Sunday Snippets - A Catholic Carnival; for Sunday February 28, 2010

Welcome to another edition of Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival.
 

To join in the fun, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In that post describe and link to any posts you want to share with the rest of us. Then go to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival and follow RAnn's instructions for linking your post to other bloggers. It's a lot of fun and helps draw people who may not normally visit your blog...and you may even gain a new follower or two. 

I haven't done Sunday Snippets for 2 weeks, so I have several posts I will offer for your reading pleasure. However, before i don. I like to ask all of you to please take a look at my NEW BLOG LOOK...I'm not sure I'm happy with it and to that end the first post I will list is:

1. New Blog Look - please give feedback

2. The Weekly Five  - February 19 and February 26

3. God Love You Series - Make room For Christ and the Economic Temptation of Christ

4. More Videos - Fr. Corapi's Conversion and the Human Experience

5. Sabbath Moments

6. Praying the Psalms 

7. Proof the Catholic Church is Perfect

Well there you have another week of Catholic Carnival for your musings...and again I ask that we offer a prayer for one another, our families and our culture; that we as a nation will once again embrace the Christian values that our great country is founded upon...those values that proclaim all men are created in the image and likeness of God and as such possess dignity and sanctity; and so being all men have the inalienable right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"....in that order!

As always....in the words of Monsignor Schaedel, a very holy priest and the Vicar General of my Archdiocese, "Of one thing I am convinced; of one thing I am certain: Providence never fails!"

God willing I will return next week. With faith, hope and trust in the Providence that will not fail us!

New Blog Look

Well...I changed the look, but... I'm not really sure I like it.

I've spent an awfully long time working on the thing, and...I'm just NOT SURE...hum.

The thing I wonder about it...is it hard to read?

I tried to make all the colors match with one another, and I tried to make the font and everything be readable, but I'm just not sure.

I'm not very spontaneous...I think about things for a very long time before doing anything...it took me a while to decide to do this.

I guess I will wait for awhile and see how I like it after a week or so.

If any of my friends or visitors would please give me some input, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks and God bless,

The Weekly Five - Friday 2/26/10

The Weekly Five

 

1) Catholic Spiritual Direction - Is just what it says a blog where you can sign up and get spiritual direction e-mails.

2) St. Benedict Center - Is home to the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

3) CatholicMom.com - Is the blogging home of Lisa Henday. For a lovely article on forgiveness look at guest columnist Anne Bender's post Bridge to Forgiveness.

4) Catholicseeking - This is a lovely blog authored by Helen Gonsalves.

5) Charlotte Was Both - This is the blog of popular writer Amy Wellborn, her books are available at this blog.

Well, that's it, for the 4th edition of ...The Weekly Five. 

God willing I will be back March 5, with the next post of this series.

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Follow the steps below if you'd like to add a link to your own Weekly Five post.  

1) Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your post and not your main blog URL. 

2) Include a link back here.

I look forward to reading your posts!

The Human Experience Hits The Big Screen

Exciting news from Grassroots Films...

The Human Experience premieres April 9th in select Harkins Theatres!

The film is set to officially open in Phoenix, AZ, Denver, CO, and South Lake, TX.

For more details and official show times, visit www.SeeTHX.com.

View Original Article

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Volumn 1

Do you enjoy the simple life? Do you thrive in silence, contemplation and reflection?  Here's a simple MIME offered by Peggy called the Simple Woman's Daybook; link up here each Tuesday.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...
I am thinking...
I am thankful for...
From the learning rooms...(if this applies)
From the kitchen...
I am wearing...
I am creating...
I am going...
I am reading...
I am hoping...
I am hearing...
Around the house...
One of my favorite things...
A few plans for the rest of the week:
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...(add your picture here)

Praying the Psalms: Psalm 7

Psalm 7

The Spiritual Practice of Lectio Divina

Read the text (lectio) 

Meditate on the text (mediatio)
Pray the text (oratio) 

Live the text (contemplatio) 

Will you join Jenny and others each week as we share our prayers, meditations...our heart, as we Pray through the Psalms? Shall we gather to ponder and praise, ask and receive?

Go to Just a Minute to link up.

  
1-2: O LORD my God, in thee do I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,
lest like a lion they rend me,
dragging me away, with none to rescue.

You Oh Lord are my strength, my salvation, my saving grace.

It is by Your Name , Your Will alone...that I exist...that I am able to stand fast against the Tempter.

Sometimes I fall...but you are there...always with Your most Glorious Cross to lift me up.

You Oh Lord are my protective Shield, my just Judge.

You alone know the thoughts of my mind.

You alone read my heart.

17: I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

My words of praise, thanksgiving and love,

fall from my mouth to the ground as nothing.

I know not any words capable of giving the honor due you,
my most awesome loving Father.

I look to my Mother the Church to supply me adequate praise for you,
my God.

We adore you oh Christ and we bless you, 

because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

The Economic Temptation of Christ

7 Quick Takes Friday - Friday 2-26-10

Jen from Conversion Diary hosts 7 Quick Takes each week. Stop over there to read what others are saying.

Continuing my little Lenten twist from last week....as I join Our Sorrowful Mother in her journey with our Lord Jesus....I look with hope and expectation to her joys. Thus this weeks post is concentrating on the Seven Joys of Mary.  Again there are several different methods, here are the meditations with links at the bottom to other information concerning the Seven Joys of Mary, also known as the Franciscan Crown or Seraphic Rosary.

 

This week's post and image credits are from the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi

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Our Lord Himself commanded us to pray unceasingly (Luke 18:1), so right from the beginning various traditions in the Church have gotten started with this command in mind. Early monks threw pebbles in piles as they kept count of repetitive Our Fathers. Later, prayers were counted on knotted cords. And, by the 12th century, beads—usually of wood or clay, and sometimes even of precious jewels—replaced the knotted cords.

Over the centuries, many approved devotions have developed from these circlets of beads.The Rosary as we know it today evolved from the custom of monks who, not having learned to read, and therefore having been unable to recite the one hundred and fifty psalms of the Daily Office, recited, in place of the Office, one hundred and fifty Our Fathers each day. In time, many Christian faithful began to recite one hundred and fifty Hail Marys each day as an expression of Marian devotion. By the beginning of the 15th century it was common to recite the Hail Marys in decades (groups of ten) punctuated with fifteen Our Fathers; and by the end of the 15th century an additional custom developed: meditating on the central Gospel “Mysteries” of the life of Christ and Mary while praying the Hail Marys.

“All generations will call me blessed”: . . . The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. . . . This very special devotion . . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration” [Lumen gentium 66]. The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 971, emphasis added).

The Franciscan historian Luke Wadding (1588-1657) dates the origin of the Franciscan Crown to the year 1422. He tells the story of a young novice in the Franciscan Order who, previously accustomed to express his devotion to the Blessed Virgin by adorning her statue with a wreath of fresh flowers, was prevented from continuing this practice in the novitiate. In distress, he considered leaving the Order. But the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and instructed him to recite a rosary of seven decades in honour of her seven joys; thus, he might weave a “crown” more pleasing to her than flowers on her statue.

 

From that time the practice of reciting the “crown of the seven joys“ became general in the order. Thus it became known as the Franciscan Crown—or the Seraphic Rosary.

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Glory to God through Mary

 

“The most resplendent manifestation of God’s glory is the salvation of souls, whom Christ redeemed by shedding his blood. To work for the salvation and sanctification of as many souls as possible, therefore, is the preeminent purpose of the apostolic life. . . .

 

“God, who is all-knowing and all-wise, knows best what we should do to increase his glory . . . thus it is obedience and obedience alone that is the sure sign to us of the divine will. . . . Obedience is the one and the only way of wisdom and prudence for us to offer glory to God. . . .

 

“Let us love our loving Father with all our heart. Let our obedience increase that love, above all when it requires us to surrender our own will. . . .

 

“We will learn this lesson more quickly through the Immaculate Virgin, whom God has made the dispenser of his mercy. It is beyond all doubt that Mary’s will represents to us the will of God himself. By dedicating ourselves to her, we become in her hands instruments of God’s mercy even as she was such an instrument in God’s hands. We should let ourselves be guided and led by Mary and rest quiet and secure in her hands. She will watch out for us, provide for us, answer our needs of body and spirit; she will dissolve all our difficulties and worries.”

 

From the letters of Maximilian Mary Kolbe (OFM Conv)
(Office of Readings, August 14:
Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr)

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 The Seven Joys of Mary

1. The Annunciation In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26–38)

2. The Visitation During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” . . . Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. (Luke 1:39–45, 56)

 

3. The Nativity In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1–7)

4. The Adoration by the Magi When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” . . . And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1–2, 9b–11)

5. The Finding of Our Lord in the Temple Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:41–51)

6. The Resurrection But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.” And they remembered his words. (Luke 24:1–8)

 

7. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven and Her Coronation as Queen of Heaven
Hence the revered Mother of God, from all eternity joined in a hidden way with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination, immaculate in her conception, a most perfect virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble associate of the divine Redeemer who has won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences, finally obtained, as the supreme culmination of her privileges, that she should be preserved free from the corruption of the tomb and that, like her own Son, having overcome death, she might be taken up body and soul to the glory of heaven where, as Queen, she sits in splendor at the right hand of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages.

And so we may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father’s will and to bringing good to others. Thus, while the illusory teachings of materialism and the corruption of morals that follows from these teachings threaten to extinguish the light of virtue and to ruin the lives of men by exciting discord among them, in this magnificent way all may see clearly to what a lofty goal our bodies and souls are destined.

 

The Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus , 41. 42.
Pope Pius XII

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How to Pray The Franciscan Crown 

 

1. Using beads for the Franciscan Crown (seven decades), announce the First Mystery and pray the Our Father on the single bead just before the medallion.

2. Pray one Hail Mary for each of the ten beads. (It seems most fitting to proceed around the beads in a clockwise direction.)

3. On the single bead between the decades, announce the next Mystery and then pray the Our Father. Continue as in Step 2 for the remaining Mysteries.

4. After the last Mystery, pray one Hail Mary each on the fourth and third beads from the Cross to complete 72 years of Mary’s Joy.

5. Pray the Our Father and the Glory to the Father (Gloria Patri) for the intention of the Holy Father on the 2nd bead from the Cross.

6. Pray a Hail Mary on the single bead closest to the Cross.

More information can be found at the following links:

 

Fisheaters

 

Rosary Workshop 

 

Rosary and Chaplets 

 

Prayers of Saint Francis

Proof that the Catholic Church is perfect:

Proof that the Catholic Church is perfect:

Click link to read whole article

Image Credit

Jesus gave sinful Peter the power to walk on water. Jesus keeps us from drowning when the world attacks us and assails our wounded Church.

And Jesus guarantees that, despite the sins of Her members, the Church Herself is perfect.

Yes, perfect!

Fr. Corapi's Conversion Story - Condensed Version

Fr. Corapi's Conversion Story - Condensed Version From a Los Angeles millionaire, to drug addicted street person, to a Catholic Priest...Father John Corapi's story is simply amazing. This is a simplified ten minute version of Fr. Corapi's Conversion Story (otherwise known as his Personal Testimony). The statement of this 10 minute video is simple..."God's Name is Mercy!
Father Corapi will be at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati OH on July 17, 2010. Tickets can be bought online at Ticket Master or at the Cintas Center.

Make Room for Christ

Make Room for Christ At the beginning of Lent, Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen reminds us that emptying ourselves through little mortifications and self-denial makes room for Christ in our lives.

7 Quick Takes Friday - Friday 2-19-10

JMJ

Jen from Conversion Diary hosts 7 Quick Takes each week. Stop over there to read what others are saying.

I thought I would do a little Lenten twist here and concentrate on the spiritual side of our lives...beginning with Our Sorrowful Mother....I pray the Seven Sorrows each morning. There are several different methods, here is one.

 

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V. O God, come to my assistance.

R. O Lord make haste to help me.

V. Glory be to the Father...

R. As it was in the beginning...

1) The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus. (Gospel of Luke 2:34)

I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of thy tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by thy heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the holy fear of God.

Hail Mary...

2) The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Gospel of Matthew 2:13)

I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of thy most afflicted heart during the flight into Egypt and thy sojourn there. Dear Mother, by thy heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety.

Hail Mary...

3) The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)

I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried thy troubled heart at the loss of thy dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by thy heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity, and the gift of knowledge.

Hail Mary...

4) The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)

I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of thy heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear Mother, by thy heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience, and the gift of fortitude.

Hail Mary...

5) The Crucifixion, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (Gospel of John 19:25)

I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which thy generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His Agony. Dear Mother, by thy afflicted heart, obtain for me the virtue of temperance, and the gift of counsel.

Hail Mary...

6) The Descent from the Cross, where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57)

I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of thy compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance and His Heart was pierced before His Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by thy heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity, and the gift of understanding.

Hail Mary...

7) The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)

I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched thy most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by thy heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence charity, and the gift of wisdom.

Hail Mary...

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Let US Pray 

Let intercession be made for us, we beseech thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of thy mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Thy bitter Passion. Through Thee, O Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

The Weekly Five - Friday 2/19/10

The Weekly Five
 

The whole idea behind this new series is to introduce the folks on my blogroll to any and all who read this post. The plan is to feature 5 blogs per week and give a little overview...what they write about, that type of thing. Here is the third installment for your blogging interest. 

1) Catholic Faith Education The header for the blog Gilles Côté states "Reviews of resources available online for those involved in Catholic faith education."  This site is also useful to homeschoolers and those individuals simply interested in knowing more about the Catholic faith. 

2) Catholic Family Faith  This blog is hosted by Teresa Burns and is "designed to enhance the faith development of the Domestic church, the Catholic family." You can find alot of good articles and links here...well worth a frequent visit.

3) Catholic Fire This blog is hosted by Jean Heimann.  Jean has an exceptionally beautiful blog and the first thing you will notice on her blog...she is definitely Catholic and definitely pro-life. Jean's posts can also be seen on Facebook.  I visit this blog often and am always happy I did.

4) Catholic Mother's Online On the sidebar you will read this. "What is Catholic Mothers Online? This blog started as the home on the Web for the Catholic Mothers Online blog roll, which is community listing of Catholic bloggers who are mothers - whether that be in the present, in your plans in the future, through being a godmother, or those who are mothers at heart. Currently, we also publish guest articles of interest to Catholic mothers several times a month, in addition to posting new blog roll members."

This was one of the first blogs I visited and continue to do so frequently. You will notice on my sidebar I am a member of Catholic Mothers Online.

5) Catholic Online Catholic PRWire Catholic PRWire is a Catholic content news bureau providing the latest in Catholic news and information for general distribution at no cost to providers or contributors. At Catholic PRWire you are able to access breaking news from thousands of organizations around the globe as well as post your news. Catholic PRWire news releases are Free to use for all publications.

Well, that's it, for the third edition of ...The Weekly Five. 

God willing I will be back February 26, with the next post of this series.

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I thought I would like to try something new this week and see how it goes.  After all the whole idea is to generate reader's on your blogs and mine, so I've added Mr.Linky below.

Follow the steps below if you'd like to add a link to your own Weekly Five post.  

1) Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your post and not your main blog URL. 

2) Include a link back here.

I look forward to reading your posts!

My 2010 Lenten Plan

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Prayer - I will pray the Stations of the Cross each Friday.

Fasting - I will have meatless Wednesdays in addition to meatless Fridays. I will be blogging on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only; on all other days my time on the internet and e-mail will be limited to work hours.

Almsgiving - I will be giving the "stuff" from the 40 Day Plan below to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

40 Day Plan - Each of the 40 days of Lent, I will be going through one box, bag, shelf, drawer, area, etc and cleaning, organizing, and giving away or recycling the "stuff" I do not need.

Wednesdays - Holy Rosary's Spaghetti and Spirituality Speaker Series.

Fridays - St. Ann's Way of the Cross and Pro-Life Speaker Series.

40 Hours Devotion - Holy Rosary, March 8-10

Lenten Meditations with Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, from Liguori

Participation in all Masses and devotions of Holy Week

Sabbath Moments

Sabbath moments are the moments we rest in God, when we take time to just Be with God rather than Do. Sabbath moments are those times when we live in the moment and find the holy in the ordinary. I invite you to join us and share your Sabbath moment(s) on Saturdays.  Visit Colleen at Thoughts On Grace for more information and thoughts from others on Sabbath Moments.

My contribution is below.

This is really not necesarily what one would go through on an ordinary day...and maybe others have had this same type of experience during similar circumstances....my Sabbath Moment happened during the time spent at the funeral home following my brother-in-law, Sam's passing.

My husband and I were not really concerned about his eternal fate.  We had done what we needed...we had called our priest.  Sam received absolution and the anointing of the sick, through the infinite love and mercy of our awesome God his eternal destiny is guaranteed...he will enter Heaven and praise God forever with all the angels and saints, and we will see him again.

What was so deeply impressed upon me is the present moment.  The present moment is really all we are sure of.  In the present moment we must be sure we are in union with God's will for us.  Is it God's will that I am sitting here at this present moment typing these words and thoughts so others can read and possibly benefit from them?  I think so.

In this present moment how can we be Christ to the world...our world...our employer and fellow employees...our family and friends? 

It seems to me the most important thing we can do at this present moment where ever we are and who ever we are with...is to give of ourselves...to empty ourselves for love of God and for love of  neighbor.

This present moment is a gift God has given us and if we are going to be in union with God, we must give this present moment back to God and His children.

Sunday Snippets - A Catholic Carnival; for Sunday February 14, 2010

Welcome to another edition of Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. We are a group of bloggers who gather once each week to share out best posts. We are all Catholic and blog at least somewhat about Catholic things; some do so exclusively, others only periodically. All are welcome to participate here.

To join in the fun, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In that post describe and link to any posts you want to share with the rest of us. Then go to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival and follow RAnn's instructions for linking your post to other bloggers. It's a lot of fun and helps draw people who may not normally visit your blog...and you may even gain a new follower or two.

This week is a sad week for me and my family, so I have not posted much.

1) A Memorial Mervin S. Arthur Jr.

2) Put Your Faith to Work

This week I'd like to offer a word to the Saints...good job, you deserve the superbowl win!

Well there you have another week of Catholic Carnival for your musings...and again I ask that we offer a prayer for one another, our families and our culture; that we as a nation will once again embrace the Christian values that our great country is founded upon...those values that proclaim all men are created in the image and likeness of God and as such possess dignity and sanctity; and so being all men have the inalienable right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"....in that order!

As always....in the words of Monsignor Schaedel, a very holy priest and the Vicar General of my Archdiocese, "Of one thing I am convinced; of one thing I am certain: Providence never fails!"

God willing I will return next week. With faith, hope and trust in the Providence that will not fail us!

Put Your Faith to Work

A Memorial - Mervin S. Arthur Jr. - Sammy, my brother-in-law

What can I say about Sam?  Sam was such a good guy; not holy mind you...certainly far from a devout Catholic.  Although Sam was baptised, raised and confirmed Catholic, he quickly fell for the lies of secular society once he was away from home.

Sam was born February 25, 1941; he was 10 years older than my husband Kevin.  He was such a tease to his younger brother and when he was 16 years old he entered the Navy in 1957 where he remained for 20 years. Sam was a 1st class petty officer, he served on nuclear subs where he was in charge of the mess hall. He married his first wife Dee in 1967 and they had a daughter Monica. Unfortunately this marriage did not last and he married his second wife Shelby shortly before leaving the Navy. Sam's second marriage suffered a similar fate and he found himself a single father to 2 boys Bryan and Adam while Shelby was a single mother to his second daughter Aimee.

After leaving the Navy Sam had a few jobs in the food industry before hiring on at Carrier Corporation.  Finally he left Carrier to care for his aging and ill parents. Dorothy my mother-in-law passed away in May of 2001 and Mervin my father-in-law passed away that same year in December.  Sam was there for them both through thick and thin.

Sam was very proud of his Navy service. Sam loved to bowl and golf, he loved to fish and camp and he loved his kids and grandkids. He loved his brother and he loved me, he loved his dogs and he especially loved his kids and grandkids and.....he loved his friends.

Sam got pnuemonia this past December. He was hospitalized with pulmonary embolism and on January 15 he was diagnosed with end stage lung cancer. I called my priest Father Glenn right away, I knew he did not have much time...he hadn't been to Mass in probably 35 years or more. He was positive, he was going to do chemo to gain a few extra months...but he was too weak.  The cancer devastated his body.  Father came right away, he saw him several times. Sam finally made a good confession, recieved absolution and the sacrament of the sick.

The last 4 days were very sad, each day he declined and became more weak than the day before. Kevin and I were with him most of the time those last 4 days, Father came to see him and blessed him.  He turned to me and said, "you know I've anointed him and given him absolution, he's good to go," indicating to me he was in a state of grace and ready to meet Jesus.

Sam is one of those people Kevin and I have been holding up in daily prayer for years.  We were so worried he would die in a state of mortal sin....and God is so good and merciful, he took this horrible disease of cancer and turned it into the situation that would lead Sam to reversion.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

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Mervin S. "Sam" Arthur Jr. 68, Avon, passed away on Feb. 8, 2010. He was born on Feb. 25, 1941 in Indianapolis to the Late Mervin S. Sr. and Dorothy Carlsen Arthur. He retired from the U.S. Navy after 20 years of service after retirement he worked for Carrier Corp. and Western Bowl. Calling hours will be Thursday Feb. 11, 2010 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Hall-Baker Funeral Home Plainfield. Funeral services will be on Friday Feb. 12, 2010 at 11 a.m. in the funeral home with Father Glenn O' Conner officiating. Burial will follow in Maple Hill Cemetery Plainfield. Survivors include his children, Monica Arthur, Aimee Arthur, Bryan Arthur, and Adam Arthur; brother, Kevin Arthur; 4 grandchildren. Online condolences cam be made to the Arthur family at: bakerfuneralservice.com
 

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Sam's Song

I don't particularly like the video portion of this youtube music video, but this was Sam's Song....you'd have to know his special type of humor to understand, but it fits...take my word for it.