns where Catholics may use prudential judgment, such as how best to meet the needs of the poor or to increase access to health care for all.

The Right to Life is the right through which all others flow. To the extent candidates reject this fundamental right by supporting an objective evil, such as legal abortion, euthanasia or embryonic stem cell research, Catholics should consider them less acceptable for public office. As Faithful Citizenship teaches, “Those who knowingly, willingly, and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil.”

These are complex times, so our task is not light. It is often difficult to get a good grasp on the positions of

incumbent congressional representatives and state legislators, not to mention their challengers. News accounts of positions are hard to come by, and voting records on important issues are often lacking. So the task of doing due diligence can be truly challenging. Yet our state is facing many critical issues which are of vital concern to faithful Catholics. Thus it is absolutely necessary for good citizens to take a careful look at every candidate and to vote accordingly for the better candidates. You can find all of the candidates for elected office at the New York State Catholic Conference Web site (www.nyscatholic.org).

Many of the most compelling moral issues of the day play out at the state level. Commonsense restrictions on abortion, whether or not to employ the death penalty, issues related to same-sex “marriage” and civil unions, parental rights in education, programs to serve the poor, access to health insurance – all of these debates occur in the halls of our state Capitol in Albany.

We set forth below potential questions for candidates on a variety of critical issues, and we urge you to learn where all the candidates for every office stand with each critical issue. This list is by no means exhaustive, but our hope is that it serves as a valuable tool in forming your consciences as you make your decisions in the voting booth as Catholic faithful citizens.

While we as the Bishops of New York State cannot and do not endorse candidates for office, we encourage you to properly form your conscience by reflecting on the moral and social teachings of our Church and we

strongly urge you to vote on Election Day. For when you vote, you are exercising your cherished right and your solemn duty as Americans and as Catholics. Election Day....Tuesday, 2 November 2010

Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

2010-10-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

St Luke: Feast Day October 18th
Chilean Miners: What Was On Their T-Shirts

Chilean Miners: What Was On Their T-Shirts?

2010-10-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Chilean Miners Give Honor & Glory To God!

Perhaps there is a chance for this world to be saved!!

GOD BLESS THEM!!!

St Luke: Feast Day October 18th

2010-10-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

SAINT LUKE, THE APOSTLE & EVANGELIST

Patron of Physicians and Surgeons

Luke, the writer of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, has been identified with St. Paul's "Luke, the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). Scholars have argued that Luke might have been born a slave. It was not uncommon for families to educate slaves in medicine so that they would have a resident family physician. After St. Paul's conversion, Luke accompanied him, healing many of their comrades and writing a large portion of Acts as they journeyed together. Some traditions hold that Luke became a direct disciple of Jesus before His Ascension, while others hold that he became a believer only afterward.

It is believed that Luke was born a Greek and a Gentile. In Colossians 10-14 speaks of those friends who are with him. He first mentions all those "of the circumcision" -- in other words, Jews -- and he does not include Luke in this group. Luke's gospel shows special sensitivity to evangelizing Gentiles. It is only in his gospel that we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus praising the faith of Gentiles (Lk.4:25-27), and the story of the one grateful leper who is a Samaritan (Lk.17:11-19)

Luke's inspiration and information for his Gospel and Acts came from his close association with Paul and his companions as he explains in his introduction to the Gospel: "Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus" (Luke 1:1-3).

Luke's unique perspective on Jesus can be seen in the six miracles and eighteen parables not found in the other gospels. Luke's is the gospel of the poor and of social justice. He is the one who tells the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man.

Luke also has a special connection with the women in Jesus' life, especially Mary. It is only in Luke's gospel that we hear the story of the Annunciation with the words “Hail Mary full of grace…”, The Visitation with the Magnificat, the Presentation and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.

Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the Prodigal Son or the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears.. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus takes the side of the sinner who wants to return to God's mercy. Reading Luke's gospel gives a good idea of his character as one who loved the poor, who wanted the door to God's kingdom opened to all, who respected women, and who saw hope in God's mercy for everyone.

It is known that he remained a bachelor all of his life, devoting himself to the utmost degree to the cause of Christ. When advancing years curbed his campaigning, he withdrew to write his memorable accounts and died in Thebes at the age of eighty-four. He is often shown with an ox or a calf because these are the symbols of sacrifice -- the sacrifice Jesus made for all the world.

This post was adapted from: St. Luke

Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

2010-10-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

Miracle Of The Blessed Mother & Her Rosary
Keep This In Mind When You Vote
Opposing Abortions On Military Bases

A Miracle of Our Blessed Mother & Her Rosary

2010-10-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

In October, Catholics give special attention to a special devotion, the Rosary. During this month we observe the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th.

This was written by Fr. Floyd Rotunno, Pastor of The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Mahwah, NJ.

"Is She Here?" Even now as I re-tell this story, I get chills. It happened 27 years ago. Though I've repeated this to others over the years, I've never actually put it into writing until now. I received a phone call from a friend that her husband was in the hospital and asked me to come and see him. It didn't sound urgent, but some voice inside me told me to stop what I was doing and leave immediately. When I arrived at his room, I met his wife and son in the hallway, with tears in their eyes. She accompanied me into his room, and I realized how critical he was. I knew he was away from the Sacraments for a very long time, so I anointed him and gave him the final absolution of Penance. When he saw me he reached for my hand. It took every ounce of energy on his part to whisper, "Is she here?" I assured him that his wife was right there in the room with us. He said, "No, no...is she here?" I asked, "Who?" He said, "Her" and then continued, "pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. " It was said with his last breath of life.

I didn't understand at the time the significance of those words, other than they were the last part of the "Hail Mary". It wasn't until the Wake Service that I understood the sacredness of that moment at the hospital. You see, I met his parents for the first time. They lived in Florida. They were not close to his present wife and child, since this was his third marriage. After the appropriate prayers were said, his father pulled me aside to tell me that this man was their only child. When he was a little boy, they would recite the rosary together every night at home during the months of October and May. When their son's life started to unravel, and he turned his back on his family and his Faith, they began to say the rosary daily for him, and specifically for one special favor from our Blessed Mother, namely, that he would not die without a priest at his bedside. His dad said to me, "Father, you just didn't happen to be there by chance. You were there because Our Blessed Mother heard our daily prayer for our son. My wife and I were devastated when our only child walked away from his Faith. We promised our Blessed Mother that we would recite the rosary daily and asked for this miracle. She used you to be there in the place of her Son to give him the last rites of the Church."

Have you said the Rosary today?

Keep This In Mind When You Vote! 2010 & 2012

2010-10-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

"NO ONE HAS GREATER LOVE THAN THIS, TO LAY DOWN ONE'S LIFE FOR ONE'S FRIENDS." JOHN 15:13 Amen.

It's a good day when the clergy begin to resume their proper role in shepherding believers.

Dr. David Barton - on Obama

Dr.David Barton is more of a historian than a Biblical speaker, but very famous for his knowledge of historical facts as well as Biblical truths.

Respect the Office? Yes.

Respect the Man in the Office? No, I am sorry to say.

I have noted that many elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, called upon America to unite behind Obama. Well, I want to make it clear to all who will listen that I AM NOT uniting behind Obama!

I will respect the Office which he holds, and I will acknowledge his abilities as an orator and wordsmith and pray for him, BUT that is it. I have begun today to see what I can do to make sure that he is a one-term President!

Why am I doing this?

It is because:

- I do not share Obama's vision or value system for America ;

- I do not share his Abortion beliefs;

- I do not share his radical Marxist's concept of re-distributing wealth;

- I do not share his stated views on raising taxes on those who make $150,000.

(the ceiling has been changed three times since August);

- I do not share his view that America is arrogant;

- I do not share his view that America is not a Christian nation;

- I do not share his view that the military should be reduced by 25%;

- I do not share his view of amnesty and giving more to illegals than our American citizens who need help;

- I do not share his views on homosexuality and his definition of marriage;

- I do not share his views that Radical Islam is our friend and Israel is our enemy who should give up any land;

- I do not share his spiritual beliefs (at least the ones he has made public);

- I do not share his beliefs on how to re-work the health care system in America ;

- I do not share his Strategic views of the Middle East ; and

- I certainly do not share his plan to sit down with terrorist regimes such as Iran .

Bottom line: my America is vastly different from Obama's, and I have a higher obligation to my Country and my GOD to do what is right!

For eight (8) years, the Liberals in our Society, led by numerous entertainers who would have no platform and no real credibility but for their celebrity status, have attacked President Bush, his family, and his spiritual beliefs!

They have not moved toward the center in their beliefs and their philosophies, and they never came together nor compromised their personal beliefs for the betterment of our Country!

They have portrayed my America as a land where everything is tolerated except being intolerant!

They have been a vocal and irreverent minority for years!

They have mocked and attacked the very core values so important to the founding and growth of our Country!

They have made every effort to remove the name of GOD or Jesus Christ from our Society!

They have challenged capital punishment, the right to bear firearms, and the most basic principles of our criminal code!

They have attacked one of the most fundamental of all Freedoms, the right of free speech!

Unite behind Obama? Never!

I am sure many of you who read this think that I am going overboard, but I refuse to retreat one more inch in favor of those whom I believe are the embodiment of Evil!

PRESIDENT BUSH may have made mistakes during his Presidency, and I am not sure how history will judge him. However, I believe that he weighed his decisions in light of the long established Judeo-Christian principles of our Founding Fathers!

Majority rules in America , and I will honor the concept; however, I will fight with all of my power to be a voice in opposition to Obama and his "goals for America ."

I am going to be a thorn in the side of those who, if left unchecked, will destroy our Country! Any more compromise is more defeat!

I pray that the results of this election will wake up many who have sat on the sidelines and allowed the Socialist-Marxist anti-GOD crowd to slowly change so much of what has been good in America !

IN GOD WE TRUST!

Opposing Abortions On Military Bases

2010-10-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Military Doctors Sign Letter Opposing Abortions On Military Bases

This article and other Pro-Life News can be found at: National Right To Life Committee (Choose Life Newspaper)

A letter to the U.S. Senate protesting an amendment requiring U.S. military hospitals to provide abortions was signed by more than 200 military doctors. The letter was organized by the Christian Medical Association (CMA).

Pro-abortion Senator Roland Burris (D/Illinois) sponsored the amendment which would break the current long-standing policy of not allowing abortions at military medical facilities.

The letter urged senators to vote no on the National Defense Authorization Act unless the Burris amendment is removed.

The senior vice-president of CMA, Gene Rudd, M.D. emphasized that, “If enacted, requiring military physicians to perform abortions threatens military readiness. Morale will suffer among those already serving. Morale is a key component of military effectiveness.”

“Furthermore,” Dr. Rudd pointed out, “just as we have seen a marked decrease in young doctors entering OB/GYN training for fear of being forced to do abortion, this requirement will discourage young doctors from joining the military.”

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the amendment 15-12, with all 11 Republicans plus Democratic Senator Ben Nelson voting against it. Senator Roger Wicker (R/MS), who fought against the amendment in committee, is planning to sponsor an amendment of the Senate floor to strike the language.

Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

2010-10-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

Cross In Our Bodies
Pray For The Synod For Christians Of The Middle East
Terrible Blasphemy
An Undivided Heart: Marriage & The Priesthood

The Cross In Our Bodies

2010-10-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

This post is adapted from a sermon by Louie Giglio. It was sent in email form from a medical doctor who verified that all the facts about Laminins are correct.

In his sermon, Louie Giglio, was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...How He spoke the universe into being... Etc. He spoke of how this
universe-creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. The God, Who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

Giglio spoke about laminins...this is absolutely amazing!!

Here is how Wikipedia describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue' You see.... Laminins are what hold us together... LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. This is what the structure of laminin LOOK LIKE..
AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it....
If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see

Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing. The glue that holds us together.... ALL of us..... Is in the shape of the cross. Immediately Colossians 1:17 comes to mind.
"He is before all things, and in him All things HOLD TOGETHER."
Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, St.Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together...One cell to another.... By the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that it is anything other than the mark of a Creator Who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like!!

Terrible Blasphemy: Send Your Protest Now!

2010-10-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

Unspeakable blasphemy is scheduled to run through November 28, 2010. The Loveland Museum in Loveland, Colorado where an art display shows a man performing oral sex on Jesus! I cannot imagine a more offensive and blasphemous insult to Our Lord Jesus Christ. And this one is funded by tax payer money! It really makes you wonder how much longer God will put up with this.

This has got to stop!!! Defend God, Now! Send this to everyone you know... get the word out that we won't take this any more!
send your instant e-protest against this disgusting blasphemy

OR
Please send an email to isons@ci.loveland.co.us
Susan Ison
Director, Cultural Services
(970) 962-2411
Please be polite yet firm when contacting them:

Loveland Museum
503 N. Lincoln Ave.
Loveland, CO 80537
Phone (970) 962-2410

This information comes from America Needs Fatima
www.ANF.org

Pray For Synod For Christians Of The Middle East

2010-10-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Bethlehem (Wikipedia)

Pope Benedict XVI will head a Synod of clergy, religious and laity at the Vatican from October 10-24, 2010. This Special Assembly will focus on the Christians of the Middle East. The Synod of Bishops will meet and pray, discuss and debate the Christians who live and lived in the land sanctified by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For centuries, there has not been a gathering of this magnitude. The Christian presence in the Middle East is crushed; yet, we seldom hear or read about the plight of the Christian character of the Holy Land. As we pray during Mass “…and the good of all His church”, I ask you in a special way to pray for the success of this Synod. The ramifications of a strong vibrant Christian community in the Middle East, impact directly our safety here in the West.

request for prayers sent by: Rami M. Qumsieh, B.Eng, a concerned Catholic Palestinian from Bethlehem

Bishop Shomali stressed that Christians who live in the Middle East are rooted in a culture and language, and live with other peoples with whom they share a language, a history and many traditions.

"Christians should not feel that they are foreigners," he declared. "They are called to be witnesses of Christ in those countries where they live. To flee their countries of origin means to escape reality." excerpt from: holylanddirect.com

Bethlehem 1889
(Wikipedia)

Bethlehem 1880
(Wikipedia)

Visit the above website to learn about the apostolate which maintains a website with current and valuable information about the Holy Land, provides speakers at Sunday Mass to raise awareness, supports the only active Catholic TV station in the Holy Land, provides updates to parishes about the Holy Land, & promotes Pilgrimages & provides employment to local Christians.

An Undivided Heart: Marriage & The Priesthood

2010-10-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

A One dollar bill and a Twenty dollar bill met one day. "Hey, I haven't seen you in a long time," said the Dollar bill. "Where have you been?"
"Lots of places," replied the Twenty dollar bill. "Vegas, the race track, baseball games, concerts, places like that. And you?"
The One Dollar bill answered, " To church."

The joke brings a question to light, "Who would support the families of married priests?" & this post asks, "Should priests marry?"
I can give you historical reasons, reasons that our church forefathers prayed about, discerned and decided was fitting for our great faith on why priests should not marry, but I'd rather give logical, practical and modern reasons, ones we can relate to.

I worked for the Episcopal Church. It was a wonderful experience. Episcopal priests marry, yet in some cases, it takes years to fill a post. Secularism and materialism are the main reason priests and pastors of all denominations are scarce. Being a pastor's family is like living in a fish bowl. The kids are held to a different standard than other kids, similar to children of law officers and judges. Gone are the days when the pastor's wife heads the strawberry festival, teas and quilting committees. They're college educated, career-minded women shaped in a generation where "me" comes first. I know one wife who called her pastor husband a half hour before the All Saints Evening (All Hallows Eve) service and complained that it was his turn to take the kids Trick or Treating because, "I did it last year and that's not fair!" Secretaries are privy to many things...and this was one conversation I wish I hadn't heard. Do you think the good pastor was distracted from his spiritual duties? Oh, BTW...that same wife tried to commit suicide, the pressure was so great.

So there's usually 2-3 priests living in one Rectory. Hmmm, 2-3 wives and without birth control about many kids would there be? All in one house...just picture that! Or the Church can just buy a home for each family, yeah that's the ticket. Let's throw in the mix.... cars/car insurance and the cost, education and the cost, ordinary living expenses like clothing, medical, food, vacations and teens can & do get into trouble and what that may cost...this is just the tip of the iceberg. Then there's the spousal and family problems...and the possibility of a divorce. How should that be dealt with?

Oh yeah...priests can get jobs to pay part of these expenses. "Excuse me Mr. Boss, but Mrs. So & So is dying...can I have an hour off to anoint her?" or "Ms Boss Lady, I have to do pastoral service at the hospital on Tuesdays, can I have those mornings off and please don't schedule me after 4 on Tuesdays & Thursdays that's when I help with our Religious Education program." Then there's Confirmation and Communion practices, Diocesan meetings, Passion Week & Christmas services and programs, Weddings (now also held on Thursdays & Fridays at 3 PM) oh, and Funerals...lets ask everyone to die when it's convenient. Don't get me started...

Sex...ohhhhh that, It's not normal for a man to be deprived of sex...priests have to get married. A guy once said to me, "If I don't have sex by day 3 I go screwy in the head" Huh? Where does the workings of the Holy Spirit fit in? So a man can't give up sex for the sake of God...God can't give a man the graces needed to be celibate? Come on people, what a tiny box we fit our Great God in when we try to use that reasoning. A lifetime of self-control...a lifetime of satisfaction serving the Supreme Being. Why that can't be! Could all those books, all those TV chat shows and sex therapists be wrong? And dear St. Joseph knowing the the Blessed Mother was the precious vessel that held the Christ within her...he couldn't possibly refrain from sex...after day 3 he would have gone screwy!
St. Paul, who was unmarried, wrote in Holy Scriptures on remaining single and being married. In 1 Cor 7:20, he wrote "Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called." Considering it is God the Holy Spirit Who calls a man into the priesthood, He would also endow this man with the graces needed to remain celibate. *Theologically, the Church desires to imitate the life of Jesus with regard to chastity and the sacrifice of married life for the "sake of the Kingdom" (Luke 18:28–30, Matthew 19:27–30; Mark:10:20–21), and to follow the example of Jesus Christ in being "married" to the Church, viewed by Catholicism and many Christian traditions as the "Bride of Christ". (*from Wikipedia)

An aside: Isn't it odd that we rarely hear this argument about nuns? Does that mean women don't need marriage to feel fulfilled...complete? Do women have more self-control, less of an urge to have sex? Not according to statistics where virgins are few and far between, where droves of women have casual sex and a shocking number of married women cheat on their husbands. At a town-hall type meeting of a group of women ages 18-25, the gals agreed that sex with a man and or another woman was no big deal..according to them..sex was, well, just sex, and variety is the spice of life. No one mentioned companionship, relationship, commitment or love...no it was sex. My question, "How long before a nun denied sex goes screwy?" And contrary to popular belief....there are secular, single women who don't engage in sex because of their moral beliefs....nuns aren't the only ones blessed with grace & God-given self control.

Now, this is not all about money and sex. When I have a bad day at home, my mind isn't on my work, and it's not on the "things of God". Though it should be, it's not. I'm terribly distracted. I can only imagine what it would be like for a married priest having problems with the kids, problems with his wife or in-laws. What about having an ill wife, an ill child? Can he serve his parishioners in the manner that God has set for him? Can he tend his flock properly? He is called to have "an undivided heart". Paul says in 1 Cor 7: 32-33 "The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife" Married, just getting centered and in a prayerful state to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would be difficult....ring, ring, it's his wife on the cell-phone. Son Dennis just broke up with Millie for the 4th time, he needs manly advice before he takes to drinking. Don't get me started... What do you mean you have to say the Liturgy of the Hours and the Rosary...now? Don't you know Sara has soccer practice at 4 and I'm getting a pedicure, you have to take her! And so it goes...distracted? Do ya think? And no, Protestant pastors don't have the same commitments....most churches have one, maybe two, services on Sunday, not 8-10 Masses on a weekend. They don't have 800 kids in their Religious Education classes...the ones I dealt with had a Sunday school program with 2 adult parishioners teaching the class....no First Holy Communion program or First Penance programs to oversee. Our priests are unique and special. No one seems to have a problem with a closing pitcher in baseball playing only one inning and not being asked to be more than a Closer. Why do we ask priests to concentrate on anything other than being a priest? Isn't it good enough that they are shepherds of lost sheep, prayer-centered clergy, counselors of the dismayed, doctors of injured souls, warriors for God?
In his 1973 book, The Priesthood, Karl Rahner discusses his interpretation of the awesome mission of the priest.
"In a sense, he (a priest) is always on duty," said Karl Rahner. "In the light of this sociological aspect of his life, the priest must clearly understand that he belongs body and soul, with all that he is, to this church, to her task, to her mission, her work, her destiny, and he can never disassociate himself from these things." (Rahner, page 101.)
Should Priests Marry? They already are...they are married to Christ and His Church. It's a monogamous and life-long love affair.

R U God's Pumpkin?

2010-09-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

A woman was asked by a coworker, “What is it like to be a Christian?”
The coworker replied, “It is like being a pumpkin.
God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you.
Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.
He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed
Then He carves you a new smiling face
And puts His light inside of you to shine for all
the world to see.”

Happy Autumn and May God Bless You Abundantly!

Feast of the ArchAngels: September 29th

2010-09-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Angelic Council
(wikipedia)

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world -- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 12:7-9

The feast of Saint Michael, one of the seven archangels of Scripture, originated in the sixth century. It was known, in English, as "Michaelmas", and this name lives on in a wildflower, a white aster with many small star-like flowers, that blooms in late September, known as the Michaelmas daisy.
Recently two other of the archangels named in scripture, Gabriel and Raphael, are also honored on this day.

Michael the archangel, whose name in Hebrew means "Who is like God?", is revered as the leader of the angelic army who will conquer Satan and his armies of demons, and is considered the defender of the Church. Michael is more often represented in art than any other angelic being. He is often shown wearing armor, in the act of slaying the great Dragon of the Apocalypse [Satan] in Revelation 12:7-9.

The archangel Gabriel, whose name in Hebrew means "Strength of God", announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zachariah, and soon after, announced to Mary that she was to become the mother of Our Lord. His address to her, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (the "angelic salutation") is familiar to all who say the Rosary.

The archangel Raphael, whose name means medic or ointment of God, is mentioned by name in the Old Testament book of Tobit (Tobias), whom the angel aided by healing him of blindness and guiding him on his travels.

"We speak of nine orders of Angels, because we know, by the testimony of Holy Scripture, that there are the following: Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim. It must be realized that "Angel" is the name of their office, not of their nature. For the holy Spirits of the heavenly homeland are always Spirits, but they cannot always be called Angels; they are Angels only when they are announcing something. Those who announce less important things are called Angels, and those who announce the highest things are called Archangels. And so not any Angel but the Archangel Gabriel was sent to Mary; for this ministry, it was fitting to have the highest Angel, since he was to announce the greatest news of all. These Archangels are also given special names to describe their particular virtue. For Michael means "Who is like to God?" Gabriel means "Strength of God," and Raphael "Medicine of God."
except from the "Sermon of Pope St. Gregory" Visit: Women For Faith & Family for full story and for prayers to each Archangel

Did you know, Holy Communion is often called the “Bread of Angels”?
For full article by Fr. Ben Reese go to Angels and the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist

For Fun Family Activities: Women For Faith & Family
An angelfood cake -- so named because of its pristine whiteness and ethereal lightness -- would be a most appropriate dessert on this feast. It could be frosted with white icing. If you cover the center of the cake with a piece of cardboard before frosting the cake, it will support a small figurine of an angel. Silver dragees could be added for an even more festive look.
Go to: For Angel Food Cake recipe

Prayer
God our Father,
in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels and men.
May those who serve you constantly in heaven
keep our lives safe from all harm on earth.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen

http://catholicexchange.com/2007/09/28/97623/ for more on the Archangels

Feast of St. Wenceslaus: September 28th

2010-09-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

St. Ludmilla and young Wenceslaus

Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia, was born of a Christian father, Wratislaus, and a pagan mother, Drahomira (who had feigned conversion and received Baptism). Brought up in piety by the holy woman Ludmilla, his grandmother, he was adorned with every virtue and with the utmost care preserved his virginity unspotted throughout his life. His mother, having murdered Saint Ludmilla, seized the reigns of government; but her wicked life, and that of her younger son, Boleslaus, excited the indignation of the nobles. These, wearied of a tyrannical and impious rule, threw off the yoke of both mother and son, and proclaimed Saint Wenceslaus King at Prague.

He ruled his kingdom rather by kindness than authority. He helped orphans, widows, and all the poor with the greatest charity, sometimes even carrying wood on his shoulders by night, to those in need of it. He frequently assisted at the funerals of poor persons, liberated captives, and often visited the prisoners during the night, assisting them with gifts and advice. It caused great sorrow to his tender heart to condemn even the guilty to death. He had the greatest reverence for priests; and with his own hands he would sow the wheat and prepare the wine to be used in the Sacrifice of the Mass. At night he used to go the round of the churches barefoot, through ice and snow, while his bloodstained footprints warmed the ground.

The Angels formed his bodyguard. In order to spare the lives of his soldiers, he undertook to fight in single combat with Radislaus, Duke of Gurima; but when the latter saw Angels arming Saint Wenceslaus, and heard them forbidding him to strike, he was terrified and fell at the Saint’s feet begging his forgiveness. On one occasion, when he had gone to Germany, the Emperor Otto I, at his approach, saw two Angels adorning him with a golden Cross; whereupon, rising from his throne, he embraced the Saint, bestowed on him the regal insignia, and presented him with the arm of St. Vitus. Nevertheless his wicked brother, instigated by their mother, invited the Saint to a banquet. Afterwards, while St. Wenceslaus was praying in a church and preparing himself for the death that he knew awaited him, Boleslaus, together with some accomplices, killed him. His blood is still to be seen sprinkled on the walls. God avenged his Saint; the earth swallowed up the inhuman mother, and the murderers perished miserably in various ways.

Picture: Encyclopedia.com

Saint Wenceslaus won the crown of martyrdom in the Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, which he visited on account of their Feast on September 27. He also acknowledged the Feast of tomorrow with his last words at the fratricidal banquet: “In honor of the Archangel Saint Michael, let us drink this cup, and let us beseech him to lead our souls into the peace of eternal happiness.”

Christian de Scala, son of the fratricide Boleslaus the Cruel, and nephew of the Saint, became a monk and wrote the lives of St. Wenceslaus and St. Ludmilla. The feast of the latter is celebrated on September 16.

more information at St. Wenceslaus where this article can be found

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"Good King Wenceslaus" is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen (the second day of Christmas, December 26). During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by the heat miraculously emanating from the king's footprints in the snow. The legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907–935), known in the Czech language as Svatý Václav. The lyrics are by English hymnwriter John Mason Neale, and the tune is Scandinavian, from Piae Cantiones.

Feast of St. Vincent de Paul: September 27th

2010-09-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

Patron Saint of Charitable Societies

Many parishes have a St. Vincent de Paul Society. It is a wonderful group to be involved in, esp. these days with so many out of work or down on their luck and in need of help. A collection just held was, School Supplies, for children going back to school and in need of supplies. SVDP programs help with food and/or small finances such as paying a utility bill. They can not sustain an individual or family for a great length of time, but long enough to give some immediate relief. The most active time for this society is Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter when food baskets (toys/gifts included at Christmas) are donated by parishioners and given to those in need. Many SVDP programs have a food pantry and are always seeking food items. Check with your local parishes to see when they collect and what they need the most. Please don't forget that people need food even in the summer. This is when cupboards are bare because many are on vacation. Food and monetary donations are always appreciated. Christ asks us to take care of those less fortunate...let us all make an effort to do so. God Bless!

St. Vincent was born of poor parents in the village of Pouy in Gascony, France, about 1580. He enjoyed his first schooling under the Franciscan Fathers at Acqs. Such had been his progress in four years that a gentleman chose him as subpreceptor to his children, and he was thus enabled to continue his studies without being a burden to his parents. In 1596, he went to the University of Toulouse for theological studies, and there he was ordained priest in 1600.

In 1605, on a voyage by sea from Marseilles to Narbonne, he fell into the hands of African pirates and was carried as a slave to Tunis. His captivity lasted about two years, until Divine Providence enabled him to effect his escape. After a brief visit to Rome he returned to France, where he became preceptor in the family of Emmanuel de Gondy, Count of Goigny, and General of the galleys of France. In 1617, he began to preach missions, and in 1625, he lay the foundations of a congregation which afterward became the Congregation of the Mission or Lazarists, so named on account of the Prioryof St. Lazarus, which the Fathers began to occupy in 1633.

It would be impossible to enumerate all the works of this servant of God. Charity was his predominant virtue. It extended to all classes of persons, from forsaken childhood to old age. The Sisters of Charity also owe the foundation of their congregation to St. Vincent. In the midst of the most distracting occupations his soul was always intimately united with God. Though honored by the great ones of the world, he remained deeply rooted in humility. The Apostle of Charity, the immortal Vincent de Paul, breathed his last in Paris at the age of eighty. His feast day is September 27th. He is the patron of charitable societies.

Article St. Vincent de Paul found on Catholic Online

Reach Out & Touch Someone

2010-09-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

I was recently presented with a lovely award and asked to pay it forward to 15 other bloggers. I was thrilled, elated, people actually read my blog and someone liked it! After the initial euphoria passed, came the thought...I don't know 15 bloggers, no make that 30 because my cooking/recipe blog, Cucina Nanette, was also given the award. How do I go about this, I fretted? Find blog sites I like & contact bloggers...Could I find the time? After all, I have 2 blogs to "run", my activities on CookEatShare.com (more fretting), a full time job, a home-life that keeps me busy. That's when I heard that God voice in my head..."Wait a darn minute, Nanette." Does God say, darn..I think He did?
Wasn't it a short while ago that your wonderful friend, Mary (Beautiful Gate), mentioned in one of her posts that it would be nice to reach out to new bloggers and let them know that someone is aware that they exist...actually cares? Wasn't it Vic & Bernie that agreed, saying that bloggers need encouragement....our encouragement? Mary stated that many bloggers feel ignored, they write and write and no one comments...no one cares. Hurt and disillusioned, some "close up shop".
How sad and even sadder if it involves Catholic blogging. Where's Christ in all of this? Aren't we, His messengers, supposed to lift each other up? Encourage the talents he/she has been blessed with? Bring joy to a "stranger"? Yes, yes to all these questions. I had the opportunity to do all these things and I was fretting? Shame on me.
So where to start? I went to the Catholic blog directory and began searching. Gems were everywhere I looked. Eventually, I had the blogs I needed...some of them new ones, the ones with no comments, yet. I recalled the first comment I had received and how thrilled I was, now I wanted someone else to experience the same feeling. I even threw in a few not-Catholic bloggers, after all, the apostles didn't preach just to followers, right? So through this I met Maria of This Crazy Life, Mike at My Life and Such, Margo at the Rosary Trail, Grace Marie at the Rustic Home, and other dear, dear bloggers.
I can't reach out to every blogger in the blogoshere, but I can make an effort on a regular basis..and if you reach out to 5 bloggers, and someone else reaches 5 more..just think how many bloggers we can touch. Just think how we are serving God.
So, the invites went out....and I kinda held my breath. Would anyone accept the award....would I get a , "Who the hell are you?" response. I had nothing to fear....the response was terrific! Even Mike, who I thought might say, "A Lovely Blog Award" with a rose and tea cup badge...are you kidding? said, "Wow" and would display it proudly.
Have there been rejections...a few. Would it have been polite to have accepted it and passed it on to just two other bloggers. Yes. But I'm not here to judge...that would be unkind. Then there are those like Claudia (Pegasus Legend) who is so, so , so busy, who graciously accepted it, but said it would have to wait a bit because of her schedule. Perfectly fine. This is supposed to be fun, not stressful. Send it to 3 bloggers instead of 15....and at your leisure.
This is a random act of kindness. I think God is pleased with the idea and the space we make in our hearts for others. Mary, Vic & Bernie hit on something God-Approved....to encourage other bloggers to use the talents they are blessed with. To show strangers, as well as friends, that we care. We should always be looking for ways to bring Christ's compassion to others. We are Catholic-Christians, we are obligated to go out of our way..to be inconvenienced sometimes. If I am blessed, then I should be a blessing to others.

also check out: stblogsparish.com & catholicconverts.com for new bloggers

Sunday Snippet-Catholic Carnival

2010-09-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

Feast of St. Pio
Feast of St. Matthew, the Apostle
A Tribute To God & Country
18 Year Old Italian Woman Beatified