Little Red Dutch shoes

I like these shoes too and might paint them as well.

Little Dutch shoes

I don't know what it is about little wooden dutch shoes, but I love them. I plan to paint this pair on canvas:

Be Ye Perfect......

Today I heard something that I've heard before but didn't really think it was possible to achieve -- in this life anyway:
"You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect". What? How does one accomplish that? Then, the speaker went on to say that Thomas Aquinas taught that one must "Will it". I gave that statement some thought....how do I "will it"? I think perhaps he meant that we must ask God for the graces, virtue, and wisdom to pursue this quest to "will it" every moment of every day. In all the business of this life, we forget that the most important thing in this life is to pursue God - to love Him and serve Him with all of our hearts every minute of every single day. Is it possible to be perfect in this life? Will I stumble and fall down? Yes and yes. But, with God's love and grace and because He said it was possible, we must give it our best effort and "will it to be so".

The Cherry

This is my second attempt at painting with acrylics. I was so frustrated with the first painting because my brushes were awful -- bought new brushes and they work great! The process was really fun and I'm basically happy with the painting. I'll continue to hone my skills and work with acrylics as much as I can so I know what I'm doing instead of just making happy accidents.

The Apple

After a wonderful few days of vacation with our friends in their timeshare, I'm back home inspired to paint again. It's been years -- literally-- since I picked up my paint brushes. I was lost -- how do I begin? The first thing I did was go to Joanne's and buy a pack of canvases already primed, acrylics, cheap paintbrushes, and other supplies. $81.00 later, and I'm ready to start a painting. I can't remember how I found this guy -- Will Kemp -- but, I went to his website and started reading and watching his videos on painting. He is a truly talented young artist and his style resonates with me. The first project to paint: the apple. Here is my rendition following Will Kemp's instructions. I'm happy to start painting again and will post more work as I finish it.

Mysouff - the French hunter

A few weeks ago I gave into an indulgence and bought a book about French Cats -- kitty cats of course! The photography is wonderful and, of course, I love the French countryside. The stories are fun and interesting too. Apparently, Alexander Dumas, adored cats, exotic birds, and monkeys; I think most people would say these animals don't really belong together and sure enough, trouble followed. Mysouff II, one of his adored cats, decided - enough with those noisy flappy birds! and killed everyone of them. So, Alexander Dumas had to dispense justice and incarcerated the felonious feline by keeping her in the monkey cage with the monkeys. She was released 5 years later!! when he sold the monkeys. The French Cat, Rachael Hale

What is Relativism?

*Christianity asks, "Isn't the Trinity wonderful?"
*New Age asks, "Isn't my divinity wonderful?"
*Secular Humanism ask, "Isn't our humanity wonderful?"
*Hedonism asks, "Isn't pleasure wonderful?"
*Pragmatism says, "If it works, it's wonderful."
*Buddhism says, "Nothing is wonderful."
*Hinduism says, "All is one-derful."
*Egotism says, "I am wonderful! No question."
*Relativism ends it, "If it's wonderful for you, now that's wonderful."

Our Lenten Journey

When tempted, invoke your angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: He trembles and flees at the sight of your guardian angel.-- St. John Bosco

This is the year that my dear husband has finally made the decision to enter the Catholic Church. I converted in 1997 and all of our children have since converted and all the grand-babies were baptized -- then, we waited for father to make a decision. For years he would say, " I'm Anglican (really Episcopalian), and I've already been baptized and consecrated". He was done and didn't need anything else. I knew God wanted me to be quiet and not try to convince him about anything. So, I prayed, and prayed, and would upon occasion read a book out loud to him about the faith. God wanted me to learn to be patient, and to trust Him that all would be well.
As time went on, he would talk more about faith and service to God and ask questions. I would pray some more. Then, finally, at the end of last summer when the RCIA classes were being offered again, I took a leap of faith and asked him if he wanted to sign up for them. I assured him I would go with him so he wouldn't be alone. He agreed. It has been a wonderful journey. We've met so many nice people that I hope will become life long friends. And, we are learning so much about our faith. I feel like we finally have the tools to be good stewards and good examples for others in this life.
Thank you Jesus for answering my prayers.

Grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” G.K.Chesterton, Orthodoxy

The cat with the glowing eyes - scary!

So....this is Cat, or princess, or my precious, or gypsy -- whatever. She is Catter to me. I inherited Catter when my daughter got married several years ago. It seemed reasonable to keep her; after all, this was really the only home she knew. Anyway, Catter is at times a great source of entertainment and sometimes irritation. This story is about entertainment:
A few weeks ago, my daughter's boys, age 3 and 18 months were visiting us and spending the night. Bath-time came before bedtime and they were having a pleasant time playing in the tub while I read them a story. After the bath, both boys were drying off half in the bathroom and half in the hallway when suddenly Joshua screamed, covered his eyes with his hands and ran naked and wet down the entire length of the hall. Of course, this frightened Caleb (the 18 month old) and he promptly copied his brother -- picture two naked boys running down the hall covering their eyes and screaming. I was sort of in shock wondering why are these children acting like this and what could be frightening them so much, when I turned to look into the cat's room (yes, she has her own room) and saw her sitting on top of the dresser, eyes aglow. The room was dark-- remember it was night time. I sort of stifled a laugh and went after the boys and gave them each a hug and reassured them that it was okay. I took the three year old back to the cat room so that he could see that it was only the cat and her eyes glow when it's dark -- nothing to be scared of, okay?
Sometimes God has to do this with me, I admit it. I'm very old now, and one would think that I should have acquired the trust and confidence needed to live my Christian faith. But, more often than not, I find myself wanting to cover my eyes and run screaming down the hall just so I don't have to face something that in His wisdom He wants me to confront. I need to trust God more -- trusting is loving, right?

Catechism class for adults

I am happy to say that my dear husband has finally decided to convert to the faith, and we have been attending Monday night classes since September. He was confirmed in the Episcopalian church many years ago and we were even married in the Episcopal church in Santa Ana 39 years ago. I'm not sure what triggered his desire to do this, but it is a joy to learn and grow in the faith with my life partner.
We faithfully attend Sunday Mass at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in our hometown; and whenever we travel, we find a Catholic church to attend Mass -- we don't want to miss a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation. He says the rosary with me, we read the scriptures almost everyday, and we pray together. Over the years of faithfully attending services and learning about the Catholic faith through the teaching of the priests, EWTN programs, and books that I have read to him, he finally decided to be confirmed. What joy -- what happiness is mine. It's what I've always wanted, yearned for, and dreamed about for him.
However, I must say, that I'm a little disappointed in how liberal some of the people are who come to teach our classes. Last Monday we had one of the Deacons teach (again); he has taught several classes so far to date. He's obviously in the liberal camp and makes it known. Last Monday he spoke about "community" and suggested that attending services, whether it is mass, a wedding, or a funeral, or anything else is because of "community".
When I heard him say this, I sat up straighter in my chair and thought to myself, "No, it is not "community", it is because of Christ that I even attend anything". I, personally, do not go to Mass in order to feel close to those sitting in the pews around me; I go because Jesus said He would NEVER leave me nor forsake me. I believe with all my heart that He is present in the form and disguise of the Host and the Wine. Transubstantiation. I never heard that word until I watched Mother Angelica on EWTN back in the 1990's and she talked to the audience about it. I had an "Epiphany" at that moment; my eyes were opened; my mind was enlightened; I was set free! What!? Jesus is really here? and when I consume the bread and wine I am consuming Him? For a few minutes after I consume Him, He is present in me in all His glory, imparting His graces to me. I was thrilled! I was so happy to learn this! Suddenly, everything Jesus said on earth made sense to me. (read Mtt 26:26-29 and John 6:52-69). I go to Mass and attend services for Jesus and through His graces and teachings that He has imparted through His written Word, I come to love and serve those around me.
As far as the concept of "community" goes, there are many many more protestant churches that are more welcoming than the Catholic church. If I was seeking "community" and all that entails, I wouldn't be going to a Catholic Church -- the only friendly persons I've met there are the priest, our neighbors, and the people that sit behind us during Mass. The husband always offers his hand-sanitizer before going up to recieve communion.
That probably sounded harsh, but never-the-less it is the truth.

The Blessing of the Throats and St. Blaise

Today the priests blessed our throats with blessed candles -- a very strange tradition, I thought. I didn't know who St. Blaise was and why he blessed candles and then placed them on peoples throat so that they would have good health. But, hey, God can do anything, right? So, I went up to the altar and got blessed with two candles on my throat today -- a first for me. A strange thing happened when I was there receiving the blessing -- I felt the Holy Spirit fill me completely and bring peace, joy, and comfort to my heart. Isn't God good? He can do anything He wants -- even bless us with candles.
Who is St. Blaise you may ask?

St. Blaise was a physician who became the bishop of a city called Sabastea in what is now Turkey in the latter part of the third century. He died as a martyr for the faith in AD 316 and from soon after his death, he was hailed and venerated as a saint.

Few details are known about St. Blaise. According to tradition, he lived a life of prayer and fasting in a cave just outside of Sabastea. It is said that he healed injured animals and that the sincerity of his faith served as a great inspiration for all who knew him.

One very old story about this holy bishop was that, through his intercession, God miraculously healed a young boy who had a fish bone stuck in his throat. For this reason, the prayers of St. Blaise have long been invoked for those threatened by or suffering from injuries and illnesses of the throat.

Remember: Catholic traditions such as the blessing of the throats are venerable and are a wonderful part of our faith. But they aren't acts of superstition. We should approach this and all "cool Catholic traditions" as an important part of our Catholic patrimony (something that we have inherited and must pass on) that draws us prayerfully closer to our Lord and to his Church.

Happy St. Blaise's Day!

Uriah Heep - a very "umble" person

I first encountered this character, Uriah Heep, in Charles Dickins masterpiece, David Copperfield, and I have never been able to forget him. To say he depicted the most duplicitous, oily, dishonest and slimy character is not an exaggeration. There is a visceral reaction to this person when one first reads of this character -- and, it is not pleasant. So, for me, he was ever placed in my mind as the most villainous person that one could know and certainly, one would not want to ever emulate him.
Now, I come to the present day talking to my dear husband about this and that and expressing discontent that some of the people we had given Christmas presents to had never acknowledged them with a "Thank you" card or even an email. I was going on and on about this, ad nauseum, when something struck my mind -- and a voice said, " You didn't acknowledge some of the gifts that you received either". What?!
Yes, God brought me up short and wrung from me a confession I was unwilling to make -- I, indeed, was being duplicitous, unkind, dishonest, and maybe a little "slimy" myslelf -- in short....just like a "Uriah Heep"!!
What a revelation! What an epiphany! It was all too true -- mea culpa! I was acting just like the one character I truly dispised.
Thank you Lord for letting me see this, giving me the grace to ask Your Forgiveness, and repent of my actions.

To Receive Graciously is to give power to others

In the week before Christmas I was busy buying presents. I find it a difficult time, because I do not have the imagination needed to buy truly personal and endearing presents. Then there is always someone for whom it is difficult to buy anything because they seem to have everyting. The experience reminded me of a book I read, Gifts and Strangers, by an English missionary anthropologist, Fr. Anthony Gittins, recently rewritten as Ministry at the Margins.
He analyzes missionary life from the point of view of "gift giving and receiving." He sees these as a necessary part of building relationships. Gittins builds on the theories of Marcel Mauss' seminal book, The Gift. Mauss points out that gifts are rarely free, they almost always indebt us. But that is not so terrible because these debts establish relationships. The alternative is the rich, independent person who needs and owes no one but is isolated and lonely.
Gittens points out that all of us have the obligation to give, to receive and to repay...
"Not to receive" is an unwillingness to be in a relationship. When we seem not to need others' gifts and services we can make them feel helpless and insignificant. It is like having rich friends for whom we cannot buy a present - thus, causing alienation.
Not only can people oppress others with large presents, but they can insult them by the way they receive other's gifts. "To receive graciously" is to give power to others. It is...to allow ourselves to be indebted, to empower and liberate "the giver" in others and to open ourselves to mutual relationships.
This is not only important for missionaries but for everyone, and it is also critically important in our relationship with God. We can either give and accept gifts graciously, or we condemn ourselves to being strangers. (excerpt from Fr. Noel Connolly's article in Columban Mission Magazine Dec.2013).

Black and White

I love B&W photos. I don't know why or what it is about them, but they actually produce a visceral response whenever I look at them. I love B&W movies too and prefer them over the fast paced, complicated, and CG movies of today. They feel calming to me. Black and White. Maybe that's the way I want to see the world in those terms, I don't know. But, here are some favorite photos that I took this year during our many travels.

Gaudete

“Either we live the liturgical year with its varying seasons of joy and sorrow, work and rest, or we follow the pattern of the world,” writes Helen McLoughlin in Advent and Christmas in a Catholic Home, commenting on the challenge Catholics have of being “in the world but not of the world” throughout the year. She wrote these profound words in the 1950s, but they are even more important today because of the general decline in Catholic family life during the last 40 years. As Catholic parents, we must readjust our priorities and teach our children by living our faith, both inside and outside the home.
“Children love to anticipate,” writes McLoughlin. “When there are empty mangers to fill with straw for small sacrifices, when the Mary candle is a daily reminder on the dinner table, when Advent hymns are sung in the candlelight of a graceful Advent wreath, children are not anxious to celebrate Christmas before time. That would offend their sense of honor. Older children who make Nativity sets, cut Old Testament symbols to decorate a Jesse tree, or prepare costumes for a Christmas play will find Advent all too short a time to prepare for the coming of Christ the King.”
A family’s strong and living faith will become their heritage and a mode to reinforce the religious practices centered in the liturgy by bringing simple practices into their homes, like the following:

Advent wreath: The Advent wreath, which has German origins, is probably the most recognized Advent custom. It is a wreath made of evergreens that is bound to a circle of wire. It symbolizes the many years from Adam to Christ in which the world awaited its Redeemer; it also represents the years that we have awaited His second and final coming. The wreath holds four equally spaced candles, the three purple ones lit on the “penitential” Sundays and a pink one for Gaudete (rejoice), the joyful third Sunday in Advent.

The empty manger: Each child may have his own individual manger, or there may be one manger for the whole family. The idea is that when acts of service, sacrifice, or kindness are done in honor of Baby Jesus as a birthday present, the child receives a piece of straw to put into the manger. Then, on Christmas morning, “Baby Jesus” is placed in the manger. Encourage your children to make Jesus’ bed as “comfortable” as possible through their good deeds. In the process, explain Christ’s incomparable self-gift at Christmas and Easter that enables us to be part of God’s family.

The Jesse tree: The Jesse tree tells about Christ’s ancestry through symbols and relates Scripture to salvation history, progressing from creation to the birth of Christ. The tree can be made on a poster board with the symbols glued on, or on an actual tree.

The Mary candle: On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, place a candle with a blue ribbon before a statue or picture of the Blessed Virgin, whose “yes” to God enabled our Lord’s coming at Christmas. The candle is lit during meal times to serve as a delightful reminder of Mary’s eager expectation of the “Light of the World.” It can also serve as a reminder to each family member to keep their own light of grace burning as a preparation for Christ’s coming.

Becoming the Handmaiden of the Lord

I just read an article about Edith Stein, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a well known Jewess who converted to Catholicism late in life, and took her vows as a Carmelite nun; however, prior to that, she studied philosophy and received a doctorate in this field in 1916. She was captured by the Nazis and executed in 1942. She left us a legacy of writings that, I think, will help the modern woman wading through the quagmire of confusing disparate ideologies to finally find her place in this life as God intended. Here is an excerpt that I think is especially well written in her book entitled, Essays on Woman.
Must all women become religious in order to fulfill their vocation as women? Certainly not. But it certainly does mean that the fallen perverted feminine nature can be restored to its purity and led to the heights of the vocational ethos which this pure nature indicates only if it is completely surrendered to God. Whether she is a mother in the home, or occupies a place in the limelight of public life, or lives behind quiet cloister walls, she must be a handmaid of the Lord everywhere.
So had the Mother of God in all circumstances of her life, as the Temple virgin enclosed in that hallowed precinct, by her quiet work in Bethlehem and Nazareth, as guide to the apostles and the Christian community after the death of her son.
Were each woman an image of the Mother of God, a spouse of Christ, an apostle of the divine Heart, then would each fulfill her feminine vocation no matter what conditions she lived and what worldly activity absorbed her life. –Page 52

St. John of the Cross

The Dark Night
One dark night fired with loves urgent longings
I went out, unseen, my house being now all stilled
Upon my flowering breast which I kept wholly for Him alone
there He lays sleeping
I abandoned and forgot myself
laying my face on my beloved
all things ceased
I went out from myself
leaving my cares forgotten

The Angelus

Peace I give you....

From "The Imitation of Christ"
Peace is something everyone longs for, but it is not everyone who troubles to find out what brings true peace. "My peace is to be found among those who are humble and gentle of heart; you will find your own peace in the practice of great patience."
As a learner of this practice, I ask what must I do?
"You must at all times pay attention to what you do and what you say, and make it your constant aim to please me (God) alone, desiring and seeking nothing apart from myself. Do not make rash judgments on what other people say or do, and do not involve yourself in matters which are of no concern to you. Keep these rules, and you will have little to trouble your mind.
You must not expect to never feel disquieted or to suffer grief of heart or bodily pain; such freedom from trouble belongs not to this present life but to the life of eternal rest.
Even when you experience great devotion and inward sweetness, you must not think yourself a privileged person for it isn't by these things that the true lover of holiness is known; such things are no sign of one's spiritual progress and perfection."

Let us take our hearts, ragged and bleeding, ......

'Often... the road of life runs through rough places,
and trials fall crushingly upon us,
our path becomes steep,
and the music that was in our hearts is quite hushed.
It is then that the tendency is strong to sink slowly back into
the abandoned valley of half-hearted service,
or at least to stand and make no effort to cling to Him
and love Him more and more.
Let us then pause upon the roadside of our daily lives
to gain new strength and vigour from Him Who has weighed each load.
Let us take our hearts, ragged and torn and bleeding,
and place them close to His, that they may be transformed,
that their every beat may be an act of adoration and of love.'

(from Fervorinos From Galilee's Hills, compiled by a Religious, Pelligrini, Australia, 1936, p. 252)

Painting: Johan Edvard Bergh, Skogslandskap, 1853

Even actual suffering brings me no joy.....

Prayer of a Chronically Ill Person

Lord, the day is drawing to a close, and like all the other days, it leaves with me the impression of utter defeat. I have done nothing for You: neither have I said conscious prayers, nor performed works of charity, nor any works at all . . . . I have not even been able to control that childish impatience and those foolish rancours which so often occupy the place that should be Your's in the "no-man's-land" of my emotions. It is in vain that I promise You to do better. I shall be no different tomorrow, nor on the day that follows.

When I retrace the course of my life, I am overwhelmed by the same impression of inadequacy. I have sought You in prayer, and in service of my neighbor,. . . . But in seeking You, do I not find myself? Do I not wish to satisfy myself? Those works that I secretly termed good and saintly, dissolve in the light of approaching eternity . . . .Even actual suffering brings me no joy because I bear them so badly.Perhaps we are all like this: incapable of discerning anything but our own wretchedness and our own despairing cowardice before the Light of the beyond that waxes on our horizon.

But, it may be O Lord, that this impression of privation is part of a divine plan. It may be that in Your eyes, self-complacency is the most obnoxious of all fripperies, and that we must come before You naked so that You, You alone, may clothe us.
The Soul Afire - Marguerite Teilhard de Chardin, foundress of Union of the sick in France, 1930.

Happiness is an inside job

Happiness is an inside job
We are happy if we are grateful and loving
not because everyone else fulfills our every need

The Holy Name of Mary

When we call upon the name of Mary, we’re not only invoking her aid as an intercessor to Christ, but as a conduit or dispenser of grace. When Mary assented to God’s plan of salvation, by saying “yes” at the moment of the Incarnation, she intervened on behalf of every human person. St. Thomas Aquinas notes that Mary’s acceptance by her free will to become the Mother of God at the moment of the Annunciation demonstrates the close spiritual connection between Christ and all of humanity. Only after Mary’s “yes” did Jesus Christ become a man and die for our sins. Therefore, far from feeling like devotion to Mary and her Holy Name pushes us further from God, we can continue to meditate and to examine how she binds us to Him all the more closely. thecrescat

PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN MARTYRS

http://www.persecution.org/category/countries/asia/pakistan/
Two suicide bombers connected to Pakistan's Taliban attacked one of the oldest churches in Pakistan's KPK provinece on Sunday, September 22. As a result of the attack, 85 Christians were killed and over 150 were wounded. This recent attack has many people in the mainstream media asking 'who are Pakistan's Christians?'
Do you know what these Christians were doing right before they were ruthlessly attacked and murdered? Feeding the poor - muslims.

Keep Close to the Catholic Church

"Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times, for the Church alone can give you true peace, since she alone possesses Jesus, the true Prince of Peace, in the Blessed Sacrament." - St. Pio

ON MARITAL CHASTITY

While watching Johnette Benkovic on EWTN interview Monica Breaux, PhD, MSW, I was astounded by Dr. Breaux's wisdom and encouraged by her strategies for a better marriage. I found this article on her website (http://drmonicabreaux.com/publications.html) and thought it was worth sharing - others might find it helpful. I shared with my husband the interview I just watched and he too seemed interested in what she had to say. I'll write about it later; in the meantime, enjoy this article.
Published March 2, 2006 in
The Catholic Sun as Humanly Possible column
Making good sexual choices in our lives (part 1)
by Monica Hidalgo Breaux, PhD, MSW
Once upon a time there was a young man who felt called to the priesthood. He
struggled against the same temptations to sexual sin that every young man must face in
spiritual combat. With the help of grace, he lived in holiness. He prayed, volunteered in the
church and served God lovingly in his work. He entered the seminary, but within a few years he
left because he fell in love and married a young woman. They were virgins on their wedding
day and remained faithful to each other, just as they had promised in their marriage vows.
The man believed that impure thoughts were sinful, so when he was tempted to indulge
in sexual fantasy, he distracted himself with prayerful service to his family and church. He
maintained “custody of the eyes” as he had been taught, which means he simply looked away
from things that caused sexual arousal. He prayed with his wife each day for God’s grace to
avoid sin by resisting temptations. Their marriage did not include contraception, abortion,
pornography, masturbation, adultery, or fantasy affairs with other people. His wife felt desirable
and well loved by him.
They accepted their fertility as a good gift from God, so they practiced Natural Family
Planning. Their lovemaking was always open to God’s will and they welcomed each child He
sent. When they discerned in prayer to abstain from sex during fertile times to space their
children, they returned to the joys of courtship that they had known prior to marriage. Having a
monthly courtship (by abstaining from sex) and honeymoon period (by returning to sexual
loving) kept their romance alive and well. They had children and grandchildren and recently she
died. Her last words were, “Honey, I love you much.” He responded, “Sweetie, you were my
only girl.” The man’s name is Vernon Broussard and he is well known in Louisiana where he
serves God lovingly. Sexual expression faithful to God’s design is humanly possible.
God invites us into a life of sexual purity that allows us to love fully and naturally and
also satisfies the deepest longing of our hearts to be truly loved as we are. When we reject the
purpose of our maleness or our femaleness, we reject God’s plan. When we reject our fertility
or any aspect of our bodies, we reject God’s gift. Why do we insult God who designed human
beings and human sexual desires? Will we eventually choose one flower in the world as the
best one, fixate ourselves on it, and then try to make them all look like that? Until we thank God
for the design of our own body, we will never feel loved and accepted by another person.
Every day we make sexual choices. Before we make behavior choices, we first make
choices in our minds that shape our own desires. When a thought pops in our head, we have
free will to distract ourselves with other thoughts or behaviors. Choosing our thoughts is how
we form our habits of desire. Our sexual appetite can be formed to desire any person or thing.
Indulging in sexual fantasy connects our sexual appetite to unreal people and unreal situations.
Sexual fantasy interferes with our ability to enjoy real life people and situations and it can lead to
addiction.
In the Alcoholics Anonymous program, people learn to call another person (sponsor), go
to a meeting, or use slogans or reading materials to distract themselves from destructive ideas
that lead to loss of self-control. Repeating new ideas helps to alter our brain and helps to form
new habits. Changing the brain by changing what we think about, in order to change what we
desire and what we do, is the basis of therapy. We are not victims of our sexual appetite.

Litany of the Sacred Heart

The Cat

Here is Cat....she thinks I can't see her. I inherited Cat when my daughter got married. Her husband didn't want her - the cat, I mean. I tried everything I could to find a "forever home" for this cat, but to no avail. No one wanted an insane, narcissistic, self-endulgent, I don't care about you kind of cat. Wait....maybe all cats are that way?

You turn men back into dust....

You turn men back into dust... You sweep men away like a dream... Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart... In the morning fill us with your love...

Today’s responsorial psalm (23rd Sunday)

I love money.....

I bought this little coin purse for my two and half year old grand-son the other day and had no idea it would become the most important thing in his life. My daughter reports that he keeps it with him at all times (it's filled with pennies), and sleeps with it during nap times and bedtimes. He won't allow his 15 month old brother to touch it or come near it!
All I can do is laugh..
I hope it doesn't ruin him.

Ode to Cassie

Ode to my Cassie who died 5 years ago: Dogs lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you're going to lose a dog, and, there's going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never failing to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can't support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There's such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware it comes with an unbearable price. Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for all the other illusions we allow ourselves and for the mistakes we make because of those illusions. Dean Koontz, The Darkest Evening of the Year.

Because God is Never Cruel....

Because God is never cruel, there is a reason for all things. We must know the pain of loss; because if we never knew it, we would have no compassion for others, and we would become monsters of self-regard, creatures of unalloyed self-interest. The terrible pain of loss teaches us humility to our prideful kind, has the power to soften uncaring hearts, to make a better person of a good one. Dean Koontz, The Darkest Evening of the Year.

Still Missing my Dad

My Dad died 3 years ago. I still miss him. There's an ache in my heart that comes whenever I stop and think about him. It hurts. I think about him anyway.
Somehow, the pain and sorrow I feel are comforting to me, but they do not replace the comfort I felt from him wrapping his big old arms around me and giving me a tight hug. I miss that. I really do.
Soon Daddy, we will be united in heaven -- loving Christ and loving one another.

Going Home

This song was sung by Chief Petty Officer Graham Jackson as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's body was born past in Warm Springs, GA April, 1945. The youtube posted is of Paul Robeson singing it. I couldn't find a rendition from Graham Jackson, but you can see the tears streaming down his face. This song is so beautiful and moving.

Giving Scandal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights

One doesn't hear much about "Giving Scandal", from any source. So, today, when I read Terry Nelson's journal piece on this subject, it gave me pause -- a moment to reflect. The only time I ever heard a pastor talk about "giving scandal" was when he gave a homily on calumny. I had no idea what that word meant, but he went on to explain that a child had come to him in confession the day before saying that his mother told him that Father was a bad priest because he just bought himself a new car. I have never seen a priest express so much anger from the pulpit - we certainly went away that day knowing that to commit calumny was a grave sin; add to that corrupting a child's mind with gossip. As it turns out, the car was a gift to Father from his Mother and Father.
2284 Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.


2285 Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."86 Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing.87


2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion. Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice, or to "social conditions that, intentionally or not, make Christian conduct and obedience to the Commandments difficult and practically impossible."88 This is also true of business leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to anger,89 or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values.


2287 Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged. "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!" - CCC (from Abbey Roads Blog)

The New Feminism

Perhaps you have heard the term and have been wondering about what this “New Feminism” stuff is all about. Many have pegged it a “Catholic-thing” since the name is largely attributed to a quote by John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) where he calls for a ‘new feminism’.
However, New Feminism is not just something for us Catholic girls. It is for all women. The principles of New Feminism should resonate with all women because at the heart of it all is a call for us to embrace our feminine call to mother. We are all called to mother, not always physically, but always with great love and acceptance for others. Our feminine contribution of unconditional love for others is what will bring about a true
Pope Paul VI pleaded and implored women in the 1965 Second Vatican Council’s closing address, ”Reconcile men with life and above all, we beseech you, watch carefully over the future of our race. Hold back the hand of man who, in a moment of folly, might attempt to destroy human civilization.”
New Feminists are needed to restore the balance that has been lost in recent decades. When woman decided to grasp at masculine qualities and abandon her own “feminine genius,” our world lost sight of “otherness” and became exceptionally self-focused. We ended up with abortion, contraception, and divorces ripping families apart. Children have suffered terribly in this world where feminine responsibility has been eschewed.
Our world needs motherhood. This is not to say that women can only live out their femininity in the home caring for children; it simply means that to be female is to be a sort of mother to our race, in whatever profession you happen to have. Motherhood does not have to be physical motherhood. The qualities that women naturally possess also lend themselves to spiritual and adoptive motherhood of those all around us. A woman in politics, a woman in the business world, and a woman raising children all have the same responsibility to teach others about universal human dignity. We need people who simply love humanity unconditionally and will fight for every one of us like our own mothers would.
“In transforming culture so that it supports life, women occupy a place, in thought and action, which is unique and decisive. It depends on them to promote a “new feminism” which rejects the temptation of imitating models of “male domination”, in order to acknowledge and affirm the true genius of women in every aspect of the life of society, and overcome all discrimination, violence and exploitation.” (Evangelium Vitae, n. 99)
“”Reconcile people with life“. You are called to bear witness to the meaning of genuine love, of that gift of self and of that acceptance of others which are present in a special way in the relationship of husband and wife, but which ought also to be at the heart of every other interpersonal relationship. The experience of motherhood makes you acutely aware of the other person and, at the same time, confers on you a particular task: “Motherhood involves a special communion with the mystery of life, as it develops in the woman’s womb . . . This unique contact with the new human being developing within her gives rise to an attitude towards human beings not only towards her own child, but every human being, which profoundly marks the woman’s personality”. A mother welcomes and carries in herself another human being, enabling it to grow inside her, giving it room, respecting it in its otherness. Women first learn and then teach others that human relations are authentic if they are open to accepting the other person: a person who is recognized and loved because of the dignity which comes from being a person and not from other considerations, such as usefulness, strength, intelligence, beauty or health. This is the fundamental contribution which the Church and humanity expect from women. And it is the indispensable prerequisite for an authentic cultural change.” (ibid). source: http://www.ignitumtoday.com/?s=the+new+feminism. Leah Jacobson, author

Living my vocation

How to be faithful to God each day -- pray this prayer:
Lord help me to live my vocation to the fullest today.

Anne Hathaway sings, I Dreamed a Dream

Mother Mary and the extra key

Padre Pio used to tell a story: "One day Our Lord making rounds of Paradise saw some strange faces. He asked Peter: 'Who let these people in?' Peter: 'There is nothing I can do.' The Lord: 'But you have the key.' Peter: 'There is nothing I can do, and you can't do either.' The Lord: 'What do you mean?' 'It's your mother. She has another key. She let's them in.'

Advocata Nostra

Advocata Nostra, the oldest icon of Mary in Rome, at the Dominican Sisters Convent on Via Trionfale on Monte Mario. This icon can be traced back to its origin in Jerusalem, where tradition has it that it was painted by St Luke after the Resurrection, at the request of the apostles. But the tradition also states that after St Luke had sketched the outline, the image of Our Lady appeared on it. No human hand was involved. Such works are referred to as achiropita—'made without hands'.(http://holyfaceofmanoppello.blogspot.com/2011/03/true-face-of-mary.html)

Do Catholics Worship Mary?

From Fr.Z's blog: When you go into a Catholic Church and you see a big, splendid statue of Mary with flowers in front of it, a bank of candles lit before it and an old woman kneeling down, fervently praying her rosary it would seem to be what it looks like: the woman is worshipping a statue of Mary.

But if you ask the old woman if she is worshipping Mary she’d say, “Whataryatalkinabout?, I’m praying the rosary.”

So what is going on? First we have to define “worship”. From time immemorial worship was identified with a particular action: the action of sacrifice. Pagans worshipped their gods by making sacrifices to them. The Jews worshipped by making sacrifice to Jahweh.

The reason we moderns get confused about worship is that we’ve forgotten the principle of sacrifice so we don’t really know what worship is all about. This is understandable from Protestants because they got worried about the sacrifice thing 500 years ago and threw it out. What is most depressing is that most Catholics also don’t understand the “sacrifice is worship” idea either. They’ve been told the Mass is all about “the family of God gathering around the table of fellowship to increase their mutual self esteem and discuss peace and justice issues.”

Because of this nonsense the majority of American Catholics don’t have a clue what the sacrifice business is all about, and therefore they don’t know what worship is supposed to be about either. Like the neo-Prots that they are they have come to think that worship is all about hearing a sermon, singing some songs and praying.

Now we’re getting down to the reason why Protestants think Catholics worship Mary. They think worship and prayer are the same thing. Therefore, if you are praying to Mary you must be worshipping Mary.

Well, the Catholic faith has been around for a long time, and believe it or not, these questions have been asked before, and the Catholics have the answer. It goes like this: there are three categories of respect due in the realm of worship. They go by specific names: Latria, Dulia and Hyperdulia. Latria is worship. It is the worship that is due only to God. This worship consists of offering God our lives, our souls, our minds and our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans. 12. 1-2) We do this pre-eminently through the sacrifice of the Mass.

Dulia is not worship. It is honor. We honor anyone who is eminent and accomplished. We honor them for their brains, their discipline, their wit, their achievement. We honor our parents and grandparents because we owe them that. We honor our loved ones. Part of this honor is that we ask them for things. We come to them with our needs. We look up to them. We respect them. They are our role models and mentors. We have a relationship to them of subservient honor. They are awesome to us. Dulia is also what we give to the saints and angels. We give them the honor that is due to them. As part of this we have a relationship with them. We ask them for things. This is called “praying to the saints.”

Hyperdulia is the honor we give to the Virgin Mary. We give her the highest honor because she is unique amongst all God’s creation. She is higher than the cherubim and seraphim. She is the only created being who was honored by God so greatly that his son took his flesh from her. She has totally unique place of honor in heaven and therefore also amongst all of God’s people on earth. The honor we give her, therefore, and the dulia we give her is higher than any other being. But it is not latria. We’re clear about that. We do not worship Mary. The sign of this is that we do not make sacrifice to her. You don’t find any Catholic priest offering a Mass to Mary. No. The sacrifice of the Mass is offered to God the Almighty Father.

This also should be understood clearly: the dulia and hyperdulia which we give to Mary and the saints is ultimately honor given to God. We honor the saints (including the Blessed Mother) not for who they are, but for who God made them to be. We honor in them the completed work of grace. We honor in them their faithful obedience, which itself is a gift from God. The Blessed Virgin says, “the Almighty has done great things for me!” We honor Mary and the saints because we are struck with delight and awe at the wonderful things God has done for them. As the moon reflects the sun, so the Virgin and saints reflect the light of Christ. Without him they are nothing. With him they have become divinized–sons and daughters of the Almighty Father.

Finally, we insist that it is proper devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary which corrects all the other errors. Do you think it is a co incidence that as neo-Protestantism has grown in the Catholic Church that Marian devotion has been marginalized, limited sometimes even banned or prohibited? When Marian devotion plays its proper part in the life of the Church we also start to realize what real worship is, and how important the sacrifice of the Mass is to everything else. This is why, despite misunderstandings we come back time and again to thank God for Mary and to honor her as the greatest of all created beings.

The Authority of the Church?

I like to read Terry Nelson's blog, Abbey-Roads: I find it thought provoking and enlightening. Today he talked about the SCOTUS decision: here is what he said: "Reading other blogs and commentators, I'm struck by how not a few Catholics seem to believe Church teaching on sexuality and marriage must change - in fact, they predict it will change. They refer to the hierarchy as the old men in the Vatican with outmoded ideas and morality. They say that Church teaching is too negative, too prohibitive, and so on...". He quotes Matthew as bringing him solace: "... due to the increase of evil, the love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24:12.

A reader made this comment which really struck a chord for me:

Church teaching is not a "suggestion." Church authority is not a mere "guide" that you can choose to agree with or not to agree with. Infallible Church teaching, such as that which concerns what a human person is and what he is made for (which is ultimately the question regarding marriage), is something one either accepts as true or not. May one have, as Newman said, difficulties with it? Of course. But a thousand difficulties does not make one doubt.

I suppose you need to ask yourself what you really believe. Is the Church the Body of Christ? Does she speak for Christ here on earth, or not? If the answer is "yes" for both, it is not possible to disagree with her teachings, since her teachings are the teachings of Jesus Christ.

If the answer is "no" then I would say you are probably wasting your time claiming to be a Catholic. For if the ultimate authority on right and wrong is not the Church, but rather oneself, then there is no need for Church teaching, or the Church, or belief in God at all.

Dear God, have mercy on us all as we struggle to live in this secular and hateful age.

Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.

Abbey Roads posted excerpts from Garrigou-Lagrange's writings today -- I liked them so well, that I re-posted them here: I would like to read more about this remarkable person.
If a man is fundamentally egotistical, his intimate conversation with himself is inspired by sensuality or pride. He converses with himself about the object of his cupidity, of his envy; finding therein sadness and death, he tries to flee from himself, to live outside of himself, to divert himself in order to forget the emptiness and the nothingness of his life. In this intimate conversation of the egoist with himself there is a certain very inferior self-knowledge and a no less inferior self-love.

The intimate conversation of the egoist with himself proceeds thus to death and is therefore not an interior life. His self-love leads him I to wish to make himself the center of everything, to draw everything to himself, both persons and things. Since this is impossible, he frequently ends in disillusionment and disgust; he becomes unbearable to himself and to others, and ends by hating himself because he wished to love himself excessively. At times he ends by hating life because he desired too greatly what is inferior in it - Garrigou-Lagrange
[P]ride is a bandage over the eyes of the spirit, which hinders us from seeing the truth, especially that relative to the majesty of God and the excellence of those who surpass us. It prevents us from wishing to be instructed by them, or it prompts us not to accept direction without argument. Pride thus perverts our life as one would bend a spring; it hinders us from asking light from God, who consequently hides His truth from the proud. - Garrigou-Lagrange

The Children of this Time

I just read an excellent article about how our children are being socially corrupted in our schools, The Pagans are Happy to Socialize Your Children, by Devin Rose posted on IGNITUM TODAY. It is well worth reading. Here are some excerpts:

"The pagans are happy to socialize your children, and will gladly do so if you send them to public school. In all likelihood, they will be socialized to conform to the prevailing culture, the zeitgeist, and not to Christ. Why? Because the secular society offers a competing vision for life and happiness, one largely at odds to the Christian gospel. Morally relativistic, consumer-driven, materialistic hedonism is appealing in countless ways."

"As a second step, I propose the solution that you offer a better culture to your children. A lively culture based on Christ and His Church, rooted in your family, in the milieu of a community of faith and love. Offer your children a place of beauty and truth, of warmth and welcome, of goodness and loveliness. Offer your children the truth of the Gospel as applied to every part of life."

"In practice, homeschooling offers a good way of doing this. And a good way of not ceding your parental care to others. Some combination of other types of schooling with homeschooling can also offer it. I have yet to see how a five-day-per-week, eight-hours-per-day, standard public school option can offer it. Mom and Dad aren’t allowed in the locker room, where the pagan kids are wanting to sodomize your son."

"Our country is firmly secular, and becoming more so everyday. Public schools are an indispensable apparatus of the state to indoctrinate children into a particular way of seeing the world, of seeing themselves, one that is in many ways antithetical to the Christian Faith."
(http://www.ignitumtoday.com/2013/06/24/the-pagans-are-happy-to-socialize-your-children/?utm_content=buffer85631&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_source=buffer)

Words to Live by

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids

"Jesus' conclusion to the parable [of the wise and foolish bridesmaids] emphasizes its lesson: constant alertness is necessary because it is impossible to pinpoint the time of the Lord's coming. The parable is a warning to the church, which consists of both wise and foolish disciples. Matthew's gospel highlights this parable because, for the church of Matthew, the return of Jesus has indeed been delayed. Jesus has not returned as swiftly as many in the early church anticipated. The church must learn to remain vigilant, anticipating the Lord's coming while its members perservere in faithful service and proclaim the kingdome to the nations." Matt 25:1-13 http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54277
Schadow, Friedrich Wilhelm von, 1789-1862