By Special Request....

The flame this was lit from was in no way harmed by the lighting of this votive candle.  :-)

I received this in a sort of chain email yesterday.

In memory of our moms, dads, brothers and sisters, friends and loved ones of whom there are so many. This year has been one with too many diagnoses too close to home.  For all the friends, family, loved ones, and those we don't even know... Friday is world cancer day - I'd appreciate it if you will forward this request

I usually don't pass these on or share them, but since there was no suggestion of curses or blessings dependent on whether this was passed on, and my dad died of lung cancer many years ago, and my mother in law to be from breast cancer a few years later, I decided I could share this short prayer on my blog.


Dear God, I pray for a cure for cancer.  Amen 

Thank You For Your Service...

Sorry. I don't have any witty stories to share. No touching stories either. My uncles subscribed to the maxim "War stories don't make good bedtime stories.." and did not tell us kids about their experiences in Korea and Vietnam.
So I don't know much about the sacrifices they made. I can only imagine.

If you are a Veteran who has served the United States of America, especially in battle, please accept my gratitude.

If not, please join me in a prayer I found at aarp.

Dear Heavenly Father,

In every age, You call certain persons to defend the human family from oppression, tyranny, and evil. Since our founding as a nation "conceived in liberty," countless American men and women have stepped forward to defend our country and many others from aggressors, and to liberate those held captive.

Today we revere all our veterans: those who rest in honored glory, those who still suffer from the wounds of war, and those who, with us, enjoy the blessing of living in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O God, thank You for the selfless sacrifice of these veterans and of their families. Help us to remember them, to pray for them, and to care for them. Please bring all our departed veterans into Your Kingdom, and console their families with Your unfailing love. Please heal our wounded veterans through the power of Your Holy Spirit, and give to all our veterans the satisfaction of having served You even as they have served us.

Thank You for Your gifts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May we fight to keep these rights available to all. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Missing Children Not Looked for for 48 Hours? Huh?

A child in Oregon may have been abducted, but police can not do anything about it because she may have run away.

Please pray for the safe return of the three missing children.

Prayer Reminders: A "Walk" Through My Home

Okay, friends. You all know this is Lent. The pastor on the blog "Without Wax" has posted his sermon explaining how he remembers to pray throughout the day, which of course is the most important thing we can do during Lent. Here it is.


Pete Says Hell_3.29.09 from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

Now, what is a conservative Catholic girl like me doing posting noncatholic minister's sermons on her blog? Well, believe it or not, it makes a great intro (in my opinion) as to why Catholics use icons and religious pictures and statues and other sacramentals. I am going to take you on a walk through my house to talk about some of mine. Unfortunately, there will be no pictures, because I don't know how to upload, download, whatever. Maybe I can get Bob to help me sometime and then I'll repost this later, but for now, I will describe them.

Crucifix in bedroom---reminds me of Christ's sacrifice, so that I can thank him in the morning, and ask Him to help me remember His sacrifice throughout the day when I am dealing with other people. I offer him my morning, and ask Him to make it worthy.
Divine Mercy Picture (The one here is from internet, but mine is smaller, and in a green frame)

Notice that it says "Jesus, I Trust in You" at the bottom. This picture reminds me to trust Jesus during the day, and to ask for his mercy. Sometimes I will pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. at 2:00 pm, but not as often as I ought. The repetitious "For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world" is a prayer near and dear to my heart.

Also in the living room, I have a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus. Sometimes this statue makes me sad, because I can't have children and always wanted them, but most of the time, it reminds me that saying yes to God brings peace. Take a look at her face. Such bliss......because she followed God's plan for her. No doubt it wasn't easy being the mother of God made flesh, but peace doesn't come from easy, but from obedience to the Lord. (I figured out that can use photobooth on the mac to take a picture, but leaving me out of it was near impossible)
Also cool is that this statue was given to me by a dear friend in college after we had a great big argument. Now I normally don't need peace offerings, but I was touched that my friend, who isn't Catholic, respected my beliefs enough to give me this. I think our big argument was theological, but I am not sure of the fine points anymore. Now the only point is that we can disagree, and it doesn't mean we are questioning the other's worth or salvation....it just means we disagree.


I never met my mother-in-law, but in her cedar chest, I found a statue of Saint Therese the Little Flower of Jesus.. Her name wasn't Therese (Catholics can be real fond of the Saint they were named after), but it is a beautiful statue made of some material that doesn't break. I know this because I dropped it when moving, and it didn't break. I keep this statue in my mom's room. She is famous in Catholic circles for "the little way". In other words, I can glorify God in the little things I do everyday to take care of my mom. This is how God wants me to glorify him right now. St. Therese reminds me of that.


In the kitchen I have a picture of Jesus praying in the garden. This picture is dear to me on so many levels. In the garden, Jesus was praying for me. And you. Before dying, His concern was that we would remain in Him. How awesome is that! He was going to suffer a horrible death, and still He prayed for us!
My parents had a different picture of Jesus in the Garden in their dining room. I kept it, but it is a little large for our walls. Still, I get the same feeling from this picture, though it is artistically much different.


There are others I could show you, but I think this post has gotten long enough. I think you have figured out that these pictures and statues are my reminders, and that is why they are so dear to me. They remind me to pray and to serve, and of the loving God I am subject to.

Inspired by a Noninspirational Song (I Think...)

I have to start out by saying that my mom hates this song. "How dare she call Jesus a slob!" is what my mom said when she heard it. She isn't the only person I know who has said this. I went to prayer meetings with people who found this song exceptionally offensive. I find it sad. I think she sounds like she is aching to believe......and my heart breaks.


Joan Osbourne

If God Was One of Us Lyrics



If God had a name, what would it be (Jesus)
And would you call it to his face
If you were faced with him in all his glory (Yes, but I may be too overwhelmed to speak)
What would you ask if you had just one question (Why do you love me enough to suffer as you did, and die?)

And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us (Jesus did become one of us)
Just a slob like one of us (if by slob, you mean ordinary person, He did)
Just a stranger on the bus (He walked everywhere, but I am sure He would take a bus if it helped bring someone closer to Him)
Trying to make his way home ("Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.")

If God had a face what would it look like (He wants me to see His face in yours...)
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints and all the prophets

And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus ((Actually, Catholic tradition is filled with stories of saints where Jesus appeared as a poor beggar, or leper, or other stranger in need, reminding us to see His face in each other...)
Trying to make his way home
He's trying to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone (That reminds me, I should talk to Him more in prayer...)
Except for the Pope maybe in Rome (While I am sure the Pope prays, so do many. )

And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
Just trying to make his way home
Like a holy rolling stone
Back up to heaven all alone
Just trying to make his way home
Nobody calling on the phone
Except for the Pope maybe in Rome (And a whole bunch of us, who maybe need to call home more often, but we call)

I like the way the girl in the video sings this song better than Joan Osbourne. The girl in this video seems to be to be reflective, maybe even longing for God..


Speaking of the Pope and telephone calls, that reminds me of a joke. I am going to ask ahead of time that my Catholic friends not be offended. So long as we speak through Jesus, it is always a local call.....


Billy Graham went to see the Pope in Rome. While he was waiting, Billy noticed a red phone. As he was ushered in to talk to the Pope, he asked, "What's the red phone for?"

"That's to talk to God," came the reply.

"Really," Billy gasped, "how much does such a call cost - it's an awful long way?"

"$10,000 a minute, but it's well worth it." answered the Pope.

Some weeks later, Billy Graham went to see the Chief Rabbi in Jerusalem. He noticed that he, too, had a red phone. "I don't suppose," asked Billy, "that this phone is to talk to God?"

"Yes it is." came the reply.

"And how much does that cost?" Billy inquired.

"Twenty-five cents a minute," shrugged the chief rabbi.

"How come it's so cheap?" Billy asked, "the Pope has a phone like that and it costs $10,000 a minute!"

"Well," grinned the Chief Rabbi, "From here it's just a local call."

What Is That First Commandment Again? Sometimes It Seems I Have Forgotten.....

I don't know if blogging etiquette rules prohibit me from doing this, but I want to share something I started on Beth's (That's Not Me Anymore) comment section. The reason I miss her is because she is on a media fast this week.

I miss you, Beth. I know you won't be reading this yet, but, well, when you do, you will know that I miss you.
Oh, and between you, and an SCL post this week, I realize that I need to do a media fast myself. I have been enjoying the Internet, and putting it before God and others lately.
I have decided no computers at all on Sunday or Wednesday unless my donkey falls into a well.

I go on to explain that sometimes my mom wants me to find out something for her, and what momma wants, momma gets (hey, that is why I am a stay at home daughter). Honor thy Father and thy Mother. And, the things mom usually wants me to find out are if school is closed for family and friends who are students and teachers, if there were any survivors in the crash because she only heard part of the news, when is so and so's wake because maybe she should send me or Bob, you know, stuff like that. Things that worry seventy plus year old women. Hopefully we won't have those issues on a Sunday or Wednesday, because truth be told, it would be so easy to fall into temptation and just check email, then just check.....

The thing is, I haven't been a very good stay at home daughter lately. Through nobody's fault but my own, I have become obsessed with the next post, the next comment on that post, the newest like minded blogger out there, my own post, etc until it seems that I am just fitting mom in between computer sessions. Ditto Bob. And as for God, in all honesty, I have dared to give Him even less than that.

So I must give up computer time on Sundays, as it is the Lord's Day. I can tell myself that on Sunday, I mainly post on the sermon, or the beauty of that particular Sunday, or something I find inspiring. Nice. But can I honestly say it couldn't wait until Monday.....No...I couldn't honestly say that. No one needed my _______Sunday of Advent posts.
If I did, why not mention it Saturday, and blog on it Monday. Because it obviously wasn't important enough to me to preplan, and then wait for. I have a post coming out tomorrow that is fun and silly that I have been planning for almost a week. I didn't post it today because, I agree with Katdish, that some things should wait for Beth, because it wouldn't be the same without her. So why didn't I plan and wait with those Sunday posts? Because they weren't as important to me. So it shouldn't have been as important to me to post those on a Sunday.

I made a suggestion on SCL that we choose a day to fast together, since I noticed many bloggers saying what I said. It seems one commenter (and perhaps many lurkers, for all I know), found that disturbing. I know someone else who thought it was a good idea (Hi Stacy!). Perhaps I did jump the gun. Not everyone has the same problem, so everyone fasting from the same thing is unnecessary.
However, if you have the same issues with the computer and blogging as I do, or similar ones, I invite you to join me. Obviously if you work with computers, you would use it to do your job, but not for entertainment. And again, maybe you don't have that issue at all, and it is like telling a vegan to give up meat on Fridays during Lent. " Like, huh?".
And, in all honesty, the more blogger friends who join me, the easier the fast will be on me (which, of course, isn't your responsibility, but it is the truth).
Don't worry about needing to get in touch with me to pray for you if an emergency arises. I will be thinking of you often on Wednesdays (and a few times on Sunday, too, truth be told), and I plan on praying for you and your families every time I do.

P.S. I have chosen Sunday for the obvious reason (as stated). But Sunday would be like giving God and my family the minimum. I don't want to stop at the minimum. I want to refocus so that when I return on the other five days of the week, I have a renewed heart as to what is important, and can better handle blogging and the internet in my life.

Reverence

When my grandmother learned something new, she would sometimes say "I see, said the blind man." As much as I adored my grandma, this particular saying of hers annoyed the living daylights out of me. I strained my eyes, trying not to roll them when she'd say this. But right now, I get it. I have no words to describe my thoughts better than "I see, said the blind man."
I know that it has been a well kept secret, but I have been reading Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love. I know, you all weren't sure about it, since I've only blogged and twittered about it a few zillion times, but I am. And, as much as I have always prided myself on my super duper reading capabilities, I am still in the first couple of pages of Chapter 1.
"What is that woman's problem" you may be asking yourself. "She seems intelligent enough. I mean, she is no Thomas Aquinas, but then, who is? Is it a comprehension issue?" And I suppose the answer to that is both yes and no. You see, I have understood what I have read, but I have found myself resistant to it, thereby having a difficult time moving on. What am I so resistant to, you wonder. I do believe that God loves me. I also believe that he is far grander than I can comprehend. So what is my problem? Isn't that what those few pages are saying?
Well, yes they are. However, he suggests in these first few pages that praying with words is hubris. We should not be approaching the King of the Universe with our own words, but ready to listen to Him. That is where my heart closed. Jesus told me to call God Father. He used the word Abba, which, for us, would be like daddy. Well, I can tell my daddy/Daddy anything. Sure, I need to respect him/Him always, but there is no reason I can't pour my heart out to him/Him. He holds a deep affection for me, so I felt that these sentences were nonsense.
What changed? At my "Sunday School" teacher meeting, we were discussing how to teach the students, and yes, even some of their parents, reverence for God in prayer. I found myself using some of the exact analogies (though not the don't talk in prayer one) that I read in Mr. Chan's book. That is when the dots connected. He is talking about remembering who God is, and approaching Him with reverence. He is saying to get back to that point where we recognize the awesomeness of God. I am sure we are then going to go back to talking to Him, like the Lord's Prayer coaches us too. (No I haven't read that far yet, so I don't know for sure.)
So, I am starting to "see" what Mr. Chan is saying. The question at the meeting kind of opened my eyes, though not entirely. I still want to see where I get back to be God's daughter. "For to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become Children of God."
An awesome God. Yes, I know lots of Christian bloggers post this song, but it is too true to ever be trite. I am posting it now.

Happy Sunday

Today we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany. Yeah, two days too early. Burns me up a bit. Christmas officially ends on January 6. Why end it early just to celebrate on a Sunday? Christmas is too good to end two days too early! I refuse to end it! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
On a more somber note, will my friends please pray for Deacon Ken? He is a Deacon (hence the name Deacon Ken) at my parish, and he is currently in the hospital. Pneumonia and congestive heart failure. He has been in for about a week, but I first found out today at Mass. He is no longer in ICU, but please pray for him anyway. He is elderly, and had difficulty walking even before his hospitalization. When someone in his condition is laid up in the hospital for awhile, it is really hard for them to get back on their feet. Please pray for his full recovery. Thank you very much.

My Christmas Presents : I Got More Than I Asked For

Gifts Received by me this Christmas
1. Jesus Christ. He forgives over and over. He is my Saviour.
2.. Remember when I said that I wanted to see Jesus glorified in the Trib this year. Well, not only was my letter printed, but at least two others, which I found very uplifting. And they had an article last Sunday that I linked earlier in the week.
3. My mom, husband, uncle, and I are healthy. True, mom is still disabled, but one can be healthy and disabled. I know it is hard to picture, but there have been weeks with infections, and stuff going on that, well, was not going on this Christmas. She even helped me wrap presents, and I mean she was a real help. Sometimes I have her "help" and it is actually more work for me to do so, but not this time. It was good. A real gift.
4. A new brother in Christ. Raving Theist has responded to me with a lovely email in which he states his love for Jesus. Angels in Heaven rejoice. I am joining the party and rejoicing with them.

Yes, I got tangilble gifts, too. Cousins gave us gift certificates for my husband and I to enjoy on our Saturdays out. My husband and I bought ourselves a new television the day after Thanksgiving to enjoy on our Weekdays in. Mom gave is cash to enjoy on our Saturdays out. Yes, I am going to enjoy these gifts. But my heart soars like a child's when I think of the four gifts I listed above.
You know, I grew up an only child. My sister died before I was ever born. I watched too much Brady Bunch as a little girl, and I used to pray for an older brother. I believed nothing was impossible for God. I wonder how old Raving Theist is. He could be an answer to a prayer prayed 34 years ago. It could happen, you know. All kidding aside, I am truly happy for him, and look for to reading him more. He is shown as Raving Theist on my blog roll. God bless you.
***Update Raving Theist emailed me, and said I could call him Greg, and that I should change his name on my blog roll to Big Bro. As you can see, I have. Gotta listen to my big brother ;-)

Happy First Sunday of Advent

Happy New Year! Today we begin the Liturgical New Year in the Catholic Church. And how to we begin? By waiting! By being watchful! By preparing! We emphazize both the coming of Christmas day and the second coming. If you check out the Mass readings for today at the side of my blog, you'll see that the Old Testament reading (First Reading) is from the book of Isiah--clearly he is awaiting the birth of the Christ. In today's Gospel, we are reminded to keep watch and await faithfully the Second Coming of Christ. I love how we do both at this time of year.
Obviously it is difficult to keep a traditional advent in our culture, what with Christmas carols being played everywhere now, and the focus on buy buy buy. But the next time and every time I hear or read __ shopping days until Christmas, I am going to ask myself "If it is __ days until Jesus's second coming, is he going to find me ready for Him? What do I need to do so that He find me watching and waiting for Him? Am I preparing for His coming either in the Isaiah sense or the Second coming sense, or am solely I getting ready for red and green holiday? "

Come Lord Jesus, Come! I'm getting ready! I look forward to you Coming! I love you!

In the words of Tiny Tim, God bless us, everyone. Lovingly, not so tiny Helen.

Being in the Moment

As you may have noticed in my note to myself at the sidebar, I am participating this month in NAPRAMOGO (or something like that), a month long, fifteen extra minutes of daily prayer event. To be truthful, before this, there were days I would forget to pray. Oh, i would say grace before meals, and an occasional short but heartfelt "God help me" or "God help them". But there were some days when I did not make time. I hope that when November is over, it will have become a habit for me to pray as soon as I get to my blog page, which is kind of my headquarters from where I reach out to the rest of the blogging world (doesn't those to words together sound like some sort of curse? "BLOGGING WORLD!" ).
Anyway, todays prayer exercise at www.prayer2008.blogspot.com was to just put myself into the presence of God, without bringing my laundry list of requests with me. It was more of a struggle than I would have thought, but the thought came to me that my problem was learning to be in the moment, not just in prayer, but in many places in my life. I talk to my mom and husband about later today, tomorrow, next week, or next year. I rarely just enjoy the moment and say "this is nice!" I couldn't even get through fifteen minutes of prayer without thinking "I should write down somewhere that I need to learn to be in the moment!" Still, I feel like I learned something about myself, and that if I don't push this to the back of my mind to deal with later, but struggle with the now now, it would be significant.
God bless you!


P.S. I did figure out that "in the moment" would be a good time to thank God and tell Him that I love Him. It was a much nicer time than it is when I add that in my laundry list. I hope that God doesn't mind that I am writing about the whole thing. Oh well, out of all my sins, I'm sure this isn't the biggest...

Please Pray for Wheaton

A bank in Wheaton is currently under a hostage situation with an armed gunman. I don't know if such things make National news, but it is on the local news here in Chicago. Wheaton is home to Wheaton College, a Christian school. I don't know if any of their students are hostages, but I am asking you for prayers either way. Your prayer could be the one that makes the difference, and the stakes are high. I am praying, too.
Have a blessed day.