Speaking the Truth

We don’t like to speak the truth about evil because we’re going to hurt somebody. Let me tell you, you are going to hurt somebody, but that Somebody is God. If you would rather hurt God than your neighbor, there is something wrong with your spirituality. It’s your obligation to speak the truth and everyone can either take it or leave it. But truth must be in us. We live in such poverty of the truth today.
- Mother Angelica

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Scattered Persons

I'm on the second P now in Holly Pierlot's book and she hit on something very interesting that I had to share. She talks about how sin scatters our persons. This "scattering" affects the order we have internally. She has this to say about that:

We feel it every time our emotions cringe in fear and disgust in reaction to something we know is a good, such as cleaning the attic! We experience it every time we want to eat too many sweets, or sleep too late, or when we want to engage in sinful activities. Instead of subordinating our drives and desires to choose objective good, our wills, damaged and weakened, follow along behind the passions. We ten to choose something that will make us "feel" good, but that might be, in reality, very harmful to us. Our reasoning power is damaged also, and so even grasping truth becomes more difficult than God intended. This leaves our wills uninformed, weakening our decision-making capacities. Our hearts, no longer in line with God's will, seek a selfish fulfillment, and our emotions become a powerful force that can now work against our better reason.

Wow! That was a mouthful huh?! But it makes so much sense! I mean how many times have you let your own selfish wants and needs take over your life? I have done it so many times I can't even count. But I can also remember when I let God come into my life and I began making more of a conscious effort to let His rules guide my decisions. It's not easy, that's for sure. But life isn't about taking the easy way out. Jesus didn't take the easy way out. He stood amidst the pain and the suffering for us. And I want to thank Him for that every day of my life by living the way He wants me to live.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Holy Heroes Lenten Adventure

Holy Heroes is a Catholic company online that sells children's materials like coloring books and CD's. They are doing a program called Lenten Adventure. Since Lent is coming up, I figured I should pass on this info. Go to their website and sign up for the emails during Lent. I haven't ever done it before, but apparently they send out emails with activities to do with the kids during Lent. And hey, I might even learn a little bit too!!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Good News

Well my good news I can tell you has absolutely nothing to do with the economy!!

My daughter's birthday was very blessed yesterday with more relatives than I anticipated. We were missing the little ones for sure, but I was so glad that we had an aunt, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents here. I know she was glad too. Everything went smoothly and it ended at a very reasonable time so everyone could get to bed!!

So it was a good day after all. I thank God for that!

Standing Up For Our Father

"...Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." Mark 8:38

I listen to a Country Worship CD quite often and there is a song on there called "I Can Only Imagine" by Emerson Drive. It's a very heartfelt song that expresses wonder about what we will do when we are face-to-face with our Lord. Will we stand or will we bow? Will we sing or will we be silent? I can't even imagine what it will be like to be able to see our Father, in all of His perfect glory. Talk about a humbling experience.

That experience won't happen though if we don't live our lives here on Earth according to Him. Jesus is telling us that if we express shame in this life of Him and don't speak His truths, then He will be ashamed of us when we face His Father. And rightfully so! He suffered greatly for us. He put Himself out there to be scrutinized for us and our eternal life. How can we turn around and deny Him or hide our faith in Him?

But believe me, I have done it. It hurts to say it, but I've definitely done it. Sometimes it can be embarrassing to say you are religious nowadays. It used to be the norm, but now we are considered crazy, rule-following snobs. It's that hate that scares me. I don't know what these other people, obviously overtaken by Satan, will do! But God will be glorified in our truths, in our ability to speak out for Him and the path He has laid out for us.

So how will you speak up for God the next time you are faced with shame or fear of your religious convictions?

Lord, I believe in you wholly. Please help me to shake off my sin and stand up with You.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

EWTN: Pope Benedict Rebukes Pelosi Over Abortion

Well, Pope Benedict did it!! He stood up for us Catholics and took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics...

YAY!!

New Venture!

OK, in lieu of my disappointment about the birthday situation, I found a new venture last week that I was hopeful about. I worked a home-based business for 2 years, many hours a week, did well, but my house and family were a wreck! So I quit the business, but continued to get the products because I like them so much (and they're safer and healthier for us- you know, a greener company).

Anyway, I was checking out some supplements for my husband when I was prompted to check out some business info on them again. They had changed some things on their website so I was curious about the information they had there. And I made my way to the info on Charitable Organizations. This company actually has a plan to benefit non-profit organizations! I knew this a couple of years ago when I was actively working, but it was very complicated at the time, so I didn't get into it too much.

But now it's very simple. My Church, as well as the Catholic School my kids go to, can benefit easily. Yes, I would have to work for it, but I learned yesterday that I will benefit from this as well!! I couldn't believe it! The potential is mind-boggling and I can't wait to contact my pastor and see what he says. I still have to make the appointment with him and show him what this is all about to see if we have the OK or not.

AND!! I was talking to a friend of mine this morning and she told me to make sure the company's founder is pro-life, and I think he is. I'm in the process of finding that out. So I'm hopeful that this is something that God wants me to do. If it isn't I'm sure He will let me know won't He!!

More Birthday STUFF!

OK, today is my daughter's seventh birthday! And I was really looking forward to celebrating her birthday with family this evening. Unfortunately, I had to go pick her up from school yesterday afternoon because she threw up in the classroom. She proceeded to throw up a few more times before I stopped making her drink and just let her stomach get better.

She is much better today, but I decided to keep her home just to make sure. She is eating good and drinking and nothing has come back up! YAY!! But the problem is, I don't know how my other two kids are. I don't know if they are going to be throwing up all of a sudden. So we have decided to let family decide if they are coming over or not. Her grandparents and great-grandparents are coming (thank goodness), but her cousins are not. They are very young and we are afraid of getting them sick too. There is no need to risk that. One is 2 tomorrow and the other is only 4 months old. So no one needs these little ones throwing up!!

So I'm quite a bit disappointed, but we have made arrangements to get together next week to exchange gifts. We also agreed not to go over there tomorrow night for my 2-year-old niece's birthday for fear of infecting them and the other little ones that will be there. I'm really disgruntled about that too. She is our goddaughter and I really want to be there!

So, it is what it is, right?! And it will all work out OK. I really wanted my daughter to have a good crowd tonight when we give her our big gift!!

So anyway, just wanted to vent my frustrations! Have a blessed day everyone!

Human Thinking

"Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Mark 8:33

What does it mean to think as a human being? Well, I'm not really sure how to put this into words, but I can put in an example here.

I was talking with a good friend of mine, about a week ago I guess, and we were talking about why people leave the Catholic church. And she had just learned of an insight from someone else about this. A lot of times, people leave the Church because they don't like the priest, or they don't like all the rules. I'm sure there are more reasons, but these are all human reasons for leaving the Church. The examples I listed here are not guided by God, they are guided by Satan.

Satan will do everything in his power to keep us from getting closer to God and doing what we need to here on Earth to be with Him eternally in Heaven. We must be conscious of those efforts and tell him to get behind us! Tell him to get out of the way! Stand up and fight those human urges guided by Satan to deny God and His Word.

Have you recognized events in your life where you let Satan guide you in human responses rather than with Godly ones? How will you resist those temptations in the future?

Lord, when Satan gets in my face, help me to put him behind me so I can follow Your ways.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Celebrating Birthdays

Before I married my husband, my family celebrated birthdays when it was convenient. Which mainly ended up on a Friday night, or Saturday afternoon. Well, my husband's family does things quite differently. We celebrate each person's birthday, on THAT DAY. At first, I was pretty annoyed with this. I kept thinking, "Why in the world do we need to do that?? Why can't we just do it on the weekend for goodness sake?" Granted, some other words may have come out of my mouth at the time, but now I'm so glad that we do, and for several reasons.

First and foremost, our birthday is the day that God gave us life outside of the womb! This is OUR day, our very special day that we were officially welcomed into the world He created for us. So why SHOULDN'T we celebrate that day on that day? We absolutely should! It's definitely something to celebrate!

And secondly, my kids get to spend time with family. Everyone is so busy nowadays with work and other obligations we have as adults, families don't get to spend much time together anymore. When we get together, the kids wrestle around with their uncles sometimes, play with their aunts and grandparents, and have a great time with their cousins. These are things they are going to remember! They are going to know that their birth was something special and important to us.

So, while I complained in the beginning, I'm so glad that we do this now. Yes, it gets tough and tiring sometimes (we have 2 in a row twice during the year!), but it's all so very worth it.

Therapy

When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to Him a blind man and begged Him to touch him. Mark 8:22

"Mommy, do you need a hug today?" Those are the words of my soon-to-be seven-year-old sweetheart of a daughter. And every time she asks me, of course I say, "YES!" It's very healing. She typically asks me if I'm having a tough day with them. You know how it is. The hormones kick in and the kids are just on your last nerve?! And then I get a hug. It just all seems to melt away and I remember how much I love my babies. And this behavior passes on to my younger children and my four-year-old son will ask me if I need a hug too.

Touch is so very powerful. And I never thought about how touch is all through Jesus' teachings. That's how He healed, is through touch. That's how we can heal each other, is through touch. We are afraid to touch each other nowadays, and I am one of them that is afraid, or maybe I should say, cautious. We don't want to invade the others' personal space. And to be honest, some of us just aren't touchy kind of people! But just the touch of someone's hand on your shoulder or your hand, says something, doesn't it? It tells you that that person cares about you. Touch makes things more personal between us human beings and it can have that therapeutic affect, just like Jesus.

How will you reach out and touch your brothers and sisters today?

Lord, teach me to touch my brothers and sisters as You did.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Scheduling

As you may know, I'm reading a new book called "A Mother's Rule of Life" by Holly Pierlot. I'm truly enjoying it. She's taking me through a schedule a piece at a time and so I'm really able to prioritize my schedule based on what is most important in my life.

The first part of my journey to make a schedule is making time for prayer. So I went through my day in my head, and have decided to say my Rosary at 6am right after I take a shower and before I even turn on this darn computer!! Then I can turn on the computer and do my devotional. I first thought I would stay off the computer all together in the morning because it can really interfere with my routine with my kids, but I think I really need to read the Scripture for the day in the morning. So I'm going to do that and send out my devotionals, and then turn the computer off and be ready for when my kids get up.

Since I'm going to be cutting down my computer time (I think I may use this as a fasting during Lent), I will not be posting as much as I have been. I feel that making sure I'm praying enough and making sure my hubby, kids, and house are taking care of is so important to a happy family.

So I'm not going to NOT get on here at all, I just won't be posting like crazy!! I feel this is a good thing for me. I can really get lost in the Internet information and before I know it, my house is in shambles. I need to really get some self-discipline going here.

So, there's my progress so far. Will keep you all posted on this!!

Time

Morning all! Sorry I haven't posted a lot lately. I have had a lot on my plate lately. I'm making games for my daughter's class and I also have some blankets to knot for my daugther's Girl Scout troop. But there are important things to post, so I'm going to try later. Today is going to be terribly busy! I have to help pick up Girl Scout cookies, and we have 2 Karate classes today. SO!!

I just wanted to say that I haven't gone anywhere. I'm hoping to visit your blogs to see what you all have to say too.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Getting Back on Track

Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts not hardened? Mark 8:17

Jesus warns His disciples against the actions of the Pharisees. He warns them not to get caught up in their ways and in their doubts about Jesus and His power. The Pharisees do not realize why He says these things. They think it is because they did not bring bread as they were told.

Jesus did a lot of teaching when He was here on Earth. He taught for about 3 years and there was a lot to teach us in that short period of time. So when His followers didn't listen to everything He told them, I can imagine He may have gotten a little frustrated.

But we all still need reminders don't we? We all have times where we need to be reminded to stay on the right track. I know I do! We fall off the bandwagon. We skip a prayer now and then, and then that prayer time is gone and we have to get it back. We start gossiping about others, being jealous of what others have, or disrespecting our parents. These are all human characteristics, but they are all works of the devil too. And it's human nature to get caught up in that and forget His ways. And our lives are different when we give in to those temptations isn't it? I know for me my thoughts are more clouded and my irritability increases. That's my little reminder that I have gotten off track.

The important thing though is that we come back to Him and His commandments.

So how are you reminded that you have fallen away from our Lord? How do you get yourself back on track?

Lord, I feel so much better when I follow Your teachings. Help me to stay on Your path.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Seeking Signs

[Jesus] sighed from the depth of His spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?" Mark 8:12

So why do we? Why do we seek signs from our Lord? I know for me it's because I want to know I'm doing the right thing. I want to know that I'm making the choices He wants me to make. Then when I get a sign, I wonder if it's His sign, or if it's the devil. It can be so confusing!!

So then I sit back and think about it some more. The outcome of our decision may not come right away. As long as it stays consistent with His commandments, we must make our decision and just do it! I'm a very impatient person though, so waiting to see what is going to happen is not easy. I want to see those results right away.

I was recently finishing my book by Mother Angelica and she talks about getting into projects without figuring out the details (like if she's going to have enough money). She said that when money got tight, she would get some sort of big donation and all would be well. Her efforts were rewarded and supported by our Lord, so He paved the way for her success.

Now I'm not saying to go out and buy a house without knowing whether or not you can afford it. But He will clear the path for our success if it is in His plan.

So what is on your mind today? What do you have to decide to do? How will you wait for His signs?

Lord, I want to do Your will. Please be with me as I make my decisions today.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Pride

Pride either keeps you back from doing what you should do for God and His kingdom or it pushes you forward into things you are not able to do.

-Mother Angelica

LOVE THIS!! And how in the world do we tell the difference? There have been so many times in my life where I wonder if what's happening is God's will, my will, or the devil's will. My pride has gotten in the way of a lot of things in my life. It gets in the way of having good relationships with my friends and family. And as I read this quote over and over again, I suppose my pride has gotten in the way of being successful at certain things.

One thing that I'm proud and thankful for my pride taking a backseat, is in my role as a wife and mother. I'm so glad I was able to push that down so I could be successful here. It has made such a difference in my life, I can't even explain it.

Judge as the Father Judges

He doesn't judge you at all in this life, so why should we?

-Mother Angelica

Let Go of the Reins

But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it [the tree] your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad. Genesis 3:4-5

I feel like I'm in English class sometimes when I read the Bible. This particular passage in particular because the whole scenario of Adam and Eve is one big metaphor. The tree that Eve was tempted to try the fruit from is a reminder to us that the devil is out there tempting us all the time with promises of power. He wants us to think that power and control over our lives comes from us, and not with God.

I lived for a long time thinking, and trying very hard, to control my life. I was making decisions based on the life that I wanted to live. I wanted my life to be what I wanted it to be. I wasn't considering God's wants. And do you think it was a happy and good time of my life? NO!! It was full of turmoil and fighting with family and friends. The devil loves that and will let you go at that.

But when I relinquished that control to Him, and let Him guide me in the direction He had planned for me, things became easier. Everything seemed to fall into place and it all was truly starting to make sense. It's not easy giving up that control, don't get me wrong. We all want to feel like we have control over our lives. But really, it is God who has a special plan for us.

So how are you going to relinquish that control today?

Lord, I want to live by Your way. Take the reins of my life and show me Your plan for me.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Important Discussions!

There is a talk show in Cincinatti that is going to discuss the possible link between abortions and breast cancer!!! YAY!!! FINALLY!!! Spread the word ladies!!

Click here to get the full article on this.

AAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Oh I'm so frustrated this morning!!!

I was typing my Devotional for today and had on Fox and Friends (my most favorite morning show). Octo-Mom came up. Now first and foremost, she must be the most frustrating creature. She actually has a website up to get donations from all of us Americans to help her take care of here babies. I'm just absolutely speechless....

But that was just the tip of the iceberg here. Brian, one of the hosts, was talking about the process of in-vitro. He said that he notices that women have these "embryos" and feel this need to use them because we think they are babies and they're not!! WHAT?!!?

I'm sorry, I don't typically do this, but what an IDIOT!!! Embryos ARE babies!!!! That's what people don't get, and he just goes and spouts it on television. That "embryo" is the beginning of a human being. The cells that make up that "embryo" is defining that baby's features. Brown or blue eyes, blonde or brown hair, fat or skinny, chunky cheeks or not.... He is a BABY!!

Society has become so numb to human life because we, as humans, have decided to play God and create life outside of the womb and then implant it in a woman in "hopes" that that baby will continue to live. CONTINUE TO LIVE!! If the baby doesn't implant, then it dies. IT DIES!! Dying suggests it was living, does it not?!?!?

Take embryonic stem cell research for instance. If the "embryo" wasn't living, what good would he be to us?? He wouldn't!! That's why we create that LIFE. So we can study him!! How sick.

God is the ONLY one who should be creating life. We as humans are going to have a lot of explaining to do!!

Aaaaarrrrggghhhh... just a little frustrated this morning. People can be so STUPID sometimes!!!!

I apologize ahead of time for using harsh words, but I feel they are necessary this morning to get my point across... FRUSTRATION!!!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

From the Rib

The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that He had taken from the man. Genesis 2:22

God created us women from man's rib. Some may say that makes us less than man, but I couldn't DISagree more. God created man first. When he saw that this man was lonely, He created many other creatures in order to provide him with a suitable partner. The man named all the creatures, but none of them proved to be suitable.

So God put him into a deep sleep and created woman.

Did you notice the use of the word "partner" here? Man and woman are partners. We were given different qualities so that we could work together. Man is not meant to be woman, and woman is not meant to be man. We each have qualities about us that enable us to live together and raise children and to be able to participate in society.

It's hard to work with someone who is just like you isn't it? If you both want control, the partnership doesn't work. If you both want the other one to make all the decisions, the partnership doesn't work. That's why God set man as head of the household. It doesn't mean that women are any less than them, just that we have different, but also important, roles.

So how will you show your spouse that you want to follow God's order today?

Lord, I realize that you created us in Your image. Please stay with me and help me to be that for You so that I may have a happy, healthy family.

Pollution of Our Souls

Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. Mark 7:15

Defile. What is defile? Defile is unclean, filthy, dirty. This Gospel reading is telling us that our sins come from inside of us. It's not the food we eat, or the people around us, it's what is inside of us and the decisions that we make for ourselves that creates the pollution of our souls.

When I think of pollution, I think of dirty, cloudy air that makes it difficult to breathe. I can't see things good and it destroys our Earth little by little. The same thing happens to our souls when we sin. When we make the choice to show malice, commit adultery, be arrogant, or act with envy, we are polluting our souls with sin. That sin slowly eats away at our souls until we bring them to God and repent for them.

So how will you cleanse your soul today? Are you going to go to Confession? Are you going to "come clean" with your sins that you and you alone have committed?

Lord, I know that it is I who have committed my sins. Please lead me down Your path of righteousness so that I may rightfully confess my sins and cleanse my soul.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Wisdom of Our Youth

I got an email today from our local pro-life group and it featured this video. The wisdom of this little girl is absolutely amazing. Click here to get the story behind the video. This is very inspiring!!

Overcoming Rules as a Barrier

You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition. Mark 7:8

Boy am I learning a lot by reading the Bible... go figure.

Anyway, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees here. They were concerned because some of His apostles had not washed their hands before eating. This disturbed them very much because it was a tradition of the elders. So Jesus basically told them that they should be more worried about what God commands, instead of what human beings command.

Rules generally keep order in our society, don't they? But what happens when there are too many? What happens to us when we start making rules that are petty? I know for me I feel like I want to rebel more because I'm feeling controlled. Something comes to mind from a recent conversation I had with a friend: Make sure you pass a bicyclist with 3 feet of space. There is an effort around here to make that a LAW. I believe in rules and laws, but there are also things that we as human beings need to use our best judgment on and we need to keep God's rules first.

So how are you going to honor His rules today? What rules are you following that are human, and perhaps against God's?

Lord, Your commandments are the most important to me. Help me to follow these throughout my day.

Monday, February 9, 2009

New Book!

I finished Mother Angelica, but don't worry, I still have more to post from her. Good stuff. And I started a new book yesterday titled, "A Mother's Rule of Life" by Holly Pierlot. I gave this book to my sister-in-law 2 Christmases ago and she just passed it along to me. It's AWESOME!!

She starts off right away by claiming not to be perfect. She tells of how she was searching for that "Christian Perfection" and was having a hard time finding it. She moves into telling about how she developed a schedule for her home and actually following it and how her home finally became organized and things were getting done. She home schools her kids (she has 5) and she was ready to throw in the towel when God intervened at a Home School Conference where she heard a speech about organization. She tried it and it worked!

The backbone of her schedule lies in what an old priest told her. The Five "Ps" of Married Life:
First P = Prayer
Second P = Person
Third P = Partner
Fourth P = Parent
Fifth P = Provider

So she took this list of priorities and coordinated her schedule around it. She also uses a schedule that the nuns follow to build her schedule around. Certain things take priority over others and this list really helps us to decide what to focus more of our time on.

Isn't that neat? So that's as far as I have gone right now. But it looks like a very valuable resource for ANY mom, working, not working, working from home. We could all use a little organization and time management in our lives according to our Lord, don't you think??

So I'm excited to dig into this book. I have already started implementing some of the things I have been reading. For instance, I kept the computer off today. I still talked on the phone a little, but I also got housework done. I blogged, looked up info online, got the kids up and ready for school, did 4 loads of laundry, the dishes, took a shower, picked up my son at school, took him for a haircut, played with my kids outside, gave them lunch, and a nap! WOOHOO!! I feel so successful! And now I'm on my way outside to take some pictures for my hubby and email them out for him. Then I'm going to pick up a fish after I pick up my daughter. Today will be very productive!!

Anyway, I guess it's about putting things down so you can accomplish what you're supposed to. It's just that sometimes we don't WANT to!! :)

Confusion Conclusion

I want to thank you all for your input and advice on my Confused question! Your answers really made me think and put things in perspective. And of course each situation is different. I think I have to evaluate my relationship with that person. For instance, family takes precedence over friends. I feel the need to voice my opinion because I care about them (and I believe that what I think is right--- don't we all??). But I also don't want a relationship ruined, nor do I want to cut communication with them. I want to help them get closer to God because that's what I want for myself and I see how much it has changed my life for the better. But I also know that it will come in their own time.

Friends. This is so touchy. I guess it depends on how close I am with that person. Because really, most of the time, their actions and decisions don't affect me or my family. People are going to live their lives the way that they live them. What matters is how active I am in their lives and how we get along. I want to voice my opinion to them too, but only if they ask I guess. The dynamic is different here than with family. Friends come and go, but my family is forever.

Each situation is going to be different than the one before. And the degree of importance is probably something that I have to take into consideration too. So confusing to type, but it's much clearer in my head now! Thank you all so much for your comments and the emails you sent me privately. I really appreciate the help in trying to piece this all together.

So Blessed am I to have met such caring Christians on the Internet (and in real life too)!!

Reach Out to Him

They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Mark 6:55

Jesus was a healer and the word spread fast! I know if I was in need of healing, I would have found Him too. So what holds us back now? Why don't we seek Him more readily when we need healing nowadays? Is it our lack of faith? Or maybe we feel like we don't need Him because we can take care of things ourselves.

Well, we can't. Without our Lord and His healing ways, we have nothing. Without our faith in His ability to help us and heal us, we have nothing. Granted, He doesn't always reach out and heal us directly. Remember, he also uses others to help us heal.

But it takes humility to admit that we need healing doesn't it? It takes a certain amount of admission of a failure to help ourselves. And that takes courage! So let's be courageous today!

How are you going to reach out to our Lord today? What is it that you need healed? Something physical? Something emotional? Something psychological?

Lord, I am bringing you my sufferings and worries. I am open to Your healing.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Abortion Practitioner Gets License Revoked

Click here for the article.

This is so sad, but this is a reality. The reality is that we have determined that babies are disposable. They are disposable through abortion. Those who work in these clinics have to count body parts on a daily basis. So I'm assuming they get pretty numb to the value of human life. For a doctor to treat a live, breathing human being in this manner deserves jail time.

And is it just me or is the sign "KEEP ABORTION SAFE" an oxymoron...

Red Envelopes

This afternoon I was praying about a number of things, and my mind began to
wander. I was deeply distressed at the symbolic actions that President
Obama took as he began his presidency. Namely, that he signed executive
orders releasing funds to pay for abortions, permission to fund human stem
cell research
, and federal funding for contraception. I have been involved
in the pro-life movement for nearly 20 years, and it pained my heart to see
a man and a political party committed to the shedding of innocent blood.
This man, and this party lead our country, but they do not represent me or
the 54% of Americans who believe that abortion is wrong and should no longer
be legal.

As I was praying, I believe that God gave me an interesting idea. Out in
the garage I have a box of red
envelopes. Like the powerful image of the
red LIFE tape, an empty red envelope will send a message to President Barack
Obama
that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue. It will
be quiet, but clear.

Here is what I would like you to do:

Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores.
On the front, address it to

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C.

On the back, write the following message.

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion.
It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world.
Responsibility begins with conception.

Put it in the mail, and send it. Then forward this email to every one of
your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50
million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance
to live. Maybe
it will change the heart of the president.

Warmly,

Christ John Otto

Quiet, Rest, Peace

[Jesus] said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." Mark 6:30

"Rest? Rest?! No time for rest!" we say. How can we rest when there's laundry to do, kids tugging on my leg, dirty dishes in the sink, and my husband is calling me?? Where are we supposed to rest?

We are supposed to find time to rest, to find quiet, peaceful moments to pray. Jesus took time during His teachings to find quiet and pray. It's essential to us as human beings, as followers of Christ, to find that time to pray. Leave the laundry. Leave the dishes. Give your children a job to do or a toy to play with. Tell your husband to wait a minute. :) Go find some quiet and pray. Even if it's for a few minutes. Take that time for yourself.

I'm not saying that I do this often, but when I make time to pray, it makes a big difference in my attitude towards others. I prayed my Rosary Monday morning because I was feeling grumpy. I knew that I was going to start my day off bad if I didn't take some personal time with the Lord or our Blessed Mother. I sat on the couch, took out my Rosary beads, and prayed the Rosary. WHEW! It really helped. It usually does. But just that 15-20 minutes that it took me to get through it was enough to refocus on my life, on my kids, on my house, on the goals I set for myself that day.

So take some quiet time to rest, find peace, and pray today. How will do you that?

Lord, help me to follow Your example in prayer. I want it to be an essential part of my life.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Confused...

I want your opinions on this one. I'm confused. In my journey to becoming a more faithful Catholic, I have realized a great many things about people and how we think and act. And it's so easy to look at someone and how they're acting and make judgments about them. Let's say we know they are collecting disability or social security, but we know they are able to work. Or maybe they are pro-choice and we are pro-life. Or maybe they are not making what we believe to be the right choices according to their children. Do we distance ourselves from these people?

I'm just confused. I want my kids to be around righteous people that share the same values as me, but I also don't want to judge anyone and treat them badly. Because people that make bad choices can also be good people inside. So how do you personally do this? I mean, I think this is a pretty broad question, but in general. Do you hang around others that don't share ALL of your views and values? Do you prevent your kids from hanging around with others that don't share the same Catholic values as you?

On the one hand I feel like keeping my distance because I don't want to be swept up by those values, nor do I want my kids to. But then on the other hand, I can have fun with these people too! I share other things in common with them and get along with them. And what if we are there to help them to see God's truths? What if God put us in contact with these people to make a difference, to influence them?

So I struggle with this. And I want to know: How do you do this?

Entertaining Angels

Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Hebrews 13:2

Hospitality can mean so many different things. When I think about it, showing hospitality for our neighbors can be scary nowadays. We don't really know our neighbors the way we used to. Because of that, a lot of us, including myself, fear reaching out because we don't know what they will/could do.

But there are alternatives to visiting with a stranger. We don't have to go knocking on their door and have tea. We can do little things like let a car come into the long traffic line. Wait for a mom and her kids to cross safely across the street or parking lot. We can let a customer go ahead of us that has 2 items over our 100. We can help our elderly to their car and load their groceries for them.

Those are also acts of hospitality. It doesn't have to be award-winning, just thoughtful and done to help each other as human beings. I think we have lost this, but it only takes a few to get the ball rolling, and maybe some of those we help, will pay it forward and we can slowly turn our society around and entertaining more angels....

So what will you do today to show your hospitality?

Lord, I want to make your angels smile. Help me to keep my mind open to this today.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

A Prayer for Inner Healing

Lord God, Father of all, we come before Thee today
empty with our soul in need of healing. We need that
confidence and hope that comes from Your Holy Spirit.
Help us to realize Your love for us and to give that love to
our neighbor. We need to build and renew. There is in
each of us something in our memory that keeps us from
being compassionate and merciful. So deeply rooted are
the gnawing resentments that they obstruct us from the
good You have for us. We ask You to reach into each of our
memories now and heal them. Touch that unforgiving
spirit within us and drive it away, Father. We know You
forgive us, but we find it so hard to forgive ourselves.
Remove all the regrets of the past. Lord Father, we know
You are present now and beg You to remove all of our guilt
and make us new so we can be used by Your Son. Lord
Father, reach in and heal us all and fill us with the love
and compassion that surpasses all understanding.
Amen.

- Mother Angelica

Something to Read

Are you looking for a good book to read? Try this one this month. Michael Dubruiel. I'm not that familiar with him, but the book looks like a good one. I don't know why I do what I do at Mass and this would be a great book to read, and also to be able to support his family who is grieving right now. Because when you buy this book, proceeds will go to the family to help pay for the funeral and any other future expenses for his children.

Some AWESOME Pro-Life Videos!

I found these videos at Faith and Family Live! the other day and am just now posting them. They are unlike any pro-life video you have EVER seen and are so well worth your time!!



Determining Our Freedom

He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. Mark 6:7

Have you ever called someone immature? I have. But I also know that I myself have been immature for most of my 31 years of life. I was immature because I was out having fun. I was hurting people that hurt me. I was stubborn in a hateful way. I was angry in a very angry way. I was out doing what I wanted to do without thinking about what God wanted for me.

Isn't that what immaturity is? We are immature when we live our lives with that sense of freedom. That sense of, "I can do what I want and who cares!" But now I live with more maturity and the freedoms that God creates for me. I actually use my senses when I make a decision and think about our Lord and other people before I celebrate "freedom."

I'm so glad that the Lord gave his Apostles this power to cleanse us of those unclean spirits that make us feel "free." Once I came to terms with the fact that this "freedom" I was feeling wasn't freedom at all, I was able to repent. I went to confession and the priest was able to talk to me about the things I was there for. Now I'm able to turn my life into freedom with our Lord. I have found that the rules He gave us creates freedom, not stifles it.

So how are you going to determine your freedom?

Lord, thank you for sending your Apostles out to cleanse us. Thank you for giving me chance after chance after chance to repent and show my love for you and live according to You.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Finding God

A friend of mine sent me this link about a week ago or so I guess. It's a daily prayer retreat that can last anywhere from 1 minute to 3 minutes, depending on how fast you move through the pages. Today's retreat is so appropriate for where we are in America today facing this abortion crisis. It really makes us think of our babies as babies, as people, as a people that we have love for. I wish more people could see this and open their hearts to this message. So many of us have been closed off to feelings of love for our unborn. And for those I pray that they will hear this message, some time, somewhere, in their time.

Click here to see the retreat.

Faith Can Lead to Healing

So He was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying His hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Mark 6:5-6

Jesus cannot heal us without our faith in Him. We need to keep our hearts and our minds open to His teachings. Through this openness and acceptance, we learn to trust Him. All of this leads to a greater faith in the works of our Lord.

We all need some sort of healing don't we? While Jesus is not literally walking the earth any longer, healing us with His touch, He is still all around us. He uses us to heal each other. He uses our strong faith in Him to heal those that need healing, but He may also heal us Himself.

He cannot do these works without us. Well, I suppose He could, but He doesn't want to. He wants us to believe in Him and have faith in His love and power.

How are you going to show Jesus your faith in Him? How are you going to show Him your openness to His love and generous acts of healing?

Lord, my mind and heart are open to You. I trust You. Heal me of all my physical and emotional pain according to Your Will.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

How Powerful is Faith?

Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction. Mark 5:34

By this Scripture, faith is everything. Faith is what's going to get us through this life and into the next.

Jesus was talking here to a girl who was very sick. She had been hemorrhaging for years. She had heard of Jesus and knew if she just touched Him, she would be cured. She found Him, touched His cloak, and she was cured. Jesus didn't even know what had happened! When He turned to find out, He told her that her faith had saved her. Because she believed, because she had that faith, she was able to be healed of her physical suffering.

How awesome is that?! I heard a song on the radio last week, in bits and pieces, and it was about faith and doubt. She was asking questions like "What if it's a folktale?" "What if..." "What if...." Then she says, "What if you're wrong? What if there's more?" So if you don't believe, and there's more, what do you say to Him when you are confronted on your judgment day? I can't even imagine.

It's faith vs. doubt. I have doubt sometimes, we all do. But it's important that we keep our faith. I do that by recognizing all the amazing things God has done for me in my life since I put it in His hands.

Some may ask, why doesn't He show Himself if He's there? Well, there's a simple answer for that: He's testing our faith.

So how will you keep your faith today? How will you fight the evils of doubt?


Monday, February 2, 2009

Octuplets!!

Have you heard the latest on the woman in California who had octuplets. I for one am not for in vitro, well, because it doesn't work with God's plan. But aside from that, this woman had 8 embryos, EIGHT, implanted into her uterus at one time. She already had 6 children (3 sets of twins).

So the question now is: Should there be regulations on how many eggs a woman is allowed to have implanted when she is searching for fertility treatments?

I for one definitely think there should be. I want to reinforce that I do not think it should happen at all, but if it does, I think this case should make the case for some sort of regulation. How is a single mother of 14 going to be able to take care of all of these children? I know it takes a village to raise a child, but is it fair to force children on people when God didn't plan it that way? This woman obviously is not meant to have children, otherwise God would have Blessed her.

It's not fair to the other children that she already has to bring in 8 more. I don't think the doctor made the right choice, and neither did this mother. I definitely think there needs to be some regulation on the number of embryos implanted. Aside from the moral aspect of this, there has to be some sort of medical risks involved with a woman pregnant with this many children!!

Babies: We need more like you...

I googled "fathers grieving abortion" this morning and came across a blog and in the comments was this link to a video that Germany is putting out to create a culture of life again. The video is so awesome. It puts the truth out there about having a baby. The struggles and the good times. It paints an accurate picture, but it also tells these babies that they are important to us as parents.

Anyway, I will let the video tell you everything:

His Test

Because He Himself was tested through what He suffered, He is able to help those who are being tested. Hebrews 2:18

Have you ever thought about what Jesus was like when He was growing up? Have you ever wondered what Mary and Joseph said to Him or the questions He asked? Did He like to take things apart like my son to see how it works? Did He like to sit down and read and write like my daughter? Did He dance around the house as a toddler like my other daughter?

I wonder about those things. How He might have been like before He came out to us with all of His Godly wisdom, suffering, and death. Thinking about Him in this way gives Him more human characteristics and helps me to be able to talk to Him, pray to Him, and ask Him for guidance.

Jesus was sent to us in human form so He would know what it's like to be tempted. So He would know what it's like to be human! This experience helps Him to be understanding of what we go through as a human, but it also enables Him to help us.

What are you going to talk to Jesus about today? Patience? Health? Wisdom? Happiness? Guilt?

Dear Lord, thank you for suffering for me so that you can understand me and the temptations that I endure every day. I ask you to guide me in Your ways and answer the door when the devil comes knocking.