Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!

Christ our newborn king

In the bible it says that every knee shall bend in heaven, on the Earth , and under the Earth.  I think all those knees will be bending to the child Jesus because of atrocities committed against children especially abortion.  They truly seem to be "the least" in our society.  So, when those who have put children last, when they get to meet Jesus for their judgement, they will most likely  meet him in his powerful yet most vulnerable of images:  that of a newborn babe...

All hail the newborn KING!!!

St John of the Cross

Today is the feast of St John of the Cross.  Often people consider him a lofty mystic but all he did was love God.  He didnt set out in life to reform Carmel or even to be a Carmelite!  He wanted to join some other Order  but that wasn't what God had in mind..  Thus John met Teresa of Avila and his life was never the same from then on.

At the hands of his fellow Carmelites John suffered kidnapping, imprisonment and beatings.  It was not what he signed up for but out of the sins of men came the realization of the love of God.  God gave people free will and when they used their ill will against John God was still able to turn that into something beautiful.  In the darkness John encountered God and his life was never the same from then on.

Today in the United States a man entered a school and shot teachers and very young students.  May those who are in darkness now from grief and sorrow at the ill will caused by the actions of a man find that in the darkness they aren't alone.  The same God John encountered is there for them beckoning to be silent, to hear Him, and to encounter His love.

12-12-12

Today marks the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  She was the most successful evangelizer of the Mexican continent, bringing millions to Jesus in a little less than ten years (much more successful than any of the spanish missionaries put together at that time, lol.)

This image, which was left on the tilma of St. Juan Diego, still resides in the Basilica in Mexico City, baffling scientists as to how the image was placed and how it has been able to remain hundreds of years later...

 

Here is a video in honor of Our Lady, in the language of St. Juan Diego, Nahautl:

 

 

I love her words to St. Diego, "Do not worry, am I not your mother?"  She is our mother, because she is the mother of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.  She is our mother because He  deemed it so.  He gave her to us from the cross as he suffered and died for our sins.  He made sure that one of his last acts before he died was to hand his mom over to be mother of all mankind.  It is by His hands that we can all call Our Lady, "Mom."  It is by the Hands of Christ that she fulfills this role so perfectly in the divine plan of salvation.   

 

Today also marks the last time we can see the same digits in the date stamp.  I think this is a very special day to honor Our Lady, and if you couldn't wake up this morning to sing her Mananitas, or go to Mass and eat the delicious Mexican breakfast afterwards, there is still Mass throughout the day.   I will be attending at 6 p.m. tonite.   The Mass is for the repose of the soul of my very own, dear, earthly mother...

 

...so very appropriate, don't you think?  :)

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us your children and bring us closer, so much more closer to Your Son, Jesus Christ!

 

 

 

St Francis Xavier

 

VEE:  St Joseph of Cupertino wasnt the only so called "reluctant saint" as I would include Xavier in that group.  He didnt plan on being a missionary etc etc, he wanted to be a scholar.  But encountering Ignatius of Loyola changed that, kind of like John of the Cross meeting Teresa of Avila.  John didnt have an agenda to reform Carmel, if I recall correctly he was intending to go off and join the Carthusians!  Xavier failed at what he wanted to do with his life, even when he was out on his trips he failed at reaching China where he wanted to go.  The important thing is he went where God wanted him to go.  For more, read this article  http://www.loyolapress.com/saint-francis-xavier-1506-1552.htm 

excerpt

Francis Xavier had planned to devote himself to the intellectual life, but at a strategic moment he surrendered to God, who had long and patiently pursued him. That surrender changed the course of his life—and the course of history as well. Even Ignatius of Loyola, the leader of the new Jesuit community, had planned to deploy Francis as a scholar. But India beckoned, and Ignatius reluctantly sent Francis to preach the gospel there. Thus, the man who had planned on a leisurely intellectual life became a missionary apostle, perhaps second only to St. Paul.

and 

 In his passion for spreading the gospel, in his simple obedience, in his humble disregard for himself, the saint was a near perfect imitation of Christ.

"These words are Trustworthy and True..."

DS: Today is the First Sunday of Advent.  It is a new year in our Liturgy.  Year B, Cycle II has ended, we now begin with Year C, Cycle I, and what a way to begin...

Fra Angelico's "Last Judgment"

The Gospel reading of today's Mass hits us with the message that this world will come to an end, but we who follow Christ, must be prepared for His coming.  When the time comes the rest of the world will tremble in fear, but we must "hold our heads high at our deliverance."  Just like the readings of yesterday, where St. John beheld a vision of Paradise, today's Gospel reminds of the importance of being in a state of grace at the time of Christ's coming.  St. John's vision is no fairy tale.  He saw a place that had neither night nor tribulation and all who have served God and believed in Him on earth now praise Him forever in celestial bliss.  "These words," the angel explained to St. John, "are trustworthy and true...":

Luke 21: 25 - 28, 34 - 36
25	"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
26	men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27	And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28	Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
34	"But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare;
35	for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth.
36	But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man."

At Mass this evening, Fr. touched on the topic of "end of the world" hysteria that grips the world from time to time.  The upcoming Dec. 21, 2012 prediction by the Mayans is one example.  Fr. said that he finds it a mystery why people will easily believe such things, and yet, they find it difficult to heed the Word of God and believe in Him.   Truth is, we do not know the day nor the hour, and Jesus himself said only His Father in heaven knows.  What Fr. emphasized is that we must prepare our selves to be ready for anything, for the end may come to any one of us at any hour of any day we least expect it.  

Advent is such a time of preparation.  The Church takes these four weeks before Christmas to prepare for the coming of the Lord in the manger at Bethlehem.  (But in reality, we are preparing ourselves for when the Lord comes again.)  Like Lent, some Catholics will decide to offer some sort of sacrifice, or, take up a charitable activity.  Fr. suggested the latter.  This preparation is an activity that Catholics seem to repeat at various times of the Liturgical calendar.  In a sense, it's "practice made perfect."  Once we begin to take that journey to get closer to  God, there is no stopping us.  Preparation becomes an every day mission, rather than something we do just during certain seasons of the year.

VEE:  I like Michelangelo's "Last Judgement" in the Sistine chapel better, although I do suspect that at the general judgement at the end of time there will be a similar amount of shushing going on!  In the center of it is Jesus as a strong just judge, condemning the evildoers with such intensity that Mary is hiding her face.  Jesus is no frail pale wisp of a man there.    But we have started Advent though, where we prepare for Christ the newborn king, the Babe to whom we can go and adore and love and whom loves us.  Let us bend our knees before Him now in the manger and not wait until the end trembling at His justice.  I read in a Magnificat once a quote that went something like "God became what He loves most, a child so that we dont have to fear Him we can only love Him."

Viva Cristo Rey!

We Remember

Happy 237th Birthday US Marine Corps

 ....especially to our favorite Marine, Max! :D

 yes the cake is a few years old but still cool

 

difficulties

VEE:  It is difficult to live with an ailing parent.  I struggle with thoughts that Ive put my life on hold for someone who doesnt even care.  I live with someone who thinks they own everything even though I do pay my way.  Part of the problem is my mom doesnt fully accept whats wrong with her and tries to push her limits.  She also, like all parents I suspect, never stops thinking of me as a little kid.  There are a few things she is fully able to help me with but ignores the fact that I could really use her help or even the offer of help.  I try to see things from her view however sometimes I have no clue what she is thinking and it can be very frustrating and painful.  

We dont pick our cross, we carry the one we are given.

weekend

VEE:  Yay its Friday and I have a much needed three day weekend!  People at work ask me what am I going to do with my weekend, I reply "NOTHING!"

Requiescat in Pace

On this day of All Souls, I would like to remember and pray for:


My mom, Lucy
My brother Johnny
My baby nephew Isaac
My fraternal and maternal grandparents, Juan & Lita, Tobias and Gina
My great aunt Antonia
My uncles Manuel and Epifanio
My Aunts Irma, Carmen, Lupe, Helen
My cousins Ruben, David, Jackie
My friends America, Stella, "Mercy"

And for all the souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them...

I dedicate this song, "Fly" from Jars of Clay. This song is especially fitting in regards to my mom, whom I stayed by her side during her 10 month battle recovering from Cryptococcal Encephalitis. She was in the hospital for months, and wound up contracting MRSA. It was just one more virus she could not handle, and she succumbed within a month of contracting it... the song is fitting because i would hold her hand while she underwent all sorts of tests and wound care, and together, along with hospital staff, we would pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. The staff weren't even Catholic, but they would join in the prayer nonetheless because it seemed to calm my mom down ... This song just reminds me of the sleepless nights at her bedside, holding her hand....

"Fly"

[verse]
Be still
Let your hand melt into mine
The part of me
That breathes when you breathe
Is losing time
I can't find the words to say
I'll never say goodbye

[chorus]
And I'll fly with you
Through the night so you know
I'm not letting go
I'm not letting go
Tears like rain fill up the sky
Oh my love
I'm not letting go
I won't let you go

[verse]
I saw a host of silent angels
Waiting on their own
Knowing that all the promises
Of faith come alive
When you see home
Hold still and let your
Hand melt into mine

[chorus]

[bridge]
Shed your heart and your breath
And your pain and fly
Now your alive

Now you're alive
Now you're alive
Now you're alive

I won't let you go
I'm not letting go

 

Happy Feast of St Teresa of Avila

VEE:  When I first heard about her I was like "who cares about some dusty old Spanish nun??"  Boy did she ever get me back for that <_<  I think I've watched her miniseries 10 times now.  The first time was on youtube, four episodes of it all in Spanish until I couldn't take it anymore and bought the DVDs so I'd know what the heck was going on!

The funny thing is that even when I didn't know her, she knew me and God sent her to help me.  We don't choose the saints in our life, they choose us or are appointed by God.  God knew I needed her and so with her daughter Therese they found me.  I was alone, scared, lost without God, and in basic total despair.  They led me to God , they led me home both physically and spiritually and taught me much, or at least tried to.  She is my spiritual mother and I love her very much.

An excellent post on her 

http://corpusimmobiliserrantemanimum.blogspot.ca/2012/10/santa-y-doctora-hija-de-la-iglesia.html

Vee goes to the Divine Liturgy

VEE:  The Ukrainian Catholic Church celebrates the Divine Liturgy according to the Ruthenian tradition of the Byzantine Rite Translation they are Eastern Catholic/Byzantine and are in union with Rome.  Further translation...  ICONS!!!

Im not Ukrainian at all however due to the paths of life I have had the chance to attend the Ukrainian Divine Liturgy on three occasions.  Saturday made it four.  I long for reverence and respect when at Church.  No priest talking about football or trying to ham it up for the kids.  No loud talking before or after Mass etc.  Unfortunately there aren't many Catholic Churches where I live so it's either my Roman rite parish where things were getting on my nerves too much and proving a distraction, or the Ukrainian Catholics.  I know it's important to pray for our priests and talk to them about problems at Mass but when nothing changes I need to.

The Ukrainian rite calls their Mass the Divine Liturgy and the prayers are arranged a bit differently.  There is much more making the sign of the cross, from right to left btw, at the sign of peace no one shakes hands the prayers simply continue.  There is less music and if any it is simple chant.  There is incense, and the censure has bells.  At Communion ONLY the priest distributes the precious Body and Blood.  These are mingled together in a chalice, yes leavened bread in small cubes with the wine which then becomes Our Lord.  This cube is dropped onto ones tongue by the priest using a small ornate spoon.  I felt like a little bird being fed. 

Now some pics I took

 

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ADADSFADSFSDAFOUASDFPOIJA;LKJHASD;KJADS;KFJHADSL;JADS;LFJAS;LFJASDDL;JADSFJJ

VEE: oh my gosh taking care of a stubborn adult is worse than a two year old.  I guess my mom put up with all my crap for years now its my turn to look after her.  Im sooo stinking angry though because she does things like yard work that the doc told her she shouldnt do (because her bones are full of cancer and could shatter) but she is doing it anyway.  I dont even want to go to Mass Im jsut so angry.  There is no way I can receive Communion with this level of anger and Im not even sorry either.  Im not taking it out on her though, I vent to my sister instead.  It pisses me off that she is in denial and wont acknowledge her cancer, then there are the complete opposite people who bitch and moan about every hang nail.  One has nothing wrong when really everything is wrong and the other has everything wrong when its frikken nothing. 

Ninety-Five Years ago, the Sun Danced at Fatima

"The sun stood still,

the moon stayed,

while the nation took vengeance on its foes.

This is recorded in the Book of Jashar. The sun halted halfway across the heavens; not for an entire day did it press on."---(Joshua Ch. 10 vs. 13)

In the year of our Lord, 1917, God deigned to send His Mother to three shepherd children, Lucia, aged 10, Francisco, 9, Jacinta 7.  The place was Fatima, Portugal a remote village filled with peasants and hard working families.  Lucia was cousin to siblings, Francisco and Jacinta.  Together they would shepherd their family's flocks on property owned by Lucia's family.

These were very devout children, but nothing out of the ordinary.  What I mean is, they were taught at a very young age about the tenets of their Faith.  They had a devotion to God, but at that age, it was a developing relationship---much like any normal Catholic children have.  Nonetheless, Our Lord chose them to receive some of the most important messages for our times.  

It was on May 13, 1917, while the shepherds were out with their flocks, they saw what they describe as a luminous globe, resting upon a holmoak tree in a part of the land called "Cova de Iria."    In the middle of this globe of light, stood a very beautiful lady, who looked no older than 18 years of age.  She spoke to the children and told them not to be afraid, for she came from Heaven.  She told them she had a mission for them, one that was very important, and asked if they wished to take upon themselves this mission.  The children agreed.  For the next months, Our Lady appeared on this very same spot on the 13th of every month.  With every visit, she disclosed the important message, and the children's important mission.  The main theme of this message was to pray for sinners.  Our Lady described the evil that was spreading in the world.  A philosophy was coming out of Russia, she told the children, a philosophy that was Godless and militant.  What she described to the children, was the spread of communism.  Atheistic, militant communism has murdered more people in all of civilized history.  At the time of this apparition, marxism was not widespread, and ordinary folk did not know much about it, most especially children, nor would even understand Marxism.  (The exception was leaders of certain nations, who at this time were fighting for Marxist principles to become the norm in their rule of law.  Portugal's own rulers were flirting with it.)  At the very moment, Our Lady was giving this warning, the Bolshevik revolutions were going on in Russia, deposing the monarchy and putting into place a regime of murderous, atheistic thugs who would rule Russia and spread their evils around the world for the next 75 years.  (One would argue that this philosophy has evolved into the socialistic principles we see driving certain politics in our own country.)

Our Lady showed the children how to offer up their sufferings for the reparation of the sins of the world.  Jesus invites every believer to take a part in the suffering He did for us.  This is why St. Paul writes, "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2)  

Our Lady also bestowed upon the children 3 secrets which were revealed in their entirety to the Church and the world in the year 2000.  These secrets were the vision of hell, shown to the children during the first apparition.  The children described the earth tearing open, and all sorts of beasts and fire, smells and noises arrising from the pit.  Lucia describes what she said were souls "dancing to and fro in the fire, never finding a surface to rest, never finding relief from the scorching pain of the flames."  Our Lady then told the children that they had seen "Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go because no one will pray for them.  Most go to hell for the sins of the flesh."  (Sins of the flesh are immorality, sexual sins, masturbation, indecent thinking, partaking in pornagraphy, fornication, adultery, lusts, impure thoughts.)  The second secret was the prophecy that a worst war was coming if mankind did not cease in offending God (this prophecy was fulfilled with the rise of the NAZIs and WWII), and the last was a vision of the Church Militant on earth.  It was a vision showing Catholic laity, religious, bishops and even the Pope losing our lives at the hands of our enemies.  This has been interpreted as to have already passed, in the many wars of the 20th century, where countless Catholics lost their lives to militant atheism.  (I wonder, though, if this is still to come?)

This takes us to October 13, 1917, 95 years ago today.  On this day, God allowed a miracle to take place, only so that the doubting would BELIEVE in these messages, and put into practice the prayers, supplications and sufferings that Our Lady asked the children as well as all of us to participate in for the salvation of souls.  God allowed the sun to "dance" at Fatima.  Here are some pictures of that event: 

It had actually been raining that day, but after the Sun spiraled and came closer to the earth, the onlookers were suddenly dry as well as the ground they were walking on...

photo of the onlookers watching the sun as it danced in the sky

picture of the crowds that day at the Cova

People look at the sun, and fall on their knees in prayers to God

the crowds that day

Inset of "O Seculo," the marxist, left-leaning newspaper of Fatima

Even the liberal/marxist leaning newspaper could not help but rave about what their reporters had witnessed of the Miracle of the Sun!

After the apparition was finished, people wanted to get close to the children, they had to be shuffled away quickly.  This picture shows a soldier who took pity on Jacinta, and carried her through the crowd so the crowd would not get to her...

During this last apparition, the sun began to spiral and all colors of light flew off the sun.  It appeared in a way so as not to hurt the eyes of anyone who watched it.  The sun seemed to break away from its place in the noon day sky and "dance" across the sky, going from one direction to the other.  At one point, during this "dance," the sun seemed to be flying down towards the earth.  This sent the thousands at the Cova in great fear.  Many souls who had not been living right, at that moment were converted.  

In 1930, after a decade and a half of research, in-depth investigation, interviews of witnesses and family members, the apparitions at Fatima were deemed "worthy of belief" by the Catholic Church.


Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!  Bl. Jacinta and Bl. Francisco, pray for us!  

Year of Faith

Today begins what Pope Benedict declared a "Year of Faith."  In this year, the Pope hopes to "usher in a time of rediscovery" of our Catholic Faith.

The Pope's Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei, outlines this year, and the reasons behind it.  You may read it at this link:   Porta Fidei

Several Diocese in the United States have set up programs to help Catholics participate in the year.  My Bishop, for example, held an Evening Prayer at the cathedral last night to start off.   You can contact your local diocesan office and pick up an information packet.  Fr. Mitch Pacwa has a book out to assist the individual with a Bible Study organized to use throughout the year.  You can find it here:   Year of Faith Bible Study  There are several web resources, as well as many Catholic forums and blogs that will promote activities to deepen the Faith.  The Pope also suggests reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the documents of Vatican II as tools for study during this year.  

Of course, individuals can decide for themselves what they wish to do in order to take part. I decided to wake up an hour early and take that hour to pray.  Prayer is instrumental in our relationship with God, and one cannot live out their Faith without that relationship.   My meditation this morning was an essay on prayer by St. Claude de Colombiere.  In it he writes:"[Prayer] is the only means of purifying us, of uniting us to God, and of allowing God to unite Himself to us and be glorified in us."  So many of us may find prayer tedious, and boring at times.  We may even go through periods of "dryness" in prayer, and feel we cannot do it.  St. Claude says of that, "When we are distracted during prayer and find the time long because of our impatience to pass on to something else, it is good to say to yourself:   'My soul, are you tired of your God?  Are you not satisfied with him?  You possess him and do  you seek for something else?  Where can you be better than in his company?  Where can you profit more?'  I have experienced that this calms the mind and unites it with God."

I will pray for you as you begin this endeavor.  Please pray for me!  

A Day In The Life: The Carmel of St. Joseph

VEE:  I have never visited this Carmel however it reminds me of the few I have visited and the taste of of their life I have had.  It reminds me of the patience God is teaching  me as I have no freedom from obligation to enter.  If that does come it will be at a very high price. 
watch here

Texas Friends of the Dominican Sisters of Mary

This is a new group of lay persons and religious formed with the sole purpose of helping the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist here in Texas.  The community is building a motherhouse right here in our great state!  They want to get the word out that they are here to contribute to the Catholic church parishes and schools in our area.  As of right now there are only 10 sisters, but they plan to bring 100!  Their main apostolate is teaching, and boy, do our children need to learn about their Faith!  I have observed that students do extremely well academically in all their subjects when they are taught by the Sisters.  Our children need them, and so do we.  Please visit their Facebook group and join today!

Texas Friends of the Dominican Sisters of Mary

The Sisters on their property, hoping to build soon!

Children's Mass

VEE:  At my parish they have an elementary school.  Once a month, the kids attend morning Mass.  On Sundays we also have what they call the "children's liturgy" where the kids go out before the Gospel, so they miss hearing it along with their families as they are whisked away into another room.  I suppose a church "leader" takes the time to read the Gospel to them and then gives the children an entertaining project to do, like color pictures.  In the meantime, the children are missing the Mass with their parents and families.  In my opinion, this seems to fracture, not strengthen the community aspect of the Holy Mass.  Why should we endure this interruption?  Each priest on Sunday invites the children up and dismisses them in his own way:    some will  talk to the children, some just give a quick blessing and dismiss.  One priest tends to go overboard with trying to be a buddy and a comedian.  There seems to be this philosophy that if we do not make the Mass something like a children's show, the children are at a loss and bored.  Today my mom attended the school's Mass and told me, "he really had the children going!"  I cringed.

Children need to learn reverence and respect for the Mass, what the Mass truly is, the Holy Sacrifice of Calvary, who the priest stands for, Who we receive, etc. and that we do not go to Mass to be entertained like a corny kids show.  Such over the top antics serve to distract from the Mass, not help the faithful assist at it spiritually.

The movie "Dogma" poked fun at the Church.  Yet, after watching this clip, I see more truth in it than humour.  When we mistreat the Mass we treat Him no better than the heretics do.   

My gift for ds

Since "someone"  is already starting her Christmas wish list I will save her the time of rattling off things she thinks I should buy for her and just spoil it now with what Im actually getting her.

 

You're welcome!! :D

yes, it is real and can be found here click

Christmas is only three months away

Are you an early bird shopper for Christmas gifts?  I am.  But most importantly, I am an early bird at dropping hints on what is on my Christmas wish list. ;)

Here is my first hint:

It is called the "ostrich pillow" and it creates an ideal environment for power naps.  This picture pretty much sealed the deal for me.  I definitely need this for the office!

It is created by a company called, "Studio Banana Things".  Neat-o.  Perhaps you will find something for that hard to buy person on your Christmas list!

Vee are you paying attention?  

Happy Birthday

to my mom!!!!

It is interesting how, no matter what, each of us has only one mom and one dad.  Whether or not we know them, whether or not we like them, etc we only have one of each.  It can be a mystery as to why we get the parents we do but we only get one of each for better or worse.

Happy birthday to my mom and sorry if this doesnt make sense, its early!!

opcarm on facebook

We now have our own face book page.  This allows us to interact with face book as team opcarm, and allows us photo albums etc that arent available on blogger.  As I write this there isnt much on there yet but we have a lot of work planned.  http://www.facebook.com/TeamOpCarm
.

Start Your Novena!!!

To St Therese.

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus
Please pick for me a rose
from the heavenly gardens
and send it to me
as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus,
ask God to grant the favors
I now place with confidence
in you hands
( mention your special prayer request here )
St. Therese, help to always believe
as you did
in God's great love for me,
so that I may imitate
your "Little Way" each day.
 
Amen

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Happy Feast!!

 

The finest garments Jesus ever wore are the crown of thorns and the purple cape of His Passion.

Patriot Day 2012

DS:  The silence was calm.  Except for the sound of rosaries clinking and habits rustling, you could hear a pin drop in the chapel that morning.  I was deep in prayer.  I was just a few days short of one month since my entrance into the convent.  I didn't have any college classes that Tuesday, so I decided to join the Novices in their extra hour of Adoration.  The time was 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time ...

I left earlier than the 9:30 schedule change.  As I opened up the chapel door, I was met by a Sister in the stairwell.  "Sister," she whispered, "America is under attack!  The Twin Towers are gone!"   She led me to the community room, where superiors and other Sisters were gathered around the television set watching the horror unfold.  That day instilled in me the determination to reach out to as many people as possible and teach them about Jesus Christ ...

VEE:  It was Tuesday night in Japan and I was washing up getting ready for bed.  I finished and went into the living room and saw the news on TV, thinking at first it was some old footage of the car bomb attack on the World Trade Center in the 90s.  Then the second plane hit.

DS was in some Dominican convent but I was far from it.  If I had died that day I may have very well gone to hell.  I wonder how many of those who died that day were ready for their particular judgement??  

DS:   Are we forgetting?  Are we again lulled into the schedules of our daily lives?  Is the shock of this day a distant memory?  Do we ever think of our own end?  Jesus tells us to be prepared.  We do not know the day nor the hour.  




May all those who perished rest in peace ...

losing it

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

When we lose our lives to Jesus there is a tearing apart of self, of our prideful sinful anture, of doing waht we want and having our own way.  You say yes Lord I will give you all that I have but there is a purification still because we may even have to let go of our idea of how we will give up our lives for Christ.

We may think that Jesus is calling us to religious life, priesthood, marriage but we have to let go of even those ideas because in one way or another the Good Shepherd will guide, or drag us, to where He wants us.  He will call us to give more than we are comfortable giving.  We will be asked to give up all that is near and dear until all that is left is Him.

peek a boo

my pic

VEE:  Wow, I just came across this picture while going through old photos of my time in Japan.  I didnt know she was there.  I didnt know who she was.  I was a Catholic in name only and I only went to Mass that Sunday because my mom was visiting and she wanted to go.  Therese was there, always there, with me even when I didnt know and thought I was a long way from God.  The significance of this photo is very difficult to convey.  No matter what, God is with us, His saints are with us whether we want them there or not, whether we care or know or not.  They are always drawing us ever closer to Him even though we may not notice or it maybe very painful it is ultimately for our own good.  I didnt love Therese first, she loved me and if I have a certain sense of humor to her that others may find difficult to understand thats because it is sibling rivalry and humor between sisters.  Therese being the sister I try to disown but who never goes away!!! LOLOLOLOLOL

The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

Today the Church celebrates the Assumption of Mary.  We, as Catholics, believe that the Almighty God would not allow the body which bore His Son to suffer any decay.  Tradition tells us that Mary died and was placed in a sepulchre.  When the Apostles went back to the place where she was laid, she was gone.  They believed that she had been assumed into heaven, body and soul.  This explains why there is no burial place for Mary designated anywhere, nor are there relics of the Virgin.  Some Catholics believe that Mary did not really die, but that she just "fell asleep."  On this day, they remember the "Dormition" of Mary.  Since the very beginnings of the Church, the story of what happened to Mary was passed down, discussed and believed.  It wasn't until 1950 when the Pope proclaimed it a Dogma of the Church---a part of the Deposit of Faith which encompasses the totality of  belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

© Bridgeman Art Library / Narodni Galerie, Prague, Czech Republic / Giraudon

What is beautiful about the Assumption, is that God did not want the body of His Mother to decay.  This shows us the great dignity we must show our mortal bodies.  In a time when even some Catholics believe that certain immodest fashions are acceptable, where the world at large is becoming more complacent toward degenerate behaviors, and where fornication and deviant sex is the norm, the message of the Assumption may be lost.   All that God has created is beautiful, and everything He has given us in our bodies is glorious.  We are temples of the Holy Spirit.  The Almighty God DWELLS within us.   We are His beloved people, and we have every reason to revere what He has made in us.  It is only to our own ruin that we abuse our bodies in such a way as to allow impurity to molest us. 

The Assumption also points us to the fact that, although we will die, we will be risen from the dead on the last day, in our glorious form, both body and soul and dwell with Christ forever in eternity.

Happy Solemnity to you all! 

Maksymilian Maria Kolbe

Today the Holy Church celebrates the life of St. Maximilian Marie Kolbe, known as the martyr of charity. He is called such because he died for the life of a fellow prisoner, Franciszek Gajowniczek, in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Franciszek was chosen by the Nazis as one of ten men destined for the starvation bunker in retaliation for two prisoners escaping. The man begged for mercy, exclaiming he was a husband and father. St. Max stepped out of line (a move that could get you killed,) approached the Nazi leaders and asked to take Franciszek's place. When they discovered St. Max was a priest, the trade was made. Witnesses say that St. Max prayed with the prisoners, said Mass in the bunker, gave them all last rites, and gave them as much consolation as one can give in such a hellish place. After two weeks, everyone was dead but St. Max. The Nazis then injected him with carbolic acid to kill him. His remains were burned in the giant stoves of the camp. 

Franciszek survived Auschwitz and lived for another 53 years.

A few years back, I was in Libertyville, Illinois at the Shrine that is dedicated to St. Max's memory. I saw a few of the locks of his hair that the prisoners of Auschwitz were able to save. These relics are on display. Even though this is all we have left of his person, St. Max left us a more powerful example of the love we are to have for our fellow man.

"Greater love hath no man, than to lay down his life for his friends."---Jesus Christ

Dzien Dobry!

Today is Monday August 13, 2012

On this day in history:

1917

The visionaries of Our Lady of Fatima were kidnapped by the provincial administrator and threatened with death if they did not come out and admit the apparitions were a lie.  The provincial administrator was a freemason and anti-Catholic.  The children would not say such a thing, because it wasn't a lie.  One by one the administrator took the children out to be "burned alive in hot scalding oil."  When the last child was taken out of the interrogation room, supposedly to die, she was surprised to find the other two very much alive in their jail cells.  The administrator had tried to trick them into lying, but it did not work.  The jailhouse was besieged by thousands, shouting for the release of the children. The administrator had no choice but to let the children go.  Our Lady appeared to them on the Feast of the Assumption, since the children could not be at the Cova on the 13th.

Catholic quote of the day:

“Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them.”---Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Picture of the day:

Political cartoon of the day:

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Music video of the day:

Word of the day

fallow:  not in use

example:  Do not allow your Bible to lie fallow, for "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."