Catholic Fire

The Hyacynths coming up in our yard Neighborhood trees in bloom A new rose bush (Tiffany) planted this weekend. Bill and I planted three grape vines and a red raspberry bush this weekend, too.

Luke 2: 1 - 14 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great jo...

Gospel: Lk 1:26 - 38 When the angel speaks to Mary, she is "greatly troubled", anxious, but this is so she may receive these words with a totally new heart ... to be as little as possible before the Father, before the Will of the Father for her. She doesn't argue, Mary must teach us this littleness. To perfectly observe all the rules is fine, but we want to have the heart of a child, instead of seeking and measuring our perfection. Our perfection is not so much! We must be like little children, always starting afresh, and live by the Word of God. God's Word allows us to be truly children of God totally docile to what He is expecting from us. Let us consider the docility of the Virgin Mary: she does not look at her perfection. It is very beautiful to see the Holy Virgin as a very little child before the Father, with only one desire: to fulfill perfectly what the Father requires from her and not her own project. Mary has no project: she is too poor, too little, ...

Dear Children, It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year. It was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival, although I do appreciate being remembered anytime. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children and grandchildren of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. .Now, having said that...let Me go on... If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen, and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that, there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square ...

Priests from the Community of St. John celebrating Holy Mass in Rome on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Order February, 2006 ~ taken from my personal photo files Memorial of St. Andrew, apostle Daily Mass Readings Reflection On This Day in Catholic History 374 St. Ambrose , Doctor of the Church (340–397) was baptized. 1979 Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) attended an Eastern Orthodox service, the first pope in a thousand years to do so. Birthdays: 539 - St. Gregory of Tours , French bishop and historian was born. (d. 594) 1667 - Jonathan Swift , Irish writer and satirist (d. 1745) 1835 - Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain ), American writer (d. 1910) 1872 - Dr. John McCrae , Canadian physician, soldier, poet. Author of " In Flanders Fields " (d. 1918 ) 1874 - Lucy Maud Montgomery , Canadian author (Anne of Green Gables) (d. 1942) 1874 - Sir Winston Churchill , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel laureate (d. 1965) 1918 - Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ,...

Partial Birth Abortion Ban "Poster Child" Turns Sweet Sixteen Donna Joy Vance turned sixteen yesterday but if her mother had listened to her doctors, she would have been aborted at the gestational age of seven months. Fortunately for Donna Joy, her mother, Lori Vance, refused to go along. "We're celebrating Donna Joy's 16th birthday," Lori Vance said."It's a special day because it's a day the doctors and so-called experts way back when said would never come to be." In 1991 Doctors recommended that Donna Joy be killed by partial birth abortion, because a scan had found five major brain disorders. In the worst of these, most of her brain had formed outside her skull, a condition called Holoprosencephaly, or HPE. They said that Donna would be born completely blind, deaf, with no face, no ability to move limbs, suck or swallow. Despite these dire predictions, Donna Joy has grown to be a pretty, happy and active young girl who suffers only cereb...

*Bella held over $1 million for the fourth week in a row and has earned a place at the table for Thanksgiving, the biggest movie season of the year! *Bella went from the #17 top film to the #12 top film and we have a higher ranking than films that are in thousands of theaters and we are in only 456theaters! *According to BoxOffice.com Bella is ranked #5 on their POWER SCORE going into Thanksgiving, ahead of Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium, Dan in Real Life, Lions for Lambs, Saw 4 and Love in the Time of Cholera. *Bella is still the #1 Top Rated Movie on Yahoo, Fandango and the New York Times readers poll *Eduardo gave an unbelievable Keynote speech at the White House Friday for National Adoption Day. After his speech he received a standing ovation. Here is a link to an article and video: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/271464.aspx Here is the excerpt from the Article & TV show: "A film called Bella is sparking nationwide debate about adoption. It's film's leading man, actor...

"Pray always without becoming weary." ~ Luke 18:1 "If you get into the habit of praying unceasingly, of loving your neighbor and of weeping in prayer for the whole world then your soul will be drawn towards prayer, tears and love. And if you form the habit of almsgiving, of being obedient, of being open in confession towards your spiritual father, then you will always act in the same manner and so you will come to peace." ~Saint Silouan (1866-1938), Orthodox monk, Writings When both my younger sister and my mom were suffering with cancer at the same time several years ago, I couldn't understand why God would allow this to happen to my family. Mary, a hardworking single mom with two school age children was living in Florida and mom and dad were in Texas, while the rest of us were in IL. Mary was in her thirties and mom was in her early 60's. I was single and busily involved in my career, working my usual 60 - 70 hours per week. I wanted to stop what I was...

St. Therese is so special to me. I think of her as a close friend with whom I can share my most intimate thoughts and feelings. I know that she will send me a fragrant rose on her special day -- whether visible or invisible-- it is always real. I first learned about St. Therese of the Child Jesus when I was 15 years old, a sophomore in a Catholic high school. In English class, her autobiography, Story of a Soul, was one of the options on our required reading list. As I read her love for Jesus and learned of her "Little Way", I couldn't help but admire and desire to emulate this beautiful saint, who expressed so much joy in the midst of suffering. I cheered when this young woman who of my age acted with such strong faith and determination and did the forbidden , speaking out when she was told to remain silent, pleading with the Pope to let her enter Carmel. I loved the poetic way she expressed herself, her love for flowers, her deep insights into the faith, and the humor s...

Culture of Life: Leticia at Cause of Our Joy shares Poetry for Forty Days for Life entitled "The Would-be Father", which focuses on the father of an aborted child and gives us a link to Lumina, a ministry for post-abortive men. Culture of Death: Suzanne at Big Blue Wave reports on a 22-year old woman from Massachusetts, who died on September 13, 2007, from hemorrhaging caused by an abortion obtained at Women Health Center in the Cape Cod town of Hyannis. The abortionist responsible for the death is reportedly Rapin Osathanondh, who made headlines in 2001 for threatening to murder five hospital nurses in a fit of rage over misplaced paperwork. Conversion Story: Blog by the Sea has an interesting post Episcopal Bishop Steenson Becoming Catholic: "This is the true home of Anglicanism." Bishop Jeffrey Steenson, the active Bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande in the Episcopal Church, announced today that he will become Roman Catholic. His letter to his clergy is po...

Jesus said to the crowd:“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” ~ Lk 8:16-18 Image Source

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. " ~ Matthew 11:28 Image Source

Source What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace. Think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved. ~2 Peter 3:13 - 15

Image Source "All other joys are surpassed by that light unspeakable, by which God himself shines upon the saints." ~ Blessed John Ingram

What has a person to fear who lives in the arms and bosom of God? ~ St. Paul of the Cross

"That which God commands seems difficult and a burden. The way is rough; you draw back; you have no desire to follow it. Yet do so and you will attain glory." ~ St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria