Saturday, July 21, 2007

What Disease Cannot Do

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Thanks Barb for sharing this with me.

It cannot cripple love

It cannot shatter hope

It cannot corrode faith

It cannot destroy confidence

It cannot kill friendships

It cannot shut out memories

It cannot invade the soul

It cannot reduce eternal hope

It cannot quench the spirit

It cannot lessen the Power of the Resurrection

~ Author Unknown ~

Blessing for a Small Boat

Jesus
Shared by Sue

The following is just one of the blessing you can find at this site.

May Nicholas and Brendan bless this craft

Many angels dance above its deck

To ward off dangers fore and aft

From wind and wave and sunken wreck

All who sail it may they protect

And may all who cruise this mighty lake

Treat it always with wise respect

And no foolish risks ever take.

Amen.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Prayer for Courage

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Dear God give me courage for, perhaps, I lack it more than anything else. I need courage before men against their threats and their seductions. I need courage to hear unkindness, mockery, contradiction, I need courage to fight against the devil, against terrors, troubles, temptations, attractions, darkness and false lights; against tears, depression and, above all, fear.

I need Thy help, dear God. Strengthen me with Thy love and Thy grace. Console me with Thy blessed presence and grant me the courage to persevere until I am with Thee forever in heaven.

Amen.

From "Be Still and Know that I am God" American Needs Fatima

Thursday, July 19, 2007

A Little Humor Break

We have been snorkeling out at Haunama Bay today. I will try to share some photos later on. I am still a bit tired so I thought I would share the following which I hope isn't in bad taste. Thanks to John for sharing it with me.
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One day at kindergarten a teacher said to the class of 5 year-olds, "I'll give $10 to the child who can tell me who was the most famous man who ever lived."

A little Irish boy put his hand up and said, "It was St. Patrick."

The teacher said, "Sorry Sean, that's not correct."

Then a little Scottish boy put his hand up and said, "It was St. Andrew."

The teacher said, "Sorry Hamish, that's not correct."

Finally, a little Jewish boy raised his hand and said, "It was Jesus Christ."

The teacher said, "That's absolutely right, Marvin. Come up here and I'll give you the $10."

As the teacher was giving Marvin his money, she said,
"You know Marvin, since you're Jewish; I was very surprised you said Jesus Christ."

Marvin replied, "Yeah. In my heart I knew it was Moses, but business is business.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Helping Your Dearly Departed and Priests

sharing

My friend Mary Ann and her dear husband Bob run a ministry to help the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The following is from this month's newsletter.
One of the priests who joined us as a Prayer Warrior is studying communications in Rome. He has been very kind over the past year by making himself available to do the Gregorian Mass for many of you who had requested the Gregorian Mass for your deceased friends and relatives. Many of the priests who are continuing their studies in Rome do not get mass stipends or an income from their monasteries in their country of origin, and so depend on groups like Friends of the Poor Souls to help them with their basic needs by sending as many mass stipends as possible. Father has been chosen to do some internship this August at EWTN in Alabama which he says is quite an honor at his college. He is very excited to have been chosen. It will be his first trip to the United States. He recently sent us the following email:
To read the email, please click HERE

If you would like to help out priests like Fr. George as well as having Gregorian Masses said for your friends and family, please contact Mary Ann at her blog.

I Regret: Wasted time.
I Regret: Extravagance in the use of earthly possessions.
I Regret: Neglect of so many splendid graces. - The benefit of a single grace is greater than all the material value of the whole world." (St. Thomas)
I Regret: The evil which I have done.
I Regret: The scandal which I have given.
I Regret: My neglect of acts of mortification.
I Regret: The little amount of charity I have shown the Poor Souls in my life on earth

Back in Union With Rome

Margaret Mary has a very interesting post about a community of sedevacantist sisters who have returned to the Church, thanks to John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
She, and other teachers at the Mount with internet access, began to follow the story of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II’s successor.

“I noticed the good that he was doing,” she said. “I sat up and paid attention: We had a good man, a good pope.” That idea was almost impossible, according to the strictures of the sedevacantist position, she said. “But he seemed to be doing what a good pope would do.”
Article in the Diocese Paper of Spokane.

This particular community of sisters' return is very personal to Margaret Mary. You can read her reflection HERE

Korean Bishop Cracks Down on Controversial Marian Shrine

Thanks Sue.

As you may know, this particular apparition has not been approved by the Catholic Church.
A Korean bishop has warned Catholics in his diocese not to join activities at a controversial Marian shrine founded by a woman who claims to have experienced the Eucharist changing into a lump of bloody flesh in her mouth on several occasions.
ARTICLE

Chaplet for the Dead

Dead
H/T to Sue C.
This rosary consists of four decades (40 beads) in memory of the forty hours which Our Lord is thought to have spent in Limbo. There are also the 5 introductory beads as on the Dominican Rosary.
Click HERE for prayers.

Reaction to Our Holy Father's NYC Visit Next Year

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Curious mix of reactions to the news of our Holy Father's United Nations visit next year. Watch the video while you still can.

I sure hope we can be there for that event.

Thanks Sue for the h/t.

ARTICLE

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Official Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Website

AB Sheen

This is the official website for the canonization cause of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Website

Also, if you would like to help send Archbishop Sheen's Wartime Book of Prayers to our troops, please visit this site

The Practice of Adopting an Unknown Dying Soul

Angel

Shared by Sue Cifelli
..."if only we, who do believe and do pray would only make it a daily habit of unfathomable charity and mercy, to spiritually adopt an unknown dying sinner, asking God for the grace for that person to repent or ask for mercy in his last moments..."
Click here at Catholic Tradition to learn more.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Feast Day - Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Prayer on Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Father, May the prayers of the Virgin Mary protect us and help us to reach Christ her Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


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OLMC3

OLMC2

OLOMC1

St. Michael's Center for the Blessed Virgin Mary has detailed information on Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The Church celebrates on the feast of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16. This is symbolized by the brown scapular. The scapular, which derives its name from the Latin word scapulæ, meaning shoulders, is a dress which covers the shoulders. Our Lady promises to be a spiritual mother to those who wear the scapular. She even promises the gift of final perseverance to all who wear her sign with genuine faith in Jesus and in her powerful protection. At the hour of death, she will grant the wearer the grace to repent completely.

The brown scapular, as part of the habit, is common to many religious Orders, but it is a special feature of the Carmelites. The Blessed Virgin Mary gave the scapular to St. Simon Stock, the sixth General of the Carmelite Order, with the following words:

"Receive, my dear son, this scapular of thy Order, as the distinctive sign of my confraternity, and the mark of the privilege which I have obtained for thee and the children of Carmel. It is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in danger, and a special pledge of peace and protection till the end of time. Whosoever dies wearing this shall be preserved from eternal flames."


I would also like to wish my lovely auntie Carmen, a very Happy and Blessed Birthday.

Question - What Happened to F. Euteneuer's Blog?

I tried visiting Fr. Euteneuer's blog but got Spirit and Life 4 instead.