Please Pray for the Protection of Life!

I will not be on the computer tomorrow.  But I did want to ask you to pray.  As you know the President's health care reform bill may have the votes needed to pass (if you believe Washington and the MSM) so please pray, pray and pray that life be protected.

I would suggest Blessed Mother's express Novena Nine Memorare prayers in a row for this intention.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

Source EWTN

Gospel - 5th Sunday of Lent - The Woman Caught in Adultery

John 8: 1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the women before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

Father Romeo gave an interesting homily tonight based on the Gospel reading.

When the Pharisees and the scribes brought the adulterous women to His attention, Jesus was on the ground writing in the dirt.  Father illustrated the following point to us.  He said that when we do not like or are not interested in what we are hearing, we do not pay attention; we busy ourselves with other things.  This is what Jesus did by bending over and writing on the ground with His fingers.  He did not like what the Pharisees and the scribes were up to.

I thought it was interesting that the main question of that Gospel passage according to Father Romeo was not WHAT was Jesus writing but instead WHY was Jesus writing on the ground in front of the Pharisees and scribes.

Father went on to say that when we gossip about our neighbors, God will not listen to our prayers.  Prayers like those are not heard by God.  Just like Jesus would not listen to the Pharisees and scribes.

Another point Father made was the fact that Jesus referred to the woman caught in adultery as "Woman". Father reminded us that Jesus only called one other woman "Woman" and that was His own mother. Father said that Jesus was giving dignity to that woman by referring to her as "Woman".

Keep in mind that Father's homily was more eloquent.

Daily Lenten Resolution

Picture by Esther G.

I will break down a prejudice that I still harbor in my heart against some aspect of Christ’s message.  

Regnum Christi Daily Meditation

Kids Say the Darnest Things Friday

When my son was a little boy, around the time the movie Titanic was in the theaters, his father took him to an awards banquet. The entertainment that night was a woman singing "My Heart Will Go On" from the movie Titanic.

My then young son turned to my husband and said loudly "I don't like the singing, I like the sinking!"

Mahalo Lucy for the invitation to join in Kids Say the Darnest Things Friday

Letter From the Mother Superior - DOMINICAN SISTERS OF MARY, MOTHER OF THE EUCHARIST

If that name of that religious order sounds familiar, it should. Some of the sisters recently appeared on the Oprah show.

DOMINICAN SISTERS OF MARY, MOTHER OF THE EUCHARIST

March 11, 2010

Dear Esther,

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your efforts in promoting the “Truth in the Heart” series on EWTN as well as references to the appearance of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist on the Oprah Show.
You may be interested in knowing that the responses we have received following the show have been overwhelmingly positive. Many have mentioned that the young Sisters answered the questions directly and without hesitation while exuding sincerity, wide smiles, and a joyful countenance. Others have pointed to Lisa Ling’s positive response following her experience with the Sisters at the Motherhouse in Michigan. Many have commented on how respectful Oprah was throughout the interview.

Mindful of the potential for a negative spin once the show was taped and edited, we believed that it was worth the attempt to reach out to an audience we might not otherwise be able to reach. We hoped to touch the hearts of the viewers and be a vehicle for sharing the Gospel while demonstrating our devotion to Christ.
We are very grateful that God has blessed our effort and renewed our enthusiasm to reach out to the world and spread the light of the truth to all who will listen. If anything, the responses have demonstrated not only that there will always be a need to educate the world about Christ, but also how hungry the world is to receive it!

During this Lenten season, we are reminded that our true hope is in Christ, Who conquered death, sin, and sorrow. May you experience the overflowing joy of the Resurrection!

Please pray for us and be assured of our prayers for you.

In Mary, Mother of the Eucharist,
Mother Assumpta Long, O.P.

Reprinted with permission.

So, What Age Was St. Joseph?

The Russian Orthodox tradition according to my friend Mimi, is that St. Joseph was an old man when Jesus was born.  I am not exactly sure the Roman Catholic tradition is as St. Joseph is depicted both as young and old in Catholic art.

There is an interesting article over at The Pious Sodality of Church Ladies discussing the issue of St. Joseph's age.

..."Padre Pio reportedly insisted the St. Joseph was even younger - perhaps only 18 when espoused to Our Lady..."

What do you think?

Archbishop Chaput: Those confusing Catholic stance on health care will bear blame if bill passes

I hate to post this especially on St. Joseph's feast day. But this will give us more of an incentive to pray to protect the U.S. from the president's health care reform.

Denver, Colo., Mar 19, 2010 / 01:18 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In a column published today on the website of First Things, Denver’s Archbishop Charles Chaput has commented on how certain “Catholic” groups are working to undermine the U.S. bishops' stance on health care reform. Should the morally deficient Senate version of health care reform be passed into law against the will of the American people, he said, the dissenting “Catholic” voices will be among those responsible...

Read the rest here

The following is an example of what the good Archbishop is referring to:


Source for video

This is Speaker of the House actually saying we should pray to St. Joseph the Worker today his feast day, to pass this evil health care reform. Really! BTW, it is not the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker the Catholic Church is celebrating, which is May 1st, but St. Joseph the Husband of Mary. Just an example on how much this "Catholic" politician knows her faith.

Another example is a story we shared yesterday found here where a small group of sisters/nuns are opposing the bishops with regard to passing the health care reform.

Let us instead pray that God protect the unborn and the vulnerable and that the pro-life politicians will take a strong stance for life.

First Year Anniversary of Father Edwin Joseph Duffy's Death

Today is one year since God called my good friend Father Duffy, home. He was called home on St. Joseph's Feast Day. How fitting! Because of my father's passing, I was not able to attend his funeral. I heard there were many priests in attendance that day. I know the homeschoolers were there. He had been our devoted spiritual director for many years.

I cannot pass by his street or think of his beloved St. Pius X Church without thinking of him. He was a wonderful and holy priest with a devilish sense of humor and a twinkle in his blue eyes. He was one of a kind.

If God willing, he is in Heaven right now, I just know is telling his old jokes.

I found his obituary that appeared in the Hawaii Catholic Herald. It was the first time I had read it. Patrick Downes, the editor, did a great job. I hope you take the time to read about this beloved priest.


Father Edwin Duffy, Hawaii’s oldest priest, served diocese 48 years

APPRECIATING SAINT JOSEPH

The following message is from Brother John:

A blessed feast of St. Joseph on March 19!

This is a solemnity, a feast of the highest rank, to honor the husband of Mary and the guardian of our Redeemer. In addition to being the Patron of the Universal Church and of several countries, he is the second principal patron of the Society of Mary (Marianists), my religious family.

More in the attached article.

Brother John

J.M.J.


APPRECIATING SAINT JOSEPH

by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.
Reprinted with permission


When asked by a questioner about the dignity of St. Joseph in Christian tradition, the late Father Francis L. Filas, S.J., the USA’s leading authority on the subject in his time, responded simply, “Like wife, like husband.” The man closest to Jesus and Mary rightly deserves all honor and praise.

St. Joseph rarely enjoys great press. Usually he is forgotten, or at least left standing obscurely in the background. His self-effacement seems to have influenced the scant attention given him by many Church teachers.

In a hymn honoring the Holy Eucharist, St. Thomas Aquinas describes the inadequacy of human language to express full appreciation of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Bernard and other great devotees of Mary voiced the same idea regarding our Blessed Mother. We may say the same about St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the virgin father of Jesus.

Such appreciation unfolds slowly after much study and reflection. It does not become evident at once in a single glance. Even today many Catholics are inclined to think that St. Joseph is a wonderful saint, but he was not the real father of Jesus, so we honor him as protector of Mary. With that passing comment, such persons promptly overlook St. Joseph and relegate him to the background.



Knowing about him

Actually this opinion was the common outlook in the first thirteen centuries of Christianity. Church history shows that St. Joseph was the victim of benign neglect in the lives of our early saints, and fathers and doctors of the Church. St. Augustine and some other thinkers wrote of St.

Joseph, but his mention is sparse. The tide turned slowly in the next five hundred years and we find simple beginnings of a solid devotion to St. Joseph.

The theology of his vocation, dignity, holiness, and intercession began to flower only in medieval times; and the seventeenth century was the golden age. The enthusiasm of St. Teresa of Avila for St. Joseph was remarkable, vividly expressed in her writings, and perpetuated in the twelve new convents given his name.

The ground swell of attention began with the popes of the late nineteenth century. All the popes of modern times, from Pope Pius IX until our present Holy Father, have issued substantial teaching about Joseph on their official documents. Since 1870 the Church officially gave impetus to this new trend when Blessed Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church. The next pope, Leo XIII, set St. Joseph before us with a rank and place best described in his encyclical about Joseph, Quamquam Pluries, 1889: “There can be no doubt that, more than any other person, he approached that super eminent dignity by which the Mother of God was raised far above all created natures.”

Understanding him

Such an exalted understanding and appreciation of St. Joseph’s dignity do not blossom all at once. Sustained study and meditation on his twofold vocation are required. The extremes of too much or too little must be sedulously avoided. A typical reaction often encountered is that the Gospel says Joseph was a just man. What more can be said?

Plenty! In 1989 Pope John Paul II offered us a masterful explanation and reflection of the unique vocation of St. Joseph in God’s plan of salvation with Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the Redeemer). This inspirational pastoral letter marking the centenary of Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical treats the person and mission of St. Joseph in the life of Christ and of the

Church. It recalls what makes him special, not only for us personally, but for the universal Church.

Some muse that Joseph’s role is not treated in any detail in Holy Scripture. But neither is the vocation of Mary. However, what little is said is highly significant. Theologians have reasoned to many of the functions and privileges granted Mary. The same process is followed in regard to Joseph. Once the divinity of Jesus and the divine virginal motherhood of Mary were firmly established in Catholic doctrine and in popular understanding, Joseph began to emerge without concern that his unique position as virgin father of Jesus and virginal husband of Mary would be misunderstood.

Honoring him

The evolution of devotion to St. Joseph is in reality another facet of devotion to Mary. Probing more deeply Joseph’s mission leads us to knowing more deeply the greatness of Mary. St. Joseph’s position in relation to Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, stems from his position with regard to Mary, Mother of the Redeemer. The parallel holds true also for Mary and Jesus. The better we know Mary, the better we know her Son, from whom she derives all her dignity and whom she reflects so faithfully. Pope Benedict XV clearly expressed this idea: “By St. Joseph we are led directly to Mary, and by Mary to the fountain of all holiness, Jesus Christ, who sanctified the domestic virtues by his obedience to St. Joseph and Mary.”

Acknowledging his greatness

Absolutely certain is the fact that God did not choose any unworthy man to be the husband of Mary, who was to be the Virgin Mother of God. Even if St. Joseph had been merely Mary’s protector and not her husband, he would still have occupied a position far surpassing that of any other human being. But Joseph is her husband, related to the Mother of God in a marriage that was not less genuine because it was virginal. God brought the marriage into existence for the express purpose of serving the Incarnation, so that the

Son of God might be received and reared within that holy conjugal union. Since, in all creation God could find none more worthy than Mary to be the Mother of Jesus, God could find none worthier than Joseph to be the husband of Mary, and to be related to Jesus by the spiritual ties of a true fatherhood.

In the words of Leo XIII, “If God gave Joseph as a spouse to the Virgin, He assuredly gave him not only as a companion in life, a witness of her virginity, and the guardian of her honor, but also as a sharer in her exalted dignity by reason of the conjugal tie itself.”

On Calvary when Jesus entrusted Mary to St. John’s care for the rest of her earthly life, it was a sign of divine predilection. And we marveled at John’s holiness. Yet, what must have been the divine predilection when Joseph was chosen to be Mary’s husband for the many years of the Hidden Life; to be one of the few persons entrusted with the secret of the Incarnation; to be the only man to receive the primacy of Mary’s affections for humans, and to return that love? Mary would not have been perfect in her wifely vocation if she loved any creature more than her husband. And for Joseph the converse was true.

The similarity of holiness between Mary and Joseph must, of course, be kept in balance. Mary’s relationship to Jesus was far superior to Joseph’s. But Pope Leo XIII reminded us that after Mary no one was of greater dignity than Joseph; none possessed greater holiness than Joseph.

Head of the Holy Family

How shall we understand that Joseph is all that he is because of Mary? This means Joseph was given his fatherly responsibility for Jesus because of his virginal marriage with Mary. Through this marriage Joseph was not a mere fosterer, nor was he an adoptive father of Jesus. He was much more than that. Jesus was given to Mary not simply because she was a single maiden, but because she was the virginal and true wife of St. Joseph. Jesus

was given to the family of St. Joseph, and that was accomplished only through Mary. Even though St. Joseph was not the physical father of Jesus, he was given the spiritual ties of fatherhood over a Son who was his own because he was the Son of Mary.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph comprise the Holy Family, the basic unit of God’s strategy for the Incarnation and Redemption. They belong together in the history of salvation. The three are inseparable, and should always be seen and understood together theologically, pastorally, and in church art. Their special identities in God’s plan are interrelated. To see them separately is regrettable and misleading.

Let’s not overlook St. Joseph. What St. Joseph did for Jesus and Mary, he will do for us personally and for the universal Church.

In this third millennium of Christianity, Jesus and Mary will bring us closer to Joseph as we realize more clearly and deeply the mission of the Holy Family in salvation history. Veneration of St. Joseph will increase in proportion to the intensity of our devotion to Jesus and Mary.

Like wife, like husband.

Padre Pio Celebrating Mass

Source: Cantebury Tales

BTW, if you want to watch a good movie on Saint Padre Pio, I highly recommend Michele Placido in Padre Pio: Between Heaven and Earth. We bought our copy from the wonderful Daughters of St. Paul

Couple in England Convert Church into their Private Residence

I think this is so sad. Read it here

Notice the beautiful stained glass windows in the bathroom. Something very sacrilegious about the whole thing.

Father Richard Lo Hung explains how to "Live the Mass" on EWTN

Father Richard Ho Lung of the Missionaries of the Poor explains how to “live the Mass” amidst the activities of daily life in the one-hour show “Living the Mass” at 10 p.m. ET, Wed., March 17, exclusively on EWTN.

Thanks Gus Federle

THE AUTHENTIC SAINT PATRICK

by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.. Used with permission.


What do we really know about St. Patrick? His background is shrouded in mystery. What we have heard often mingles myth with reality. To separate fact from fiction we need a closer look. We need to ask the real St. Patrick to please stand up.

In the fifth century A.D. an adolescent boy in Britain was kidnapped and enslaved by marauders from a nearby country. The youngster they captured eventually eluded his captors in Ireland, but several years later returned as a priest with the conviction that God had chosen him to convert that country to Christianity. That young Briton named Patricius died an Irishman named Patrick. Ireland and Christianity have not been the same since. Meet the authentic St. Patrick.

Fact over Myth

His life was clouded by legend, but peeling away the myth we discover that what is factually known about St. Patrick is far more interesting. He never chased the snakes out of Ireland, nor do we have any certainty that he used the shamrock to teach the Trinity to his converts.

History possesses no written records about Britain or Ireland from the fifth century except those few about Patrick. Quite simply Ireland had no written records prior to Patrick.

The sequence of his life is not clear, and historians cannot identify when he was born, ordained a bishop, or died. But scholars agree that the two extant examples of his writing are clearly the work of the same man we today call Patrick.

The two brief compositions of Patrick, his Confession and his Letter to Coroticus, are the sources of all we know for certain about the historical Patrick.

The Confession, not really a biography, recounts his call to convert the Irish and aims to justify his mission to an unsympathetic people in Britain.

The Letter to Coroticus, an Irish warlord whom Patrick excommunicated, illustrates his power as a preacher, but yields little biographical information.

His Life

In a nutshell these are the biographical facts. Patrick was born Patricius in Roman Britain to a Christian family of some wealth. He was not religious in his youth, and claims he was close to renouncing his family’s faith. Kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave for a warlord, he worked as a shepherd for six years and then escaped. At home he began studies for the priesthood with the intent to return as a missionary to his former captors. Clearly he had committed his life to Ireland until death. By the time he had written the Confession, Patrick was recognized as bishop of Ireland by both the natives of Ireland and by Church authorities on the continent.

His Character

Two traits are patently evident in Patrick’s Confession: his humility and his strength. These characteristics are missing in early biographies and in the legends.

The missionary Patrick who returned to Ireland was a strong and vigorous personality. He was tough and determined. He had to be to pursue the vision that launched him in the evangelization of the pagan island. He was not the least bit reluctant to undertake this mission despite the fact that in 400 years no one had taken the Gospel beyond the bounds of Roman civilization. As each obstacle was encountered, Patrick mustered the strength to overcome it.

With limited education -- he was chiefly self-educated -- but with the grace of the experience of his enslaved exile, Patrick determined to do what no other had done in the previous four centuries of Christian history. He decided to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and he planned wisely a way to do it. Unaided he figured out how to carry Christian values to the barbarians who practiced human sacrifice, who constantly warred with each other, and who were noted slave traders. That was neither simple nor easy to attempt. Most likely he hazarded this challenge of evangelization never before undertaken by the missionaries of the Greco-Roman world because the Christians of the continent did not consider barbarians to be human.

Patrick’s years as a slave had uniquely molded his attitude to mount a heroic effort to reach the minds and hearts of these untamed people. Patrick detested slavery, and may have been the first Christian leader to speak out unequivocally against it. The Church did not formally condemn slavery as immoral until the late nineteenth century. Patrick had experienced this suffering, knew how to suffer with others, and understood the sufferings of others. Compassion was his strong suit.

A more genuine advocate for the disadvantaged and the marginated of society than Patrick would be difficult to find. Without doubt he is one of the great saints of the downtrodden and excluded whom others shun.

In Patrick women too find an advocate. He speaks of them as individual human beings, lauds their strength and courage in the sufferings they endured in slavery, and respects them as handmaids of the Lord. Unlike most of his episcopal contemporaries, he might be the first male Christian since Jesus to speak so positively about women.

Patrick was convinced he had a God-given mission, and that Providence would see him through thick and thin. This gave him the will to return to the barbarians who had mistreated him. Patrick saw God at work in the world as a loving and benevolent Father.

His Legacy

Did Patrick accomplish his mission? At the time of his death human sacrifice had ceased, the Irish people abandoned the slave trade, and, although they had not stopped warring with each other, the battles were more restrained. Patrick knew these people would not change overnight.

This is the legacy left by St. Patrick: he had met the objective set by Christ, the Master of Apostles, to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. And his successors continued the pursuit of that objective.

As Ireland without Patrick is unthinkable, so too is life today without the saints. The saints are for the ages, ours no less than others. Without saints life would be miserable. The saints are for everyone -- believing and unbelieving -- because they are the people who proclaim by their lives that life is valuable, life is worth living, that a provident God cares for us. Without them life would be a series of disasters. St. Patrick personified this Christian hope.

Triduum to St. Joseph for Priests - Starts Today

Prayer to Saint Joseph for Priests

March 17, 18 and 19

O glorious Saint Joseph,
who, on the word of the angel
speaking to you in the night,
put fear aside to take your Virgin Bride into your home,
show yourself today the advocate and protector of priests.
Protector of the Infant Christ,
defend them against every attack of the enemy,
preserve them from the dangers that surround them
on every side.
Remember Herod's threats against the Child,
the anguish of the flight into Egypt by night,
and the hardships of your exile.
Stand by the accused;
stretch out your hand to those who have fallen;
comfort the fearful;
forsake not the weak;
and visit the lonely.
Let all priests know that in you
God has given them a model
of faith in the night, obedience in adversity,
chastity in tenderness, and hope in uncertainty.
You are the terror of demons
and the healer of those wounded in spiritual combat.
Come to the defence of every priest in need;
overcome evil with good.
Where there are curses, put blessings,
where harm has been done, do good.
Let there be joy for the priests of the Church,
and peace for all under your gracious protection.
Amen.

Thank you Father Vince!

The Curé of Ars - On Envy

Photo by Esther G.

Envy is a sadness which we feel on account of the good that happens to our neighbor.

Envy, my children, follows pride; whoever is envious is proud. See, envy comes to us from Hell; the devils having sinned through pride, sinned also through envy, envying our glory, our happiness. Why do we envy the happiness and the goods of others? Because we are proud; we should like to be the sole possessors of talents, riches, of the esteem and love of all the world! We hate our equals, because they are our equals; our inferiors, from the fear that they may equal us; our superiors, because they are above us. In the same way, my children, that the devil after his fall felt, and still feels, extreme anger at seeing us the heirs of the glory of the good God, so the envious man feels sadness at seeing the spiritual and temporal prosperity of his neighbor.

We walk, my children, in the footsteps of the devil; like him, we are vexed at good, and rejoice at evil. If our neighbor loses anything, if his affairs go wrong, if he is humbled, if he is unfortunate, we are joyful... we triumph! The devil, too, is full of joy and triumph when we fall, when he can make us fall as low as himself. What does he gain by it? Nothing. Shall we be richer, because our neighbor is poorer? Shall we be greater, because he is less? Shall we be happier, because he is more unhappy? O my children! how much we are to be pitied for being like this! St. Cyprian said that other evils had limits, but that envy had none. In fact, my children, the envious man invents all sorts of wickedness; he has recourse to evil speaking, to calumny, to cunning, in order to blacken his neighbor; he repeats what he knows, and what he does not know he invents, he exaggerates....

Through the envy of the devil, death entered into the world; and also through envy we kill our neighbor; by dint of malice, of falsehood, we make him lose his reputation, his place.... Good Christians, my children, do not do so; they envy no one; they love their neighbor; they rejoice at the good that happens to him, and they weep with him if any misfortune comes upon him. How happy should we be if we were good Christians. Ah! my children, let us, then, be good Christians and we shall no more envy the good fortune of our neighbor; we shall never speak evil of him; we shall enjoy a sweet peace; our soul will be calm; we shall find paradise on earth.

Source: Day 29: March 17, 2010

St. Patrick's Feast Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!

I want to thank Breadgirl for sharing this beautiful Irish melody on her blog. She posted it for Mothering Sunday but I thought it appropriate to share it on St. Patrick's Day. Very touching.



A Mother's Love Is A Blessing


(Thomas P Keenan)
An Irish boy was leaving
Leaving his native home
Crossing the broad Atlantic
Once more he wished to roam
And as he was leaving his mother
Who was standing on the quay
She threw her arms around his waist
And this to him did say

A mother's love's a blessing
No matter where you roam
Keep her while she's living
You'll miss her when she's gone
Love her as in childhood
Though feeble, old and grey
For you'll never miss a mother's love
Till she's buried beneath the clay

And as the years go onwards
I'll settle down in life
And choose a nice young colleen
And take her for my wife
And as the babes grow older
And climb around my knee
I'll teach them the very same lesson
That my mother taught to me

A mother's love's a blessing
No matter where you roam
Keep her while she's living
You'll miss her when she's gone
Love her as in childhood
Though feeble, old and grey
For you'll never miss a mother's love
Till she's buried beneath the clay

Lyrics Source

"Esolen's Rules" - On Marriage

One of my sisters shared the following with me. I think this is great!

Dr. Anthony Esolen was recently a guest on EWTN's Life on the Rock. He is a good speaker. He has his Ph.D. in Renaissance English Literature.  The following are some points for young people to consider in a person before marrying them.

He states that some of the points were meant to be facetious. But the gist of the points is quite good.

... So then, whom could you marry? A long time ago we came up with something we called "Esolen's Rules." They're only half facetious. But they are an attempt to get at the normal:

1. Don't marry a woman who likes cats but does not like dogs. You may marry a woman who doesn't like either, or whose reason for not liking dogs is that one of them bit her when she was a toddler. But a woman who likes cats but does not like dogs will be a Joan Crawford or Jane Wyman. Ronald Reagan married Jane Wyman, and look how sorry he was about that.

2. Don't marry a man who is neater than you are. You may, however, marry a man who polishes his tools and puts them away after use....

3. Don't marry anybody, man or woman, who says, "I'm going to call you at eight," and then leaves you waiting by the phone for an hour. Exceptions can be made for people who are kidnapped by Arabs, or who have epileptic seizures.

4. Don't marry anybody who insists on a separate bank account, bed, bathroom, vacation, or zip code. It makes no sense to be one flesh and two wallets.

5. Don't marry a woman who spends more on makeup than she does on food. In general, don't marry a woman who engages in the sin of reverse gluttony...

Read the rest here

On Purity

Photo by Esther G.

..."I need grace to be pure. The will to be pure is necessary as well, but it is not enough. I must understand that or I shall not be chaste. And I must pray for that grace daily."

From Rosary meditations on Joyful Mysteries on Purity. Father Peyton's Rosary Prayer Book.

Cheating this Lent? It May Not be a Sin

I may have mentioned that when we were kids, it was forbidden to do anything on Good Friday, EXCEPT to watch the latest episode of Dark Shadows. My mom still cringes at her ignorance on observing the most solemn day of the liturgical year.  All of us have done similar things like this during Lent or Holy Week.

But the good news is, even though we are weak and fall short of our Lenten resolutions, it may not necessarily be a sin.

Read Cheating on Lenten sacrifice no sin

Also, there is a debate on whether or not to take a break of our Lenten fast on Sundays during Lent. These Sundays are referred to as "little Easters". One friend believes that Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days straight so why shouldn't we? Yet Every Sunday is a celebration of the Day of the Lord's Resurrection. and the Church celebrates on these days.

I do not think there is a right or wrong here as long as one is doing it for the right reasons, to grow closer to Christ during His Passion, and of course, not to judge his or her neighbor if they do the opposite.

And, another popular form of fasting this Lent is fasting from Facebook. See article here.

I am one of those individuals who have chosen to fast from Facebook this Lent. I must tell you, I have never felt so free. This shows me that Facebook was becoming too addictive for me.  At first it was tempting to log on to see what was going on in the world of my "friends". Yet, other than to accept friend invites, and to send direct messages that I deemed absolutely necessary, I really do not miss being on Facebook. I have more time to do more spiritual reading, works of mercy, make stuff that takes lots of time like making jam, etc. I know it was the right thing for me to do.

On the other hand, Catholic blogger, Fr. Daren did not give up Facebook for Lent. You can read his reasons by clicking on his name.

Again, there is not a question on what is the right thing or the wrong thing to do. It is what is right for the individual. Fr. Daren makes a good point on why he continued to be on Facebook.

BTW, a big mahalo to Deacon Greg for both links.