Thursday, January 31, 2013

Freightening sight....

Interstate 85 heading into Georgia ... terrible fire engulfs car. Highway practically closed down. You can see the car outline in the fire.

OF, HM, GB, St. Christopher, patron saint of travellers help them....


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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

From Monday Night Bible Class to ....

The Biblical, Judith, beheads the enemy, Holofernes, and off she and her Maid travel home:
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(Judith in art thru the years)

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Monday, January 21, 2013

Tuesday: January 22


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Hope many of you can participate in the special Mass.
Little Flower Church: 6:30pm

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Birthday celebration today: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr -

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"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it."
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Martin Luther King, Jr.




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The Feast of St. Agnes:

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Agnes was martyred at the beginning of the 4th century under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. She was 12/13 years old, marriagable age, actually. Agnes chose to keep her body pure rather then allow it to be taken advantage of sexually by perpetrators.
She remain a virgin.

One of the least understood aspects of Catholic teaching is the value it places on consecrated virginity, so the feast of St Agnes, who died a virgin martyr is a good day to reflect on it.

First of all, let us be clear what we are talking about. St. Augustine points out that the whole Church is virginal by virtue of the integrity of her faith and love. She alone is the one true Bride of Christ.

The consecrated virgin is a sign and symbol of this ecclesial reality. That is why the individual is ordinarily admitted to the state of consecrated virginity by the bishop of the diocese to which she belongs.

If you were to read through the Rite of Consecration, and the ancient prayer which is its constitutive element, you will notice similarities with the ordination of a deacon. That is no accident. The consecrated virgin may or may not have a secular job, but her commitment to prayer and works of charity within the diocese is her essential work. The Catechism sums this up as a ‘vocation to prayer, penance, and the service of her brethren’. (CCC 923)

The consecrated virgin may be a member of a religious communnity, but not necessarily.

As you can see in the stained glass picture above, Agnes is most often pictured with a Lamb. Her name, Agnes, comes from the Latin word, Agnus, meaning "lamb". As the Lamb of God, Jesus, gave His life in sacrifice for us all, so Agnes gave her life in sacrifice to Him.


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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Deepest sympathy to Sister Maureen on the death of her brother, Billy Kirwan.

Friday, January 18, 2013

I'm just sayin:


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"I love u"

"Awwww, that's so sweet."

"Yes, I love the letter u"

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Planning a Wedding? Good luck topping this ...

Singer-song-writer, Tom Fletcher, sang this "Thank You" to his wedding party. Got to be one of the best wedding receptions I've ever gone to ... what I mean is, this is so good it's like being there:
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The joy that comes from the rescue of a child:

This is titled: I Like Adoption

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For Your Marriage:

Daily Marriage Tip for January 17, 2013

With the birth of your first child, you may think you don’t have time or money for a regular date night. Do it anyway. Think of it as insurance.
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Grandparents: Keepers of family stories:
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When grandchildren hear the family’s stories they learn who they are and from where they came. Research has shown that children who know something of their roots and the history of their family have stronger self-esteem. Through the family stories, children are given a sense of belonging and they develop a family pride. Stories about the family ancestors tend to build confidence in children and empower them.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Anyone see this?


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That's Ron and Lily:


You probably can't read the article here but it is impressive:

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Taken from: "OF" Out Front Magazine

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For Your Marriage:

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Daily Marriage Tip for January 15, 2013

The early years of marriage require adjustments and compromises. “My way is the right way” will only lock you into fights. Make sure it’s not always the same spouse yielding to the will of the other.
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Grandparents: Keepers of the Family’s Stories

All families have a unique history comprised of milestone events and peopled by a diverse cast of characters. This history of a family is passed on in the telling of its stories. The richest families are those in which the stories have been remembered, treasured, and incorporated into the spirit of the family.


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Thursday, January 10, 2013

My Great-nephew: watch the change -


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His Dad says: "he wasn't too happy about the cut".

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Another Thought for Wednesday, January 9

Mark 6:45-52
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Is our Gospel today about water-walking? Proof that Jesus is the Divine Son of God?

Maybe the real miracle in this story is not that Jesus walks on the water – we assume God can defy human logic and abilities – but that He climbs into the boat. That He huddles next to His terrified friends – just as cold and wet from the storm, just as human – and settles in to show once again that He is Emmanuel: God-with-us.

So, too, for us today. When a friend receives a dark diagnosis, Jesus climbs into the boat with us. When we strain under the weight of our responsibilities, Jesus climbs into the boat with us. When the winds of violence and evil and despair whip around us so cold and biting that we can barely breathe, Jesus climbs into the boat with us. And as the wind slowly quiets down, we remember the strength of a God who sits beside us, whose very presence calms storms.

As we settle into the New Year, still exhausted from the holiday whirlwind, still raw from the dark tragedies of last December, still straining because the wind is always against us, God is still walking out towards us, steady as always, calming us not to be afraid. Yes, our hearts are hardened again; no, we haven’t understood all that Jesus was trying to teach us. But maybe, as we remember that God never abandons us, as our terror turns again to amazement, maybe this time we will take courage. Maybe this time we will understand the miracle of presence. His presence.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The world is your ship and not your home. stl (I'm just sayin')






Are You Up for the Year of Faith Challenge?

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The Holy Father has called for the Year of Faith to be a time of renewed dedication to the Faith. Join us as we accept the Pope’s challenge and vigorously seek an encounter with Jesus Christ so that his desire for the Church’s renewal becomes a reality.
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... Presented weekly for your nourishment in the faith ... fpf
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The Nourishment of Faith
by Steve Weidenkopf

"The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God; because they are signs they also instruct ... They do indeed impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the faithful to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and to practice charity."
—Sacrosanctum Concilium, 59


My favorite sacrament is baptism. Words cannot really express the wonderful joy at witnessing the rebirth of a new person in Christ. Through the grace of God dispensed in that beautiful sacrament, one who is "dead in sin" becomes an adopted heir in Christ Jesus.

Sometimes the sacraments are seen as "way stations" in life, events that occur at certain moments in our life story. Although that is true in a sense, it is an incomplete view. The sacraments are where we engage in a relationship with the Trinity. They are more than "mile markers" on the path of life. They form the core of Christian life itself.

We are sensible creatures, and our senses are engaged in the sacraments. Our bodies need food to grow and be healthy; so too, do our souls. We need spiritual nourishment for our faith, and we receive this "nutrition" through the sacraments. Through his gift of the sacraments, the Lord allows us to share in his life. Strip away the sacraments, and one is left with an incomplete faith. I think we would appreciate the sacraments more if we spent time contemplating what our faith life would be like without them.

Action Step
What's your favorite sacrament? Why?



Another Thought for Tuesday, January 8:

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I usually find myself identifying with the action of the crowd: sitting back and waiting for Jesus to feed me both spiritually and physically. But when I read the Gospel this time, I found myself relating much more to the disciples.

I can easily imagine the disciples balking at Jesus’ request to feed the crowds: “That would take two hundred days’ wages!” Due to the current economic condition we are asked to accomplish the seemingly impossible or overwhelming with limited resources more and more. You know how that goes.

How did the people get fed? The disciples overcame their initial reluctance and trusted in the plan of Jesus. It did not make sense to them and no one could argue that it was a good business plan, but the disciples soon thought to themselves, “Hey, this is what Jesus wants – this is going to work.”

In our day-to-day struggles to accomplish more with less, our challenge is really to overcome our fear of failing--or even trying--because we don’t "have what it takes". We need to trust that God does have a plan, and we need to seek the wisdom to see God’s plan and the courage to follow the plan.

Like Jesus, we can take what we are given, look up to heaven and give thanks. God will take what we offer and multiply it. And who knows? Maybe we will end up with twelve basketfuls more than we need.


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If you don't have time, you make time, and if you can't make time then its really not important. (I'm just sayin')

Monday, January 7, 2013

Another Thought for Monday, January 7:

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The British author John Stott, in his book: Basic Christianity, describes how his life changed. One Sunday night he knelt beside his bed. It was not a sudden impulse, but the result of some serious soul searching. He knew that the time had come for him to open himself totally to Christ. There in the darkness of his room, he examined his conscience and thanked Jesus for making it possible to have his sins forgiven.

The next day he wrote in his journal: "Behold, Jesus stands at the door and knocks. I have heard him and now he has come into my house. He has cleansed it and now rules it."

What in my life might need changing?

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Sunday, January 6, 2013

A bit of a miracle:


Eight-month-old Jonathan Breaux responding to his mother’s voice for the first time, after getting a cochlear implant.

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This video is five years old and Johnathan is now in kindergarten in Houston, TX. He is "doing great" according to his mother and comtinues to learn to speak. After a bout with bacterial meningitis left him deaf, Jonathan Breaux regained hearing with the help of a cochlear implant, and is now a happy 5-year-old.

What a joy to see this young child respond to hearing his mother's voice for the very first time.


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Saturday, January 5, 2013

Drive-thru Confessions Big Hit in Parish



Wichita, KS––

Reports out of The Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Wichita, Kansas are confirming that last week’s launch of their new drive-thru confessional was a complete success. “It’s an absolute blessing,” Church Pastor Father Donald Borland told Eye of the Tiber. “One day I was sitting in the confessional listening to this old man’s confessions, and all I could think about was how long this poor old man was standing in line. I remember I thought to my self, ‘Self, there’s gotta be a better way to do this than to have people standing in line for 20 minutes.’” So began the idea to create the first drive-thru confessional. “I love it, and it’s so simple,” Stephanie Randal, a college sophomore said. “You drive up to a menu with a list of all types of sins and combo sins, and you just tell the priest which number or numbers you did on the menu. No chit-chat, no nothing. I remember I told him I committed a number four super-sized, and he asked me to please drive forward. That’s it. You drive up to him at the first window, he absolves you, and the last step is you go to the second window where his secretary tells you your total. They call it a penance, I guess…I don’t know, I drove right through that part.”

I had a similar idea seven years ago, but I love his touch about the second window where you get the penance total.


The question though is what is the best method to get Americans to frequent the confessional? In this fast food culture maybe we could appeal to a fast food idea like drive thru confession. I propose a new company called Jiffy Shriven after the Old English term to go to confession.

Here would be my logo.
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And a sample drive thru.

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And to easily remind people when to return to confession, the following sticker could be placed on the driver side windshield.

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While your there they could also check your holy water font or holy water bottle level to see if more fluids need to be added. Though you won’t have to worry about them trying to hawk other sacrament while there. You won’t hear “I noticed you are not looking so well. We can give you final unction as part of a package deal.”

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(yes, "all the above" is in jest.) Funny, though, huh?


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Coach Lou Holtz calls us all back to the practice of our faith:

I mentioned coach Holtz in my Homily last Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Family. It wasn't a positive comment, however, I knew that Coach Holtz was and is a deeply involved family man.

Coach has done a great job in this video adding his usual mixture of faith words tempered with his coaching skills.






. Catholics, come Home!


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Friday, January 4, 2013

Another Thought for January 4:


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One of the greatest coaches ever: Ara Parseghian. Ara had two sayings that he always preached to the team: “There is no circumstance we cannot overcome” and “We have no breaking point”. He has used them in his own life when he started the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation to study Niemann-Pick Type C disease that took the lives of three of his grandchildren.

What are you seeking, where are you going, and what are you seeing? Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, heard John the Baptist speak and declare “Look, the Lamb of God!” As Jesus said to Andrew, and as he says to us today, “What do you seek?” and “Come and you will see.” It is an invitation to follow him.

We hear many different voices in our culture today. Our children, especially, are under tremendous pressure today to conform to what our culture expects. It is destroying them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. One of the comments often received from a seventh grader: “I‘ll do what I want, when I want.

How do we fight against this culture that tells us to do whatever we want? I believe the answers are in our faith and God’s word. Pope John Paul II said “Do not fear, open your heart to Christ: conversion means accepting, by a personal decision, the saving sovereignty of Christ and becoming his disciple.” When you make this choice and enter into your faith, your faith becomes alive.

We are called to faith and conversion. Have you made those decisions in your life? I have found that it is only in my relationship with Christ and by reading God’s word that I can have no breaking point and face no circumstance that cannot be overcome.

What are you seeking? As Jesus told Andrew, “Come and see.”

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He Speaks to You

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A book title by Sister Helen Burns, FSP.
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Here is a 5 minute (almost) interview with Sister Helen:
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What Do Women Want?
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January 4

“On the 11th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me – 11 Pipers Piping.” What’s your favorite style of music? Can you guess your beloved’s favorite song? Listen to each other’s favorite today. Hint: Check the internet if it’s an oldie.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Driving down the road and what do I see ahead?????


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look close:
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and closer:

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now real close:

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Another Thought for January 3

John 1: 29-34

In today’s reading,cited above, John proclaims with certainty that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the Chosen One. Without even knowing Him, John recognized the power of Jesus and placed all of his trust in Him.

I have found that such certainty in God is not always as easy as John makes it seem. Haven't some of you seen your own faith shaken at times, uncertain that God truly has a plan for you -- uncertain that that the struggles you face have a purpose? Yet I have found that these moments of confusion, of self-doubt, call me to deepen my relationship with God, to place even greater trust in the Lord.

As 2013 begins and we take time for self reflection, making resolutions to spend more time at the gym and less on our iPhones, we should also take the time to reflect on our own relationship with God and determine how we can develop as a person of even greater faith. Let us recognize all of the workings of God’s love in our lives.

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January 3,

“On the 10th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me – 10 Lords-a-Leaping.” Leap to each other’s needs today. “No honey, let me serve YOU.” Laugh over the silliness of each trying to “out serve” the other.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Another Thought for Wednesday, January 2

John 1:19-28 .....
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Today’s Gospel reading follows the famous prologue to the Gospel of John, which describes Jesus as the light of the world that shines in the darkness. The author presents John the Baptist as the herald of Jesus, who is the Word of God enfleshed.

In response to the questioning of the priests and Levites, John the Baptist, by not identifying with the titles ascribed to him, repeatedly avoids any attempt to elevate himself. Rather, he diverts attention away from himself so as to define his role precisely as a witness. He prepares the way for the light that will shine in the darkness—the darkness of separation between God and humanity. It is no accident that he is crying out in the wilderness, where all is desolate and uninhabitable.

The Lord is coming! The light draws near! But the path for his coming appears to be impassible or hindered in some sense; in other words, there is much that can impede the coming and the acceptance of this new light that will shine through the darkness. Paths need to be straightened and roads leveled out. John the Baptist’s cry for repentance is urgent—he calls for dramatic transformation within the core of the human person, without which the light cannot be accepted.

The situation remains very much the same for us today. Like John the Baptist, we Christians are called to define ourselves as witnesses who focus all of our attention upon the light that is Christ. For both ourselves and others, we must still make paths straight and clear a way for the Lord. Let us not forget that there is much darkness within our lives, whether it inhabits us in the form of pride, arrogance, vanity, destructive habits, broken relationships, or a deadly spiritual fatigue. Repentance is continuous necessity for the Christian seeking to remain open to the presence of the light.

There remains much darkness and separation from God within large portions of the world today. Nevertheless, we have been promised that the light continues to shine in the darkness and that the darkness will never overcome it.




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January 2, 2013
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me “nine ladies dancing”. What couple doesn’t enjoy going out for an evening, dinner - and maybe some dancing, too. Kind of like date night, recalling the days when you fell in love and just wanted to spend time together, just the two of you. What’s stopping you now? Make a date night, just the two of you.



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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Christmas Season: hi tech

(you'll be transferred to You Tube, just follow the steps)
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Another thought for Tuesday ... January 1

Happy New Year
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Today is the Feast of Mary, Mother of God
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I imagine that Mary must have moved about in two worlds. On one level, she was probably a bit overwhelmed with caring for a newborn child, physically sore and exhausted from childbirth, not even living in her own home, and just a little exasperated that she had to “entertain” visitors both regal and common. On the other hand, she realized that it was an historic moment and that she was the mother of God. The Mother of God!! No wonder she was pondering in her heart!

How often do we move through life completely absorbed with the minutiae of our daily jobs? While tending to the important details of our existence, we should take some time periodically to ponder in our hearts. I wonder what we might learn. Are we an important piece to a bigger puzzle? What is that bigger picture? As our lives fit into a grander scheme, how can we contribute to the greater good? We may not find all the answers to these questions, but the pondering could bring us closer to them.

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January 1, 2013

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me “eight maids a’ milkin’”. We are, are we not, created and called by Christ Himself to be at the service of all our brothers and sisters. So much more the married couple who are now one flesh. Household duties and chores, matters of faith, children, and mutual love are the responsibility of wife and husband, right? As you grow deeper in love, grow deeper in service.