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Today begins the Novena for Pentecost.
The Novena for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit can be found atThe Eternal Word Television Network's website
- you've accidentally genuflected at a place other than church ex. the movie theatre, school auditorium
-you're sick of being asked why priests can't be married
-you have a "favorite" religious order
-you say the meal prayer no matter where you are
-you have a nativity set at your house during Christmas, and have also played with it.
-you've accidentally made the sign of the cross when leaving regular buildings (Note from Esther: actually I cross myself when I pass the bank or the library)
-you know that advent is the beginning of the new church year.
-You know at least five people named Mary
-You can name off all the Joyful, Glorious, Sorrowful, and Luminous mysteries.
-one or more of your friends entered the seminary or the convent
-you have 20+ cousins.
-your mom is currently pregnant
-you and your spouse practice NFP
-you believe in Purgatory and know it's important to pray for the souls who are currently in Purgatory
-you live chastity and are saving yourself for your future spouse.
-you're able to sit still for a full hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament
-you are discerning the religious life
-you often end disputes with, "Let's look it up in the Catechism."
-you and your friends have shown up at Adoration at 4:00 in the morning
-when watching star wars and hear "may the force be with you" you respond with "and also with you"
-your mom always says "4 kids, Catholic" (Thanks to Jim Benedick)
-you have participated in sword fights using Palms on Passion Sunday
-you and friend friends ever played "Mass" instead of House, or Cops and Bad Guys
-You have your own designated seat at Mass
-they know you at every Catholic bookstore in the area, and ask you where you’ve been if you haven’t stopped by in a while.
-you're named after a saint, not a family member.
-you get excited about going to mass
-you arrive at Mass half an hour early to get a good seat and talk to Jesus
-your mom always makes sure to celebrate your feast day
-altar serving was the cool thing to do
-you point at your friends in line for confession calling them sinners and everyone laughs as you get to the end of line
-Your teachers grade you down when you write papers about moral issues and papers involving God
-You never eat before church, and brunch afterwards is always the best! (Thanks to Larry Perez)
-Your first serious conversation you have with a potential girl/boyfriend involves your conversion story
-You lie awake at night wondering why the St. Michael Prayer was removed from the end of Mass
-The word "vocation" to you does not simply mean "job"
-People tend you look in your direction in class whenever anything involving religion comes up
-You have a Rosary or Saint Christopher pin in your car
-One of your Crucifixes has five years worth of dried out palms stuck behind it.
-You have more than one Rosary hanging from your bed.
-You have contemplated being in a religious order at least once.
-you say "God bless you" anytime anyone sneezes, out of habit
-you have had multiple meetings with the priest at your own will
-You had competitions with your friends on Ash Wednesday to see who could keep their ashes on the longest
-You still write "Your Kingdom Come!" or "JMJ" at the top of your page/letter/report/test
-You know that some Catholics don't eat meat on Wednesdays or Fridays, even not during Lent.
-you get really excited over a holy day of obligation
-if you are tired of people referring to the birth of Jesus the immaculate conception
-you've ever been told my your mom, "Offer it up", and then felt very obliged to do so
-when discussing possible names for your future children with friends or your future spouse, you start ruling out names that aren't virtues, saints, or biblical
-You plan what to wear based on the liturgical color of the day
-you were disappointed when you couldn't find a catholic version of trivia pursuit
-You know that "prostrate" is not a place where men develop cancer
-Instead of change, you find a rosary under your couch cushions.
-you have at one point had to stop a younger sibling from playing in the holy water font.
You have had a pet blessed. Your pet even got a St. Francis Medal. Well, you did, but you still consider it *her* medal.You'll have to visit her blog for the rest. They are funny!
Homeschooling (or low-cost internet private schools), can have the following extraordinary benefits for you and your children:To read the entire list of 54 reasons, check out the article.
1. Be with Your Family
2. Set Your Own Schedule
3. Vacation When You Want
4. Choose curriculum that best suits the needs of your child
5. Be totally aware of the state and progress of your child's education
6. Keep your child away from un-necessary peer pressure
7. Keep your child away from the bad influence of other children
8. Love, nurture, and teach your child the character and morals you value most
9. Make learning fun
10. Make learning as "experiential" as you want...
Every year, John Paul chooses someone to preach a course of spiritual exercises for himself and the Roman Curia at the Vatican. This Jubilee Year, he asked Vietnamese Archbishop Nguyen van Thuan.As we paid for our movie (The Robe on DVD) Sister told me they had all of the Cardinal's books in stock. That statement took me by surprised because I thought The Testimony of Hope had been the only book he had written. She took me to the book rack that had one shelves full of the Cardinal's books. She picked out The Road to Hope for me to look at. The cover read "A Gospel from Prison". The back of the book read "An Imitation of Christ for the 21st Century"...Francis B. Schulte, Archbishop of New Orleans.
In 1975, Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan was traveling to Saigon, Vietnam, to become its new Coadjutor Bishop. On the way, he was arrested and imprisoned--an incarceration that lasted thirteen years.The following two messages are from the God's Will Chapter. "God's will is the passport to heaven":
Despite tremendous risk, Van Thuan refused to remain passive. During his nights in prison, he wrote encouraging messages to the Vietnamese people. These brief reflections, scribbled on scraps of paper, were smuggled out of prison, copied by hand and circulated within the community. Bishop Van Thuan was thus able to remain connected to the people in a hidden yet powerful way.
#17: Your responsibilities indicate the will of God for you at the present moment.What could I do? I had to read this book.
#24: The worker will become a saint in the workplace; the soldier will become a saint in the army, the patient will become a saint in the hospital, the student will become a saint through studies, the farmer will become a saint on the farm, the priest will become a saint through his ministry as a priest, and the public servant will become a saint in the government office. Every step on the road to holiness is a step of sacrifice in the performance of one's mission in life.