Catholic Fire

Even With More Women on Birth Control, Many Don't Hear About the Variety of Side Effects Now even the mainstream media is reporting the adverse side effects of the pill. ABC News reports the following: 1. There is a risk of blood clots among smokers, high blood pressure, and stroke with some migraine headaches. 2. Women on the pill may suffer a lackluster sex drive, mood swings, or even extra sinus pressure. 3. Women may choose a mate they would not otherwise be attracted to. 4. Women may have a libido problem. 5. Women may experience heartburn, or constipation, or sleep disturbances, either as insomnia or extra sleepiness. 6. It can lead to greater difficulty conceiving and increase the likelihood of miscarriages . H/T: Suzanne at Big Blue Wave. Related Posts: The Pill Kills New Booklet Outlines Frightening Facts about Contraception The Evils of Planned Parenthood; What You Can Do to Stop Them The Latest Defective Device in Birth Control Newest Version of Birth Control Pill Inc...

By Fr. Frank Pavone National Director, Priests for Life One of the Christmas songs you'll hear on the radio during these days is called "Grown-up Christmas List." It speaks of the fact that age does not stop us from dreaming, and that as life goes on, our wishes at Christmas are not for ourselves, "but for a world in need." The list begins, "No more lives torn apart, that wars would never start...that right would always win." Do we dare to hope for these things, just because the calendar says December 25 is approaching? Indeed, the question for a Christian is, "How we can dare not to hope for these things?" Christmas lists, after all, spring from Christmas hope, and Christmas hope is based on an historical fact: God has already given us everything in His Son. St. Paul asks, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32). We look for good...

"Unfortunately, under the drive of a hedonist consumerism, Christmas runs the risk of losing its spiritual meaning, reduced to a mere commercial occasion to buy and exchange gifts. Actually, however, the difficulties, uncertainty, and the economic crisis that many families are living in these months, and which affects all humanity, can truly serve as a stimulus for rediscovering the warmth of the simplicity, friendship, and solidarity that are the typical values of Christmas. Stripped of its materialist and consumerist trappings, Christmas can become the opportunity to welcome, as a personal gift, the message of hope that emanates from the mystery of Christ's birth". ~ Pope Benedict XVI from his Wednesday audience on December 17, 2008

Our Lady of Expectation Today is the feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it is one of the liturgy's loveliest old Advent festivals of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr. Mark writes about it here. Fr. Peter West of Priests for Life shares a beautiful reflection on Advent and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which expresses the theme of this feast day so well. From The Expectation of the Feast of Our Lady blog : The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the lesser known feasts of Our Lady, but it was widely celebrated in Spain, Italy and parts of Central Europe. It falls within the period of O Sapientia, which begins on December 17th with the great 'O' Antiphons for the Magnificat at vespers up to December 23rd. As a result it is suppressed along with most other feasts in that period in the Novus Ordo of Paul VI. In the missal and breviary up to 1962 it was commemorated for certain places. MORE The intercession of Our Lady under the title of her Expectation ...

Nuns smell success in fresh batches of snickerdoodles CLEVELAND -- The kitchen inside the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit smells like heaven coated in cinnamon sugar. The nuns are busy this time of year, with the help of a few spry seniors, producing miracles at the rate of 48 to a sheet, 10 racks at a time. With prayer, practiced hands and pounds and pounds of butter, their work yields a bounty that could strengthen their ministry to the elderly for years to come. Behold, a snickerdoodle is born. MORE

Bill Donohue wishes you a "Happy Holiday"... How do you like his Elvis impersonation?

O'Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with Thy outstretched arm(s).

"Francis´ highest intention, his chief desire, his uppermost purpose was to observe the holy Gospel in all things and through all things and, with perfect vigilance, with all zeal, with all the longing of his mind and all the fervor of his heart, "to follow the teaching and the footsteps of our lord Jesus Christ." He would recall Christ's word through persistent meditation and bring to mind his deeds through the most penetrating consideration. The humility of the incarnation and the charity of the passion occupied his memory particularly, to the extent that he wanted to think of hardly anything else. What he did on the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ near the little town called Greccio in the third year before his glorious death should especially be noted and recalled with reverent memory." ~Thomas Celano, "The First Life of St. Francis" ~ Via mapollo .

And of what should we be afraid? Our captain on this battlefield is Christ Jesus. We have discovered what we have to do. Christ has bound our enemies for us and weakened them that they cannot overcome us unless we so choose to let them. So we must fight courageously and mark ourselves with the sign of the most Holy Cross. ~ St. Catherine of Sienna

On the evening of December 17 the final phase of preparation for Christmas begins with the first of the great "O Antiphons" of Advent. These prayers are seven jewels of liturgical song, one for each day until Christmas Eve. They seem to sum up all our Advent longing for the Savior. Read More here. "O" Antiphons for December 17 : Wisdom "O'Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence!" Related: What are the "O" Antiphons? by Fr. William Saunders

You can read my book review of Donna Marie Cooper O'Boyle's new book at Catholic Exchange today. This is an ideal book to use in starting up a new group with other Christian/ Catholic moms-- a great way to put your New Year's resolutions into action. It is available from CirclePress.org, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Major books stores and Catholic and Christian book stores. Visit Donna's new website and order a copy today.

This is not a photo of me. The only royal in our family ancestry was either a French baron or count -- I can't remember which. I am not even remotely related to Marie Antoinette, so back off with the guillotine. Having said that, I will tell you that the above picture is of Marie Antoinette . Esther has graciously bestowed this honor on me. I am to pass this award on to 7 other bloggers I feel are real in who they are. I bestow this honor on the following bloggers: 1. Sarah at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering. 2. Deb at UKok's Place. 3. Rosemary at A Catholic Mother's Thoughts. 4. Penny at Argent by the Tiber. 5. Barb at SFO Mom. 6. Kate Wicker at Momopoly. 7. Elena at My Domestic Church. Sorry guys - this is a women only meme. ;)

The Prayer with Andrea Bocelli and Kathrine McPhee followed by You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban -- Just beautiful! Caccini Ave Maria: Andrea Bocelli -- What a voice! Panis Angelicus: Andrea Bocelli

"... Christian joy comes from this certainty: God is near, he is with me, he is with us, in joy and in pain, in health and in sickness, as a friend and as a faithful spouse. This joy remains even through trial, in suffering itself, and it remains not superficially, but in the depth of the person who trusts in God and confides in him." ~ In Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI on December 17, 2007 The time is drawing near for the coming of our Savior. We expectantly and joyfully await His coming. But have we prepared our hearts? Are we ready? The focus of this week’s Carnival is the theme of joy that we begin to express following Gaudete Sunday, as we eagerly await the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Lord, You teach us to live in hope for Your coming. Kevin at Heart, Mind, and Strength reflects on this past Sunday’s Mass readings and shares why and how we should rejoice as we prepare for Christ’s coming. Easter at Mostly Prayers shares a bit of her reflection on the seco...

Washington, DC – American Life League president Judie Brown issued the following statement today:" American Life League is grateful to the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the release of its new document, 'Instruction Dignitas Personae on Certain Bioethical Questions.' "While we are concerned that the document does not clarify the word 'conception' immediately after the first time it is used, upon reading further, we do appreciate the fact that the Vatican has made it clear that 'conception,' as used in this document, refers to all human beings irrespective of the method of reproduction employed. "We would be remiss if we did not quote from the document to remind our fellow Americans that the entire practice of embryo reduction, based on 'quality control' notions, is indeed a heinous crime and a violation of the rights due to each innocent embryonic child. In Section 21, the document states, From the ethical point of ...

Do you believe you need a Savior?

(1150 - 1224) Image Source Today is the feast of St. Christina the Astonishing, who is also known as Christina Mirabilis. Born to a peasant family and orphaned as a child, she was raised by two older sisters. At age 21, she experienced a severe seizure and may have had epilepsy. It was so severe as to be cataleptic, and she was thought to have died. During her funeral Mass, she suddenly recovered, and levitated to the roof of the church. Ordered down by the priest, she landed on the altar and stated that she had been to hell, purgatory, and heaven, and had been returned to earth with a ministry to pray for the souls in purgatory. Her life from that point became a series of strange incidents cataloged by a Thomas de Cantimpré, Dominican professor of theology at Louvain who was a contemporary recorded his information by interviewing witnesses, and by Cardinal Jacques de Vitny who knew her personally. She exhibited both unusual traits and abilities. For example, she could not stand the o...

After two weeks of readings prompting us to “clear a pathway” and “make straight” the wilderness of our hearts, that the Lord might come, today we take rest from the interior work, that we might dance off a bit of that anticipatory energy in joy - a dance of the heart. Read more here. H/T: The Anchoress.

"Rejoice: the Lord is nigh." As Christmas draws near, the Church emphasizes the joy which should be in our hearts over all that the birth of our Savior means for us. The great joy of Christians is to see the day drawing nigh when the Lord will come again in His glory to lead them into His kingdom. Collect: Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

According to the traditional story, Lucy was born of noble Greek parents in Syracuse, Sicily about the year 283. She made a vow of virginity and distributed her wealth to the poor. This generosity angered the youth to whom she had been unwillingly betrothed and who denounced her to Paschasius, the governor of Sicily. When it was decided to violate her virginity in a place of shame, Lucy, with the help of the Holy Spirit, stood immovable. A fire was then built around her, but again God protected her. She was finally executed by a sword. As the name, Lucy, derives from 'lux' or 'light', she has become associated with festivals of light and with invocations against afflictions of the sight. Legend has it that she was blinded by her persecutors. The church of San Giovanni Maggiore at Naples even claims to possess her eyes. Patronage against hemorrhages; authors; blind people; blindness; cutlers; dysentery; eye disease; eye problems; glaziers; hemorrhages; laborers; martyrs...