7 Quick Takes Friday - March 5, 2010

Stop by Jen's site at Conversion Diary to link-up with 7 Quick Takes.

JMJ

I have been focusing on a the spiritual side of things this Lent so I will continue that theme today with  The Seven Daily Habits of Holy Apostolic People. This post was named after and prompted by a really good article by Father John McCloskey.

1. The Morning Offering -My Morning Offering goes like this:

O Jesus, through the Immacuate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers works, joys, and sufferings of this day; along with every beat of my heart and every breath I take for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my associates, for Archbishop Daniel, for Monsignor Schaedel, that priests may be imbued with apostolic zeal in the Vineyard of the Master, and for the converson of my children and granchildren, Christine and her children, all fallen away Catholics and the enemies of the Church.

O my Jesus, I include myself in all the Holy Masses which are celebrated this day throughout the world, and offer them to You in union with the intentions of Your Sacred Heart. I implore You to reserve for me, from each Holy Mass, Your most precious Blood to atone for my sins and their punishment.

Grant me also the grace of obtaining through the merits of every holy sacrifice the release of one poor soul from the pains of purgatory, the conversion of one sinner, and also that one soul in the agony of death may obtain mercy, and that one mortal sin, which is so painful to Your Sacred Heart may be prevented. Amen.

2. Spiritual Reading - My Spiritual reading consists of:

The daily Mass readings
The Liturgy of the Hours
Divine Intimacy

3. The Rosary - Generally this is a quick recitation with my husband in the morning, but my favorite thing is to really take some time with a scriptural rosary or a CD. A nice selection can be found at Catholic Company.

4. Holy Mass and Communion - Daily Mass seems to be the toughest thing for me....if I could leave my home each morning about 20 minutes sooner, I would have the opportunity to begin my work day with Mass at the Cathedral; but no matter what I do, it seems I am not able to get this accomplished.  If any of you would find it in your heart to keep me in your prayers concerning this aspect of my life I would greatly appreciate it. If We Knew the Value of the Mass is worth reading at this point.

5. At Least 15 Minutes of Mental Prayer - For me this is the last part of my Morning Prayer more like reflection/contemplation/meditation on the reading for the day from the Divine Intimacy.  This is generally where I really enter into a Sabbath Moment. This is where I enter into the peace and joy that is attainable only through an intimate relationship with Christ Jesus.

6. Recitation of the Angelus at Noon - As I get into the busy-ness of my day; this too has been a difficult habit to maintain.  However, at this point I have begun setting the alarm on my cell phone for "noon" and  for 3pm to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy or, if I am not in a position to offer formal prayer at the 3 o'clock hour I can at least offer a short mental pray such as the Jesus Pray, Jesus, Mary and Joseph Save Souls, or one of the short Fatima Prayers.

7. Evening Examen - This is another holy habit that has been difficult for me. One symptom of Lupus is extreme fatigue. By the end of the day which for me is; whatever time I get home in the evening...whether that is 2 in the afternoon or 10 at night, it is difficlut to mentally make the switch to: "ok, it's time to do the things that need to be done at home". I'm doing good to get dinner prepared and be sure I have everything together for the next day. So here I have implemented through my Rule of Life (which will be the topic of a new Page sometime in the future) a personally customized Day Planner. Within the pages of this Day Planner, I have included the Prayer aspect of my Rule of Life with includes an Examination of Conscience published by the Fathers of Mercy. After my Examen I journal on these three questions; Where have I fallen? How has virtue been exercised? Which Ones? What special gift has Jesus given me today? I end my Examen and journaling with the following prayer.  I think this is actually suppose to be prayed following Holy Communion, but it expresses my inner thoughts after reviewing my moral condition, so this is my closing prayer. Also, I wish I knew where I found it, but I don't have a clue....

From the depths of my heart I thank You, Dear Lord, for Your infinite kindness in coming to me. How good You are to me! With Your most holy Mother and all the angels, I praise Your mercy and generosity toward me, a poor sinner. I thank You for nourishing my soul with Your Sacred Body and Precious Blood. I will try to show my gratitude to You in the Sacrament of Your love, by obedience to Your holy commandments, by fidelity to my duties, by kindness to my neighbors and by an earnest endeavor to become more like You in my daily conduct. Amen

There are many formal Examens available.  I've seen one (although I am not quite sure where) that is quite long and I believe is intended as a yearly meditation. Then of course the 10 Commandments are the reliable standby and another option is the Examen of Conscience by Father John Hardon.

God willing...until next Friday.

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

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.

 

Image Credit

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...

Image Credit

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.

7 Quick Takes Friday - Friday 2/5/10

 

JMJ

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

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My brother-in-law Sam has been on my mind almost constantly since returning home from the March for Life. The morning after my late night arrival home my husband gave me the news.....Sam's lingering pneumonia had given way to a diagnosis of end stage lung cancer. Quite a drastic change from a month ago when he was bowling in 4-5 leagues a week along with working part-time. I ask that all my friends in the blogging world keep him, my nieces and nephews and my husband in prayer.

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My husband and I met today with our youngest son Corey, our niece Kashara, her boyfriend Shay and Janet, my sister and Kashara's mom...for lunch to celebrate Kashara's birthday (2-1). We went to a place called Charbono's; a very nice restuarant, yet reasonably priced.  Most of us ordered the Linguini Charbono which is a mix of shrimp, crab and lobster in a yummy pepper, pesto cream sauce served over linguini. Janet got a roasted chicken salad sandwich. It was served on what looked like a croisant but shaped like a hoagie bun, with colby-jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoe and mayonnaise. Kevin got a 5 cheese pesto pizza...he shared a piece with me and it was very good. Our good food was mingled with good conversation which ended far too soon due to weather and work hours. 

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I am busy planning our Superbowl Party.  Well I should probably not call it a party, it will consist of 2 party participants, my husband Kevin and myself. But I am putting together some special foods anyway.  As you can see from the picture below we are rather committed Colts fans.

The following is a recipe which I plan on serving, is posted on the Son Rise Morning Show blog and comes from Rita Heikenfeld. Find more great Super Bowl recipes at abouteating.com.

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into cubes (or you can soften it and cover entire bottom of dish)
2 cups cooked chicken (a store-bought rotisserie chicken works best), shredded
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce or less to taste
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread cheese in an 8x8" dish or pie plate. Combine the shredded chicken, wing sauce and butter, and pour over the cream cheese-filled dish or pie plate. Top with just enough blue cheese dressing and mozzarella cheese to cover (adding too much cheese will cause a thick skin to form that will make eating the dip difficult once the cheese cools). Heat the dip in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with Scoops (Tortillas or Fritos), celery sticks, etc. alongside for dipping. Serves 8. 

In honor of our Indianapolis Colts, Archbishop Daniel has proclaimed Superbowl Monday, February 8; a day off for all Catholic Schools within the Archdiocese and the Archbishop O'Meara Catholic Center.

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We are having a winter storm here in Indy. Our forecast RIGHT NOW:  Moderate and even heavy snow continues across Central Indiana from now through the overnight hours.  We could see snowfall rate range from a half an inch even up to an inch in some spots. We already have had up to 5″ of snow in downtown.  Not only is the snow a concern but so will the blowing and drifting snow. North of Indianapolis, the snow is not as wet and more powdery so it is blowing and drifting and even causing whiteout conditions. As the temperatures drop below 32º some of the slush that was on the roads from this afternoon could freeze over and make things pretty slick out there. We are expecting a total snowfall amount of 8-10 inches.

Burrr....it's cold and blowing out there.

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Now that the activities surrounding the anniversary of Roe-v-Wade are over my focus at the Pro-Life Office will begin to involve the.........

       Indianapolis Archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life Ministry

Sanctity of Life Dinner

Jill Stanek our featured speaker

Thursday April 22, 2010 

Riverwalk Banquet Center

6729 Westfield Blvd.

Indianapolis, IN 

                  6 p.m. -  registration and cash bar

                                           7-9 p.m. - dinner and awards 

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Something that just popped into my head, which I am very excited about.  My husband and I are going to Cincinnati July 17, to see Father Corapi and then on July 20-22 we are going on a 3 day pilgrimage with a number of other folks to visit the Shrine of Our lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse Wisconsin. I have been wanting to do this for quite awhile now and finally our friend Norbert organized a trip by motor coach with Monsignor Schaedel as spiritual director. It should be a very memorable trip.

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I cannot think of anything else that is pressing at the moment.  My brain is way too tired right now. So this will have to do until next week...God willing, a little earlier time.

7 Quick Takes Friday - Friday 1/15/10

 

JMJ 

I  am joining Jennifer and others at Conversion Diary and 7 Quick Takes, why don't you join me it should be lots of fun!

Before I begin I'd like to offer a Hail Mary for the poor folks in Haiti, please join me.

Hail Mary,

 Full of Grace,

The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death. Amen.

If you'd like to make an online donation to help in the relief efforts you can do so through Catholic Relief Services. 

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Today one of the main things I have been focusing on is the Pro-Life Youth Pilgrimage to Washington D.C.  In fact it is something I have been focusing on for several weeks...since about at least mid-November.  Things are coming together and all should go well for the buses that are leaving Wednesday for our nation's capitol to protest the decision that was made when "Satan dawned judicial robes and entered the supreme court chamber declaring abortion the law of the land". (Father John Corapi ~~paraphrased).

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This evening we had our monthly Archdiocesan Youth for Life (AYL) meeting.  These are a great bunch of young people. They are so energetic and "on fire" for the Catholic Faith. The time I am able to spend with these young people helps to fill the voluminous void left by the lack of contact I have with my own 5 grandchildren.  You see as tragic as it sounds, my son has pretty much disowned me and his Dad and we are not allowed much contact with our only grandchildren. If we see them once or twice a year we are doing good...and they only live about 20 minutes away. This is because we try to faithfully live our Catholic Faith which our son has turned his back on to embrace an anti-Catholic, non-denominational religious view.  Fortunately we are able to visit with our oldest grandson from his previous marriage.  Through a lot of rough times we have been able to maintain a friendly and good relationship with his first wife. We are very grateful and only wish our schedule would allow for more time with him. I've been told my son's behavior is despicable...I must admit I am embarrassed for him.

Back to the AYL meeting; the president and vice-president of the group are going off to college so discussion centered around membership recruitment and early elections.  They also discussed the retreat they have planned for June of this year along with their involvement with the Sanctity of Life Banquet and the Italian Festival.  Prayer was requested by one of the members for her sister who is entering a community of cloistered Carmelites.

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I have been thinking about my niece Kashara quite a bit lately.  She is beautiful both in appearance and spirit. She will be 19 on February 1 and is going to IU School of Nursing, just like her Aunt Patty - yes! We are planning a lunch together, just us 3 girls; Kashara, Janet (her Mom and my sister) and me.  She is pictured here with our youngest and unmarried son at her high school graduation last May.

I have also been thinking about my youngest son a lot lately.  He came over for dinner Sunday and spent a few hours visiting with us; it was a nice treat.

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I am looking forward to my new Tiber River book review, St .Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer, by Fr. Cliff Ermatinger.  It looks very, very good and with any luck I will be able to get it read on the flight to and from Washington D.C. Fr. Cliff Ermatinger was on the Sonrise Morning Show on EWTN the other morning discussing this book and it sounds as though I will enjoy it.  The only drawback I see at this point; other than all the well known quotes and the things I know about St. Augustine in general and because I have a devotion to his mother, I've never actually read anything he has written.  But on second thought maybe this is not a drawback...it may actually be the thing that spurs me on to read more of his writings.  I've always wanted to read his Confessions maybe this will be just the boost I need! 

++ 5 ++

Please pray for my brother-in-law Sam, he recovered about 2 weeks ago from a long struggle with pneumonia after which x-rays showed a suspicious spot on his lung. I just found out his daughter-in-law took him to the emergency room last night because he could not breath.  I will be taking my husband to see him later this morning.

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I'm thinking about the Washington Trip.  There is a lot of detail to putting it all together so it will all come off smoothly, and...the planning is a bit stressful, but the rewards are really GOOD.  It has an energizing effect to help folks carry on with pro-life ministry for yet another year. It sort of combats the feelings of discouragement from the negative impact the secular humanist media and the current government administration has on life. Below I have shared links to two YouTube videos produced by one of our AYL members. True these are more geared for teens, but I share them because this is an example of the teens that are being formed as our future pro-life leaders within the Catholic Church, through involvement with AYL.  The young man that produced these videos has a promising career with his company Starlight Media Productions.

March for Life Doc 2009 Part 1

March for Life Doc 2009 Part 2 

++ 7 ++

 Speaking of Secular Humanists - until I saw Steve Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute on EWTN Live  with Father Mitch Pacwa 1/13/2010, I really didn't know anything about these people other than their view was certainly anything but Christian. Well this program with Steve Mosher was rather eye-opening for me. I'm probably the only one ignorant of these things, but I was horrified to hear these people view humans as no different than a herd of cattle...and since our population is out of control "so they think" and we are polluting the world, the "human herd" needs to be "thinned"...there you have it! The obvious solution, ABORTION! You may want to view my side bar and scroll down to, "The Demographic Winter". On that horrifying note I need to go pray!

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I will be in Washington D.C. protesting the abortion holocaust next friday, so God willing, I will be back same time, same place in two weeks...until then you will be in my prayers through, with and in the Lord of Life.