Feast of Christ the King

Cristo Rey
Picture Source

Jean's Ten Money Saving Christmas Gift Ideas

My friend Jean has some really good tips on giving this Christmas. These tips will help you and your family focus more on the meaning of Christmas. They will keep you from getting all caught up in the frenzy of holiday madness. Instead, you will be embracing the stillness that the Advent season offers in preparation for the coming of the King.

Thank you Jean!

Ten Money Saving Christmas Gift Ideas

Excessive Abuses in the Use of EMHC

Just as I am rethinking my participation as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, I read the following:

Excessive Abuses in the Use of Lay Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist in America

I have noticed that a good number of parishioners prefer to receive Holy Communion from the priest when they have a choice.

Fr. John Hardon on Catholic Homeschooling

Shared by Susan.

Christ Speaks to Us

I would like to address the subject of Catholic home schooling in the tradition of the Catholic Church, and my plan is to cover three areas of a large subject.

What has the Catholic Church considered as home schooling in the Church's history? Secondly, why is home schooling necessary? And thirdly, how should home schooling be done most effectively?

The focus I would like to take is of home schooling as authentically Catholic. I would like to begin first with a general definition of Catholic home schooling, and then distinguish various kinds of home schooling in the Church's history...

Our Lady

Loney People - In Him you will have Peace

"The true stories highlighted in this vignette confirm that this world is not as it should be. Jesus declared that we would encounter struggles and pain, but He also urged us to never despair for He has overcome this world. Music by Jars of Clay." produced by CatholicMediaHouse.
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"Behold, the hour cometh, and it is now come, that you shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world."-St. John 16

Catholiques

The History of Homeschooling

The video is a preview of a documentary coming out in 2009.

H/T to Maureen Wittmann

I must admit this preview did frighten me a bit. All the warnings I heard from a homeschooling pioneering friend of mine rushed to my memory. She warned us not to flaunt the fact that we were a homeschooling family. She warned us not to take state money offered to homeschoolers for books and computers. We started homeschooling in the mid to late 90's. I thought my friend was a bit overly-protective until I reminded myself exactly what she and other homeschooling families went through to pave the way for homeschooles like us.

In fact, I found Hawaii to be homeschooling friendly. Maybe I was a bit naive but I listened to my friend regardless of my feelings. I owe it all to homeschooling families like my friend's that made homeschooling relatively easy for my family to homeschool.

I am very glad I heeded her warnings. I hope the new homeschooling families will heed the warnings too.

"The Time for Complacency is Over"

The powerful weapon of choice in this spiritual battle must be the Holy Rosary!

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...

Thanks to Tito of American Catholic for sharing this with me. Please be sure to click the link and read their post A Call to Arms for God, Life and Country

The Infinite Value of the Holy Mass

The Holy Mass is the highest form of worship. It is the sacrifice of Calvary renewed. One Mass gives God more praise and thanksgiving and makes more atonement for sin and pleads more eloquently than does the combined eternal worship of all the souls in heaven, on earth and in purgatory. In the Holy Mass, it is Jesus Christ, God, as well as Man, who is our Intercessor, our Priest and our Victim. Being God as well as Man His prayers, merits and His offerings are infinite in value.

The Mass is the best means we have:

1. To render God the highest form of worship

2. To thank Him for all His blessings

3. To obtain reparation for all our sins.

4. To obtain all the blessings we desire.

5. To release souls from purgatory and shorten our own time there.

6. To preserve us from all dangers to soul and body

7. To be consoled at the hour of death, for at that moment their memory will be our greatest consolation

8. To intercede for us at the Judgment Seat of God

9. To bring down God's blessings; therefore try to assist at Mass every day, or as often as possible

10. To better understand the sublimity of the Passion of Christ, and therefore, to increase our love for Him

Source here

Thanks to Sue

Memorial of the Presentation of Mary

The memorial of the Presentation of Mary is celebrated on November 21. This feast corresponds to the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. This feast refers to Our Lady's presentation at the temple in Jerusalem as a small child. When she was only three years old, the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem by her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne. There she was taught, lived with other little girls and was cared for by pious women.

Sacred Scripture contains no text concerning this event. However, we do have the testimonies of tradition which are based on accounts which come to us from apostolic times. That which is known about the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple is found in the Apocrypha, principally in chapter seven of the Protoevangelium of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD.

On this feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary let us ask Our Lady to help us to consecrate ourselves entirely to God.

"Hail, holy throne of God, divine sanctuary, house of glory, jewel most fair, chosen treasure house, and mercy seat for the whole world, heaven showing forth the glory of God. Purest Virgin, worthy of all praise, sanctuary dedicated to God and raised above all human condition, virgin soil, unplowed field, flourishing vine, fountain pouring out waters, virgin bearing a child, mother without knowing man, hidden treasure of innocence, ornament of sanctity, by your most acceptable prayers, strong with the authority.

-St. Germanus, homily on the Presentation of the Mother of God

Thanks to the St. Michael Center for the Blessed Virgin Mary