MY MEMORIES OF ST. PATRICK'S DAY...

GROWING UP,WE ALWAYS CALLED IT ST.PADDY'S DAY.

AND OF COURSE...THE WEARING OF THE GREEN...WE ALL HAD TO HAVE SOMETHING ON THAT WAS GREEN WHEN GOING TO SCHOOL...IRISH OR NO.

In North America, it's customary to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. But in Ireland the color was long considered to be unlucky.Irish folklore holds that green is the favourite color of the Good People (the proper name for faeries). They are likely to steal people, especially children, who wear too much of the color.

According to legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people.

I showed my appreciation of my native land in the usual Irish way by getting out of it as soon as I possibly could. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

I RECALL A SCHOOL AGE FRIEND...MARYLOU FITZGERALD WHO WAS A 2ND GENERATION IRISHGIRL.SHE WAS AN ALBINO(WHITE HAIR,PINK EYES) FROM A FAMILY OF ALBINOS...WOW COULD SHE EVER DANCE THE IRISH GIG...SHE WOULD COME TO SCHOOL ON THIS DAY IN FULL COSTIME...AND JUMP LIKE A LEPRAUCHON.HER FATHER RAN THE Fitzgerald School of Irish Dance IN CAPE BRETON.

“The Irish gave the bagpipes to the Scotts as a joke, but the Scotts haven't seen the joke yet.”

READ THIS...

St Patrick's Day and the massacre of the shamrock at the White House! | Kelly's Corner | IrishCentral

Shamrock shortage in Ireland sparks St. Pat's fears | Irish News | IrishCentral

ANOTHER AQUAINTANCE,EILEEN POTTIE DID CELTIC DANCING...SEE HER FAMILY SHOOL OF DANCE HERE...FORRESTER SCHOOL OF DANCE

TRIVIA...

Originally the colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue. However, over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew.


Many myths surround St. Patrick. One of the best known—and most inaccurate—is that Patrick drove all the snakes from Ireland into the Irish Sea, where the serpents drowned. (Some still say that is why the sea is so rough.)

But snakes have never been native to the Emerald Isle. The serpents were likely a metaphor for druidic religions, which steadily disappeared from Ireland in the centuries after St. Patrick planted the seeds of Christianity on the island.

More Canadians leaning right, poll finds

Are Canadians more conservative than we used to be?

The conservative-minded Manning Centre thinks so and a new poll it paid for says the centre of the Canadian political spectrum has shifted rightward.

A survey by Allan Gregg of Harris-Decima and Carleton University’s Professor André Turcotte concludes that while a majority of Canadians identify with the “centre” position on the political ideology scale, this centre is increasingly embracing “traditionally conservative values.”

The poll says a plurality – or 47 per cent – of those respondents who consider themselves political “centrists” voted for the Conservatives in 2008. By comparison, back in 1997, 41 per cent of those self-identified as centrists voted Liberal.

“What is most surprising about these results is how mainstream conservative the political centre has become,” Mr. Turcotte said.

The survey found a majority of Canadians strongly agreed with traditionally conservative value statements on the morality of abortion, the definition of marriage as “between a man and a woman” and the supremacy of the family.

But while results suggest far more conservative-mindedness among Canadians, they also explain why surveys find most people are nevertheless leery of government action to enforce morality.

For instance, the poll says 75 per cent of respondents feel abortion is “morally wrong” and 80 per cent support the traditional definition of marriage.
But it also found only 21 per cent of self-identified political centrists wanted to see government play a “major role” regulating individual behaviour and morality, suggesting Canadians have a strong libertarian streak on social issues.

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH

Vincenzo Camuccini, Mort de César, 1798.

The Ides of March (Latin: Idus Martias) is the name of March 15 in the Roman calendar. The term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th day of the other months.The Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was killed in 709 AUC or 44 B.C. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate led by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus and 60 other co-conspirators.

According to Plutarch, Caesar was warned by a seer to be on his guard against a great peril on the Ides of March. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey (where he would be assassinated) Caesar saw the seer and joked "Well, the Ides of March have come," to which the seer replied "Ay, they have come, but they are not gone."This meeting is famously dramatized in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned to "beware the Ides of March."

Another incident on this date happened in 1917, when Nicholas II of Russia abdicated.

The Ides of March
Just one of a dozen Ides that occur every month of the year

As far as Caesar knew, the Ides were just another day.

The soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March," has forever imbued that date with a sense of foreboding. But in Roman times the expression "Ides of March" did not necessarily evoke a dark mood—it was simply the standard way of saying "March 15." Surely such a fanciful expression must signify something more than merely another day of the year? Not so. Even in Shakespeare's time, sixteen centuries later, audiences attending his play Julius Caesar wouldn't have blinked twice upon hearing the date called the Ides.

The term Ides comes from the earliest Roman calendar, which is said to have been devised by Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. Whether it was Romulus or not, the inventor of this calendar had a penchant for complexity. The Roman calendar organized its months around three days, each of which served as a reference point for counting the other days:


•Kalends (1st day of the month)
•Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months)
•Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months)
The remaining, unnamed days of the month were identified by counting backwards from the Kalends, Nones, or the Ides. For example, March 3 would be V Nones—5 days before the Nones (the Roman method of counting days was inclusive; in other words, the Nones would be counted as one of the 5 days).

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"
So God agreed......

On the second day, ! God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"

And God agreed.......

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years.. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"

And God agreed again......



On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."

But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God. "You asked for it."

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service.

Vatican issues statement on sex abuse scandal on Independent Catholic News

Vatican issues statement on sex abuse scandal on Independent Catholic News

Susan Boyle and The Priests get on like a house on fire | Entertainment in Ireland and Around the World | IrishCentral

Susan Boyle and The Priests get on like a house on fire

Singing sensation Susan Boyle and Irish trio, The Priests, got on like a house on fire when they met up recently in Leipzig.

The Priests are three Irish-born clerics who have had several platinum albums all over Europe for their music .

The Irish Priests are huge fans of Susan's and arranged to meet up after both performed on a German TV show.

Father Eugene O'Hagan posted a picture on their Twitter page.

Fr. O'Hagan Tweeted, "Photo of two of us (Martin taking pic) and 'another' who needs no introduction."

O'Hagan said it had been a "pleasure" for them to meet up with Susan.

Susan, who sang "I Dreamed A Dream" on the show, said: "It was a very quick visit - but worth it."

Of course, Susan attributes her love of singing to the days when she sang in the local church choir at Our Lady of Lourdes in Blackburn.

She accompanied the choir on their annual pilgrimages to Knock in Ireland where she often performed for others who had also made the trek.

In My Name

In My Name


Why Don't Christians Care?
Posted by John
In a number of places around the world, it is open season on Christians. We read of Christians burned out of their homes and slaughtered in Pakistan. Most recently, at least 500 Christians were murdered in Nigeria. The attackers in all cases are Muslims, inspired by the warlike message of their Prophet. AFP reports on the Nigerian attacks:

UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Washington led calls for restraint on Monday after the slaughter of more than 500 Christians in Nigeria, as survivors told how the killers chopped down their victims.

Funerals took place for victims of the three-hour orgy of violence on Sunday in three Christian villages close to the northern city of Jos, blamed on members of the mainly Muslim Fulani ethnic group. ...

"We have over 500 killed in three villages and the survivors are busy burying their dead," said state information commissioner Gregory Yenlong. "People were attacked with axes, daggers and cutlasses -- many of them children, the aged and pregnant women."

Do you remember the "massacre" at Jenin? Of course: Palestinians initially claimed that 500 had been killed, but it turned out that there was no massacre after all. In Nigeria, on the other hand, no one disputes that more than 500 Christians were slaughtered by Muslims. So where is the outrage? I don't know what denomination those Nigerian Christians were, but Lutherans are the most numerous Christian denomination in Africa. I'm a Lutheran, but I have never heard a single word from any church source, local or national, about the mass murder of African Christians. No one seems to care.

No doubt readers can refer us to some Christian sources--evangelical, most likely--who have tried to draw attention to the plight of Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia who are being exterminated. But any such effort has wholly failed to gain traction in the "mainstream" Christian community.

Why? I can't explain it. Maybe "mainstream" Christianity is dead, except as an appendage of secular liberal opinion. Maybe, as the world's largest religion, Christianity has become so diffused that New World Christians don't much relate to their co-religionists in Africa and Asia. I don't know. What I do know is that it is much more dangerous to publish a cartoon of Mohammed than to slice apart a Christian with a machete.

Wife and daughter of Shinto priest prepare for baptism

Wife and daughter of Shinto priest prepare for baptism

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

- Genesis 1:27

Smile...Wrinkles Are GOD'S Beauty Marks
by Nancy Jo Sullivan
Last week, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I found myself watching an infomercial on TV. As I lounged on the couch, a well-groomed woman, middle aged and very blond, pitched the virtues of a wrinkle reducing cream.

“It’ a miracle. The cream saved me. My fine lines have disappeared.” She said. The inflections in her voice rise and fell like she was giving an impassioned sermon.

I sat up. I watched with wide eyes as she wisped a silky hand over her wrinkle-less face.

“Wow…Maybe I should order some” I said.

As the mother of two college-aged kids, I was beginning to notice some fine lines on my face that had never been there before.

“I’m getting older” I told myself.

I listened as several other women shared compelling testimonies, their dramatic before and after photos flashing across the screen. Then, a memory from my childhood began to surface.

I was nine years old again, standing in my grandmother’s kitchen. It was snowing outside but I could feel the warmth of the bright December sun that streamed in through the windows above her stove. With her short grey hair waved into pin curls, ”Mema” as we called her, wore an oversized shirt and plaid polysester pants. She stirred a pan of bubbling sugar and water, twirling a wooden spoon round and round. I stood close by, under my grandmother’s watchful eye, pouring a cup of corn syrup into the mixture.

I loved being with Mema. A gentle light radiated from her sweetly furrowed face, a comforting glow that always wrapped around me like an invisible embrace.

Her bright countenance was a sharp contrast to the dark moments she had lived through in her earlier years. Time and time again, my mother had told me about the hardships she had endured during the great depression; losing the family farm, poverty, and the death of her nineteen year old son during World War II.

Nonetheless, an irrepressible joy poured forth from Mema. As a child, I always wondered why relatives called her a “rock of faith” given the heartaches of her past.

“God always works everything out.” Mema often said.

The candy mixture came to a hard boil as steam rose from the pan.

“It’s time to add the licorice” Mema said. She reached into a cupboard and handed me a small bottle trimmed with a red label.

“This is my favorite part,” I told Mema as I opened the bottle of spice, just to breathe in the familiar scent. “It smells like Christmas.” I said.

My grandmother stood in the winter sunlight, her curled strands glistening like tinsel. Her brown eyes twinkled like two candles, shining beneath her thick, bifocaled glasses. The lines on her face all curved upward like a hundred grins.

“Mema, your wrinkles look like smiles.” I told her.

Mema laughed. She wiped her hand on the apron that wrapped around her waist.

“Wrinkles are God’s beauty marks,” she said, hugging me. “Don’t ever forget that.”

The blond television host continued promoting her product. She waved her arm over several anti-aging creams that were displayed on a table. “For only three easy payments of $19.99, we will send the wrinkle reducer and the cleanser at no extra charge.”

As the commercial continued, I found myself pondering Mema’s life in a whole new way. The challenges she had faced in life were the tools God had used to impart lessons of trust. Though her youthful appearance had faded, she had become wise in matters of faith. It was Mema’s wisdom, born of adversity, that had made her beautiful, inside and out. And every smiling wrinkle on her face proclaimed her loveliness.

I turned the television off. I drew near to a mirror in a nearby hallway. As I stood in the sunlight, I could see all the fine lines that framed my eyes. ”I’ve earned these” I said as I thought about some of the challenges that I had faced in my own life. Though I would not have asked for any of the struggles I had been given, God had been faithful to me. Like my grandmother, I had learned to trust. Now, my wrinkles were holy impressions, markings of the inner wisdom I had gained. I smiled. ”God always works everything out” I whispered.

Wisdom. It’ not a miracle cure for wrinkles. It won’t save anyone from crows feet. You can’t purchase it with three easy payments of $19.99.

Yet, in the eighth chapter of Proverbs we are told:

“For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” Proverbs 8:11.

This is good news for those of us who are often distracted by a culture that emphasizes external beauty. Each day, television presents non-stop images of airbrushed faces, skinny thighs and flawless hair. Women’s magazines are packed with articles that highlight the importance of losing weight and developing six-pack abs. On any given trip to the drug store, the average woman will be bombarded with products that shout: “Don’t do it! Don’t get older!”

Today, no matter what your age, ask yourself this question: How have I gained inner beauty?

Then, take a moment to look at yourself in the mirror. Do you see your inner radiance?

It’s there. The light of God’s wisdom. Let’s its warmth wrap itself around you like an invisible embrace.

Then rejoice.

Your wisdom is the beauty mark of God.

And that’s something to smile about.

EWTN Did you know that each month you can download podcasts of some of EWTN’s best shows for FREE? This month, go to http://www.ewtn.com/podcast/index.asp#special to download 13 episodes of the late Ralph McInerny’s “Thomism.” In this series, Professor McInerny explains as understandably as possible the main features of the thought of this giant of Catholicism.

BLESSED SALT

Rev. John H. Hampsch, C.M.F.

There is a renewed interest today in the ancient sacramental of blessed salt, especially by charismatics, in healing and deliverance situations, etc. To understand its proper use and its efficacy, it would be helpful to review the Scriptural symbolism and its history, since Vatican II urges us to participate "intelligently and actively" in the use of sacramentals, just as in the use of Sacraments.
Salt in the ancient world was a precious commodity (even monopolized by the royalty in Egypt and Persia). Roman soldiers were partially paid with packets of salt ("sal" in Latin); this was the origin of our word "salary" and of phrases like "worth his salt," etc. Being costly, it was an appropriate offering to God as a "covenant of salt" (Lev. 2:13; II Chron. 13:5; Num. 18:19) used in sacrifices by the Israelites (Ezck. 43:24) and for the accompanying sacrificial meal (Gen. 31:54).
Belief in its preservative and healing properties led to its use to dry and harden the skin of newborns (Ezek. 16:4) and to prevent umbilical cord infection. Used for 3500 years to preserve meats from deterioration, it became a symbol of preservation and spiritual incorruptibility that was to characterize anyone offering sacrificial worship. Shared at the sacrificial meal, salt became a symbol of friendship and hospitality, custom-symbol still used today in Arab culture.

As a Catholic sacramental, salt blessed by the liturgical prayer of a priest may be used by itself, unmixed, as in exorcisms, and formerly in the exorcistic prayer at baptism, or it may be mixed with water to make holy water, as the Ritual prescribes (reminiscent of Elisha's miracle). In whichever form, it is intended to be an instrument of grace to preserve one from the corruption of evil occurring as sin sickness, demonic influence, etc.
As in the case of all sacramentals, its power comes not from the sign itself, but by means of the Church's official (liturgical, not private) prayer of blessing “a power the Church derives from Christ himself (see Matt. 16:19 and 18:18). As the Vatican II document on the Liturgy states (art. 61), both Sacraments and sacramentals sanctify us, not of themselves, but by power flowing from the redemptive act of Jesus, elicited by the Church's intercession to be directed through those external signs and elements. Hence sacramentals like blessed salt, holy water, medals, etc. are not to be used superstitiously as having self-contained power, but as "focus-points" funneling one's faith toward Jesus, just as a flag is used as a "focus-point" of patriotism, or as handkerchiefs were used to focus faith for healing and deliverance by Paul (Acts 19:12).
Thus used non-superstitiously, modest amounts of salt may be sprinkled in one's bedroom, or across thresholds to prevent burglary, in cars for safety, etc. A few grains in drinking water or used in cooking or as food seasoning often bring astonishing spiritual and physical benefits, as I have personally witnessed many times. As with the use of Sacraments, much depends on the faith and devotion of the person using salt or any sacramental. This faith must be Jesus-centered, as was the faith of the blind man in John 9; he had faith in Jesus, not in the mud and spittle used by Jesus to heal him.
In light of this, we can see why Vatican II states that "there is hardly any proper use of material things which cannot thus be directed toward the sanctification of persons and the praise of God." (art. 61 of Liturgy document). Hence new sacramentals may also be added when rituals are revised (art. 79). Blessed salt is certainly not a new sacramental, but the Holy Spirit seems to be leading many to a new interest in its remarkable power as an instrument of grace and healing.
Any amount may be presented to a priest for his blessing, using the following official prayer from the Roman Ritual:
Almighty God, we ask you to bless this salt, as once you blessed the salt scattered over the water by the prophet Elisha. Wherever this salt (or salt mixed with water) is sprinkled, drive away the power of evil, and protect us always by the presence of your Holy Spirit. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

His head is bent to kiss you; His arms are extended to embrace you; His Heart is open to receive you.” ~ excerpted from “The Way of the Cross According to St. Francis of Assisi”

KOREA - Figure skating queen brings Catholics pride
Catholics in Korea were overjoyed to see Stella Kim Yu-na make the sign of the cross during her performance at the Olympic figure skating competition on Feb. 23.

The 19-year-old went on to make a new world record and became South Korea’s first Olympic figure skating champion.

“Her crossing herself made me also make the sign of the cross as I watched her performance on TV,” Monica Lee Ji-yun told UCA News. “Her faith in God and her ceaseless training finally paid off,” she added. “As a Catholic, I’m very proud of her.”

“Stella Kim touched and gave happiness to all Koreans by … overcoming various difficulties and doing her best,” he said in his message, expressing the hope that “lots of young people will gain confidence and hope through Kim’s achievement.”

Many youths thought her rosary ring was an engagement ring and media had to explain its usage and meaning.

Kim was baptized in May 2008, along with her mother. Since then, she has always worn a rosary ring and made the sign of the cross when competing.

Kim’s father and older sister do not practice any religion.

Father Ignatius Kim Min-soo told UCA News on March 2, “Big stars like Kim making the sign of the cross in public can help the Church’s evangelization activities indirectly.”

“Her public display of her Catholic identity fills local Catholics with pride and influences non-Catholics too,” said the secretary of the Korean bishops’ Committee for Social Communications.

'I took the photos around Ash Wednesday 2010,' wrote Greg Miller. 'What appears to be the living, suffering Jesus being crucified on a tree. You can see his arms, face, beard, crown of thorns. It's a knot on a tree that I walk by every day, but have told almost no one about. I didn't want to attract a crowd there.'

A poem by the Welsh poet R S Thomas

The Coming

And God held in his hand
A small globe. Look, he said.
The son looked. Far off,
As through water, he saw
A scorched land of fierce
Colour. The light burned
There: crusted buildings
Cast their shadows; a bright
Serpent, a river
Uncoiled itself, radiant
With slime.
On a bare
Hill a bare tree saddened
The sky. Many people
Held out their thin arms
To it, as though waiting
For a vanished April
To return to its crossed
Boughs. The son watched
Them. Let me go there, he said
-

THE HUNGER SITE
GO HERE TO PROVIDE RICE TO THOSE IN NEED...THANK YOU ELIZABETH

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WOW...I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS...IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL...

Two Italian newspapers are reporting that St. Louis Archbishop emeritus Raymond Burke and native St. Louisan Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York will both be elevated to cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in November.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York IS A NATURAL...I AM CURRENTLY WATCHING HIS 6 PART SERIES ON EWTN...ST. PETER: ICON FOR LENT.I WATCHED HIS INSTALLATION AS ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK LAST APRIL.HE IS SO JOVIAL...YET SO HOLY...DESTINED TO DO GREAT THINGS FOR GOD.

BAD NEWS IS...LATE SEASON SNOW...



GOOD NEWS IS...IT'S MARCH...

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn; ...
God's in His heaven--
All's right with the world!
Robert Browning

According to the Georgian calendar, March is the third month of the year. According to the early Roman calendar, it was the first month and was called Martius. The ancient Romans later made January 1 the beginning of the year, and March became the third month on the calendar. March has always had 31 days. Its name honors Mars, the Roman God of war. The bloodstone and aquamarine are the birthstones for March. The violet is the flower for the month of March.

There are many superstitions about March. We often hear that "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." This means that the first day of March is often stormy, and the last day is mild and warm. Another saying is, "April borrowed from March three days, and they were ill." This refers to the first three days of April, which are generally rough and blustery like March. A third saying calls the first three days of March "blind days" because they are "unlucky." If rain falls on these days, farmers supposedly will have poor harvests.


IF YOU CAN CATCH THIS DOCUMENTARY ...DO SO. AS A LOVER OF HISTORY...ESPECIALLY ROMAN...I FOUND THIS RIVETING.
WHO KILLED CLEOPATRA? aka THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF CLEOPATRA

One-Hour Special for five/Discovery Channel
For 2,000 years only one verdict has been recorded - suicide by snakebite. Now FBI Criminal Profiler Pat Brown, and a team of experts from fields as diverse as archaeology and toxicology, are re-examining the circumstances of Cleopatra's alleged suicide. Using techniques that are usually the preserve of 21st Century criminal investigations they reconstruct the death scene, go inside the mind of Cleopatra, and reveal the sinister power-games that led to Cleopatra's untimely death.

THE LAST WORDS OF THIS DOCUMENTARY RANG TRUE...IF CLEOPATRA HAD NOT DIED,HOW MUCH DIFFERENT OUR WORLD MIGHT HAVE BEEN...THERE'S FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

Astronomy :: Help Us Choose March's Full Moon Name :: Farmers' Almanac

FULL MOON TODAY


• Full Snow Moon-FEB. 28 AT 11:38 a.m. - Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February's full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions
in their areas made hunting very difficult.


Astronomy :: Help Us Choose March's Full Moon Name :: Farmers' Almanac

We’re just about halfway through the yearlong Farmers’ Almanac Name that Moon Contest. Since the release of the 2010 Almanac in September, you have helped us to come up with the names of five full Moons, from October through February. The winning names, so far, are:

October’s Full Pumpkin Moon
November’s Full Thankful Moon
December’s Full Glad Tidings Moon
January’s Full New Beginnings Moon
February’s Full Sweetheart’s Moon

February is almost over and voting has begun to name March’s full Moon. The traditional full Moon name for March is the Full Worm Moon. That’s because, as the temperature begins to warm, and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. Other names for the March full Moon are Full Crow Moon, because the cawing of crows signals the end of winter, the Full Crust Moon, because the snow becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night, the Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, and the Lenten Moon. No matter what you call it, the March full Moon was traditionally considered to be the last full Moon of winter, though sometimes it actually falls after the spring equinox.

This month, we received hundreds of new name suggestions for March’s full Moon. Our four finalists are Full Spring Ahead Moon, Full Shamrock Moon, Full Winter's End Moon, and Full Leprechaun Moon. Be sure to visit our Name that Moon Contest page today to vote for your favorite!

I CHOSE FULL SHAMROCK MOON...WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE.

“Photography is about relating to people and sharing memories, little pieces of time. And maybe (with) my little piece of time and someone else’s little piece of time, somewhere there’s a synergy.”
Lynn Rockwell

REMEMBERING YOU LYNN...IT'S BEEN 3 YEARS...

CHECK OUT HER SITE HERE...

DIGITAL GLAD RAGS PHOTOGRAPHY

LYNN WAS THE 1ST BLOG BUD I EVER HAD...BACK IN THE DAY WHEN I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT A BLOG WAS.SHE WAS A FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER IN HALIFAX.HER LIFE WAS CUT SHORT BY LUNG CANCER.SHE WAS AN OLD SOUL...BUT A FREE SPIRIT.



These apple blossom leaves are the logo of Lung Cancer Canada.
They represent lungs and symbolize health, hope and renewal for the future.

CRUSTLESS SPINACH AND MUSHROOM QUICHE

WELL YES...I MADE THIS FOLLOWING A RECIPE AT CATHOLIC CUISINE...VERY SIMPLE TO MAKE.GO HERE FOR THE RECIPE.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

HAVE A GRAND SNOW DAY SHIRL...

Vatican: Number of Catholics rising worldwide

The Vatican says the number of Catholics as a percentage of the worldwide faithful is growing slightly.

The Holy See says that from 2007 to 2008 Roman Catholics grew from 17.33 percent of the global population to 17.4 percent.

The statistics are included in a yearbook presented Saturday to Pope Benedict XVI.

The yearbook says the number of priests rose from 2000-2008 but that the number of nuns worldwide fell 7.8 percent.

The number of nuns rose significantly in Asia and Africa over those eight years but not enough to make up for sharp drops in Europe and America.

Today 20 February,is the Memorial of Blessed Jacinta Marto-Youngest visionary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal in 1917. Beatified on 9 April 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Canonization pending. Patronage of bodily ills,captives, people ridiculed for their piety,prisoners,sick people and sickness.

MY BEST FRIEND GROWING UP...WAS CALLED JACINTA.EVERY DAY AT 1245 ALL THE NEIGHBOURHOOD KIDLETS WOULD GATHER AT HER HOME FOR RECITATION OF THE ROSARY, LED BY HER MOTHER,A PIOUS WOMAN NAMED THERESA.SHE HAD A GREAT DEVOTION TO OUR LADY OF FATIMA.I FEEL AS IF I CAN REACH OUT AND TOUCH THOSE MOMENTS.

HOW OFTEN WE SANG THIS SONG AS CHILDREN...

I LUV THIS PIC...MY GRANDKIDS, MATTMAN AND SABETH,MAKING PANCAKES...VERY TIMELY FOR SHROVE TUESDAY...NOTE THE APRONS...SOOOO CUTE...

MAELLE RICKER WINS GOLD IN SNOWBOARDING CROSS

True love, hope and family surmount disability - ContraCostaTimes.com

True love, hope and family surmount disability WITH THE HELP OF St. Therese- ContraCostaTimes.com

SHROVETIDE...IN BRITAIN

Shrovetide covers the last three or four days before the beginning of Lent. The old names for these days were:

1.Egg Saturday - Shrove Saturday


2.Quinquagesima Sunday - Shrove Sunday
The fiftieth day before Easter


3.Collop Monday - Shrove Monday
Named after the traditional dish of the day: collops of bacon served with eggs. (A collop is chunk or slice of meat or fat)
In addition to providing meat, the collops were also the source of the fat for the following day's pancakes.


4.Pancake Day - Shrove Tuesday
The day on which all fats and cream had to be used up.

When Lent was observed more rigorously than it is now, Shrovetide was celebrated with games, sports, dancing and other revelries. There were feasts to use up the food that could not be eaten during the Lenten fast. Football was played in the streets and Nickanan Night (as Shrove Monday evening was called in Cornwall) was a time for boys to run riot in the villages: hiding gates, taking off door knockers, and making off with anything that householders had forgotten to lock away.

100% Whole Wheat Low Fat Pancakes

Ingredients...

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups low-fat milk (ie 1%, skim)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
1 tablespoon canola oil
1-2 cup fruit (i.e., sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries...your choice) (optional)
Directions
1Blend/mix all ingredients except fruit.
2Heat pan on medium till drop of water "dances" in pan.
3Pour batter into pan to desired size of pancake, if using fruit add small handfuls to individual cakes after pouring into pan
4When bubbles appear on surface and begin to "sink" flip and cook on other side until brown.
5Repeat with remaining batter until all gone.
6Serve with favorite topping.

Freestyle Skiing News - 2010 Winter Olympics - CTV Olympics

Freestyle Skiing News - 2010 Winter Olympics - CTV Olympics

Bilodeau wins Canada's first gold on home soil

The Origin of St. Valentine
The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

Valentine's quotes...you know how I love quotes...

I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon. ~Author Unknown

Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ~Author Unknown

Grow old with me! The best is yet to be. ~Robert Browning

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Take away love and our earth is a tomb. ~Robert Browning


The eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love. ~Margaret Atwood

"Love conquers all."
...Virgil

THIS WEEK I STARTED THE 34 WEEK ONLINE RETREAT BASED ON ST.IGNATIUS SPIRITUAL EXERCISES...TO MAKE THE RETREAT GO HERE...

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/cmo-retreat.html

DON'T FORGET THE OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONIES START TONIGHT.

Lord, as we recall the memory of St. Scholastica, we ask that by her example we may serve you with love and obtain perfect joy. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I HAD AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR THIS MORNING. HE ARRIVED EARLY, SAT DOWN WITH ME AND CHATTED FOR A WHILE ABOUT HOW THINGS WERE CURRENTLY GOING FOR ME IN MY LIFE. AFTER VERY CAREFULLY AND COMPASSIONATELY LISTENING TO ALL THAT I HAD TO SAY, HE SAW THE STRESS ON MY FACE AND THE TEARS IN MY EYES.

HE STOOD UP, WALKED OVER TO ME, LEANED OVER AND GENTLY HELD ME FOR AWHILE BECAUSE I WAS HAVING A REALLY BAD MORNING.. THEN, AFTER REASSURING ME NOT TO WORRY, THAT EVERYTHING WOULD WORK OUT FOR ME AND BE JUST FINE, HE ASKED ME IF I KNEW OF ANYONE ELSE THAT COULD USE A VISIT FROM HIM.

I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF YOU MY FRIEND. I GAVE HIM YOUR NAME AND TOLD HIM WHERE YOU LIVED. HE GAVE ME ANOTHER REASSURING HUG, THANKED ME AND I WALKED WITH HIM TO MY FRONT DOOR. HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO YOUR PLACE.




When He gets to your PC, escort Him to the next stop. Please don't allow Him to sleep on your PC. The message He is carrying is very important and needs to go around. I asked him to bless you and yours with peace, happiness and abundance.

Say a prayer, and then pass Him on to bless others as I sent him on to bless you. Our assignment is to spread love, respect and kindness throughout the world.

Have a blessed day and touch somebody's life today as hopefully I have touched your life. He's walking around the world!! Please pass it on so He can get there....

Dominican sisters to appear on Oprah Winfrey Show :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Dominican sisters to appear on Oprah Winfrey Show :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Follow Father Donnie's conversion story and website here.

Biography
You are welcome to use the following text for events with Fr. Donald.
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, a convert to Catholicism, is a member of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception. Before his conversion to Catholicism, he was a high school dropout who had been kicked out of a foreign country, institutionalized twice and thrown in jail multiple times. After his radical conversion he earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH, M.Div. and S.T.B. degrees from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, and an S.T.L. in Mariology from the International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio. He has written many academic articles and is the editor of two books: The Immaculate Conception in the Life of the Church (Marian Press, 2004) and The Virgin Mary and Theology of the Body (Marian Press, 2005). He also is the author of the book Purest of All Lilies: The Virgin Mary in the Spirituality of St. Faustina (Marian Press, 2008). Currently Fr. Donald is the House Superior of the Marian House of Studies in Steubenville, OH.

Russian Patriarch Notes Greater Union With Rome

Russian Patriarch Notes Greater Union With Rome

God is in my life, says Ringo Starr

John Lennon dismissively sang "God is a concept by which we can measure our pain" - but now his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr has revealed after decades of searching, he has become a believer.

Ringo told how he had been looking for enlightenment since he was riding high in the charts more than 40 years ago.

And in an interview with the Los Angeles Times he said his spiritual side was "more prominent" on his new album Y Not.

Message of Our Lady given to the Meddjugorje visionary Mirjana Dragicevis Soldo on February 2, 2009, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Candlemass Day.

Ezekiel Bread Recipe | Fitness and Freebies

Ezekiel Bread Recipe | Fitness and Freebies

BEST OVERALL BREAKFAST CEREALS

Special K Plus Protein
100 calories, 10 g protein, 14 g carbs, 3 g fat, 5 g fiber

Our big winner. We liked the nice big flakes, especially their thick, rich molasses taste. Less appealing, but easy enough to overlook: a somewhat potent smell, and overly processed aftertaste.

EXPERT "Outstanding for its 10 grams of protein, five grams of fi ber, and only trace levels of sugar. Plus, one serving provides hefty doses of all major B vitamins, plus vitamins E and C, as well."


HEALTHIEST



Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal, Golden Flax
180 calories, 8 g protein, 37 g carbs, 2.5 g fat, 6 g fiber

Not the most impressive cereal ever: Flakes are small and crumbly, and the cereal's smell is a tad musty—like a library or week-old cut grass. But tasters who loved wheat germ or more savory breakfast options were pleased... some surprisingly so.

EXPERT "This cereal is a standout. Get past the name and you'll find a cereal that's made from whole grains, organic, completely lacking in added sugar, with six grams of fiber, eight grams of protein, and a nice balance of added vitamins and minerals that's not over the top. Unbeatable!"

Ezekiel 4:9 is made with sprouted grains and beans, specifically wheat, barley, soy and lentil beans, spelt and millet. The recipe is an ancient one, going back to the Old Testament (it was actually a recipe for making bread, not cereal — Ezekiel 4:9 also offers a line of sprouted grain breads as well) and the company, Food for Life, modified the basic Biblical recipe to make a line of sprouted grain products.

A GOOD SITE...http://thesundaymass.org/

Pope decries growing 'aversion' to Christianity

Pope Benedict XVI is condemning what he called "growing aversion" to the Christian faith in the world.

Benedict urged Christians to invigorate efforts to spread their faith's message despite what he described as the unfriendly climate to Christianity in parts of the world. He did not specify any particular region.

"In a world marked by religious indifference and even by a growing aversion toward the Christian faith, a new, intense activity of evangelization is necessary," the pope said.

He urged Christians to overcome their differences through dialogue so that they can unite their efforts to influence debates in society on ethical issues like abortion, euthanasia and the limits of science and technology.

Benedict was leading a Vespers service in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to mark the end of a week that the Vatican each year dedicates to prayers for Christian unity.

The pontiff has made better relations among Christians an important aim of his papacy.

Despite that goal, relations with Anglicans were strained last year when Benedict made it easier for the conversion to Roman Catholicism by traditionalist Anglicans who are disillusioned by their own church's embrace of gay priests, blessing of same-sex marriages and women clergy.

SINGING sensation Susan Boyle wants to perform for the Pope when he visits Scotland.

The Britain's Got Talent winner, a devout Catholic, hopes organisers can make her dream come true when Benedict XVI arrives in September.

Simon Cowell's brother and confidante Tony revealed her dream last night.

Tony, 59, who has worked closely with SuBo on the Everybody Hurts charity single for Haiti, said: "As Scotland's first lady, she is the obvious first choice.

"It would be a dream come true for her and I know she would drop everything if she was asked to perform for the Pope."

Susan, 48, has worshipped at Our Lady of Lourdes in Blackburn, West Lothian, since she was a child.

She still attends Mass at the church when her busy schedule allows. Parish priest Father Ryszard Holuka said it would be a great honour for the chart topper.

He said: "She is so busy but I'm sure she would love to sing for the Pope."

The Record yesterday broke the news of the first papal visit to Scotland since Pope John Paul II's historic Mass at Glasgow's Bellahouston Park in 1982.

Benedict XVI is expected to address thousands of worshippers at an open-air event at Glasgow Green, during his trip on September 16 and 17.

The Vatican have not yet confirmed the visit, though an announcement is due at the end of next month or early March.

It is hoped the prospect of singing for the pontiff will take SuBo's mind off a burglary bid on her Blackburn home.

SuBo is said to have been "terrified and hysterical" after a prowler broke in on Tuesday night just weeks after a similar disturbance.

Tony said the star was being well looked after by Simon's team to help her feel more secure.

He added: "She is being cossetted at the moment and we are all delighted to be able to help her out."

January Full Wolf Moon ...JAN 29,2010

This full Moon appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside the villages. It is also known as the Old Moon. To some Native American tribes, this was the Snow Moon, but most applied that name to the next full Moon, in February.

The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul is a feast celebrated during the liturgical year on January 25, recounting the Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who after a record of brutalizing and persecuting Christians, converted to Christianity and became the apostle Paul.


An illumination depicting the Conversion of Saint Paul from Livre d'Heures d'Étienne Chevalier (c. 1450–1460) by Jean Fouquet.




Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi da The Conversion of Saint Paul 1600-1601 Oil on canvas 90 1/2 x 70 in Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome

Da Mihi Animas: March for Life 2010#links

Da Mihi Animas: March for Life 2010#links

Angels do heal; we recall Raphael. God always hears prayers. But sometimes the healing is not physical; it is emotional; it is spiritual. It is available to us all. So are angels.

"prayer of thy healing angels."

"Pour out, thy healing angels, thy heavenly Host upon me, and upon those I love. Let me feel the beam of thy healing angels upon me, the light of your healing hands. I will let thy healing begin, whatever way God grants it, Amen."

St. Agnes - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online

St. Agnes - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online

EWTN.com - Relics, Icons and Crosses Aboard International Space Station

EWTN.com - Relics, Icons and Crosses Aboard International Space Station

Spread The News, The Tide Is Turning. Many In The Media Are Full Of Doom & Gloom. Don't Believe Their Hype. The Facts Are In The Book & Outlined Below. This Book Is Simply Not Wishful Thinking.
Below Are The Reasons Why The Tide Is Turning

Did you know:
•Vocations Are Increasing!
•The Laity Is Defending The Church In Many Ways
•The Youth's Faithfullness To The Church, Her Traditions & The Holy Father Has Undergone A Profound Resurgence
•Catholic Communications Such As Catholic Radio & Catholic Web Sites & Blogs Have Increased Profoundly
•A Deep Interest In Mary Is Being Witnessed Across The World
•Interest In The Eucharist & Eucharistic Adoration Is On The Rise
•Catholics Are Defending Their History & Teachings That Some In Secular Society Mock Or Don't Understand

REST IN PEACE MOM...I WILL NEVER CEASE PRAYING FOR YOU...I PROMISE...EVERY DAY.
I have fought the good fight, I have accomplished the course, I have kept the faith.
(II Timothy iv, 7)

IF YOU DO NOT DENY THAT YOU EXIST,WHY DO YOU DENY THAT GOD EXISTS?

REST IN PEACE MOM.

What is Death?
Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without affect,
without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you,
for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.

All is well.
~ Henry Scott Holland

Remembrance

Joan of Arc - Maid of Heaven - Saint Joan of Arc's Birthday

TODAY ON OLDE CHRISTMAS...MY MOTHER LIES CLOSE TO DEATH...PRAY FOR HER.
BEING OF EASTERN EUROPEAN HERITAGE...SHE ALWAYS CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS ON JAN. 6...I PRAY THAT HER CHRISTMAS GIFT TODAY WILL BE ETERNITY WITH THE BEATIFIC VISION.
CATIA...JOURNEY ON,GOOD CHRISTIAN SOUL...ALL YOUR SUFFERING WILL SOON BE AT AN END.

History of Old Christmas Day

Until the time of Julius Caesar the Roman year was organized round the phases of the moon. For many reasons this was hopelessly inaccurate so, on the advice of his astronomers, Julius instituted a calendar centered round the sun. It was decreed that one year was to consist of three hundred and sixty-five and a quarter days, divided into twelve months; the month of Quirinus was renamed 'July' to commemorate the Julian reform. Unfortunately, despite the introduction of leap years, the Julian calendar overestimated the length of the year by eleven minutes fifteen seconds, which comes to one day every on hundred and twenty-eight years. By the sixteenth century the calendar was ten days out. In 1582 reforms instituted by Pope Gregory XIII lopped the eleven minutes fifteen seconds off the length of a year and deleted the spare ten days. This new Gregorian calendar was adopted throughout Catholic Europe.

Protestant Europe was not going to be told what day it was by the Pope, so it kept to the old Julian calendar. This meant that London was a full ten days ahead of Paris. The English also kept the 25th of March as New Year's Day rather than the 1st of January. By the time England came round to adopting the Gregorian calendar, in the middle of the eighteenth century, England was eleven days ahead of the Continent.

A Calendar Act was passed in 1751 which stated that in order to bring England into line, the day following the 2nd of September 1752 was to be called the 14th, rather than the 3rd of September. Unfortunately, many people were not able to understand this simple manoeuvre and thought that the government had stolen eleven days of their lives. In some parts there were riots and shouts of 'give us back our eleven days!'

Before the calendar was reformed, England celebrated Christmas on the equivalent of the 6th of January by our modern, Gregorian reckoning. That is why in some parts of Great Britain people still call the 6th of January, Old Christmas Day.

Breaking Medjugorje News

Cardinal Schönborn speaks in Medjugorje

On December 30, 2009, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna and a member of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gave a powerful, lengthy talk at St. James Church in Medjugorje.

Schönborn's talk revolved around the theme of God's mercy, and he did not hesitate to praise Medjugorje.

His first words as he stepped to the podium were "Hvaljen Isus i Marija," a Croatian phrase that means "Praised be Jesus and Mary." This is a common greeting among the visionaries and Medjugorje villagers. The Cardinal repeated it several times and urged the crowd to repeat it with him.

He went on to say "When you look at a place like Medjugorje, you can see a superpower of mercy. Many merciful deeds were born here or they were supported here."

During one poignant moment of his talk, Cardinal Schonborn urged the crowd to stand and join him in singing the well-known Medjugorje song Gospa Majka Moja. He smiled warmly as he sang along.

While concluding his talk in Medjugorje, Cardinal Schönborn said, "I believe that many experiences in the Church demonstrate something that is impossible from a human point of view."

Cardinal Schönborn has been in Medjugorje since December 28. He will celebrate New Year's Eve Mass at St. James Church. The visit and implied endorsement from such a prominent Vatican cardinal is seen by many as a very positive indication of the Church's stance on the apparitions.

While some had expected Cardinal Schönborn's visit to Medjugorje to be private, he has instead surprised the town by being very visible. He has spent his time concelebrating Mass at St. James Church, climbing Apparition Hill with visionary Marija Lunetti, hearing confessions, praying in silence at Adoration, and, perhaps most notably, giving his talk today in the parish church with the Franciscan friars at his side.

You Are a Haiku

Like a tree swaying You are simple yet changing Living in the now

What Type of Poem Are You?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Rare New Year's Eve 'blue moon' to ring in 2010

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue - the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial neighbor.

A full moon occurred on Dec. 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.

The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.

However, the Eastern Hemisphere can celebrate with a partial lunar eclipse on New Year's Eve when part of the moon enters the Earth's shadow. The eclipse will not be visible in the Americas.

A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't come again until 2028.

Blue moons have no astronomical significance.'Blue moon' is just a name in the same sense as a 'hunter's moon' or a 'harvest moon'.

The popular definition of blue moon came about after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misinterpreted the Maine Farmer's Almanac and labeled a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the almanac defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons, not the usual three.

Though Sky & Telescope corrected the error decades later, the definition caught on. For purists, however, this New Year's Eve full moon doesn't even qualify as a blue moon. It's just the first full moon of the winter season.

LESSON OF MANGER IS THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY OVER THE ARROGANCE OF THE PHARISEES

The lesson of the manger is that the smaller we are the closer we are to God. The larger we are, and the more we focus on ourselves, the less we can see. We obscure Jesus. It is the "littleness" that gives us supernatural vision. This is why pride halts many who feature themselves as intellects from appreciating His miracles. He manifests around us. He shows Himself in ways that are simple. It was the message of Bethlehem. The skeptics -- the Pharisees, the Sadducees -- might ask: How could God be among that couple from Nazareth -- that couple not even worthy of an inn? How could God be in an infant? Greatness comes with the simplicity of humility and the humility of simplicity; listen not to the judgment of worldliness. It is vapor. It ridicules because it fears its lack of perception -- the inability to recognize His Presence. Speak and think as Jesus spoke and thought -- as quietly as Joseph did, as the Blessed Mother has taught. Stop staring at yourself; look to His Light. When you are simple, you are powerful. Ego is the air in a balloon, subject to a pinprick (ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth). It cannot enter Heaven. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner," we should say, as did the Publican, when proud thoughts enter, when we complicate. "The simplicity of humility frees us from constantly investigating ourselves, from looking at our misery and shortcoming," writes Brother Victor-Antoine D'Avila-Latourette of Upstate New York. "Instead, it points our eyes to the loving glance of Jesus, to that glance full of mercy and compassion which can alone provide us complete forgiveness. Jesus loved the humble of heart." He was not of great stature at a university. He quoted not philosophers. He played no politics. But He came more than two thousand ago to be the turning point in history.

WHAT DOES YOUR MIDDLE NAME SAY ABOUT YOU
[b]You Are Wise and Thoughtful[/b]

[img]http://www.blogthingsimages.com/whatdoesyourmiddlenamesayaboutyouquiz/name.jpg[/img]

You are the type of person who believes in seeking the truth - no matter how painful it may be.
You question everything and everyone. You even try to question your own actions and beliefs every day.

You are curious about the world. You think in terms of ideas and theories, and you're open to any new perspective.
You can get a bit obsessed and involved with your personal interests. You would make a good professor.

[url=http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourmiddlenamesayaboutyouquiz/]What Does Your Middle Name Say About You?[/url]

[url=http://www.blogthings.com]Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet[/url]

"Let us then joyfully celebrate the coming of our Salvation and Redemption. Let us celebrate the festive day on which He Who is the Great and Eternal Day came from the great and endless day of eternity into our own short day of time."

Supreme Court Says Personhood Is The Way To Go!
Submitted by Keith on Sun, 12/20/2009 - 04:59
in VideoColorado
Personhood was widely discussed at the Supreme Court oral arguments for Roe v. Wade.
Note that among other things, the judges state that:
“The basic constitutional question, initially is, whether or not the unborn fetus is a person. That’s critical to this case is it not?”
“Could Texas, constitutionally in your view, declare, by statute, that a fetus is a person for all constitutional purposes?”(Chief Justice Burger)
“The state could OBVIOUSLY adopt that kind of statute, and then it would have to be adjudicated.” (Pro-abort Attorney, Sarah Weddington)

.

MANGER SCENE ERECTED IN CENTRAL PARK

The Catholic League erected a nativity scene today in New York City’s Central Park; it will be up for two weeks. Bill Donohue seeks to clarify what is at stake:

Our life-size crèche, paid for by the Catholic League, is right in the heart of New York City; it is on the corner of 59th and 5th. Behind it stands the world’s largest menorah. That is how it should be: Christians and Jews should not be excluded from accessing land that is a public forum to display their religious symbols.

There is much confusion about this issue. The courts have made it clear that the display of religious symbols in a municipal building, or on a courthouse lawn, must be accompanied by secular symbols. But if the property is a public forum, a place where musicians, artists and others gather at various times of the year, then the government cannot prohibit the display of privately funded religious symbols, even when they are not accompanied by secular ones. That is why the New York City Parks Department allows Catholics and Jews to display their religious symbols (absent secular ones) in Central Park—it is a public forum. It is important to note, too, that a menorah is not a secular symbol, and attempts to deny its religious meaning are invidious.

We hope that public officials across the country take note of these differences and understand that if the Catholic League can put a manger scene in Central Park, then there is nothing to stop them from doing likewise in a similar spot.

Significantly, the public overwhelmingly agrees: in a Rasmussen survey released last week, only 13 percent of adults object to the display of religious symbols on public property; 76 percent approve and 10 percent are undecided. Women are more tolerant than men, and blacks are more tolerant than whites. Looks like we need to work on those white boys.


Copyright © 1997-2009 by Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
*Material from this website may be reprinted and disseminated with accompanying attribution

A Scriptural Rosary

A Scriptural Rosary

Guest Opinion: Are You Really Catholic? By Jennifer Hartline Catholic Online

The Church is not out of step with society; society is out of step with the Church. “Today more than ever, our nation is in need of Catholics who know their faith deeply and express their faith, with integrity, by their daily living.” Archbishop Raymond Burke

After reading His Excellency’s outstanding address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast and studying the current state of affairs in our nation, I’m prompted to ask a personal question:

Are you really Catholic?

Are you Catholic because your parents were Catholic, because their parents were Catholic because their parents were Catholic? Is it your culture or your faith? Is it your present choice or your history? Is it your conviction or a “hat” you put on for baptisms, weddings and funerals?

The evidence clearly shows that too many “Catholics” in America are Catholic for reasons other than a conviction of faith. And that’s just not going to cut it any longer. Our culture and our country are flying at warp speed into a black hole of godlessness, and I am increasingly flabbergasted at the sheer number of Catholics who are helping to fuel the descent.

Shamefully, the fact is that Catholics are largely responsible for electing our current government. That means that the majority of Catholics in America either don’t truly know their faith and what it means, or they don’t care, or they lack the courage to make their choices in properly informed by their faith.

It’s pathetic that so many who say they belong to Christ are so easily beguiled and deceived.The sacrifice of the Cross must not mean very much to many of us because we’re willing to sell it real cheap in exchange for the good opinion of those who would silence Christ. Precious Blood was spilled for our sins. Today our leaders and our culture want to wash away Its saving stain, and the majority of Catholics are quietly watching them mop… even handing them a bucket.

It’s not enough to be culturally Catholic, a holiday Catholic, or Catholic by ancestry. It is certainly not good enough to profess a Catholic faith in church, and then deny it by our life’s choices. Hear these words from our faithful Archbishop:

“In a culture which embraces an agenda of death, Catholics and Catholic institutions are necessarily counter-cultural. If we as individuals or our Catholic institutions are not willing to accept the burdens and the suffering necessarily involved in calling our culture to reform, then we are not worthy of the name Catholic.”

It is our Christian duty to call our culture to reform. We’re not supposed to blend in and “adapt” our faith to the changing times! We’re supposed to be showing our lost culture the way of true and lasting peace, which can only be found in Christ. It is our responsibility to be firm in defense of the natural and moral law even when it makes us unpopular or hated. If we’re not willing to do that are we worthy to be called Catholic?

Our Church is far from perfect. There will always be mistakes, even travesties that we will weep over and work to correct with God’s grace. As long as people are flawed, there will always be problems to overcome. But Jesus has promised us that even the gates of hell will not prevail against us. He has given us His body for food and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and our Blessed Mother to aid and comfort us. We have everything we need, if we will only be true to Christ instead of this world.

You are free to decide where and with whom you stand. You do not, however, have the right to try to change the Catholic Church to suit your opinions or wishes. No matter how brilliant you are, you are not above the Magisterium. No matter how persuasive the political position, you cannot ignore the law of the Church and the Natural Law. Doctrine and Orthodoxy may be distasteful words in this age of personal freedoms, but if you call yourself Catholic, you need to know what Catholic doctrine actually says and follow it. All of it – not just this or that particular idea that suits your preferences. The Church is not a cafeteria. You are not free to take some things and leave others.

If you are pro-abortion (also dishonestly known as “pro-choice”), you are not a faithful Catholic. It is never okay to kill an unborn human being. There simply is no way to reconcile support for abortion with authentic Catholic teaching which is based upon the simple foundation of true human rights beginning with the Right to Life.

If you are in favor of gay “marriage”, you are not a faithful Catholic. The defense of marriage between one man and one woman is not about denying anyone equality. Marriage is not a right that every person is equally “entitled” to the same as free speech. The union of man and woman is the only solid foundation on which to build a family, as God so wisely ordained from the very beginning. The family is the first cell of the Church and the first society.

If you support (that means vote for) politicians who advocate and legislate for laws and policies that violate the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, you are choosing to conform to this world rather than be transformed by Christ, and that’s very dangerous for all of us. To whom does your heart belong? It’s time to wipe out the notion that it’s okay for a Catholic to believe one thing in private and support the opposite in public, a la Biden, Pelosi, Kerry, Sebelius, etc. It is not okay. It is in fact, a mockery of our faith and a pathetic lie.

Either live as a Catholic Christian or don’t, but stop trying to remodel the Church to make it more appealing to the world. Learn your Catholic faith, understand it correctly and LIVE IT out in public without apologizing. Stop compromising the truth. Quit trying to rewrite Church teaching to bring it “up to speed” with modern times. The Church is not out of step with society; society is out of step with the Church. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and thus His Church is timeless, ageless and always perfectly relevant. It is not the Church who needs to change her thinking; it is society that needs to CORRECT its thinking.

Abortion is evil today because it’s always been evil and always will be. Gay “marriage’ is wrong today because it’s always been wrong and always will be. What is true and right and holy and sacred and pleasing to God never changes, no matter how the world may change.

The Catholic Church in America is in crisis, for sure, because too many people wearing that name are not living the true faith. That fact was on display this weekend at Notre Dame for the entire world to see. A Catholic University bestowed a law degree and honor upon a President who is fiercely determined to make it as easy as possible to kill babies all over the world. And today one more poll shows that still a majority of American Catholics don’t think it’s a problem. In my estimation, that means that a majority of American Catholics are simply not being faithful Catholics.

President Obama knows this quite well, and he’s only too happy to use our crisis of faith to his advantage. Are you okay with that? It is time to choose. Are you really Catholic?

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Jennifer Hartline is a Catholic Army wife and stay-at-home mother of three precious kids who writes frequently on topics of Catholic faith and daily living. She is a contributing writer for Catholic Online.

Third Monday of Advent, St. John of the Cross, December 14


What we need most in order to make progress

is to be silent before this great God

with our appetite and with our tongue,

for the language he best hears is silent love.


St John of the Cross, OCD

A Bit of the Blarney: Wisdom of G. K. Chesterton#links#links#links

A Bit of the Blarney: Wisdom of G. K. Chesterton#links#links#links