Here it is everyone. My first blog post on the topic, "GO TO MASS!." The things I post are not options, they are facts and are meant to encourage you all grow daily and live fully in your Catholic/Christian life
America (americamagazine.org), Vol. 190 No. 16, May 10, 2004
Why Go to Mass?
Click on the above link and read the article. The information is not there to force anyone to do anything. It simply states the truth behind why a person should attend services on Sunday.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Pope's Message to Catholic Parents
Site Link: www.catholic.org
Story Link: click here
Pope to Catholic parents: Renew your faith to be authentic teachers
By Carol Glatz
7/3/2006
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – The key response to today's increasingly secularized communities is for adults to renew and deepen their faith in Christ so they can be authentic examples and teachers of Christian living to future generations, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Before his planned trip to Valencia, Spain, July 8-9, to help close the Fifth World Meeting of Families, the pope underlined the importance of this year's theme of living and transmitting faith in the family.
In remarks made before praying the July 2 Angelus in St. Peter's Square, the pope urged all the world's families to be "authentic communities of love and life in which the flame of faith may be handed down from generation to generation."
If parents and godparents are "to be authentic" in fulfilling their mission to share their Christian faith, the child's baptism "must be preceded and accompanied by the parents' commitment to deepen their own knowledge of the faith," the pope said. This should also be accompanied by prayer and diligent practice of the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist, he said.
"In so many of today's secularized communities, the first urgency for believers in Christ is precisely to renew the faith of adults so that they will be able to share (the faith) with new generations," the pope said.
However, he said, it may happen that a child's interest in Christ and his or her own deepening of faith through Christian initiation could become "a useful occasion for the parents to return to the church and delve further into the beauty and truth of the Gospel."
In remarks made in English after praying the Angelus, the pope prayed that families would fulfill their "God-given vocation and benefit from just governmental policies which safeguard their fundamental role in society."
Story Link: click here
Pope to Catholic parents: Renew your faith to be authentic teachers
By Carol Glatz
7/3/2006
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – The key response to today's increasingly secularized communities is for adults to renew and deepen their faith in Christ so they can be authentic examples and teachers of Christian living to future generations, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Before his planned trip to Valencia, Spain, July 8-9, to help close the Fifth World Meeting of Families, the pope underlined the importance of this year's theme of living and transmitting faith in the family.
In remarks made before praying the July 2 Angelus in St. Peter's Square, the pope urged all the world's families to be "authentic communities of love and life in which the flame of faith may be handed down from generation to generation."
If parents and godparents are "to be authentic" in fulfilling their mission to share their Christian faith, the child's baptism "must be preceded and accompanied by the parents' commitment to deepen their own knowledge of the faith," the pope said. This should also be accompanied by prayer and diligent practice of the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist, he said.
"In so many of today's secularized communities, the first urgency for believers in Christ is precisely to renew the faith of adults so that they will be able to share (the faith) with new generations," the pope said.
However, he said, it may happen that a child's interest in Christ and his or her own deepening of faith through Christian initiation could become "a useful occasion for the parents to return to the church and delve further into the beauty and truth of the Gospel."
In remarks made in English after praying the Angelus, the pope prayed that families would fulfill their "God-given vocation and benefit from just governmental policies which safeguard their fundamental role in society."
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Hardcore!
Hey everyone,
No, this isn't the beginning of my "why you should go to Mass" series, but the title for this blog post is a link to something very hardcore that my beautiful Lissa wrote a while back in her blog and I wanted to link you all to it so you can read it.
No doubt I will eventually write a series about many of the subjects contained within this post, but for now, enjoy some truth!
No, this isn't the beginning of my "why you should go to Mass" series, but the title for this blog post is a link to something very hardcore that my beautiful Lissa wrote a while back in her blog and I wanted to link you all to it so you can read it.
No doubt I will eventually write a series about many of the subjects contained within this post, but for now, enjoy some truth!
Don't Go to Church?!?
WARNING!
If you are a Christian, especially you Catholics out there, get ready.
I am in the process of planning out my first of many series that will be posted on this blog.
My first series will be based on "Why you need to go to Mass(church)"
This topic has been stirred in me by the rising number of people I encounter who truly feel that going to church isn't necessary. How wrong they are...
I'm not here to condemn, I'm here to educate. Prepare your hearts for the truth. It's coming to this blog very soon.
God bless you all
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Lissa SO Rocks
Need I say more? I mean, look at her. Isn't she just the hottest thing ever when she has a mic in her hand and she's singing? Pictures/situations like the one you see pictured above is just one of the many reasons why I love that girl to death. Lissa SO Rocks!
Love you sweetheart!
The Heart of a Saint
From the site: www.catholic.org
Direct Link: Click Here
Direct Link: Click Here
Sainted priest’s heart - Thousands await chance to see incorrupt relic
By Lena Pennino
10/12/2006
Catholic News Service
MERRICK, N.Y. (CNS) – More than 5,000 people entered Cure of Ars Church in Merrick Oct. 7-9 to pray before St. John Vianney's heart, and the pastor expected thousands more by Oct. 11, when the incorrupt relic of the sainted 19th-century French priest would end its visit and be taken to Boston.
St. John (Jean-Marie Baptiste) Vianney, who died in 1859, is widely known to Catholics as the Cure (parish priest) of Ars. He won over the hearts of his villagers in France by visiting with them, teaching them about God and reconciling people to the Lord in the confessional.
This was the first time that his heart has been brought to the United States. It is usually kept in the basilica in Ars near the incorrupt – miraculously undecayed – body of the saint.
Pilgrims who wanted to see the relic waited in a long line leading up to the church entrance. After kneeling before the heart in prayer, many stayed to go to confession. In his life St. John Vianney often heard confessions for 16 to 18 hours a day.
Some of those waiting in line described an overwhelming need to see a real miracle. Others said it was a historic moment. And still others – many seminarians and priests – came to thank the Cure of Ars, patron saint of parish priests, for answered prayers during times they struggled with their vocation or ministry.
"I came here to see a miracle," said Laura Musto, 46, of St. Mary of the Isle Church in Long Beach, referring to the incorrupt heart. "And we need miracles in today's world."
"I came to see the heart of a saint," said Maria Gilmore, 82, of Sacred Heart Church in North Merrick. "I thought everyone turned to dust but I guess not."
"We came here on a minipilgrimage to be close to his heart, to have a moment of intimacy with the saint," said Charlie Gallagher, 23, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington who was joined by two classmates, Ted Hegnauer and Rick Nichols.
"This relic represents who St. John Vianney was and who we aspire to be. When I kneel before the heart, I will ask St. John Vianney to replace my heart with his heart so I can emulate him," Gallagher told The Long Island Catholic, newspaper of the Rockville Centre Diocese.
Patricia Couglin was surprised when her three grandchildren – Kim, 11, Mike, 13, and Peter DeMeo, 16 – wanted to venerate the heart with her.
"This is pretty cool," said Peter. He was wearing a "hoodie," or hooded sweatshirt, had iPod headphones in his ears and mentioned that he loved science and magic tricks. "It's something you don't hear about every day, that a heart is that old and still preserved," he said.
"I was surprised they wanted to come," said Couglin, who teaches math at Holy Family parish school in Hicksville. "I thought they'd be watching cartoons. ... As a grandmother, I was really impressed. When we get there, we'll say some prayers and I hope they go to confession."
Each day of its five-day stay in Merrick, four Knights of Columbus carried the relic into the church on a platform topped by a golden canopy. Other Knights, in full regalia with swords drawn, lined the aisles to form an honor guard as the relic passed.
A constant at each Mass and devotional event was a contingent from France that included Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars and the pastor of Cure of Ars Parish, Father Charles Mangano. The parish – the first church in the United States to be named for the French priest after he was proclaimed a saint in 1925 – celebrated its 80th anniversary Oct. 8.
"This is a homecoming for St. John Vianney," said Father Mangano at the anniversary Mass. "I believe with all my heart that the heart coming here was the plan of God and the desire of St. John Vianney."
"I take no credit for bringing it here," Father Mangano said. "I did not even come up with the idea." A fellow priest made the suggestion – "like a lightning bolt that interrupted our conversation" – he said. Father Mangano then asked Bishop Bagnard if the heart could visit the parish. Two weeks later, when the visit was approved, "I cried," he said.
"Why did God choose to preserve St. John Vianney's body?" he asked the congregation. "He chose to leave evidence for my sake, for your sake. This is a small example of God's power that may hint at our own preservation of souls that we cannot see."
"What did you come to see?" Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre asked more than 250 priests, seminarians and deacons who gathered for Mass and veneration of the relic Oct. 9, a day reserved for them. "One whose life affirms yours ... a man who followed Christ the high priest like you do."
St. John Vianney was once dismissed from the seminary because of his difficulties with academic studies. But he persevered and was ordained in 1815. Three years later he was named pastor in Ars, a tiny village near Lyon.
Within a few years he transformed the religious life of the village, and his fame as a preacher, confessor and spiritual counselor soon spread throughout France and around the world. - - -
Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Relationships
Taken from www.lifeteen.com
Direct link: click here
7 Signs your relationship isn’t working
By Andrea Prisby
Relationships have their ups and downs, but how do we know if this relationship really isn’t working? Here’s seven clues that your it’s not true love.
1. Fight Fight Fight!
You may have so many things in common but still argue. Minimal disagreements are fine, but if you even have to question if you fight too much--then you probably do. Fights matter because petty arguments on the surface are caused by pent-up aggression underneathe. Aggression does not come from love. It is poison in a relationship.
2. Too Dependent
Do you rely on him/her for everything? If that person was stripped from you, could you survive on your own? It’s easy—especially for girls—to become dependent on their boyfriend. A certain level of dependency is healthy in a relationship, because you want to look to one another for support and compassion. But if you feel like you cannot do anything without that person, something is wrong. Or if you feel like you have to ask permission to go out with your friends or spend time with your family, that dependency has become distorted into control. Depend on one, the One.
3. Jealousy
There are three circumstances for jealousy. The first is you trying to figure out where you fit in his/her list of priorites. Feeling like you are fifth on the list will make you jealous. Talk about it, and if see if things change. If you are still behind sports, homework, friends, video games, and sleep--then get out.
The second kind of jealousy comes from your date flirting with others. This is a sign of manipulation, and manipulation is a sign of a doomed relationship. Make a habit of looking for manipulation and save yourself from a lot of pain.
The third kind of jealousy comes from inside you and has nothing to do with the other person. Your own insecurity can play games in your head, making you covetous of the other person’s time and affection. Step back and examine yourself. If you don’t, you’ll probably get dumped.
4. Friends First, You Last
It’s healthy to hang out with each other’s friends. This keeps you from living on Planet You-Me. But there is a difference between hanging out with your friends every so often and hanging out with them all the time. If your boyfriend/girlfriend chooses to spend more time with their friends, they are not ready for a relationship. This balance is important and needs to be discussed early in the relationship.
5. You First, Friends Last
Similar to #4, if your friends and family are complaining about never seeing you, you need to re-examine your relationship. Yes, when you are dating, you naturally spend more time with that person before where all you did was hang out with friends and family. But when you cut that time off completely, you are too absorbed in that other person. This is unhealthy. The important thing is to maintain relationships with friends throughout the relationship, especially in the early stages. They can help hold you accountable and keep your head on straight.
6. Less God time
This is huge. If your relationship with God is suffering, you need to back away. If he/she is pulling you away from God, instead of leading you closer, get out of the relationship. God should be the center of your relationship. You should each love Him more than the other person.
Missionary dating does not work. Yes, there may be hope that your boyfriend/girlfriend will someday come to love the Lord, but that “hope” isn’t going to help your relationship grow and develop. The best thing you can do for that other person is to let them be God’s. You need to be solid in your faith before you begin a relationship. Don’t assume that he/she will change once you start dating.
7. Isn’t willing to talk or listen
When you talk, does he or she listen? If you feel shut out, this relationship has already died. You should never put up with this behavior. Remove yourself from the situation. You deserve to be listened to and to be respected.
These ideas may convict you and force you to examine your relationship. I want to remind you that they are meant to do just that. I am not assuring you that even if half are true that your relationship needs to end. Please take them into consideration, pray about them, and then handle your relationship accordingly. Relationships can lead us closer to God, or further away, so we need to be smart about who we date. God is the true source of happiness, and a God-less relationship is a love-less relationship. You deserved to be loved!
Direct link: click here
7 Signs your relationship isn’t working
By Andrea Prisby
Relationships have their ups and downs, but how do we know if this relationship really isn’t working? Here’s seven clues that your it’s not true love.
1. Fight Fight Fight!
You may have so many things in common but still argue. Minimal disagreements are fine, but if you even have to question if you fight too much--then you probably do. Fights matter because petty arguments on the surface are caused by pent-up aggression underneathe. Aggression does not come from love. It is poison in a relationship.
2. Too Dependent
Do you rely on him/her for everything? If that person was stripped from you, could you survive on your own? It’s easy—especially for girls—to become dependent on their boyfriend. A certain level of dependency is healthy in a relationship, because you want to look to one another for support and compassion. But if you feel like you cannot do anything without that person, something is wrong. Or if you feel like you have to ask permission to go out with your friends or spend time with your family, that dependency has become distorted into control. Depend on one, the One.
3. Jealousy
There are three circumstances for jealousy. The first is you trying to figure out where you fit in his/her list of priorites. Feeling like you are fifth on the list will make you jealous. Talk about it, and if see if things change. If you are still behind sports, homework, friends, video games, and sleep--then get out.
The second kind of jealousy comes from your date flirting with others. This is a sign of manipulation, and manipulation is a sign of a doomed relationship. Make a habit of looking for manipulation and save yourself from a lot of pain.
The third kind of jealousy comes from inside you and has nothing to do with the other person. Your own insecurity can play games in your head, making you covetous of the other person’s time and affection. Step back and examine yourself. If you don’t, you’ll probably get dumped.
4. Friends First, You Last
It’s healthy to hang out with each other’s friends. This keeps you from living on Planet You-Me. But there is a difference between hanging out with your friends every so often and hanging out with them all the time. If your boyfriend/girlfriend chooses to spend more time with their friends, they are not ready for a relationship. This balance is important and needs to be discussed early in the relationship.
5. You First, Friends Last
Similar to #4, if your friends and family are complaining about never seeing you, you need to re-examine your relationship. Yes, when you are dating, you naturally spend more time with that person before where all you did was hang out with friends and family. But when you cut that time off completely, you are too absorbed in that other person. This is unhealthy. The important thing is to maintain relationships with friends throughout the relationship, especially in the early stages. They can help hold you accountable and keep your head on straight.
6. Less God time
This is huge. If your relationship with God is suffering, you need to back away. If he/she is pulling you away from God, instead of leading you closer, get out of the relationship. God should be the center of your relationship. You should each love Him more than the other person.
Missionary dating does not work. Yes, there may be hope that your boyfriend/girlfriend will someday come to love the Lord, but that “hope” isn’t going to help your relationship grow and develop. The best thing you can do for that other person is to let them be God’s. You need to be solid in your faith before you begin a relationship. Don’t assume that he/she will change once you start dating.
7. Isn’t willing to talk or listen
When you talk, does he or she listen? If you feel shut out, this relationship has already died. You should never put up with this behavior. Remove yourself from the situation. You deserve to be listened to and to be respected.
These ideas may convict you and force you to examine your relationship. I want to remind you that they are meant to do just that. I am not assuring you that even if half are true that your relationship needs to end. Please take them into consideration, pray about them, and then handle your relationship accordingly. Relationships can lead us closer to God, or further away, so we need to be smart about who we date. God is the true source of happiness, and a God-less relationship is a love-less relationship. You deserved to be loved!
Monday, October 09, 2006
Matt Maher
Matt Maher has become one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed Catholic artists in the country. Since his 2002 debut release, The End and the Beginning, the rise of Matt and his music has been remarkable. At World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto, Matt’s "Litany of the Saints" was sung at the official Papal Evening Prayer, with the Holy Father singing the lyrical prayer along with 700,000 young pilgrims from around the world. Matt’s songs “Just Like You” and “Love Has Come” were recorded by Christian artist Kathy Troccoli for her album, The Heart of Me, which received a 2002 Grammy nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year.
In October 2003, Maher received the Unity Award for Best New Artist of the Year from the United Catholic Music and Video Association. In 2004 he received the Unity Award for Praise & Worship Song of the Year for “I Love You, Lord.” Matt’s music has received glowing reviews form major Catholic and Christian music publications, and he has also become a popular performer at youth ministry conferences and rallies.
With the release of Welcome to Life in 2003 and his third album, Overflow, in February 2006, Matt continues to explore the wonder and challenges of this life that God calls us to.
In October 2003, Maher received the Unity Award for Best New Artist of the Year from the United Catholic Music and Video Association. In 2004 he received the Unity Award for Praise & Worship Song of the Year for “I Love You, Lord.” Matt’s music has received glowing reviews form major Catholic and Christian music publications, and he has also become a popular performer at youth ministry conferences and rallies.
With the release of Welcome to Life in 2003 and his third album, Overflow, in February 2006, Matt continues to explore the wonder and challenges of this life that God calls us to.
The Latest In Crazy Politics
Stewart dispels rumor of White House run - Yahoo! News
I will admit... It would be something if Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert ran this country.
However, I feel that instead of running the country, they should instead be paid political advisors. That way, their "common sense" way of explaining world events would have new significant use.
Yes, this is my first blog in a long time... Deal with it!
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