I love the novena that my friends at Pro Sanctity have going right now. I've only done 2 days, as I'm not very "good at doing" novenas, but I hope to become more astute or disciplined at praying them.

OUR LADY OF TRUST, PRAY FOR US!

Little Boy Jesus...

Is this just the most precious image? Nothing to say here, except, Child Jesus, pray for us! St Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, pray for us, too.



more images

What's an Evangelical to do with Mother of God?

Here's what one well-known and respected Baptist gives as an answer to that most troubling and divisive "topic" in RCC and Evangelical dialogue. It's well worth researching the links and perhaps passing along to our brothers and sisters in Christ in other faith communities.

Some of my own thoughts and musings on this "Topic" with scattered links:

Watching Sunday Night Live, this morning, (we record it every Sunday) while checking email and reading about the country in Africa (Lesotho) where my priest friend, Father Felix is from, I heard Fr. Groeschel mention something about Evangelicals and their surging interest in Mary, Mother of God. That drew my eyes upward immediately to the t.v. in our bedroom (such heathens we are!) and momentarily listened intently to this bit of news.

He mentioned a certain Dr. Timothy George, a prominent Evangelical who has an article in FIRST THINGS magazine, which piqued my curiosity more. I then went to GOOGLE, and found the article.(link below) I knew that Martin Luther had a reverence for Mary, and devotion to her as well as John Wesley and others, but either had forgotten or didn't know that Calvin also did. Amazing!

I'd appreciate any of your comments and how you as Catholics discuss our Lady with your Protestant friends, as this is a "sore spot" for most of my Evangelical friends with whom I try to talk to about her and my new found love and appreciation for her. Some of them either ignore me, refuse to talk about her, or just become quiet, with that proverbial "deer in the headlights" look, and we go on to something else or go on about our day...much to my chagrin.

Having been of the same mindset as my Evangelical/Protestant friends re: Mary, I understand where they're coming from, but now that I'm Catholic, it seems so rediculous to not care or offer the Mother of Jesus our LORD more than a passing nod at Christmas. Not that I'm mad at them, I love them, they're my friends in the truest sense of the word, but it seems now, so preposterous, that I had ever a "problem" with Mary at all! I didn't have a real aversion to her, or a real anti-Catholic hatred about their affection or possible "worship" of her, but I really didn't know what to think or where she belonged, necessarily, in my theology and Evangelical paradigm. Here is the article. And more on Dr. Timothy George.

I find this fascinating and "kudos" to this thoughtful man for his apparent logic regarding the woman who GOD CHOSE to be the Mother of Jesus. Won't it be amazing when all of us cross over the Tiber, either her or on the other side of death's threshold and see our Blessed Mother, Mary, waiting for us, taking us to her Son, as she still does here on earth, if we're open to her now. She's always pointed (and to this day still points) to her Son, to Christ, never to herself. She's the most humble of any soul ever created and I will be forever grateful to Her, for giving us Jesus and loving me so much as she called and prayed for me, her prodigal daughter, to come Home, to Rome.

This was and is just one of the many "the joke's on me" moments since my reversion/heart and soul conversion to Catholicism that occured in December, 2004. As Saint Augustine said upon conversion to Catholicism and the Church, (for which his mother, Saint Monica prayed for some 20-30 years for) "Too late have I loved thee." Well, that also applies to me regarding Mary, the Mother of God. "Too late have I loved thee, Mama!"

But what a comfort to have finally found out who you really, truly are, and how you love all of your children. Thank you, Mary for your love and your forgiveness of me, when in my ignorance and arrogance I tossed you aside and ignored the one even the Angel of the Lord called "Hail, FULL OF GRACE!" right there in the BIBLE! (the bible I read and took so literally except for the chapters such as John 6 and any word about Mary being "full of grace")... I simply glossed over and not knowing what to do about those verses, 'ignored' them...much like I ignored Mary, the Mother Jesus himself gave to us, the Church, by giving her to John, his LAST act before dying on the cross. Think about that for a while. The last thing Jesus did for us was leave us his mother! Even as a bible scholar or a most avid sola scriptura person, the BIBLE ALONE even says as much!~ Something to masticate, chew, gnaw and ponder in our hearts. She was Jesus first disciple...shouldn't we as Catholics and or Protestants give her more than a mere, and dare I say even at times, a "smug" nod?

Just found this incredible site. I am planning to give up blogging for 40 days for Lent, (wonder how long it'll take before the BT's will set in?) So guess I'm going barmy now finding a bunch of stuff to post!

This is a great site, I was a little skeptical at first, but began reading further and thought it should get some PR. Great resource for ecumenical study and dialogue.

A prodigious experiment...

We just watched this video again. Laughter is the best medicine and this Doc knows it. Who knew Catholics were so funny? It's not only funny but very scientific, too. Share this with some Protestants and see what they might think about it. I would hope they'd laugh, too. Enjoy.

Thanks to mmajor fan...

I was just over at Heart for God, Dr. Hall's blog. I read mmf's comment and thought it a very poignant one. One of the most succinct and meaty comments I've ever read on the topic of ecumenism. So I'm taking liberties here to post it. Thanks, mmf~ you've given me much grist to chew. We all need to do our best to be the 'plank'...part of the bridge in our ecumenical outreach to our seperated brethren. Even hearing that term "seperated brethren" as a 'born again' Christian evangelical in my 20's made me nuts! I simply didn't know or take the time to understand why my dear mother-in-law meant by it. I was offended by the term. NOW, as a Catholic, I understand. We're ALL too darn thin-skinned anymore and need to just pray, take a deep breath, ask Our Lady our dearest Mama most Holy to infuse us with her graces to "love all" as Christ, and dialogue on the bridge, and extend TRUE CHRISTIAN charity, for God is love.

MMajor Fan said...
I think (and pray) that your service and charism will be in great demand soon. The gap between Evangelicals and Catholics should not be as wide as it is, but it is. Each person needs to identify which plank they can lay over the gap. Also one must recognize that sometimes a plank is laid across the gap, but it is a one way street, not a compromise into mutual error. So I would suggest that you identify a few focused areas where you can provide a plank, rather than trying to provide the entire bridge. For example, here is the plank I most use. I explain the difference between an Evangelical's view that the personal relationship with Jesus is all that the Lord requires and the Catholic's view that God still requires sacrifice, which is why the Mass was initiated by Jesus and is different than a "praise and worship" experience. So I focus on educating through scripture that the New Covenant did not eliminate the requirement by God for sacrifice, but that Jesus in the New Covenant created the sacrament of Holy Eucharist which is the bloodless sacrifice to God. They may not agree with me but I find this plank is a very important one to have meaningful dialogue at all. Hope this gives you some grist for thought and inspiration.

January 21, 2008 10:45 PM

For Teresa...

A book to give us all hope. : ) A must read...for me anyway!

Here's the interview with the author, by Kris and Bruce
McGregor, Spirit Catholic Radio

A Devout Life...

Today we celebrate the life and faith of St. Francis De Sales. Here you can read about The Dynamics of Love.

I hope to get to know this devout and delightful Saint this year. He's the patron Saint of writers and I aspire to at least become better at it, with the joy I derive from writing. I've been called a "word smith" by a good friend in Catholic Raydio...so we'll see. Please visit my poetry blog sometime, and if you have some input or advice, or any information on Catholic poets, or poetry gathering places on line, let me know. Thanks, and God bless! St. Francis, pray for all of us bloggers. Amen.

At the Holy Family Shrine during Lent...

Anyone in the Omaha or 'greater Omaha area' looking for a special way to prepare or partake in Lenten devotions are welcome to visit the Holy Family Shrine.

The Unborn Christ Child...

This is a great website. I just signed up to receive the 'unborn word of the day.' Pray for the Unborn Christ Child.

The conception and birth of Jesus Christ are in fact the greatest work accomplished by the Holy Spirit in the history of creation and salvation…”

Pope John Paul II, The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World

Roman Catholic Radio...

Listen Live here.....

unless you're like me and don't have real player on your lap top. Cool site, though. When I go to my PC, I'll listen there.

Tees to please...

it's better in Latin

When a loved one or friend passes on...

This is what I sent to a friend this morning re: her dear friend who passed on last Saturday. I'm not posting this because I think it's so great, not at all, it isn't. But how I so desired and longed to tell her I was 'praying for' her friend, and 'praying for the repose of her soul.' You see, this friend is a devout Christian and an Evangelical. Like so many, she does not believe in praying for the dead, or praying for those who've 'passed on' because to her, and to me at one time, there was 'no sense' in praying for those who had died, as they were either in one place, or the other. Heaven or Hell. There was no such thing as Purgatory or anything close to such a 'strange thing' in my belief system.

Now that I'm a Catholic, that belief I once held, seems more foreign to me than ever! I LOVE the teaching of the Church on praying for those who have passed on, even if it's been years and years since they left us! Those prayers are never wasted, they're never said in vain for those who've gone on to the other side of the veil. I ask you to say a quick prayer for the repose of Marcia's soul. For if she was 'your' loved one, or friend, how wonderful it would be to know that even "strangers" or those Christian's from other faith persuasions were praying for your loved one. Come the day we all meet, I'd like to see those I've prayed for, even once from my heart, that I knew or didn't know here on earth,gathered around the Throne of God, praising and worshiping the Lamb that was slain for us all with all the blessed in the Communion of Saints!

"Wrap yourself up in His love today. Jesus weeps with those who weep.
I've been praying for you, for Ron and for Marcia's family. How I thank
God that He became Man. He shed his garment of righteousness and clad
Himself with skin. The 2nd Person of the Triune Godhead, became a human,
yet remained divine. A mystery indeed, but how much He did and does love
us! He became human to go through everything we go through, to FEEL
everything we feel, to be TEMPTED with all the temptations we're faced with, yet
with an intensity that we'll never know. How grateful we must be for so great a
love, until our spirits soar straight into His bosom, His most Sacred Heart,
where we'll never encounter another trial, never again feel fear, doubt,
hurt,grief,anger, pain. Where never again a tear will fall to our feet,
for they'll all be gathered in a bottle and cast far away, never to be known
again."

doctrine of purgatory/saints

The grace of being forsaken...

Sounds strange, doesn't it? Find out more about this paradox here in another excellent recommended read for Lent. With Ash Wednesday fast approaching (Feb. 6) preparation of our hearts is vital. I seem acutely aware of the importance of this Lenten season this year. For some reason, it seems imperative to drink from the well of God's grace and receive all of the magnanimous moments that come filled with grace, that are showerd on us with throughout our days. Glean all we can from them and pray... for time is short. Our Lady has been saying this for years: "time is short." followed with...

"Pray, Pray, Pray."

We saw this guy in Omaha 10+ years ago...

He's still as funny as I remember him.

TJ...this one's for you :)

To everything turn, turn, turn. We need to turn to our Mother...

Lent is a time of repentance. We pray for a real turning. We ask for a change deeper than any shift on the surface ... we ask for no less than a complete change of heart.

Last week we looked into the icon of "Jesus Christ Redeemer Holy Silence", and Silence has led us to this, Our Lady of Sorrows. This is an icon of infinite com-passion ("suffering with") and it was commissioned with that prayer in mind. In 1993 a friend called with the tragic news that his sister was in the final stages of AIDS, and asked me to "write" an icon as a prayer for her. I plunged into my icon books and finally found this 14th. century image of the Mater Dolorosa from the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Meteora, Greece.

This icon is the left wing of a diptych (two panels) which I later felt compelled to expand into a triptych (three panels) and we will see the other two in the coming weeks.

We see here an image of great solemnity set in a darkness that is deep and wordless. The Mother of God, head bent in obvious exhaustion, pulls her cloak closer to her and leans on that hand. Her eyes are the stricken open eyes of a slaughtered deer. They are half vacant with consuming affliction, half with the shock of having just witnessed the slow torture and murder of her only child. The right hand rises, with or without heart, in a gesture of consent. The Mother who cannot even lift her head lets this hand float up in the dark night of faith. She offers one last "Let it be according to Your will".

The letters to the left of her head MP OY are abbreviations for "Mother of God." The three stars on her blood red maphorion (cloak) always indicate her virginity before, during and after the birth of Christ, one is hidden here behind the left hand.

We believe that Mary is not some symbolic or figurative mother, but in every way, truly our Mother (John 19). She is "there for each of us", inside of each grief, each set-back, each of our toddling steps toward God. A veritable avalanche of real and purported apparitions in this century tell us this over and over again.

Perhaps what makes this so painful to believe is that we see this woman all the time. Not the resplendent Mother of Light, but the Mother of Sorrows. We see her nightly on the television news in Iraq, Bosnia, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Russia, Rwanda, India, New York ... Los Angeles. We feel helpless as we watch her, afraid our prayers as we watch are not enough to touch her grief. We feel like she did beneath the Cross at the time of her child's death and even now as she bears the countless deaths of her other children on earth. We would so love to see her transfigured, healed, as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. But in this icon she comes as every mother, and this is our way to her. This is our way to one another, through the silent and tremendously healing door of compassion.

See the many images Fr. McNichols has written, click "other icons."

William Hart McNichols,SJother icons

Lent is drawing near...time for a reflection

I have come across the most beautiful Lenten Reflection. Our Holy Mother Church has these glorious seasons in her liturgical calendar to help us in our faith life, our growth in holiness to aspire to the heavenly reward enjoyed by our big brothers and sisters in Christ, the Communion of Saints. I'm posting this now, as Lent is just around the corner. I love Lent and the Paschal season so much. I never ever gave it much thought in most of my Evangelical years. Since Jesus had "died once and for all" and did everything, Lent didn't really make much sense, although at our last fellowship, our Pastor did encourage us to fast, either the full 40 days in some way or another, and many participated in the Daniel Fast. At any rate, Lent has been a very meaningful time for me since becoming "fully" Catholic 3 years ago, and not just because of the Friday Fish Fry and beer! Here's the reflection.

Remember, Lent isn't about kicking a bad habit, "sacrifcing" a craving for chocolate, ciggies, or t.v. It's about growth. Growth in holiness. Growth in faith, hope and love the 3 big virtues we all need to grow closer to Jesus and love others as we love ourselves. We need our time in the wilderness, for deep prayer, and fasting. Let us enter our own wilderness, our own desert, and come out more in love with the Lover of our souls, less attached to earthly things, cares and desires and less attached to our 'private sins.'

Holy Vocations...

If you know of a young man being called or discerning a call to the priesthood, or a young woman discerning a call to religious life, please invite them to go to this blog, created by Matthew. God bless our youth as they are flooding the Church with a cleansing tide of Tradition, orthodoxy, and sincere love and desire to spread the Good News of the blessed Catholic Church. The Catholic faith of these zealous souls is washing clean the debris left from those less orthodox or even in schism to the Magisterium from the "sloppy theology" so rampant in the Church from the 60's through the 90's. It's time for a new Springtime in what may be a smaller, but exceedingly more

committed Church, and possibly even a Church having to go underground. For that, we'll need these strong and faithful priests and sisters, true to the Church in everything, to help us survive the darkness and this culture of death as wheat and tares grow alongside each other. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Thanks Matt, for creating this blog for young people like yourself, who are going to be taking a stand for Truth, and not go the way of some of your predecessors, who for selfish gain, and a stronger love for a political agenda than the Church, did much damage to the faith of many. The TIDE HAS TURNED! We love you and will pray for you and your friends. Please pray for my friend, Sarah, as she is now in the discernment process in Panhandle TX at the convent of the School Sisters of St. Francis.

With very orthodox contributors,
HERE IS MATT's BLOG.

PAX

The details are sketchy...but that's the best thing...

Let Onion Boy sketch your favorite thing...dog, cat, person, house, bike, car, boat, shoe, you name it, he'll sketch it. Owen, thanks for your Luminous Miseries blog, that's come to its fruition and its end just a few days ago. The blog was a blessing to countless hundreds, if not thousands, I'm sure, simply because of the author.

God hold you, keep you, and bless you always.

Visit the art of Owen...

Truth Matters...

When you all are perusing the net, please take a peek and visit my friend, Jill. Here is her webpage. Jill is a member of Coming Home Network International forums., as am I. We connected there and almost got to meet last Sept. in Clovis CA, but alas, it wasn't to be. Maybe next time, eh Jill?!? : )

The early Saint got the worm....

Thanks for your prayers everyone. St. Isidore of Sevilla came through for us. Our computer is back working, and all we lost was anything we did post Dec. 20., which happily wasn't a whole lot of stuff. One good thing is we didn't download our pics on the camera from Christmas yet, as that would have been sad...very sad. So thanks to anyone who may have offered up a prayer for our wormy infestation. It seems to be cured!

Fisheaters - Superb website - chock full of info...

Visit here to read about the fundamental differences between Catholics and other Christians.

Seven Dolor...and a prayer request

This is a wonderful and efficacious prayer/meditation to Our Lady of Sorrows. I noticed Fr. Groeschel talking to Fr. Roesch about this chaplet last night on Sunday Night Live. Fr. Roesch was saying how it has been almost forgotten about over the last decades and how there needs to be a resurgence of praying this chaplet. I have one that my friend, Denise, brought to me from Medugorje and it's lovely. It's the prettiest, most pale blue beads, that are like pearls of tears. I've never seen any rosary made with this particular color beads. When we get our other computer working again, I'll post a picture of it.

You can go to EWTN religious catalogue to find out more about it, any number of sites. I found this one and like it. May Mary hold you all close today, and wrap her mantle of motherly protection around you.

Also, I ask your prayers to the patron saint of computers, St. Isidore of Seville, that the nasty worm we've been attacked by will be able to be destroyed, and pray nothing will be lost in the process. Thank you all. Blessings and peace to you.

New Convert to Catholicism...

h/t Tiber Jumper for this wonderful news!

God bless Dr. Hall as he begins his new journey swimming the Tiber after taking the "papist plunge." listen here to Dr. Hall's parting sermon at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church.
Oh, and he'll be on EWTN, The Journey Home, Monday night, Jan 14, 2008.


David Hall

Senior Pastor - Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church
B.A., Hobe Sound Bible College
M.A., Columbia International University
M.T.S., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
D.Min., Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary

WELCOME HOME, Dr. Hall. Peace be with you.

The Luminous mysteries...as JPII the Great describes

The luminous mysteries seem apropos today, being Epiphany. Our Lord is Light from Light...true God from True God, begotten not made...and His Holy Spirit is enlightening us to become "lights" and the "light of Christ" for others. May we see Christ in others, also, and try to grow in holiness and not be judgmental of them. I request your prayers.

This is the most profound and a wonderful resource for all who love the rosary and for those who might not understand it, or think that it's wrong or not "ecumenical." For it is written by Papa JPII.

Read JPII's apostolic letter here...and like a good 'fisherman/woman' in Christ,. . .

Duc in Altum!

These are my prayers, too, Lord...

Prayers of St. John Chrysostom

(1) O Lord, deprive me not of thy heavenly blessings.

(2) O Lord, deliver me from eternal torments.

(3) O Lord, if I have sinned in mind or thought, in word or deed, forgive me.

(4) O Lord, deliver me from every ignorance and heedlessness, from littleness of soul and stony hardness of heart.

(5) O Lord, deliver me from every temptation.

(6) O Lord, enlighten my heart which evil desire hath darkened.

(7) O Lord, I, being man, have sinned: do thou, being God, in lovingkindness forgive me, for thou knowest the weakness of my soul.

(8) O Lord, send down thy grace to help me, that I may glorify thy holy Name.

(9) O Lord Jesus Christ, enrol me, thy servant, in the book of life, and grant me a blessed end.

(10) O Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good in thy sight, yet grant me, according to thy grace, to make a beginning of good.

(11) O Lord, sprinkle on my heart the dew of thy grace.

(12) O Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, thy sinful servant, cold of heart and impure, in thy Kingdom.

(13) O Lord, receive me in repentance.

(14) O Lord, leave me not.

(15) O Lord, lead me not into temptation.

(16) O Lord, grant me thought of good.

(17) O Lord, grant me tears, a remembrance of death, and a sense of peace.

(18) O Lord, grant me mindfulness to confess my sins.

(19) O Lord, grant me humility, charity, and obedience.

(20) O Lord, grant me endurance, magnanimity, and gentleness.

(21) O Lord, plant in me the root of all blessings, the fear of thee in my heart.

(22) O Lord, vouchsafe that I may love thee with all my heart and soul and in all things obey thy will

(23) O Lord, shield me from evil men and devils and passions and all other unlawful things.

(24) O Lord, who knowest thy creation and what thou hast willed for it; may thy will also be fulfilled in me a sinner; for thou art blessed for evermore.

Amen.

h/t to Dylan at Phos Hilaron

Today is the...

go to mass.

Our Lady of Sorrows tile - let her grace your home...

This is an 8x10 inch tile that my friend, Lt. Col. David Farr (Ret. Air Force) has made. His story is profoundly charming. When his second wife died, he said that "Mary became the love of my life." He's been to Medugorje about 8 or 11 times. He's has these lovely tiles made that are just breathtaking! We have one,and I gave one as a donation to KVSS for our Fall care-a-thon in 2005. I've spoken to Col. Farr a few times on the phone and we email a little. He had a stroke last summer, so keep him in your prayers, please. He's a very dear man and a gracious, humble, holy man. I hope he can come to Nebraska and visit us in Omaha, to visit us at KVSS and see the Holy Family Shrine. He's also made a St. John the Baptist tile that is really amazing. I donated it to the silent auction at the Shrine, so I need to replace that sometime.

His website, I noticed, is under construction right now, but his email is there, and his phone number. He's got an assistant helping him with orders and with his website. He was doing this mostly by himself for a while, but he's one tough guy, still going in his 80's even after a stroke. I hope to get to meet him, maybe this year, God willing. He's in New Cumberland, PA. HEY, TJ...is that near you at all? If so, maybe you could meet him im person sometime and give him all my best.

God bless you Col. Farr. We love you and we're praying for you. I hope my readers will visit your site, and order this striking image of Our Lady of Sorrows. I have a deep devotion to her. She's in the middle of our living room and keeping us in her care and under her watch and protection.

God bless you all and remember, this tile would make a wonderful gift for someone devoted to OLOS and or for Mother's Day...only 4 months away. : )

Servant and Steward...

Visit Fr. Zehnle's blog. Pray for our priests.

Probably the most fun blog I've come across...and I've come across many...

Sister, you take the cake, bake it, and frost it! This is her quote in her header. Need I say more?

"Life is tough. But Nuns are tougher. If you need helpful advice just Ask Sister Mary Martha. She'll help you. Just don't expect any sympathy."

Sister Mary Martha's blog... visit, laugh, learn and smile. We could and should all do more of that!

Heaven Help Us gifts

Recruiting Priests With Slick Movie Ad...

With numbers of priests at an all-time low, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York is using images of priests in ordinary and heroic situations to encourage young men to consider the priesthood. (Grassroots Films)

You can read the ABC.com article HERE.

H/T Stan Williams

Help St Joseph's in Uganda, if you can... with prayer and or money or both...

Thank you. God bless you Tim and all that you have done and plan to do for your mission to Uganda and for our brothers and sisters in Christ in that country.

Read about Tim's mission here.

Please consider becoming a "friend of the poor souls"...

By going here and offering your prayers, and have masses said for the poor souls who so long to be with Christ.

Am I ever jazzed tonight!.....

Father Peter Mitchell was on LOTR (Life on the Rock) EWTN and he's so dear to me! I've met him a few times, and was at his book signing at Gloria Deo last Sept 20th for JOHN PAUL II, We Love You! He is the pastor of Assumption parish in Dwight, NE and Bee, NE. I've been to his masses about 4 times, and they're holy, reverent, and like being at EWTN or something! He's great! We are so blessed in this state of Nebraska, to have our own Archbishop Curtiss here in Omaha and Bishop Bruskewitz in the diocese of Lincoln, where Fr. Mitchell is a priest. So many wonderful young, on fire, holy priests are in both diocese and the numbers continue to grow! Lincoln has some 40+ seminarians this year! I hope they all hang in there but if not all continue, the numbers are still very encouraging for the new "Cleansing Tide" that is washing through the land, the globe and the Church, to proclaim the Truth and nothing but the Truth, so help them God!

Check the EWTN prime time t.v. schedule and watch an encore LOTR and let Father Mitcell get up "pumped up" for the Faith!! And get his book, John Paul II We love you! Read his memoirs of the weeks before JPII went to his glory through the veil, and read what inspiring memories were articulated by so many of the youth that were there for his funeral and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. It's a fast and soul-stirring,faith-inspiring read, some tears and much joy fill the pages, but it's the whole gamut and the whole of life in a small, humble book, written by a gifted and humble, holy priest. Thank you Father Mitchell! God bless you...we love you, too!

Here are some of his memories of those days before JPII died as he wrote them on this on line journal. John Paul II, pray for us! WE DO LOVE YOU!

Deacon Payne... or is it Deacon Pain?

Check out this video: Deacon Payne




H/T to Per Christum where I first saw this and laughed my socks off for the first time today.

http://www.usml.edu/

Not sure what to title this one...

H/T to PC

The Lamb and Love of God...

How can you look at His nail-scarred hands
and see the gaping wound in His side
see the holes in those feet, that carried His torn body
to the top of Golgotha where He died

and not see His mercy, poured out in purest blood
more tender than a mother's deepest love
Love stretched out on a cross, where He gasped His last breath
and died for the sins of all of us

the love that we're craving and hope to finally find
love unconditional is what we're looking for
is the love revealed to us so long ago in space and time
found in the blessed wounds that Jesus bore

so come to His altar now, prepared for you at mass
and let the paschal Lamb of God give you His Life
His flesh and blood will heal your starved and sin-sick soul
and restore what's been broken deep inside

come eat the Lamb of God, be truly satisfied
come eat the Lamb of God, be truly satisfied


susie melkus
01-02-08

I just finished this and found an image that looked like nothing I'd seen so far, so I clicked it and found it to be on Steve Ray's blog. So yet another rather uncanny thing to add to the list of uncanny things going on in my life. His post on the Lamb of God says what I said above, only much more eloquently and more ..."Steve Rayish." Below is the image from his blog...

Come to think of it...

I got to thinking of (still searching for an image - hands/wrists) stigmatics, and how their wounds are found in their palms, never their wrists. (as far as I know)Curious? I cannot find a picture of a nail- scarred hand at all, which is strange. So I thought I'd find my beloved Padre Pio and let his "nail-scarred" hands tell the story. I believe the wounds of our Savior were and are still found in his palms and his feet.

Saint Padre Pio, pray for us. Thank you.

Was it by his wrists or was Jesus nailed through his hands - as in palms?

I hope this isn't a complete waste of time.... yours or mine. IF so, I'm sorry...but...

When I go on line and search for images, as I was just a while ago, (I was actually looking for an image of a nail-scarred palm for a post) I come across interesting sites (or not so interesting as many of you might find this to be) and I pause on these articles and get off track. But sometimes, it's worth it. This one? I'm not sure but I'm dinking around with it, and posting it anyway.

So, I come across this site. Maybe this isn't worth bothering about, or is it? I find this particular subject sort of curious for some reason. One thought that came to me while reading this was that Jesus said we're ''written in/on the palm of My hand." I think about the nail scars, and how those holes are in a way,"us"...we nailed him to that Cross, our sins put Christ on that tree, but it is also His LOVE for us that made him lay down his life for his friends. Even while we were/are yet his enemies. We, our names, (reading about the significance of names recently also and learning that we are our names, or our names signify who/what we are) are the holes in his hands. If I think about it, (if it matters one whit) then I am going to be one who claims it was indeed his hands, his palms that were pierced by the nails, not his wrists, if what this man says is true, re: the Greeks and the ancient Jews and what they believed a hand and a wrist to be, then I'm thinking it must have been his palms that bear the holes. Am I wrong? Maybe. But that's my take, for what it's worth.

Whether by his wrists or his hands, Jesus was hanged on a cross for my sins. For the redemption and salvation of all mankind. I'm not myself "hung up" on this, but I came across this website and found it rather interesting. I remember m'y brother and I talking about this when we were in high school. He told me that Jesus was hanged by his wrists, not the palms of his hands. Now I find this article, and took the time to read most of it, not word for word, but I do find it is very eloquent and seems right as rain to me. Hey, Dobrodoc, what do you think? I'd never heard that it was 'scholars' of heretical bent, that say Jesus had to have been hanged by his wrists.

I've heard priests, holy, traditional and orthodox ones say that the nails had to be pounded through the wrists to hold his weight. (but there does seem to be more 'bone' there and I thought this same thing at times) I'm curious now as to what you have to say TJ. I'd never thought about it mattering too much, as both explainations seemed to 'hold weight.' Now I wonder if this does or doesn't matter? Not necessarily to someone's eternal salvation, as to what they believe, but I've seen most crucifixes with the nails IN the palms of Jesus, and yet, as this man says, they're also in his feet, not his ankles. Hmm.

I have really thought about this from time to time when I've gazed at a crucifix. That old conversation has crept back into my memory at these times (that my brother and I had all those years ago.) I don't remember taking sides, per se. But I do know that my brother isn't one to call himself a "Christian" these days or for all of his adult life, or at least not outloud. Maybe he's more an agnostic, and I've not heard him call himself an atheist either. What do my other readers think about this? Here's the article on "WRISTS OR HANDS"

now back to hunting for a picture..... PAX to all. By the way, I'm not trying to start any silly arguments here for the record. ; )

We're okay? I don't THINK so.....

H/T to White Stone...
This little drawing/caption of mine came back to memory after reading WhiteStone's comment on my House of God, Catholic style post. She really hit the nail on the head. Thanks WSNS.

"The people who built these churches, it seems to me, understood not only who God is better than we do, but what human nature is. When the Wise Men gave the infant Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh, they knew a baby doesn't need these things; God doesn't need them- THEY needed to offer these things for the good of their own souls. Is it a coincidence that when 'sin' went out of fashion that beautiful churches went out of fashion too? If I'm okay, you're okay-then what do we need to do to show our love and need for Almighty God? Once we understand who we are in relationship to God, we will start building beautiful churches again - like Mother Angelica has done."

Let us not forget who's fighting for our freedom...

Watch and pray.

This video takes a while to download. Be patient.

Thank you to all who voluntarily serve our country with bravery, honor, and valor.

We are grateful.

May 2008 be a better year for all of you and may
you soon return home to your families
We pray for peace.
Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

House of God...Catholic style

This is what the inside of the Mother of God Church looks like! I don't know where it is. I found this in my bookmarked pages. Does this draw one's soul and heart and mind toward heaven or what!?! To think that I used to believe this kind of "gawdy stuff" was irrelevant and not necessary for worship makes me sad now, as I know what a blessed gift Christian art is, and how so many poured their blood, sweat and tears into this kind of elaborate "house of God" for HIS GLORY, not their own. Many a early immigrant and pioneer to this country gave of their time and talents to ADORE the Lord. It wasn't 'superficial' or considered a waste to honor God with their best in skill and artistry. They didn't spend their lot in life on themselves, but for the Church, and for posterity, and here we are, so many years later, enjoying the wonder and majesty of creation, and the way our spirits soar to heaven just gazing upon these masterpieces.

Rich and I have taken hundreds of pictures of Catholic Churches in and around the Omaha area. There are some very simple, yet still holy and reverent small country churches, and then the larger Cathedrals and basilicas which are more elaborate, but both are so beautiful with statues and altars and usually a choir loft with an ornate organ and the gorgeous stained glass windows that are utterly refulgent when the sun shines through them, depicting the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and or mysteries of the rosary, etc. To drive by some fundamentalist or Evangelical buildings these days, you'd think it was just an office, or strip mall or sadly a dumpy shack on the side of the road. I'm not putting the people down or making a personal attack on their 'houses of worship' but it's mind boggling to me, how one could ever join their hearts to a greater and higher power, a heavenly host, when you're entering a building devoid of beauty. God love 'em and I pray they will all come Home to Rome and find the WHOLE body, the whole human person, with all that we desire for the senses (how we were created in the first place) to be united with that communion of saints in the heavens, beholding the glorious face of God. I crave this as one who appreciates where I worship. I need to see the "other" on a Sunday, rather than just another plain wall, and windowless sanctuary/gym/theater.

To think that so many beautiful churches were destroyed all over the globe is so very sad. Now the money isn't put into the church buildings that it once was. Or if it is, and maybe it is, the 'art' and 'beauty' certainly is less appealing, at least to me. There are some nice modern, and contemporary churches, but NOTHING can compare to the beauty of these cathedrals. My spirit longs for this and though our parish is very nice...this is what gives my heart and spirit wings. I know JESUS is in our tabernacle and He is the goal, but being one who admires the surroundings of where I worship, I do at times wish we were in an older, more GLORIOUS church building. Thank you to all our forefathers and mothers for the gift of such beauty and for thinking of the Church more than your own property and possessions. For you truly knew what was important and it still 'shows.'

Windows of Mary, the Mother of God...

Some windows of Our Lady, the Mother of God.

Consuming hypocrisy...

This is a funny old video from my bookmarked websites. The kid is cute and witty, I must say.

Look here! Look here! She's found ....

her beer!
Y'all can rest easy now.

"Come along with me, let's go to gay Paris, we'll go down to the sea with your daughter. Put on your green beret, it's such a lovely day, we'll put the wine away like water." From the vociferous and melodious Daffy Duck. The FUNNIEST cartoon EVER made! I wish I could find this particular one in some archive somewhere, but I haven't had the luck. Does anyone remember that one? He was in WWII - in France and sang this song and I don't recall laughing quite so hard at anything in my life.

Another Truth seeker from the hometown...

I just heard from a hometown boy today and was delighted to find out he's from Omaha! I almost deleted the email, thinking it might be spam. Glad the Holy Spirit stopped me! Also, I've just been to his blog and found he's fond of anchovy spaghetti. I've been afraid to try anchovies for years after a bad experience in my 20's. It's time to be brave and give the little fish a chance like I gave peas a chance.

So when you get the chance...stop in and say "hi" to Marc at Catholic Daddy-o's blog.

Hey, you can get a great recipe from his blog right now, too!

Anyone seen my beer????

Sarah and me after Mama's Pizza...

I took Sarah our for pizza after we'd gone to St Robert Bellarmine (our parish) for Confession. We were sooooo happy! We'd both needed to go, and it was the best feeling in the world! She'd been bothered by having had some major irritation with a family member and I'd been bothered by the usual old pesky sins. Fr. Shane is wonderful! We both love him so much!

Sarah, I miss you!

Be your happy self and continue to shine for Jesus as you so easily do!

School Sisters of Saint Francis...

Maybe she'll be on their website one of these days!

Sarah and Scott...

Our last road trip was to see Scott Hahn in Lincoln Ne. Nov 4, 2007.
We were so glad he took the time to pose and chat with us. I was tickled that he remembered me from the pilgrimage to Rome in May.

I will miss my "spiritual daugher" Sarah. She left yesterday for Panhandle, Texas, where she was accepted to the School Sisters of St. Francis. I am happy for her, but so sad, too. It's a bittersweet time for me. She and I met at a Pro Sanctity retreat in Schuyler, Nebraska last January, 2007. We've only had this past year together, but we clicked right off the bat! We enjoyed movies, road trips, going to Confession together, dining out, and just killing time. We had a blast and a ball together. I never had a daughter of my own. Sarah, God bless you. I know you won't see this for a while. I know you'll be able to receive visitors down the line, after you're situated and all that, but I can't help but feel the emptiness now. It's sinking in like it didn't the last time we were together. I'm glad we had out last night out for Chinese food, even if we didn't get our first choice, Thai Pepper.
: )

God bless and keep you as you discern this religious life. I'll forever love you, miss you, remember you and cherish our memories. I know we'll have more but I will miss my little pal.

Your "other mom"
susie

A splendid blog...

Please take a moment to visit Lorraine at her blog. A treasure trove of insight and literary beauty.

Mother of God....

We went to 7:00 a.m. Mass and Fr. Shane had a lovely homily about Mary, Mother of God. Yes, she is that and she is also the Mother of humanity. Why I never gave her more than a 'nod' at Christmas time most of my life now makes me sad. But, she's a loving Mother who never holds a grudge. She's forgiving of us all, who in our ignorance as Protestants (and even some Catholics) never gave her much credit for her amazing fiat. Now, I pray to imitate her, (though I fail miserably most of the time) and ask her intercession and prayers for me every day to be a better wife, mother, sister, sister-in-law, friend, co-worker, employee, and a more faithful Catholic, to learn the faith more this year, to be a better catechist and to share the light of Christ more profusely this year than the last.

I pray to you, Dearest Mary, Mama most holy, grant that I may grow in grace, humility, faith, hope, and love. I need you and desire to follow you as you lead me ever more close to your precious Son. Amen.