Happy New Year!!!

I'm sharing this youtube video from the Transalpine Redemptoriss. It is such an excellent meditation on the concept of welcoming the new year.

Do You Believe?

Eternal rest, grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Glory to God in the Highest

Luke 2
1And it came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. 2This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. 3And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David,
5To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. 6And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock.
9And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. 10And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: 11For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. 12And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: 14Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will. 15And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us. 16And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
17And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. 18And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them

Where's Santa?

Check out the  Norad Santa Tracking Site to see when Santa will be coming to your town!!

Christmas Eve

We Interupt This Blog

to bring you Santa ...Courtesy of Norad

Check out the count down to Christmas

Ave Maria

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

St Nicholas Day

Today is the feast day of St Nicholas. Check out the New Advent Encyclopedia for more information.

Check out this site for stories and activities.

St Andrew's Christmas Novena

Pray the following 15 times a day from St Andrew's day (November 30th) through December 24th.


Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment at which the Son of God was born of a most pure Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, to hear my prayers and grant my desires. (Mention your intentions here) Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother

Come Immanuel

Advent Suite

Thanksgiving

Thanksgivig by mimifashionista on polyvore.com

L'île de Kahlan: TUBE:THANKSGIVING
liledekahlan.blogspot.com

L'île de Kahlan: TUBE:THANKSGIVING
liledekahlan.blogspot.com

The Last Four Things

In the Catholic world, the last four things represent Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell.  All of us will die.  All of us will face a judgement.  Will we see heaven or will we see hell?  Each moment on this earth affords us a choice. 

We are nearing the end of the Liturgical year and the beginning of Advent.  What a wonderful time to reflect and renew our faith.

Check out Audio Sancto for some good advice.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Thank You

Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again.  I'm thankful for many things.  Life, breath (I have a cold and do not take this one lightly right now), work, and chocolate.  I can make a long list, if pressed.   On a daily basis there is one thing I am everlastingly thankful for - I am Catholic.  I became Catholic at Easter Vigil, 2006.   It took me 12 years to get to that Mass.  I cannot think of a day in the last five years that I have not said a quiet thank you to God for getting me here.  I have the privilege of attending Mass.  It is a gift and one to be appreciated.

Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the Faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

We pray this especially in the month of November.  Please consider enrolling loved ones in the  Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society

Litany of the Saints

The Glorious Mysteries

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary

Our Lady of the Rosary

October is the month of the rosary. Read about the battle of Lepanto.

In Memoriam

9/11/2001

August - the month of Mary

August is the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  One of the best things about being Catholic is incorporating our belief into our lives.    Catholic Cuisine has some ideas for recipes.  Shower of Roses has some ideas for activities. 

Finally, can't celebrate the month without this song.

Saint John Vianney

Read about the patron saint of priests. 

Good day to remember to Pray for Priests!!!!

Mary Magdalene

Feast Day is today.

John 20:15-18

15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." 18 Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Flos Carmeli

O beautiful Flower of Carmel

Most fruitful vine,

Splendor of Heaven,

Holy and Singular,

Who brought forth

the Son of God,

still ever remaining

a pure Virgin,

Assist us in our necessities.

O Star of the Sea,

Help and protect us.

Show us that you

are our Mother.

Amen.

Independence Day

O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:

’Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,

A home and a country, should leave us no more?

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.

Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: “In God is our trust;”

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave

The Immaculate Heart of The Blessed Virgin Mary

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Feast of Corpus Christi

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

Trinity Sunday

The world is my cloister, my body is my cell, and my soul is the hermit within!"

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Pentecost Sunday!!!

June Devotions

June is the month in which we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Memorial Day

For my uncle, who served in the Pacific in World War II





And for my Grandpa, who served in the Army in World War I

In Flanders Fields by John McRae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Immaculate Mary

I'm late in posting this - in honor of Our Lady in this month of May. 

I Have Seen the Lord

I'm reposting an entry from another, older blog. I love the mass readings for today.




In todays Gospel,Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb where Jesus was laid. She finds it empty and then is approached by Jesus himself. She tells the disciples, "I have seen the Lord."

As a Catholic, I have the privilege of seeing the Lord everytime I go to church. The Catholic church teaches that when the bread and wine are consecrated, they become the Body and Blood of Christ. This teaching comes to us from Christ in the gospel of John. It is a sublime experience to receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist. There is a new meaning to Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (King James Version.)

Christ is risen!! He is truly risen!!

Christ has Risen!!!

He is Lord

Even death cannot defeat Him.

How Deep His Love

Watch and Pray

Matthew 26:40
⁴⁰And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

Passion Week

It is our final week of Lent.  The highs and lows of this week are incredible.   We see Christ named King on Palm Sunday. The week becomes progressively darker as we see Christ suffer the agony of betrayal, scourging, humiliation, crucifixition, and finally death.  The Light of the world has gone, but there is hope.  It makes no sense, but we hope.  At the darkest times in this life, we still have hope in the true Light of the world. 


Could I ask for your prayers?  The writer of this post passed away on Friday.  She was a young woman with a remarkable conversion story. 

Réquiem ætérnam dona eis Dómine;

et lux perpétua lúceat eis.

Requiéscant in pace.

Amen.

. 

Almost there

Nothing but self-will can separate us from God.
-- St. Alphonsus Liguori

By this time in Lent, it feels like Easter will never get here.  It's hard to see where God is sometimes.  But we know by faith that nothing can separate us from the love of God. 

Time for Hope

Romans 5:5 "and hope does not disappoint."  This is from yesterday's mass readings.  Very good timing, I think.  It is starting to seem a long way until Easter Vigil.  What are you hoping for this lent? 

Lent

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. William Shakespeare

How is your Lent progressing?  Do you agree with the above quote?  I have had one goal this Lent- learn to be kind.  This means both to others and myself.  It has not been easy and I do wish that my ambition was a bit "sterner."  I'm reading the Diary of St Faustina as my spiritual reading this Lent.  It is a wonderful preperation for Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday.   

St Patrick

Ok, I'm a day late on this one (but not a dollar short.) I love St Patrick's day.

St Patrick's Prayer
I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

I arise today through the strength of Christ with his Baptism, through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension, through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.

I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubim in obedience of Angels, in the service of the Archangels, in hope of resurrection to meet with reward, in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets, in preachings of Apostles, in faiths of Confessors, in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through the strength of Heaven; light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendor of Fire, speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea, stability of Earth, firmness of Rock.

I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to secure me: against snares of devils, against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature, against everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

I summon today all these powers between me (and these evils): against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul, against incantations of false prophets, against black laws of heathenry, against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry, against spells of witches, smiths and wizards, against every knowledge that endangers man's body and soul. Christ to protect me today against poisoning, against burning, against drowning, against wounding, so that there may come abundance in reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

Spring

On the face of it, having Lent in

Update on Sr Rosalind Moss

Check out this interview on St Louis Catholic


Saint Louis Catholic: "Hold Nothing Back from God": An Interview with Si...: "As she prepares to move to Tulsa in the coming days, Sister Rosalind Moss, foundress of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Our Hope, and well-..."

Ashes

Are you ready for Lent?  One more week till it begins. 

Septuagesima

We are in the season of "Septuagesima."  This started last Sunday and continues until Ash Wednesday.  It is an excellent time to focus on how you will be spending Lent.

Septuagesima Season

Time to get ready for Lent.  We are now in the season of "Septuagesima

Pray for our Bishops

Could you pray a rosary for our Bishops?

Will you be mine?

Read here about St Valentine.

Let Your Light Shine

Mark 4:21-23
21 And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. 23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."

Ordinary Time

Is time ever really ordinary?  January can be such a rush of ambition.  Resolutions are made and with the best of intentions.  We have a brief space of ordinary time in the liturgical calendar between the Christmas season and Lent.  Time to take a breathe and pause.  "Selah" as it says in the Psalms.  Time to enjoy the rhythm of the seasons.  Time to be ordinary.

Cardinal Burke at Saint Frances De Sales Oratory

Slide show is here. (Link thanks to Saint Louis Catholic)

Grace

I  love this song (since well before I was Catholic.)  Grace is such a sweet thing - how wonderful it is to receive an abundant amount in each Sacrament.

First Friday

First Friday devotion today. 

20+C+M+B+11

Have you got your blessed chalk out yet?  It's Epiphany!!!!!!

Joyful