A Model of Jesus from the Shroud of Turin

La Sabana Santa

Oh, my poor Jesus!!

via Pinterest

Meatless Fridays in Lent - Roasted Salmon with Green Pea Risotto

I found this recipe by Tyler Florence in Organic Gardening magazine.  At first I thought it a little too fancy to eat during Lent.  However, since I did have all the ingredients on hand, I decided to make it.

It was really easy and really good.

NOTE:  I did saute minced garlic and onions in olive oil and then browned the rice, for added flavor.  Mr. Florence's recipe I believe was geared to children who may have finickier tastes.

Recipe can be found HERE.

Guest Post on Father Gordon's Blog - "I Come to the Catholic Church for Healing and Hope"

Father Gordon MacRae is often in my thoughts.

I used to picture him languishing in prison for over twenty years for a crime he didn't commit. But it is very clear that God does work to do good things out of really bad situations.

Father Gordon could easily ended up feeling sorry for himself and becoming a hardened man in the prison. Yet, he chose to put his trust in God. even though there were many times I am sure that he must have wondered if he had been abandoned by God.  He continued to exercise his priestly duties as best he could.   In that prison, he was forbidden from ministering through the sacraments.  In fact, there in prison he is just another prisoner who claims to be innocent. The others cannot even address him with the title that rightfully belongs to him...Father. Yet, with his kindness, compassion and sense of humor, (as regular readers of his blog These Stone Walls know well), he has managed to earn the trust, admiration and love of some tough guys, his fellow prisoners.

One such prisoner should also be familiar to Father's regular readers and that person is Pornchai.  He has written a very touching guest post on Father's blog.  I hope you take the time to read it.  It is touching because Pornchai teaches the reader compassion and understanding for the men locked away while telling his incredible story of conversion.

Father Gordon is in prison through no fault of his own. Yet, imagine all the good works that would have gone undone, had he not been sent to prison!  It is an awesome thing to contemplate.

But please keep Father in your prayers as his appeal is currently in the courts.  God willing he his conviction will someday soon be overturned.

And, please pray for Pornchai and the other friends of Father in the prison and for prisoners everywhere.

These Stone Walls: I Come to the Catholic Church for Healing and Hope.

Lastly, in the event you missed it, there is a very good article in Marian Helper magazine about Pornchai and buddies recent Marian consecration. You can read it HERE.

Mahalo Saint Joseph!

How can one honor a saint such as Saint Joseph!

He was a kind man.
He was a holy man.
He was a quiet man.
He was a righteous man.
He was a good husband...the best actually!
He was a good father.
He was a good protector.
He was a hard worker.
He was a loving provider.
He was a good role model.
He listened when God spoke to him.
He was humble.
He was silent.
He kept his thoughts to himself and God.
He did God's will.
He never complained.

When he died he was mourned deeply by his holy little family.

When he went to Heaven, Holy Mother Church raised him to be:

the protector of the universal church;

He is the:

the patron saint of the dying;
the patron saint of fathers;
the patron saint of those who want to sell their homes or buy a home;
the patron saint of workers;
the patron saint of all Josephs, Joes, Joeys, Joses, Guiseppes,
the patron saint of carpenters;

So, how can I thank St. Joseph for all the help and comfort he has given me over the years.  I often go to him, daily in fact, because I know he will help those I entrust to his care.

He is a self-less saint, like most saints are yet there is something special about St. Joseph.  He was a favorite among some saints, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Damien are two that come to mind.

I cannot imagine going through the day without invoking the aid of St. Joseph!

So, today on his feast day, I simply want to say.  "I love you Saint Joseph".  "Thank you St. Joseph."

Picture source

O, my beloved St. Joseph,

adopt me as thy child,

take care of my salvation,

watch over me day and night,

preserve me from the occasion of sin,

obtain for me purity of soul and body!

Through thy intercession with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,

and a sweet tender love for Mary, my Mother.

St. Joseph, 

be with me living, 

be with me dying and obtain for me a favorable

judgment from Jesus,

my merciful Savior.

Amen.

Prayer source: Our Lady of the Rosary Library

ACN News - Syria – Christians are living in fear but don't want to leave their homeland

In spite of an uncertain future, Christians in Syria do not want to leave. This was the message of a local Catholic leader, who said, "We Christians are living in fear, the future is uncertain, but we want to stay in our homeland."

The statement came from the Melkite Greek-Catholic Archbishop of Homs, Hama and Yabrud, Msgr. Jean Abdo Arbach, in an interview with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Despite reports to the contrary, the 61-year-old native Syrian said, 20,000 Christians of various denominations currently live in Homs close to the border with Lebanon and about 200,000 in the Homs region.

Many of the faithful, including Melkite, Greek-Catholic, Syrian-Catholic, Maronite, Greek-Orthodox and Orthodox, have now returned to the city of Homs, according to the prelate.

"The situation in and around Homs is calm. Government troops have almost complete control over the region and the rebels control only four to five districts.”

“The main fighting is taking place in the cities of Yabrud and Hama," said the archbishop, who is committed to staying in Homs.

“For the faithful it is important that their priests and their bishop bear the suffering and persevere like everyone else,” he added.

He reported that news coming from the north of Syria, which is controlled by the rebels, is alarming.

"Islamic law is to be applied, while all Christian symbols which are publicly visible are to be destroyed. Also, Christians who wish to remain will in future have to pay a special tax."

With picture Melkite Greek-Catholic Archbishop of Homs, Hama and Yabrud, Msgr. Jean Abdo Arbach (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org