Can anyone really live the Catholic faith? Sure. It's easier to strive for holiness when you have a traveling companion on your spiritual journey, though. Come walk along with this Catholic mom who shares life day by day, both the joys and the sorrows, the saints and the demons, our Lord Jesus Christ and our Blessed Mother. Mary will help us live our Catholic faith!
There is a young person, not quite a teenager yet, whose mother makes it a rule that the television is kept on EWTN just about any time that it is on to add a counter voice to the lives of those in the household who get bombarded every day with pagan and secular and anti-Christian messages from everywhere else. It may seem to her that her son is opposed to learning anything related to spiritual matters, but much to her surprise, going to Mass each Sunday, praying the Rosary each evening together as a family, and the daily influence of this Catholic channel have begun to impact him.
As a part of his education at home, he was required to write an essay. About anything he wanted to write about. There was no prompting on any subject. Her son has no habit of writing anything to please her. Here is the ultimate surprise produced by the hands of her child...
Why we need priests
We need priests. If we did not have them then the world would be more corrupt. We need priests because God wants us to have them for Mass. In Mass the priest makes bread and wine into the body and the blood of our Lord. The priests also are the mouth and hands of God. Like Confession and the Eucharist. The priest makes the bread and wine body and blood, and Confession he absolves us of our sins.
Without priests there would be no church and no one going to church. That is why we need priests. We would not be forgiven of our sins and it would be harder to go to heaven. Lots of people have been saved because of the priests. They are very important in our life.
My heart is thankful to the priests who have set good examples before my son, and for the vocation that they have chosen to serve us in the Catholic Church. I am grateful to Mother Angelica and all who serve us at EWTN through so many excellent programs. And I wish to especially give a shout out to those who usually go unnoticed by the rest of us who still exist in this physical world.
My family was thoroughly impressed with the excellent performance and creativity that made this one-man drama successful in bringing St. Jean-Marie Vianney to life. I especially appreciated being introduced to St. Philomena.
We are no strangers to theatre, my very good Jewish actor friend was very impressed as well, expressing great admiration for the gifted Defilippis, the creation of this exceptional drama, and for the mission of Saint Luke Productions that was presented. The concluding prayer, while in costume and character, that Defilippis led the audience in was very moving.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit inspired this production and is working through it to reach hearts and minds for Christ. We all have so much to learn; and the message of sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated for us was lived out in an exemplary way in the priesthood in the life of St. John Vianney, and was brilliantly portrayed in the performance by Leonardo Defilippis.
My prayers are with your great ministry and all who are a part of it from the most visible actors to the unsung invisible persons working behind the scenes, all servants of God. This was a refreshing affirming word about Catholicism, the holy Sacraments of the Church, the noble vocation of the priesthood, and the on-going communion of the ever-living and active saints.
I encourage everyone to see this powerful stage presentation...and to bring a friend or family member who has doubts about our Catholic faith. This is a great gift to share with them.
I don't know how everything works, and I don't know the answers to most questions, nor do I know what I am doing from one day to the next most of the time. I may have something planned but then something else comes up and enters in to change everything. I thank God that these are not usually emergencies. When they are unexpected blessings, though, I love it!
It used to be the case that I didn't understand that when things go sour, it does not mean that God's hand isn't in it. Happy things were attributed to God working in my life. But suffering is also used by our Lord. Jesus also suffered, and he asked for the cup to be taken away. Thinking about this during my times in praying the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary, I have come to understand that it was God's will for sorrowful things to happen in my life as well. Meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary must include a connection to our own lives. This is necessary for spiritual growth.
Be encouraged today to just keep on praying and amending your life to be more pleasing to God each day. Read the Bible. If you are lazy, put on EWTN to learn from, borrow a movie like "The Gospel of John" from the library, or listen to the Word of God through a CD. But daily get something somehow some way from the Holy Scriptures. When you pray the Rosary, you are praying the Gospel. So pray the Rosary every day.
Every Sunday Mass is a must. Make time for it no matter how many other things are pulling at you for your time. Even if you haven't "felt" anything, even if it is just to go and get it over with so that you have the rest of the day free for other endeavors, continue to go. Sometimes it seems like God isn't even there in the Church. Sometimes it seems like He has forgotten you. Maybe you have tried to find Him, but can't, there are so many beliefs, so many different religions. I can assure you of this, if you seek Him, you will find Him. He wants you to seek Him. He will reveal Himself to you as you are able to receive the truth. To some He can only do so a little at a time, and to others He can bring you close like a small child can sit right up on the lap of his or her father for interaction and love and affection.
Do not be afraid to risk feeling or looking like a fool. I have found that there are always people unwittingly listening to the evil one, who want to drag people along with them to indulge in sinful things. What are their opinions to you? You have to be true to yourself, to find God and live your own life. The truth is there for you, and you can study and learn all about God, and still not "know" Him. When you pray the Rosary, Mary, His Mother can best show Him to you, for she knows Him better than any other human being.
You were created unique and special. Your gifts, your talents, these are blessings that have been given to you by God, Himself, and as you begin to use them as God designed them to be used, to glorify Him, you will find that you will be given new and better friends. You will begin to see that you belong to a holy family of brothers and sisters who are not perfect but cultivate gardens of virtues in their lives that helps you to want to sin less and please our Heavenly Father more.
None of us has all the answers. None of us knows it all. None of us has all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As the Scriptures say, we are all parts of His body, with Jesus being the head. All of us are important to the whole, and it is a mystery how everything works together for the good of them who serve the Lord.Think about it this way: Jesus chose to lay His life down for us to save us from sin and death. He prayed to our Father, not His will, but that of the Father be done, agreeing to do whatever it took to liberate us and save our souls. Jesus embraced what was going to happen willingly, always having in His power as the Son of God to say NO.
In His Paschal sacrifice, His death, what appeared to be a tragic ending, it was, in fact, the ultimate victory. God will likewise use all of our sufferings for the benefit and value of His redemption plan. Trust Jesus. He did not come to condemn the world, He came to reconcile us to God. You don't have to understand how it all works, but it does.
Our Lady of Fatima, our Holy Mother wants us to return to God, to pray, and to do penance. Some Catholics have a regular devotion to our Blessed Mother. She requested that we pray the Rosary on the 1st Saturdays of the month of 5 consecutive Saturdays. There is more that she asked of us, but at least more and more Catholics a little at a time, have begun to pray. http://www.shrineofsaintjude.net/home1211.html
Praying the Rosary is more powerful than you can image. All the same, I'm about to imagine, and I'll do so right here. May 1st was the 1st Saturday of the month of the first apparition of Mary in Fatima in 1917 to 3 shepherd children. Typically the first Saturday of each month is also when pro-life Americans participate in prayer vigils across the nation at abortion clinics. The Catholic faithful are out there praying the Rosary.
I have no way to guess about the numbers, but all around the world there was a tremendous amount of prayer that was happening on Saturday and Sunday, depending upon time zones, with Marian groups and Apostolates, pro-life warriors being there at the preborn human killing places, and all these Catholics were praying the Holy Rosary as Mary requested.
In addition, Saturday and Sunday are the days that Christians of all denominations are praying at their Churches, too, both Catholic and Protestant believers in Jesus. Considering all of the concentrated public and private prayer that was going on for these 2 days, I believe it is very possible that the reason that the IED did not go off and kill anybody in the failed terrorist attempt in Times Square Saturday night is because of our Blessed Mother.
It is the first thing I thought of. And it wouldn't be the first time that she has done miracles even concerning battles and war. http://catholicism.org/mary-of-victory.html In my opinion, this makes more sense than anything else. And since others are getting credit for doing a good job in their part in saving many innocent people who were out enjoying the spring evening, I want to say, "Thank you, Blessed Mother. I love you!"
If you are a parent, you'll want to have all of the available information out there to educate yourself about the possibility of childhood immunizations being linked to autism and neurological disorders and health concerns like asthma. The Vaccine War will be on tonight (4/27/10) and I recommend watching PBS Frontline for this reason. In Denver it will air at 9pm, but check your local listing to be sure, or it seems you can also view it online as of today. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=proglist&utm_source=proglist
From the preview available at that link, it looks like the parents might not get a fair shake in the report, but we shall see. There may not be any discussion about the cells of aborted babies that have been used in the creations of vaccines, either. http://www.immunizationinfo.org/issues/vaccine-components/human-fetal-links-some-vaccines In the meantime, here are just the initial arguments for and against the vaccinations that have been given in the debate.
Fathers and mothers experience having a child without any characteristics of autism, yet following the administration of childhood immunizations, the child presents as though a different person, withdrawn, flapping hands, lack of social interaction, non-verbal communication, and other autistic descriptions.
Many scientists and doctors claim that there are no conclusive studies to prove that autism is linked to vaccines.
Parents have sued and won big money in court over autism that they claim resulted from vaccinations.
Pharmaceutical companies have a lucrative stake in the vaccines.
There are also concerns by society, including living amongst those without childhood immunizations.
Some important questions are:
Why isn't the government studying the possibility, rather than dismissing any possible connection with mercury and other potentially harmful substances? What is causing this explosion in numbers accounting for 1 in 150 births being on the autism spectrum? What are the results and the conclusions of studies that have been done, who did them, what is the significance, and who funded them? Is this another case similar to the global warming hoax that liberals imposed upon us world-wide while silencing honest scientists with valid views that differed from theirs? What are the risks and benefits of childhood vaccinations concerning my own children? Are there alternatives to those shots in question?
That's just a starting point for me. I know I'll be watching The Vaccine War tonight for some answers. From what I've been reading, even the flu shots are suspect. Let's get to the truth, I have no agenda, I have kids.
Blogger The Badger Catholic posted something extremely important and upsetting that I want all parents to read about, since most of us take our children to the doctor to have them vaccinated. If I didn't know about this, I doubt a lot of other parents have heard this information. I appreciate this horrifying info and I'm passing it on: http://badgercatholic.blogspot.com/2010/04/which-vaccines-contain-aborted-babies.html
Having worked for several years as an assistant teacher of students with severe and profound special needs, autism is one area of the field that has been of special interest to me. Tens of thousands of parents have suspected that childhood shots are responsible for the cause of autism. This has to do with mercury and the video included in my post explains more. There are about 1 in 150 kids who have been diagnosed with autism. There have been some investigations, but my experience is that generally doctors assure us that they doubt the vaccines are causing autism. At this point, that is a matter of pure opinion.
The parents just might be right. Human body parts, mercury, or a combination of both very well could have an adverse effect on children. Something is causing the numbers to skyrocket. We may soon discover that abortion doesn't end at killing preborn children, but is also the ingredient for disabilities in the little ones who have escaped legal murder in the wombs of their mothers.
Michigan Right to Life brings us the details on the research and some available pro-life vaccine alternatives...
Vaccines, Abortion & Fetal Tissue
For several years now, information has circulated among prolife groups and individuals regarding the development of very common vaccines through the use of tissue taken from aborted babies. While initially the reports and information were not conclusively documented, further detailed research by several prolife groups has provided direct proof of a connection between aborted fetal tissue and most vaccines. That connection, and its implications for whether prolife citizens should consider using the vaccines, raises some complicated issues. In sorting through those issues, this LifeNotes will address the basic science involved, the documentation of the abortion-vaccine connection, the moral/ethical questions about using abortion-tainted vaccines, and information about available alternative vaccines.
U.S. Produced Vaccines from Aborted Cell Lines
Disease
Vaccine Name
Manufacturer
Cell line (fetal)
Polio
Poliovax
Aventis-Pasteur
MRC-5
Rabies
Imovax
Aventis-Pasteur
MRC-5
Hepatitis A
Havrix
Merck & Co.
MRC-5
Hepatitis A
Vaqta
Glaxo/SmithKline
MRC-5
Hepatitis A-B Combo
Twinrix
Glaxo/SmithKline
MRC-5
Smallpox
Acambis 1000
Acambis
MRC-5
Chickenpox
Varivax
Merck & Co.
MRC-5/WI-38
Measles, Mumps, Rubella
MMR II
Merck & Co
WI-38
Mumps-Rubella
Biavax II
Merck & Co
WI-38
Measles-Rubella
MR-VAX
Merck & Co
WI-38
Rubella only
Meruvax II
Merck & Co
WI-38
U.S. Produced Alternative Vaccines
(There are no U.S. alternatives for Chickenpox, Rubella, Hepatitis-A)
Mother Angelica has done a great service for Catholics world-wide by creating EWTN. April 20th is her birthday, so I just couldn't let this day end and get any sleep before giving her this special birthday gift. Enjoy...and be transformed...
There are so many wonderful programs on EWTN that help to build your faith. Faith formation is something that every single one of us needs and with the variety of programming on this channel, you are sure to find several programs that are not just rich in Catholic teaching, but are personally interesting and appealing to you. If you haven't yet forced yourself to be a viewer there, you are really missing some excellent opportunities to grow in your faith.
The Daily Mass is repeated several times from early in the morning until late at night, so you can be a part of it sometime each day, at least turn the volume up while you wash the dishes to hear the Liturgy of the Word and the homily. Regularly there are programs on that teach the Catholic faith by way of interviews with converts who recount their research and experiences, through faithful Catholic priests and theologians who share what they have studied, and with reruns of the ever-humorous Mother Angelica taking questions from callers and explaining practical and heavenly things from God's perspective from the Holy Word of God and our Catholic Catechism as naturally as it is to have a bite to eat.
One thing that was a huge help for me to begin to gather the family together to pray the Rosary together daily is that twice a day Mother Angelica leads the devotion to our Blessed Virgin Mother praying along with her nuns. In fact, this is where I learned how to pray the Rosary, and so can you. Don't worry if you don't have a rosary yet, I didn't have one when I first prayed the Rosary. You may also enjoy praying the devotion in a different context, perhaps from the Holy Land, they've got it, too, EWTN Holy Land Rosary with Father Mitch. The Holy Rosary and The Divine Mercy Chaplet are wonderful devotions and please our Lord and our Lady of the Trinity very much. Most of us know that we should be praying more. Having EWTN on encourages the viewer to have a life of prayer and to better reflect Jesus in our lives.
Bob and Penny Lord feature the lives of the saints while traveling to historical places and presenting their wealth of research just as if they are friends with each of them. And why not? I've found that saints are some of my best friends. Why not find out about them. They will enrich your life tremendously in so many ways.
Saturday mornings are a great treat for children. Tune in and see why. It wasn't an easy change for my kids at first to have EWTN on Saturday morning, but several months later they were asking me to wake them up to see their shows if they didn't wake up on their own. I confess I love a couple of those programs, especially The Knights of St. Michael.
Dramatic presentations and musical talent are included in the lineup, along with programming directed toward our youth, combining the serious with fun. Raymond Arroyo never fails to provide vital interviews while providing news that is of importance to faithful Catholics. Programming for women is smart, intelligent, warm, and informative. Watch a couple of these and you'll be quite surprised that strong women of faith are not dull and brainless. And yes, there is great programming that is geared toward men. Young or old there is something on EWTN for you. So check it out.
If you already enjoy EWTN and learn a lot, please remember them with some funds. Thanks.
Happy birthday, Mother Angelica :) Thank you for your obedience to God and love for souls.
Yesterday while praying the Rosary along with Mother Angelica and the nuns on EWTN, at the end of the Mystery of the Transfiguration, as I contemplated on being transformed into the image of Christ, I remembered something from long ago. I'd like to share it here.
Someone had placed a rosary into the dead hands of my mother for a proper Catholic funeral, an adornment that I had never seen her pray with. The whole family and friends of my mother came to the funeral home to pray the rosary. That is the first time I ever heard that prayer. I doubt I was the only one who did not even know to contemplate on the mysteries as we prayed the prayers over and over. I assumed this was to help my dead mother in some Catholic funeral ritual of some superstitious nature. Before my mother's burial, I believe I was given that rosary. I did not know it was anything other than a token for remembrance of my dead mother.
After Mom was buried, I never saw anyone in my family ever pray the Rosary again, either. Nor did any priest or nun tell me to pray the Rosary even though I was searching for God, had a lot of questions, and was even ripe for becoming a nun myself. Neither did they suggest this devotion to me for myself or for my deceased parent even as I questioned them about where my mother might be since she had killed herself.
There are so many ironies connected to that memory that I experienced yesterday that I am not going to get into here. But there is something very important that I want to say.
Like many other Catholics, I have a rosary hanging from my rear-view mirror in my car. Yet a rosary is not a decoration. It is not meant to be put into a corpse's hands. It is meant to be for the living to run to and use as a holy weapon of spiritual warfare. Better still, it should be always handy in a pocket, ever ready, as a knight is not w/o his sword nor a soldier w/o his weapon on the battlefield. Use that rosary, pray the Rosary, and pray it often, every day.
If you would like me to help you to learn about the Holy Rosary please contact me or leave me a comment and I will help you. How many years has my mother been suffering in purgatory because there was nobody to pray for her? I do not know. Pray for the poor souls in purgatory. Like me, you may have never been told that you can pray for your deceased loved ones. Now you know. So pray for them.
I sought a close-up picture of a rosary in the hands of a corpse to go with this post. And can you believe it, out of 365 days, this post and the first and best photo that I could find is this one that accompanies this entry. It is a picture of St. Bernadette. And as I looked for information about who is in the picture, I read that today is also her feast day. Yes, it just "happens" to also be her feast day on the very day I publish this entry. And you don't believe in miracles? What, do you think that this is a coincidence? Think again.
"Kayleah is described as 5-foot-1, 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white and pink shirt over a white tank top, blue jeans, and white and red shoes. Kayleah has been missing since March 28,2010 3:40 PM
"The 12-year-old girl left her home Sunday afternoon to go to a friend's birthday party and never arrived. She didn't show up at the pick-up location, and she hasn't come back home..." It has now been 2 weeks since her disappearance from Greeley, Colorado.
Michelle Thompson of Greeley, created a cause group at http://www.facebook.com/ called "Prayers for Kayleah Wilson's Safe Return". It is here that the world-wide community has come together to help find missing Kayleah Wilson. The photo and the information about Kayleah as quoted above is available at the facebook group page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=110710275614207
At this point, there are over 4000 members who belong to this group. People have joined the group from all across the country and from Canada. Posts include information, news, updates, hopeful possible clues or tips, and a whole lot of support and prayer. There are now 54 helpful links included, with one being from The Greeley Tribune, which has been regularly reporting on missing Kayleah.
At the present time (Saturday, April 10, 2010) there is an active community search being led by The Friendswood Texas-based Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children. If you are at least 18 years of age, you can still participate, as this event will continue again tomorrow, Sunday, April 11th. Details can be found on the facebook group site.
Anyone with information about Kayleah's whereabouts is asked to call 1-800 225-5324.
A prayer vigil was held last night. Those who attended did so not out of a sense of loss, but in prayerful hope and expectation for Kayleah Wilson's safe return home. In reading the posts on the group wall, the message is clearly positive and collectively encouraging and affirming. Please pray for Kayleah and her family. Along with the many other courageous and prayerful voices, this examiner says: Kayleah, your family loves and misses you, and we want you home safely soon.
For Kayleah and her family, here is a song with a message of hope... "there's a light at the end of this tunnel, hold on."
The Acts of the Apostles is about some of the recorded activity, through their faith in Christ, of those who first followed Jesus. Today, we who know our Lord are also called to an active faith. Some of these things we do as His disciples, we are called to do daily, like praying. Other things come upon us suddenly, like helping others in times of need. And then there is a special call for each of us...
Part of what I have been called to do in this life on earth is to teach children. At the present time, God is leading me in writing for children in order to share the Catholic faith with them. Honestly, I have learned some things from books written for children, myself. So I believe that what I am given to write from my Lord and my Lady, by the grace of God, will reach many more than children; parents, too, I'm sure.
I'm pretty much decided upon this artistic representation of "The Annunciation" for my first book. It is from the 1600s by Caravaggio. It is available in the public domain, which is a real blessing, as it is free for the taking. It pleases me to be able to use it in such a noble endeavor, that being the reaching others for God with His truth.
The daily scriptural reading from the Holy Gospel for today is about how after Jesus had risen from the dead, His disciples were walking and talking with Him, but they did not recognize Him.
They listened to Jesus explain the Holy Scriptures to them and they asked Him to stay with them. He stayed with them, and in the breaking of the bread is when they recognized Him as their Lord. It is my prayer that more Catholics will begin to see that Jesus is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. He is present in the consecrated bread at Mass. (Thank you Lord, for our priests.)
It is also my desire to share the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for this prayer is the contemplation of the Gospel, and we know that the Word of God is Jesus. I'd like to think that whenever people open my book, they are in a spiritual way breaking open the truth of the Bread of Life, supping with Jesus, through Mary, as they learn of our Redeemer through the one who knew Him better than anybody--His Holy Mother.
The book I am speaking of is the first in a series of books that I am answering God's call to write. Simultaneously I am writing other books, a little here and there. But this is the gem that will be coming out first. I am very pleased with the progress. I'll write of "The Annunciation: The First Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary" from time to time as things move along through the grace of God and the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.
It is a true honor to be given this Holy task. It is a pleasure to work at crafting a masterpiece of God. I find it both humbling and fulfilling. The "Joyful" mysteries indeed :)
If you have an idea of some sort that you think might have been given to you by God, just step out in faith and do it. Go for it. This is active faith. Trust Jesus and take that first step of faith. Like a toddler, step by step, the Holy Spirit will lead you along. As you make progress, you can also sense our Heavenly Father saying that you are His child, and with you He is well pleased.
After going to St. Catherine's to participate in the Stations of the Cross, my children and I went downstairs to pray The Divine Mercy Chaplet together at the hour of great mercy on the day of great mercy, in the adoration chapel. The two doors were wide open. It struck me so strange. How wrong this was, not just odd, but as if something was really very wrong.
We looked inside the chapel. Then we went inside, yet the little golden tabernacle was also open, and there was no consecrated host, where Jesus should be present in the appearance of the bread, but was no where to be found. This was not what we had expected. We had anticipated praying there together with our Lord. But He had been taken from us. He was gone.
The emptiness in that room grew within my heart and it was a sad and heavy feeling, even though we all had realized that this absence of the Lord must be a part of our Catholic ritual that we hadn't known of prior to this Good Friday, for we have only been going to Adoration for about 4 months. Boy, talk about the impact of feeling like you are right there along with Mary Magdeline at the empty tomb!
Now the "coincidental" thing about this experience is that I had stayed up until 2 in the morning assisting my son with his new blog and his first post. He wrote about this exact same feeling. Yet I was not familiar with any of the things that he was referring to in his blog post. I marveled about how he felt, but I did not feel it myself--until we came upon our own empty tomb.
And finally, last year’s Easter Candle which has been the source of all the candle light in my Church for special events, was also destroyed. The Easter candle is the symbol of Christ in our world – the pillar of smoke by day, and a pillar of fire by night and it was smashed on the ground, with the final words: “For the light of the world has been shattered.”
With that, our pastor walked away in silence and I felt that empty Gethsemane feeling.
I really wish that every devout Catholic would experience this emptiness without our Blessed Savior. Perhaps it would cause us to better appreciate and love those who do not know God. Of course, atheists do not even know what they are missing. But all the same, we could understand them better. What would we do if we did not have our Lord? We would see things more like those who do not know God do, and some of us have come from that very place. Such an empty place.
Our Catholic children may be able to recite an Our Father and a Hail Mary prayer. But do we really expect them to be able to pray the Rosary? Most Catholic adults don't even know how to pray the Holy Rosary any more. It looks very complicated. Prayer should be simple and from the heart, you may protest. Well, here's good news. Mary's prayer, the Holy Rosary, is simple and is to be prayed from the heart. Well, it looks very time consuming and repetitious. That's a real turn off, you say. Well, considering your day has 24 whole hours in it, is about a half an hour really too much time for you to give to God? Don't you want to bless somebody that you love with a dozen roses rather than 2 or 3? Repeating the prayers in the Holy Rosary are not vain repetitions but they are like the most beautiful of roses that you present to our Blessed Mother.
The Rosary is the most powerful prayer that there is next to the Mass, when you pray in contemplation on the mysteries of the lives of Jesus and Mary. Sometimes, though, looking at the whole of it looks like several tasks and inconveniences that today's busy Americans just aren't going to take the time to learn to do it. The sad truth is that their busy-ness is more about rest and relaxation and entertainment and fun than anything else. But here's an idea that may help fellow Catholics brave dipping their toes into the refreshing and grace-filled water of the Holy Rosary. Just one decade... http://www.examiner.com/x-4317-Denver-Roman-Catholic-Examiner~y2010m3d26-The-mystery-of-The-Annunciation
The mystery of the Visitation is here...
Pray, pray, pray for our country and all of her citizens whether born or preborn for our right to liberty and to life. There are so many links I can add to this post later, but for now, I just really want to encourage everyone to pray united together, prayer warriors joining to the army of the Lord. Myriads of angels are fighting. We need to get into the fight as well, for this is not just one small battle we may lose but certainly a major loss in the war from the culture of death. Many do not even realize that their tax dollars are already going to fund abortions in other places in the world. We have money going to developing countries. Look up the Mexico City Policy. And read what the Bishops have said about it: http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-022.shtml . Also read "Building and Promoting a Culture of Life" by Archbishop Chaput for explanations of excellent "do"s and "don't" in the fight for life: http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/1406 . I will also add a photo later as well. Not now. My heart is so heavy. Yet miracles are very real and they can and do happen. Lord God, we need a mighty miracle. Holy Mary, Mother of God, intercede for us and for our nation, for if this bill becomes law, we surely will see the judgment of our Lord come upon us with great fury. Lord have mercy on us. Amen. Wow, just in time w/ the finish here, it's the Holy Rosary on EWTN. Joining...
This St. Patrick's Day is one historical day. People have something to say. It is a spiritual battle and here are just a few of the details. While the Catholic Bishops oppose the Senate version of the health care bill, making news in the Catholic press, what gets plastered in headlines of the secular news that reaches everyone is that Catholic nuns support and endorse the bill, and hey, THEY are the ones who work with the people, so they are supposedly the real voice of the Catholic Church. They are "progressive" they claim. Liberals, socialists, communists, and the pro-death sites are running with this in gleeful distribution of this Catholic support of their views. Here is one: http://www.feministing.com/archives/020405.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Feministing+(Feministing)&utm_content=Twitter
It is important to note who is pleased with the "Catholic nuns" who are opposing the stance of the USCCB because this tells you something.
Archbishop Chaput linked to his statement on facebook. Finally we are beginning to call these people out and name them. Here it is: http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/3614
TO THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO
In the past two days, congressional leaders and the White House have brought tremendous pressure on prolife Democratic members of Congress to support a fatally flawed Senate version of health care reform.
Regrettably, groups like Network and the Catholic Health Association have done a grave disservice to the American Catholic community by undermining the leadership of the nation’s Catholic bishops, sowing confusion among faithful Catholics, and misleading legislators through their support of the Senate bill.
Do not be fooled. Nothing has changed. The Senate bill remains gravely flawed on the issues of abortion funding, conscience protections and the inclusion of immigrants. Unless seriously revised to address these issues, the Senate version of health care is unethical and should be firmly opposed. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. Archbishop of Denver James D. Conley, S.T.L. Auxiliary Bishop of Denver
Catholics United has an ad that they are airing, it looks like in the prolife Democrat districts to sway minds in those areas stating that the Reform is endorsed by the Catholic Health Association: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0310/Catholic_group_pushes_back_on_abortion_claims.html?showall These people are using the "Catholic" title to confuse people. How many people know that this is a liberal group that is breaking with the Catholic Bishops who are opposing the Senate version of the health care bill? We Catholics must begin to understand and to accept the fact that there are real wolves dressed in sheep's clothing in our Holy Catholic Church. RealCatholicTV call them "snakes"...
As Catholics, we are very much in tune with not pulling up the weeds and letting them grow along with the wheat, just as our Lord, Jesus, told us to do. And yet, the Holy Scriptures must be taken as a whole, not in part. They must be interpreted along with our Tradition, and Jesus Himself cried out: "You are of your father, the devil" to the Jewish leadership. These people who are priests and nuns who are hurting our people, need to be shown the door forthwith. We have excommunication. It is high time we began to implement this service. And certainly it is a service to save the souls of many millions of Catholics who are otherwise deceived and taught that Marxist belief trumps even the sanctity of human life for Catholic faithful believers. It is time for this to end. Let the word, the title, Catholic, mean something again.
Glenn Beck has recently stated that if you are in a church that teaches "social justice" you should leave that church. Some people were shocked, and they say he was attacking the Catholic Church. I agree that he was. And I also agree that he understands very well this code wording of "social justice" that ultimately means communistic thought, leaving the redeeming of souls out of their personal mission inside of the Church. The virtue of justice is being used as a useful good, a tool for conversion, capturing hearts, destroying lives, and causing the loss of souls. This is not true virtue. But how successfully deceptive. Take a look at how "good" these caring Catholics seem to be: http://www.catholics-united.org/?q=about Since they care to much about people who are victims of injustice, why are they opposing the Catholic Bishops who are upholding the sanctity of human life? Jesus said, "you shall know them by their fruits" and this is fruit positive of their views.
But I disagree with Beck on what needs to be done about the problem, the infiltration of heretics and "progressive" new age deceivers. Show them the door. They are in our church for one reason--to twist the teachings of our Church and to deceive as many as they can. They are a cancer in our midst, spreading their lying poison. Here is something insightful that Glenn had to say on St. Patrick's Day: Obama is Marxist:
Some 59 "Catholic nuns" signed a letter in support of the bill that was sent to members of Congress on the 14th of the month, yet even today all over twitter the word is that 59,000 Catholic nuns support the bill. Lies of this sort, exaggerated and hyped are being regularly retweeted by liberal, pro-death, and homosexual groups. They want the word out that Catholics are for the passage of the bill because it serves their purposes. Keep telling the lie and it is seen as the truth. Supposedly the smaller number of nuns represent the larger number of Catholics in their groups. If that is true, all the more reason to begin kicking them out of our Church. Today if possible. The faithful Catholic laity welcomes this to save our true Catholic identity.
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has already refuted that claim with his own letter opposing the bill.
George pointed out the slew of flaws that the U.S. bishops find “deeply disturbing” in the Senate health bill, including its lack of conscience protections, [lack of] Hyde-amendment protections against federal abortion funding, and the millions in new funds for Community Health Centers which will be available to fund abortions.
“It expands federal funding and the role of the federal government in the provision of abortion procedures,” he explained. “In so doing, it forces all of us to become involved in an act that profoundly violates the conscience of many, the deliberate destruction of unwanted members of the human family still waiting to be born.” http://www.lifenews.com/nat6140.html
St. Patrick was a Bishop. May God bless our faithful Bishops. And may our Bishops be faithful to our Catholic laity by driving out the snakes. Amen. St. Patrick, please pray for our people in the Catholic Church and in our great country, the United States of America. Amen.
St. Joseph and St. Patrick pray for us.Strengthen us Catholic patriots to take a courageous stand in the upcoming days as this tyrannical government take over becomes the law of the land w/o even a vote. I believe this will happen with the socialist health care bill, I figure the left knows it is now or never. If I'm wrong, great.
St. Joseph was and is a man of God, a man of great faith, obedient to our Lord, protector of and provider for the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Christ Jesus, the Holy Son of God. St. Joseph pray for us for our families are at stake along with our country.
St. Patrick converted Ireland. He risked his life and stood strong. We need the Catholic Church to stand strong now in America and speak the truth to our youth and lead the pagans or secularists to Christ. This does not mean just the priests or the Pope or good Catholic schools. It means YOU and it means ME. St. Patrick, pray for us and for our country.
Catholics would really do themselves a service and educate themselves on reconciling in their minds things like going to war and worrying about if it might be gossip or bad to call out leftist deceitful Catholics by reading the book of Judith. Also let us faithfully take out our most powerful weapons, our Rosaries. Contemplate, contemplate, contemplate. Amen.
Senator Michael Bennet had emails sent out inviting feedback on "how to fix Washington." So I sent this letter via email.
Dear Senator Michael Bennet:
Kill the pro-death healthcare bill.
I will keep you in my prayers, for you are one of those who are most in need of God's mercy. Blind, deaf, and unrepentant.
The way to fix Washington is for everyone over there to find a low-paying job and learn some humility. (You should be able to get a job, although regular US citizens cannot find any that are gainful to provide for our families now.)
Black-eyed Susan is that beautiful and resilient flower full of sunshine and upright in stature. Yet, she is punched in the eye. Oh how the saints have endured much to be where they are in the holy kingdom of God. Take heart those who suffer. These things do not go unnoticed. Nor unrewarded.
In this life, character will be refined and purified. And in the next life, you will spend an eternity with God Holy Trinity and the blessed Virgin Mary, our Holy Mother who also suffered so. Our guardian angels are here for us, that is true. And yet we will never be exempted from trials and tribulations. Was Jesus? No. Nor was Mary. Nor the great saints and martyrs of our true faith.
Catholics, these days, for the most part, do not grasp that Jesus hung there on the cross for us not just paying a price for us, but also as the model for us to emulate in sacrifice and love for others. We must embrace our crosses. Wait a minute, you wanted the flowers to bloom without having the rain?
When something bad happens, we lament, "why me?" and we never saw it coming. We should see it coming. Jesus Himself told us that in the Book of John. He said if the world hates you, remember, He was hated first. There is a spiritual battle for your soul going on. The love that Jesus brought to us to take into the world involves standing up for that which is right and suffering for lining your will up with God's.
We continue to pray for ourselves and our loved ones, but isn't it time to add in those who persecute us? Vengeance belongs to the Lord. In looking at the abuse He endured and the death he suffered for our sakes, it looks like the only one He evened up the score with is the evil one. Thank God for His forgiveness. Thank Jesus for His mercy. Thanks be to our Lord Holy Spirit who teaches and comforts us. Thank your Holy Mother for saying, "let to be done unto me according to your word." Let us do likewise.
Although I still don't know how to embed videos, I have succeeded at getting a video channel added to my blog. There are many things that I wish to share via video, but I have finally decided upon what I think is the most important available grouping. RealCatholicTV. The truth right there in your face. Why is this so important? Because your soul is at stake, that's why.
An angel by the name of Gabriel was sent to a virgin girl known as Mary. Fact. Some sinful person had a baby and some guy got stuck in the father role. Fiction. How are you to know which story is the historically accurate one? The Tradition of the Catholic Church, the account recorded in the Holy Scriptures, and Lord God Himself tells you that it is the record that is true rather than opinionated persons who have no knowledge of the historical events.
If you were to just entertain the notion that maybe this Jesus who is called the Messiah, Savior of the world, is truly what he claimed to be, then you would be able to move forward to the next important step. That would be to read what Jesus is quoted as saying and then, as Mary knew, do whatever He tells you. For really, if Jesus is possibly really God, then how can you say that God is silent these days or has left us to do our best here on this planet without Him? He has been quoted, and His Holy Word is as He is alive and active and life-breathing, just as He always has been. Jesus is the Word made flesh. So go read what He has said. Take what He has said seriously, as if He is right there in front of you, because truly He is.
Worried about your hair, what to wear, how you present? Isn't your soul more important than all of that? Are you concerned about social justice, but have no concern for the most innocent of all human beings, those yet unborn and legally murdered on a daily basis? It's time to do some serious thinking about what you believe and why, don't ya think?
Cling to your Mother in those difficult times. Do not think that just because you have never given her much thought before that she would hold that against you. Run to her. She has suffered right along with her Holy Son Jesus for your sake. I know this because I am one of which I speak. I did not think that the Blessed Virgin Mary was very important in the Christian salvation message. Oh, boy was I wrong!
Today, I am actually very glad that I was wrong. Not because all of those years being wrong was of any good, but because today, knowing that she is truly my Holy Mother, I am comforted. I share in her sorrows regularly. Today, she shares in mine. I thank you My Lady.
Our Lady of the family, Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady of comfort and peace and truth and light, pray for us. Our Lady of the Word, our Holy Mother of the Word, pray for us. You offered the Father the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son for our sakes and for that of the whole world. Blessed Holy Mother, thank you. Be with us in our hour of need. Amen.
We think that since we know the Lord, we should have all blessings. But no, St. Therese says that our souls are being perfected through our sufferings. So hey, let's endure them. And let us lean on our saints through it all. Purification for we may share in His glory one day. My Mother, I love you. I need you today. Amen.
