Get some 'joe, grab a seat..

and listen to this. If there are men in your life..share it with them as well..

A Simple Prayer

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not meant that I am actually doing so, But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
- Thomas Merton

The Feast of the Assumption

Most Blessed Mother Mary, Pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Trip - Part 1 The Eucharistic Congress in Atlanta

Just got back from Baltimore! We spent the last week up there with the hubby, he had a conference and we just got to hang out with friends and family. Yay!

We started the trip at the Eucharistic Congress in Atlanta. It was fantastic! If you have one of these in your area GO! You will not regret it. The talks were amazing, Matt Maher played awesome tunes, the kids rocked out, hubby and I wished we had opted for a seat at the back. It was L-O-U-D!



Finally got our Grace Before Meals Cookbook, Fr. Leo signed it for us and the guys spent about half an hour chatting with him. His talks were out of this world, the teen talk had the kids all pumped up, and the general talk had the adults all pumped up! Go Fr. Leo!



Johnette Benkovic finished her talk with a quote from St. Louis de Montfort. She didn't just read it either, she was on fire! I wish I had video of that talk, you could feel the Holy Spirit in that room during her talk. Amazing!



Fr. Mitch Pacwa was a bit more intellectual, but still a great talk and he blessed the new rosaries we picked up from Rosary Army. We watched Greg and Jennifer Willits as they provided live coverage of the Congress on Sirius Satellite radio.



Aside from all the great talks, vendors and Catholic personalities, the whole reason we were there was because of Christ. The Holy Spirit. The Eucharist.



There were at least 50 priests hearing confessions, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was always full to overflowing. The Knights of Columbus, in all their regalia, guarded the chapel and lead the way during the Eucharistic Processions. The monstrance was beautiful and Christ was breathtakingly present everywhere! I am so thankful we were able to attend.

A couple more random pics from the congress:

Easter Has Just Begun!

I love that the Church does not just celebrate this Awesome Feast for just one day! Today begins the Easter Octave. 8 days of celebration and joy! Preparing us fully to live the Easter message!
Have a beautiful Easter. Everyday!

Here's a pic of the kids..it always amazes me to see how much they grow. I don't notice it until I take a picture...or they tell me they've outgrown their undies! ;)

From The Diary...

of St. Faustina..

+Mother of God, Your soul was plunged into the sea of bitterness; look upon Your child and teach her to suffer and to love while suffering. Fortify my soul that pain will not break it. Mother of grace, teach me to live by (the power of) God.

Is It Really Jesus?

Great videos on the reception of The Holy Eucharist

Bless This House

My husband led the family in the traditional Epiphany house blessing this evening after dinner. It was quite touching for me. Mr. Big Boy read from Luke, about Zaccheus and Jesus' meeting. Z just wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus and he got so much more.

Hubby marked the doors with the blessing "Peace be to this house and all who live here". Then wrote above each door 20+C+M+B+10. In searching for the blessing prayers I found this blog...Perpetual Priest You can click on it to go to the blessing and a quick explanation of what it means. I encourage you to check out the latest entries there, especially the latest homily on this years Epiphany. Wonderful stuff.

God is truly good and truly present in our world. He is here, in my home, tonight! I have just a inkling of what Z must have felt, way back when.

Be Not Afraid!

November 25, 2009
Today's Gospel Lk 21:12-19

Jesus said to the crowd:
“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

Source: USCCB

Feast of Christ The King

St. Cecilia

Cecilia was a lovely Roman girl. She loved Jesus with all her heart. But a young Roman wanted to marry her. She told him she belonged to Our Lord alone. At first he and his brother were very angry. They tried to force marriage on her. But when the young man walked toward Cecilia, he saw her strong, beautiful Guardian Angel standing at her side.

The young man at once became a Christian. So did his brother. The roman soldiers came and took all three of them prisoners. They cried, "offer sacrifice to our gods." Bt Cecilia though just a young woman, spoke for all of them. "We love and serve only the true God," she answered. So all three went to Heaven together in martyrdom. Just a few years ago, Ceilia's body was found in its grave in Rome. Though she had been dead for almost eighteen hundred years, her body was still fresh and sweet and beautiful, as if she were asleep. Her Feast is: November 22nd. Source

USCCB Information On Health Care For ALL Catholics!

The USCCB has asked parishes nationwide to distribute a bulletin insert asking Catholics to contact Congress and resist support for taxpayer funded abortions. You can find the info at their website here:

USCCB Bulletin Inserts Health Care Reform

A Military Chapel in NC

The Chapel at Camp Lejeune, NC set up for The Extraordinary Form of the Mass.


Father Aiden Logan, Navy Chaplain, (GO NAVY!) celebrates the Extraordinary Form of the Mass at Camp Lejeune, NC. Click here for more.

World Priest Day

Heavenly Father,
We come before you today to ask your blessing on our brothers,
Whom you have called to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Lord Jesus,
We ask that you support them with your presence
And fill them with grace to serve You faithfully.

Gracious Spirit,
Unite us in service with those whom you have called.
Open our hearts to encourage our brothers and sons to pursue your calling,
And open their hearts to hear Your call to this most Holy Sacrament.

Amen.


click HERE to find out more about World Priest Day.

Reason Without Faith

This is an interesting take on Reason.
The Big Apple Coalition on Reason

"Yet while our collective viewpoint is secular, we share commonalities with many belief systems -- including religious. We are committed to a more compassionate world; we are working for a more reasonable citizenry and a higher level of discourse; we are striving to increase the quality of life for all; and we find fellowship an integral part of the human condition. Theists and nontheists alike are the same people: we go to work everyday; we have families and friends; we are involved in our communities, state, and country; and we care deeply about life."

Here is what Pope John Paul II said in Fides et Ratio :

Deprived of what Revelation offers, reason has taken side-tracks which expose it to the danger of losing sight of its final goal. Deprived of reason, faith has stressed feeling and experience, and so run the risk of no longer being a universal proposition. It is an illusion to think that faith, tied to weak reasoning, might be more penetrating; on the contrary, faith then runs the grave risk of withering into myth or superstition. By the same token, reason which is unrelated to an adult faith is not prompted to turn its gaze to the newness and radicality of being.

This is why I make this strong and insistent appeal—not, I trust, untimely—that faith and philosophy recover the profound unity which allows them to stand in harmony with their nature without compromising their mutual autonomy. The parrhesia of faith must be matched by the boldness of reason.

Small Successes

God is so good!! He has placed some wonderful people in my life. He just placed some of them very far away from me :). But that's okay. Their words of encouragement and acts of prayer and sacrifice are..I have no words to describe my thanks.

So onto my successes..(they are not really mine)..all glory to God on this one.

1)I've found a neighborhood walking partner. Thanks be to God! She's really sweet..she brings her little 9 month old with us and he's just such a happy baby. Much better than my t-bone. You'd think he was ancient. I actually had to pull him up the hill this morning. Ugh.

2)I got a call from another new friend who shares my love for the Catholic faith and that is a blessing beyond blessings! Thanks be to God.

3)And best of all! BEST OF ALL!....I got to watch Glenn Beck on Fox with my hubby tonight..and we watched it LIVE!..meaning it wasn't dvr'd like we do everything else. This is best of all because he was actually home at 5 pm AND he didn't fall asleep! He actually paused it to rewind some parts I missed because I was cooking.

4)I made pan seared salmon with romaine salad and broccoli smothered in real butter. (I need someone to make me a margarine stick in a circle with a line through it..I am graphically challenged)
It was so dern delicious. A beautiful ending to what I thought this morning might not be a good day.

Thanks be to God..now and forever!

In Case You Want To Know...

Visit Una Voce Northern Alabama to hear the talks for the laity on the Extraordinary Form.

I have only been once to a Mass in the Extraordinary form and although it was very very different from what I have been used to at the Novus Ordo. That being said, it made me want to learn more about it. One of the things I liked was that the Priest faced the altar. His posture towards the altar and raising his eyes always to the cross helped me to focus on Christ on the cross as well. When he elevated the Precious Body of Christ it was so very beautiful. We did have a booklet with the Latin and English translation. Sort of a "how to" book. It was very easy to follow.

Kneeling to receive our Lord at the communion rail was also a new experience and one that has been on my heart ever since.

I have encountered Priests who no longer know how to celebrate Mass this way, and I've encountered ones who don't want to ever again. I think it's part of our rich history as Catholics and should not be so quickly done away with. It would be like getting rid of the White house and moving the President into a condo. Pretending all that time before never existed. Just "not right". Ya know?

Anyhow, enough of my chatting. Take a listen to the audios if you like. They are very good.

From Father Z

Found this at Father Z's. Check out his blog. Support him.

Not only is this fun, from a pop-culture point of view, it is true.

The Eucharist, its celebration and itself as the extraordinary Sacrament, is the “source and summit of Christian life”.
If we really believe that, then we must also hold that what we do in church, what we believe happens in a church, makes an enormous difference.

Do we believe the consecration really does something? Or, do we believe what is said and how, what the gestures are and the attitude in which they made are entirely indifferent? For example, will a choice not to kneel before Christ the King and Judge truly present in each sacred Host, produce a wider effect?

If you throw a stone, even a pebble, into a pool it produces ripples which expand to its edge. The way we celebrate Mass must create spiritual ripples in the Church and the world.

So does our good or bad reception of Holy Communion.

So must violations of rubrics and irreverence.

Mass is not merely a “teaching moment” or a “celebration of unity” or a "tedious obligation". Our choice of music, architecture, ceremonies and language affect more than one small congregation in one building. We are interconnected in both our common human nature and in baptism. When we sin we hurt the whole Body of Christ the Church.

If that is true for sin, it must also be true for our liturgical choices. They must also have personal and corporate impact. Any Mass can be offered for the intentions of the living or the dead.

Not even death is an obstacle to the efficacy of Holy Mass.

Celebrate Mass well, participate properly – affect the whole world. Celebrate poorly – affect the whole world.

In each age since Christ’s Ascension, people have felt they were in the End Times. They were right. In any moment, when the conditions are right, the Lord could return.

Considering what is happening in the world now, I am pushed to think about the way Mass is being celebrated, even the number of Masses being celebrated. Once there were many communities of contemplatives, spending time before the Blessed Sacrament or in contemplation, in collective and in private prayer. There were many more Masses.

Many more people went to confession.

Who can know how they all lifted burdens from the world and turned large and small tides by their prayers to God for mercy and in reparation for sin?

A single droplet of Christ’s Precious Blood consecrated at Holy Mass is the price of every soul ever created in God’s unfathomable plan.

So I repeat:

On Kneeling in The United States

It has been on my heart recently to kneel for Holy Communion. I have received this way a few times and I must say it provides a focus on the Eucharist that can sometimes be lost when standing. When I kneel my eyes are immediately turned toward the Eucharist. When I stand I sometimes find myself looking at the EME or the Priest or deacon. Unless they raise the Precious Body up to eye level.
Well, it's really been on my mind so I've been praying a lot on it. What does God want me to do. He answered me today.

In conducting some other research online I discovered this on the USCCB website:

"The new edition of the General Instruction asks the Conference of Bishops in each country to determine the posture to be used for the reception of Communion and the act of reverence to be made by each person as he or she receives Communion. The Conference of Bishops of the United States has determined that in this country Communion will be received standing and that a bow will be the act of reverence made by those receiving. These norms may require some adjustment on the part of those who have been used to other practices, however the significance of unity in posture and gesture as a symbol of our unity as members of the one body of Christ should be the governing factor in our own actions."

So I have a frame of reference. The Lord knows what is in my heart. Now I know what He wishes for me and, most importantly, how to teach my children.

The rest of The Reception of Holy Communion at Mass from the Committee on Divine Worship.

Liturgial Renewal almost complete

Thanks to Catholic Knight for posting this.

The U.S. Catholic Bishops have launched a new website to help American Catholics study the new text for the 3rd Edition Roman Missal.

I encourage you to read and study these texts as part of your spiritual reading. The changes are beautiful, especially to the Eucharistic prayers.

Check it out below...implementation could come in 2010.

3rd Edition Roman Missal

Political Peril & Other Opinions

Well, it's been a while since I posted about anything politic. This week just has me both doubled over in laughter and shaking my head in shame.

Who's got me laughing? Why, none other than that preposterous speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi. She's getting called out in a bad way! Like a little kid with her hand in the cookie jar and melted chocolate on her cheeks, she stands before us and swears she "DIDN'T KNOW!" about the interrogation procedures. The chocolate on her face? The numerous briefings and CIA memo's now surfacing, letting us know exactly who knew what and when.

Now she's getting nervous. Going to a press conference flustered and out of whack. Like her golden boy, Obama, who flubs the darn words right in front of him on the teleprompter, Pelosi can't find her own darn statement in her own darn notes. It was hilarious, but at the same time sad. Ever watch the "falling" videos on America's Funniest Home Videos? You gasp at the beginning of each fall and then end up laughing your hiney off! That's Pelosi..she's falling. How bad will it be?

Shaking my head in shame? At Notre Dame and (this oxymoron) pro-choice Catholics. President Obama gets his honorary degree (what's that about anyway? Can anyone get one of those? I'd like one, please) this weekend from Notre Dame. Founded in honor of Our Lady by Father Sorin of the Congregation of The Holy Cross back in 1842, Notre Dame has always been a place of learning and religious activity. One of the few truly named Catholic universities left in America. Presenting President Obama with an honorary degree and inviting him to speak at commencement is, actually, quite normal. He is the President of the United States after all. What is not normal at all, is the disparity within the Catholic Faith. Between those who defend life in all forms and stages, and those who don't.

This is not even a matter of "Catholic" morality. This is an issue that should concern all peoples. Christian or not. Taking a life, whether defenseless in the womb or on the streets of NYC, should not be encouraged, tolerated, or made politically correct for any reason.

My opinion is this, If you cannot "afford" to take care of child, then don't have sex. If you're "too young" to take care of a child, then don't have sex. If you're just not "mentally ready" then don't have sex. It's as easy as that. Society will tell you that you are crazy! Have sex and more sex and even more sex. Go crazy with sex. It's better than any drug! (But take them too if it makes you feel good, we'll just start taxing them) Too old to have sex? Never! We've got the cure! Worried about responsibility? Never! Use condoms and gels and foams and odd shaped cups to catch that dirty little sperm. Use the patch and pill or let us implant you with this nifty little device that could possibly wreak havoc on your body, but it's all for the good! You'll be able to have unlimited sex!!! Oh, and you won't get acne or have that nasty little (normal) body function every month. All enabling you to have more and frequent sex.

Failure, you say!? Oh, there is no failure! There's a Planned Parenthood near you! For only $300-400 you can eliminate failure! Enabling you to continue to have more and more of that self indulgent sex.

Sex*! It does a body good!

*Serious side effects may occur. Patients who have unlimited sex may suffer from HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes and/or syphilis. See your doctor if you are having sex and experiencing a burning sensation at urination or lesions of any type. Symptoms may vary.

Wow, I feel like I just did an infomercial.

Just my opinion folks.