Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Prayer

There are three things, my brethren, which causes faith to stand firm, devotion to remain constant and virtue to endure. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains and mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting are one. They give life to each other.

- St. Peter Chrysologus (Bishop, 400-450)

Apollo 11

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/apollo40/

Monday, July 20, 2009

Tracking Virtue, Conquering Vice: A Guide for Spiritual Survival

Rev. Joseph's Classen's book , Tracking Virtue,Conquering Vice, is a book everyone should read. It is a book you can't put down. Wherever you are in your faith journey with God, this book applies to you. Through storytelling techniques, Father Classen discusses topics by getting straight to the point. He writes about the seven deadly sins and their counterpart virtue, and shows us how to recognize them in our daily lives through his many hunting stories. As a master tracker and outdoorsmen,who are very observant, he relates everything to the outdoors and hunting. He states that we should have our eyes fully open and be very observant to what we see as Christians. God has left us "God-signs" everywhere to know he is fully present. I highly recommend this book, I absolutely loved it.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Meditation of the Day

When Jesus says, "Come to me . and I will give you rest," he is inviting us
to relax in his presence.

He's saying, "Come to me, and be undisturbed for a few minutes. Let me
relieve you for a time of the heavy loads you carry. Bask in the stillness
and quiet you find in me. Allow me to free you from the things that bind you
or weigh you down. Come, experience the peace I want to give you." It's an
invitation to unwind and be refreshed in ways that surpass any human means.

Jesus promises to give you rest: rest from the never-ending juggling act of
nurturing a family and holding down a job; rest from the demands of school
and community service; rest from the burden of addiction; rest from the pain
of sickness or caring for a ailing child or parent. Sitting with Jesus is
not a burden, a duty that wastes valuable time, or a restrictive yoke to a
loving-but-distant God. Jesus' "burden" is light: It's the burden of
carrying his love around.

So come into his presence today. Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Fix
your attention on Jesus. Spend some time worshipping him-maybe by playing
some prayerful music on your stereo-and talk quietly with him. Ask
questions, surrender the difficult things to him, and give him time and
space to speak to you about what's on his heart. Receive the rest he offers
you. Even if the only time you can find is in the car on your way to work in
the morning, that's all right. Just don't close your eyes!

Jesus' yoke is not an uncomfortable harness that shackles us into hard
labor. It's a bond that unites us with him in love. Learn to hear and
recognize his voice as he speaks to you. He will teach you how. God knows
your situation. He is as concerned for you as he was for the Israelites in
Egypt (Exodus 3:16)! Let him direct your steps. Trust his intentions and his
love for you.

"Jesus, I want to experience the rest you offer today. I give you the
problems I can't solve, the pain I can't heal, the desires and urges I can't
control. Teach me to relax in the quiet of your presence and hear your
voice."

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

JULY 16
> OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL
>
> Mount Carmel is a mountain overlooking the plain of Galilee. It became
> famous when the prophet Elijah, who lived before Our Lord, was born. Elijah
> worked a miracle there. Chapter 18 of the Bible's First Book of Kings tells
> how Elijah stood up to the 450 prophets of the false god Baal. Through his
> prayers, Elijah obtained a miracle from God to prove that Elijah's God was
> the true God.
> Centuries later, in the 1200s, a group of European monks began to live on
> Mount Carmel. They honored Mary the Mother of God as Our Lady of Mount
> Carmel. For this reason the people began to call them friars of the Blessed
> Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. This was the way the Carmelite order began.
> Pope Honorius III approved the order's rule in 1226. Simon Stock, an
> Englishman, became the superior of all the Carmelites in 1247. He helped
> the
> order expand and adapt to the times. He patterned the order on the
> Dominicans and Franciscans.
> On July 16, 1251, Mary appeared to St. Simon and gave him the brown
> scapular. She promised her protection to all those who would wear the
> blessed habit. Many miracles proved her words. St. Pius X was pope from
> 1903
> until 1914. He said that people could have the same blessings if they would
> wear the scapular medal. This medal has a picture of Our Lady of the
> Scapular on one side and the Sacred Heart on the other. Simon Stock died in
> Bordeaux, France, in 1265.
>
> "Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)

Homeschool Connections Online

http://homeschoolconnectionsonline.blogspot.com/

A great homeschooling resource for classes and homeschooling webinars for homeschooling moms

Catholic Treasury--Homeschooling forms

http://www.catholictreasury.com/

Homeschool Forms for your school year

http://donnayoung.org/index.htm

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Good News Message of the Day

Those who want to work for moral reform in the world must seek the glory of God before all else. Because he is the source of all good, they must wait for his help, and pray for it in this difficult and necessary understanding.

- St. John Leonardi (Priest, 1542-1609)

Holy Heroes VBS Week

We are all excited about doing our Holy Heroes VBS Week at home this year. Danielle Bean had this on her blog and I was excited about it. Instead of doing VBS on my daughter's birthday, the week the parish has it every year, we chose to do it home this year and have fun!!! I will keep you up to date on our VBS Week.

Praising Him Joyfully,
Noelle:)

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Cross of Christ

Under the influence of fear, we bear the Cross of Christ with patience. Under the more inspiring influence of hope, we carry the Cross with a firm and valiant heart. But under the consuming power of love, we embrace the Cross with ardour.

- St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Cistercian priest, Doctor of the Church, 1090-1153)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Happy Birthday, Chloe!


Happy Birthday, Chloe. God has truly blessed us these 12 years with you. I am very proud to call you my daughter. I remember 12 years ago, brining you home from the hospital. Happy Birthday, princess!


Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Stop Real ID!

http://stoprealidcoalition.com/

Meditation of the Day

The sequence in this chapter of Matthew's Gospel is clear and powerful.

The evangelist shows us the Messiah in action, not only preaching the
kingdom of heaven but bringing it about by healing those who are paralyzed,
hemorrhaging, mute, or blind (Matthew 9:1-8,20-22, 27-33). He even raises a
dead child (9:18-26).

Then, near the end of the chapter, Matthew gives us an important insight
into Jesus' heart. Jesus sees the crowds as harassed and helpless, and his
compassion is deeply stirred. He knows that his Father longs to gather these
wandering sheep close to himself. Moved by this compassion, Jesus sends out
his disciples as fellow shepherds (Matthew 10:1). In his preaching and
teaching, he had begun to attune their hearts to his. Now he moves to equip
them with the power they need to carry out his mission.

St. Anthony Zaccaria, a sixteenth-century doctor in Italy, followed a path
similar to the one Jesus laid out for the twelve. He began by ministering to
people's medical needs, only to become keenly aware of their spiritual
needs. As Anthony began to pray for his patients, God invited him to become
a priest in order to be a channel for his own prayer to be answered. He
eventually founded a small religious order that brought a breath of fresh
air to a corrupt and wounded church, calling people back to a more
life-giving experience of the Lord through the liturgy.

As you look out at the world, what issues do you find pressing on your heart
the most? Don't discount these feelings! God may well be inviting you to
become part of his answer to the cry of the poor, the lonely, the
unchurched, or whatever else is on your heart. You'll never know until you
take a step or two in faith and evaluate the results. The question isn't
whether you are adequate to the task. The only real question is whether you
are able to draw near to Jesus and let him equip you. Think about how much
grace he gave to his disciples, and know that you are no different from
them. If they can demonstrate the good news, so can you!

"Lord Jesus, your heart is full of compassion. Help me to be attentive as
you fill my heart with concern for those you long to touch through me."

Saint of the Day

JULY 7
BLESSED ROGER DICKENSON, BLESSED RALPH MILNER AND BLESSEDLAWRENCE HUMPHREY

These three martyrs lived in England during the time of Church persecution
by Queen Elizabeth I. "Mr." Roger Dickenson was an undercover diocesan
priest
. Ralph Milner was a husband and father. He worked as a farm laborer
and was brought into the Church through the good example of his neighbors.
The day he made his First Communion he was put into prison for being a
Catholic. The jailer liked Mr. Milner so his prison confinement was not
strict at first. For several years, he went on "parole" to find supplies of
food and whatever the other prisoners needed. While on parole, he was of
great help to "Mr." Dickenson and Father Stanney, a Jesuit. The day came
when Father Dickenson, too, was caught. He and Mr. Milner were brought to
trial together. Father Dickenson was tried for the crime of being a Catholic
priest
. Mr. Milner was tried for helping Father Dickenson perform his
ministry. The judge looked at the crowd in the courtroom. He thought of Mrs.
Milner and the couple's eight children. He wanted to free Milner at all
costs. "All you have to do," he said, "is visit a Protestant church, just
for a few minutes, to say you have been there. I'll let you go free to be
with your family." Mr. Milner quietly and firmly refused. He and Father
Dickenson went bravely to their deaths. It was July 7, 1591.
The third martyr, Lawrence Humphrey, had been brought into the Church by
Father Stanney, S.J. He would not give up the faith he had so recently
acquired. Lawrence was just twenty-one years old when he was martyred.

Am I deeply rooted in my faith and relationship with God?

Stop the Pass Act!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Message for the Day

We do not have to talk very much in order to pray well. We know that God is there in His holy tabernacle; let us open our hearts to Him; let us rejoice in His Presence: This is the best prayer.

- St. John Vianney, Patron Saint of Priests

Meditation of the Day

I will never leave you. (Genesis 28:15)

As Jacob journeyed through Mesopotamia, he surely encountered large shrines
built to honor the local deities. These shrines were dedicated to pagan gods
who were bound to certain lands or places. When Yahweh, appearing to Jacob
in a dream, identifies himself as "the God of your forefather Abraham and
the God of Isaac" (Genesis 28:13), he reveals that he is bound not to a
place but to a specific family.

And now it is to Isaac's son, Jacob, that God extends his covenant-a free
gift given by a generous God. Jacob, who has recently engaged in a deception
that will cause a long-lasting rift in his family, has done nothing
honorable to merit God's favor. It is simply out of love and faithfulness
that God offers a promise of exclusive friendship.

Strengthened by this vision and moved by God's love, Jacob takes up his part
in the covenant. He makes a vow to return a tenth of all God's gifts given
to him. This imperfect yet chosen man longs to receive all God has for him.

God's promises are to Jacob and his descendants until the end of time! And
now, in Christ, God has extended his covenant offer to each one of us,
whether we are children of Jacob or not. Just as he told Nathanael, Jesus
tells us too that he is the stairway of Jacob's vision (John 1:51).
Extending his arms on the cross, he bridged the gap between heaven and
earth. Because of Jesus' obedience to his Father, and because of his
faithfulness to us, we have been offered a new covenant, a full completion
of the covenant made with Jacob.

How can we, like Jacob, take up our part in this covenant? By seeking to
encounter the Lord as Jacob did. By fixing our eyes on Jesus and following
where he leads. By offering God our obedience out of love and gratitude, not
duty and obligation. It is not enough to rest on Jacob's faith. We are
Jacob's offspring when we move through our days with a personal faith in
God's covenant promises to us.

"Father, you call out with your covenant love a thousand times each day.
Help me to hear your voice, return your love, and do your will."

Saint of the Day

JULY 6
ST. MARIA GORETTI

Maria was born in 1890. Her father died when she and the other five children
in her family were small. At twelve, Maria was already very pretty. She
helped her mother on the farm, in the house and with the care of the other
children. She never complained because they were so poor. In fact, she
cheered up her poor mother and was a great comfort to her. She went to Mass
regularly even though it meant a two-hour walk. Maria also received the
sacrament of Reconciliation as often as she could.
A young neighbor, Alexander, tried a few times to make Maria sin. She
absolutely refused. She did her best to avoid him. July 5, 1902, was a hot
summer day. Maria was alone in the cottage mending clothes. Alexander came
again to try to make her sin. He dragged her into a room. When she tried to
scream, he stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth. Yet Maria managed to keep
saying, "No, no! It is a mortal sin. God doesn't want it. If you commit it,
you will go to hell." And she struggled as much as she could. Alexander
panicked. He stabbed her furiously with a dagger. Then he ran away.
Maria was taken to a hospital, where she died about twenty-four hours later.
During her last hours, she forgave her murderer. Her only worry was for her
mother. With great joy, the girl received Jesus in Holy Communion. Then she
went to heaven. Alexander was sent to prison. For a long time, he did not
repent of his horrible crime. Then one night he had a dream or vision of
Maria offering him flowers. From that moment on, he was a changed man. When
he was freed from prison after twenty-seven years, his first visit was to
the Goretti home. He asked Maria's mother for forgiveness. Then Alexander
spent the rest of his life as the gardener in a nearby monastery.
Maria was declared "blessed" by Pope Pius XII on April 27, 1947. He appeared
on the balcony of St. Peter's with Maria's eighty-two-year- old mother,
Assunta. Three years later, on July 25, 1950, the same pope declared Maria a
saint. He called her "a martyr of holy purity."

Today we may want to pray for women who have suffered abuse.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Saint John Vianney

God speaks to us, without ceasing, by His good inspirations; He sends us good thoughts, good desires. In youth, in old age, in all the misfortunes of life, He exhorts us to receive His grace, and what use do we make of His warnings? At this moment, even, are we cooperating rightly with grace?

- Saint John Vianney, Patron Saint of Priests

Meditation of the Day

Have you ever noticed how easy it can be to take your view of the world and
impose it on Scripture?

Take today's Gospel reading. It's not very fashionable to talk about demons.
Many people feel uncomfortable with such "primitive" concepts, so they try
to find other ways to explain this story. Maybe these two people were
mentally disturbed, or maybe they suffered from a severe form of
epilepsy-anything that can be explained, and therefore controlled, in
scientific, human terms.

But if we find that our view of reality is different from the biblical
approach, our safest response is to compare our view with what we read in
biblical commentaries or the Catechism. We should always approach the word
of God
with an attitude of respect, trust, and a willingness to be taught by
the Lord. We should always be willing to examine our thoughts and attitudes
to see if they conform to the way God wants us to think and live.

Today's reading is a case in point. There is much we can learn if we accept
the fact that there really is a demonic realm and that demons really do have
the ability to influence people. It doesn't mean that we have to accept
every depiction of demonic activity in books or movies. But it does mean
that the devil may well have had a hand in shaping some of the attitudes in
our hearts. He is not above meddling in our lives, even to the point of
introducing thoughts into our minds-temptations that seek to lead us away
from Jesus.

So how can we discern where our thoughts come from? By making sure that the
Holy Spirit is ministering to our consciences as we pray and celebrate the
sacraments. If that is happening, then the thoughts that have an evil origin
will unsettle us and make us anxious. By contrast, the thoughts that come
from the Spirit will fill us with peace and assurance. God wants to form us.
He wants to open our eyes. All he needs is our cooperation.

"Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me with the mind of Christ."

Saint of the Day

JULY 1
BLESSED JUNIPERO SERRA

Junipero Serra was born in Petra, Spain, on November 24, 1713. The boy
became a student at the Franciscan school in Palma, twenty-five miles away.
He joined the Franciscan order on September 14, 1730, a few months before
his seventeenth birthday. During the novitiate, Junipero read a biography of
Franciscan saints. The saint whose life captivated him most was St. Francis
Solano
, who had lived from 1549 until 1610. This missionary priest to South
America had just been declared a saint in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII. The
young novice decided that, if it was God's will, he too would be a
missionary.
Junipero was ordained a priest in 1736. He became a professor of philosophy.
After he had been in the order twenty years, he was given a wonderful
opportunity. Franciscan friars were asked to volunteer for the mission
territories called "New Spain" (Mexico and California). Junipero and his
close friend, Friar Francisco Palou, joined the missionary band at Cadiz,
Spain, a seaport city. From there they sailed the Atlantic Ocean to Vera
Cruz, Mexico. They landed on December 6, 1749. Junipero and another friar
walked the next part of the journey from Vera Cruz to Mexico City, a
distance of 240 miles. They began on December 15, 1749, and arrived on
January 1, 1750. From Mexico City, Junipero and Friar Francisco Palou were
sent to work among the Pame Indians at the Franciscan Mission of the Sierra
Gorda
.
Several of the friars were then assigned to missions in Lower California.
Junipero, Francisco and a handful of other Franciscans were asked to bring
the Gospel to the native peoples in Upper California. Junipero started
Mission San Diego on July 16, 1769, when he was fifty-six years old. The
mission was an open invitation to his beloved people to come and meet Jesus.
Gradually, they trusted the friars. Some people were baptized and began to
live the Christian faith. Father Serra and the friars loved and protected
their people. The golden chain of new missions grew: Mission San Carlos in
Monterey on June 1, 1770; Mission San Antonio de Padua on July 14, 1771;
Mission San Gabriel Archangel, September 8, 1771; Mission San Luis Obispo,
September 1, 1772; Mission San Francisco de Asis, October 9, 1776; Mission
San Juan Capistrano
, November 1, 1776; Mission Santa Clara de Asis, January
12, 1777; Mission San Buenaventura, March 31, 1782. Eventually, six thousand
native peoples were baptized.
Blessed Junipero made his final tour of the missions in Upper California
from the last part of 1783 until July of 1784. He died peacefully at Mission
San Carlos
on August 28, 1784, and is buried there. In 1988, Pope John Paul
II
declared Father Junipero Serra "blessed."

"All my life I have wanted to be a missionary. I have wanted to carry the
gospel message to those who have never heard of God and the kingdom he has
prepared for them."-Bl. Junipero

Happy Birthday Andrew!!!


Happy Birthday to my nephew, Andrew!!! Make a wish.... We love you!!!



Governor and Voting

I rarely put up political posts but today I will.  Today my son voted for the first time in our NJ primary for governor.  It has saddened me...