Super Marine

Hopefully, it won't be like this. I feel sorry for the good ones who have put up with this.

Are you ready?

This year is at a close, with a brand new one coming very soon. Are we ready to put off the old and put on the new? Let's all try something different this next year, and try to do what God wants us to do for a change. Not trying to be critical, but realistic in that we are supposed to always be ready for that day when we take our last breath.

Lord, help us in the coming year!

HE IS HERE!

The following hymn for the vigil of Christmas is taken from the Anthology of the Greeks:

"On a certain day, there was enrolled at Bethlehem, together with the old man Joseph, as being of the family of David, Mary, who bore in her virginal womb the Divine fruit. The time of her delivery was come, and there was no place in the inn; and instead of a splendid palace for the Queen there was but a cave.

The moment has come for the accomplishment of the mystic prophecy: 'And thou Bethlehem, land of Juda, art not the least among the princes, for thou art the first to adorn the cave. For there shall come to me from thee the leader of the nations, born of a Virgin-Maid according to the flesh; it is Christ, who is God, and He shall rule His new people of Israel.' Let us all give Him highest praise.

This is our God, and there is none other; He was born of a Virgin, and He conversed with men; the only-begotten Son becomes mortal, and is laid in a poor crib; the Lord of glory is wrapped in swaddling clothes; the star invites the Magi to adore Him, and let us sing: O holy Trinity, save our souls!

Come, all ye faithful; let us be transported with divine enthusiasm; let us look at God coming in visible form from on high and descending into Bethlehem; then raising up our minds, let us being to Him our virtues as the myrrh we offer Him, thus preparing, with faith, for His birth among us: let us sing, Glory in the highest be to God, one in three Persons, whose goodwill to man is thus made manifest! for Thou, O Jesus! the Lover of man, hast redeemed Adam and restored the work of thy hands!

Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth! let the foundations of the earth be moved, and all the earth tremble: for God the maker of man has Himself put on a created form, and He whose creative hand upheld His creatures, has, by mercy moved, clothed Himself with a body. Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!

O come, ye Christian people! let us see the prodigy that stupefies all thought and holds it in suspense; then let us devoutly adore, and sing our hymns with hearts full of faith. This day there hath come to Bethlehem a Maid that is to give birth to God! Choirs of angels are already there! Joseph, her spouse, seeing her, has already received the answer to his question: What is this mystery which I see in thee, pure Virgin? How canst thou bring forth, that never hast borne a mother's humiliation?

This day, there is born of a Virgin, He that holds in His hand the whole creation. He whose very essence 'tis to be intangible, has become mortal and is bound in swathing-bands. He who, of old, in the beginning, poised and set the heavens, is laid in a manger. He who rained down manna on His people in the desert, is fed with milk at His Mother's breast. The Spouse of the Church invites the Magi; the Son of the Virgin accepts their gifts. We adore thy Nativity, O Jesus! show unto us thy divine manifestations."

Come, Lord Jesus!

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!!

2 Days left

We have 2 days left til our Lord comes once again to us. He keeps reminding us what we need to do to gain everlasting life. Are we listening? You know, I had a birthday last week and got gifts to pacify me. I'm thinking, what have we decided to give Christ on His birthday? There's only ONE He wants: US! Will we leave Him something under the tree for Him? How about a place at the dinner table, when we dine with our loved ones. Will we keep a place open for Him?

The Jews missed the boat on this one. They were so full of themselves that they didn't see the signs toward the Truth, Who would be coming shortly to them to save them, despite all of the prophets who announce it to them. Now I will once again copy from my book, 'The Liturgical Year' concerning this.

"O EMMANUEL! King of peace! Thou enterest today the city of Thy predilection, the city in which Thou hast placed Thy temple--Jerusalem. A few years hence the same city will give Thee Thy cross and Thy sepulchre: nay, the day will come on which Thou wilt set up Thy judgement-seat within sight of her walls. But today Thou enterest the city of David and Solomon unnoticed and unknown. It lies on Thy road to Bethlehem. Thy blessed Mother and Joseph her spouse would not lose the opportunity of visiting the temple, there to offer to the Lord their prayers and adoration. They enter; and then, for the first time, is accomplished the prophecy of Aggeus (2:10), that great shall be the glory of this last house more than of the first; for this second temple has now standing within it an ark of the Covenant more precious than was that which Moses built; and within this ark, which is Mary, is contained the God whose presence makes her the holiest of sanctuaries. The LAWGIVER Himself is in this blessed ark, and not merely, as in that of old, the tablet of stone on which the Law was graven. The visit paid, our living ark descends the steps of the temple, and sets out once more for Bethlehem, where other prophecies are to be fulfilled. We adore Thee, O Emmanuel! in this Thy journey, and we reverence the fidelity wherewith Thou fulfillest all that the prophets have written of Thee; for Thou wouldst give to Thy people the certainty of Thy being the Messias, by showing them that all the marks, whereby He was to be known, are to be found in Thee. And now, the hour is near; all is ready for Thy birth; come then, and save us; come, that Thou mayst not only be called our EMMANUEL, but our Jesus, that is, He that saves us. Amen."


One more thing. I found this prayer of St. Gertrude the Great, who received it from Jesus Himself. It's worth doing every day, in my opinion.

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with all of the Masses said throughout the world today; for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, for those within my own home, and within my family. Amen"

Our Lord promised to St. Gertrude that He would free one thousand (1000) souls from purgatory each time this prayer is said devoutly.

Don't go there!

My better half saw yesterday an ad in the newspaper which was showing that we can shop on Christmas at Rite-Aid. We usually go there for some things instead of Walgreen's, just for the fact that Walgreen's is open all day on Christmas. Fortunately, the store near us is NOT going to be open that holy day. Good for them! We are trying to do the right thing during the shopping season.

It's kinda like people wait for Sundays and Holy days to go to Confession, instead of taking care of this beforehand, which is when I think they should. I mean, it's great that people actually go to Confession, which is surely needed. I just think they should do it where time is not pinched.

When the Great miracle happens and everybody will know their sins as God sees them, the lines will be astronomical. We should always be ready, just in case our number of days is shortened. Like a good Boy Scout, "Be Prepared".

Ready to go again

Early in the year I bought a reconditioned snow blower for a very reasonable price. Well, imagine my surprise this week to find out that it does not like to work in cold weather, just like me! It starts just fine, but dies out very quickly; also like me.
I took it back to the dealer, who, not only took it back, but gave me what I paid for it, and accepted my condition that I upgrade, which I wanted. And, just when all of the smaller ones were sold out, someone called to cancel the one she ordered. I quickly said that I would take it. And, to make it even sweeter, I received an unexpected bonus(since I'm retired) from my retiree benefits foundation (GM). This was great because I didn't have to dig into any savings for it. Bonus day! Now, I have to search for some warmer longies. I think that the refrigerator shrunk my current pair.

It's here!

Well, the snow is finally here. Woo woo! Now I can get busy shovelling for 8 yards. I know already how I will feel tomorrow. But, I always wish for snow for my birthday, which is in 3 days. However, I DID NOT wish for 15 degree weather. I guess it's time to get my longies out of the winter bin.

God is great in that He keeps us humble by letting us know Who is in charge.

House of Loretto

I found this reading in my "Liturgical Year". Today is a feast in Italy regarding the Holy House of Loretto, where our blessed Mother first received the Archangel Gabriel.

The house originally was, of course, in Jerusalem. In the pontificate of Celestine V in the year 1291, things which counted as holy in Palestine were somehow lost. How this happened, I don't know. It's a puzzle!? Anyway, this holy house of Mary's was carried by angels to Dalmatia, which is where Croatia is.

In the year 1294, the house was again borne by angels across the Adriatic Sea to the territory of Recanati in Italy, and placed in a forest owned by a lady called Loretta. The inhabitants of Dalmatia were sorrowful since their house had been taken. However, they erected a church where the house had been. It was dedicated to our Lady, and later served by Franciscan fathers. Over the porch this inscription was placed, "This is the place where stood the holy House of Nazareth, which now is honoured in the territory of Recanati."

Because of the popularity of this house, people began coming in droves to see it. However, they were getting mugged on their pilgrimage, so it was moved again. Another place, same problem. Hence, it had to be moved once again, this time , not in a forest, but on a main road. A town was built, called Loretto. This is where the name comes, 'The House of Loretto'.

Many popes write if this special house, and it is a Feast day in Italy. At least in 1922 it was, when this book was written. I just thought that this was interesting to know. I knew about the house and about it being moved by angels, but not about all of the troubles in the process.

Hopefully, my house is welcoming to the Lord, so that He won't have it moved or taken away.

Pope Pius IX prayer

Sanctus Christopher: December 8, Doubly Good: "Prayer of Pope Pius XII In Honor of the Immaculate Conception on the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's promulgation of the dogma of the I..."

Immaculate Conception

Today is, to me at least, the most awesome of all that God has done. Words can't possibly justify and capture the splendor and magnificence of it all. I shall try, in my own little way, to share with you, my feelings. And I will be using my book from 1891, as well as my 'Liturgical Year' book from 1923.

Pope Benedict XIV ( 1740-1758) quoted from someone named Frassen, a Scotist (from John Duns Scotus) theologian, when he distinguishes between an active and and passive conception.
The former consists in the act of the parents which causes the body of the child to be formed and organized, and so prepared for the reception of the rational soul which is infused by God. The latter takes place at the moment when the rational soul is actually infused into the body by God. It is the passive, not the active, conception which Catholics have in view when they speak of the Immaculate Conception. For there was nothing miraculous in Mary's generation. She was begotten like other children. The body, while still inanimate, could not be sanctified or preserved from original sin, for it is the soul, not the body, which is capable of receiving either the gifts of grace or the stain of sin. Moreover, from the fact that Mary sprang in the common way from Adam, our first father, it follows that she was the daughter of a fallen race and incurred the "debt" or liability to contract original sin. Adam was the representative of the human race: he was put on his trial, and when he fell all his descendants fell with him, and must, unless some special mercy of God interposed, receive souls destitute of that grace in which Adam himself was created. In Mary's case, however, God's mercy did interpose. For the sake of Him who was to be born of her and for "His merits foreseen," grace was poured into her soul at the first instant of its being. Christian children are sanctioned at the font: St. John the Baptist was sanctified while still unborn. Mary was sanctified earlier still--in the first moment of her conception...He Who redeemed us redeemed her. He Who sanctified us sanctified her in her conception...Sin was a physical impossibility in the human soul of Christ, because it was hypostatically united to the Divinity. Mary, on the other hand, was sinless by the grace of God.

In another part of the book, is as follows: In this mystery it seems to me to be fitting and proper to apply those words of the prophet in Wisdom (vii,26), "The unspotted mirror of God's majesty", to our Lady's Immaculate Conception. These words have been applied to the Uncreated Wisdom, that is to say, to the Word Incarnate, who is the substantial image of His Father and the mirror of His divine perfections, because He is begotten in a splendor more pure and brilliant than the light. They, however, can be applied in a just proportion to the glorious Virgin, since Mary was conceived without sin, exempt from its original stain, destined to be the Mother of a Son Who is as far removed from sin as light is from darkness; consequently, Mary can be rightly called an unspotted mirror. Her conception also corresponds with the eternal and temporal conception of that God-man Who is to be her Son, and also represents perfectly the sanctity, purity, majesty, and the noblest attributes of God Himself.

"Let us contrast ourselves with this holy and immaculate Mother. She received grace with life, and, what is more glorious still, she kept it intact until she died. And we, alas! have been conceived and brought into the world in sin; and we have received the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism which made us friends of God.

But, what is more lamentable, we lose the benefit of this grace almost as soon as we received it, and then pass the remainder of our days in the dread uncertainty of forgiveness. For it must be confessed. to our shame, that we, for the most part, remain in a state of grace so long as we are unacquainted with sin. It seems to me that there may be a contradiction between innocence and reason, and that they may clash together unless they are kept apart." LE PERE DE LA COLOMBIERE, S.J.

I had a discussion with one of my coworkers one day after he mentioned Jesus's immaculate conception. Now he was a United Brethren minister, but he at least would listen to reason. I asked him that, if he could put together his own mother, wouldn't he want her to be as perfect as possible? He answered in the affirmative. I told him that Jesus did too, and that the Immaculate Conception was for her, because Jesus didn't need it since He was God. It seemed to make sense to him. May God rest his soul. And this does make perfect sense. Nobody tells God what He can or cannot do! If He chose to do this, then so be it!

She is the new Ark of the covenant, the moon that gets it light from the Sun, the mirror which reflects her Son's image, the sacred vessel which contained the sacred Body of our Lord, and so on. If we'd quit trying to put limits on what God can do, maybe we could come to the truth in a fuller sense.

I will finish with some words from St. Anselm, a holy Doctor of the Church, "...it was just that this holy Virgin should be adorned with the greatest purity which can be conceived after that of God Himself, since God the Father was to give to her, as her Child, that only-begotten Son, whom He loved as Himself, as being begotten to Him from His own bosom; and this in such a manner, that the selfsame Son of God was, by nature, the Son of both God the Father and this blessed Virgin. This same Son chose her to be substantially His Mother; and the Holy Ghost willed that in her womb He would operate the conception and birth of Him from whom He Himself proceeded."

USS Arizona

I added this blog, because I couldn't figure out how to add another picture at the end where I wanted it. I figure it out someday, and you'll be the first to know. After me, of course!

Also, I found out some things I didn't know before about St. Nicolas. First of all, he was called a 'thaumaturgus', which means a 'miracle-worker'. And, where he is buried, a stream of oil has been emanating from his tomb since his death, from which there have been many miracles, cures, etc. Very interesting, indeed!

Pearl Harbor and more

Today is the day in which we remember those unsuspecting souls that perished from the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. Tora! Tora! Tora! means "tiger, tiger, tiger" in Japanese code speak. They snuck up on us as a tiger and as most were still sleeping!
This plunged us into World War II, thus changing us forever. We will remember those 1100+ souls which are still entrapped in the USS Arizona.



On another note, this is the day of St. Ambrose. St. Athanasius was not the only Bishop who opposed the Arian heresy in the 4th century. He, along with St. Ambrose and St. Nicholas(you've heard of him), opposed this heresy. There were 318 bishops who did. These were 3 of them. I didn't know that there were that many bishops around during those times. I do know that the pope of the time, who pretty much condemned St. Athanasius, is the first pope to NOT be made a saint in the Church. DON'T MESS WITH GOD OR HIS CHURCH!

Lord, teach us to remember the coming of YOU the first time, and be forever grateful for it.

The First week of Advent--Wednesday

Earlier this year, I purchased a set of fifteen books for the Liturgical Year by the Abbott Gueranger, O.S.B. It was written in 1927, and has some incredible prayers which are not read, except by holy priests during their Holy Office. I don't know why we don't get to hear them, because some of them are just too beautiful to not be heard. Occasionally, I will try to sneak some of them in during my postings. The following one is for Wednesday from the Mozarabic Missal. I know this isn't Wednesday, but I just read it today.

It is meet and just, and available to us in all things, that we always should extol, by all possible praises, thy clemency, O almighty Father, who didst create us in holiness and nobleness, and, when the fraud of the old serpent had seduced us, didst in pure mercy deliver us from death. Thou didst foretell, in past ages, that the Son, whom thou wast to send in the flesh for us, would come on this earth and would be born of a Virgin, and by thy holy prophets didst foretell the advent of His birth; and this to the end that He who had been promised, having been long expected, might give great joy to the world when He should come in the fulness of time. Wherefore we pray and beseech thee, that thou, who didst not suffer thy creature to perish, because thou art truly compassionate and merciful, but didst restore what was lost by the humble coming of thy Son, wouldst now so protect, so keep, so heal, so defend, so free, what thou hast found and repaired and restored, that in that dread coming, whereby thy Son shall come a second time to judge those by whom and for whom He Himself was judged, He may so find the creatures that He has redeemed, that He may eternally possess those whom He purchased with the price of His Blood. Amen

The Meaning of Christmas

Well, the mowing is done for the season, the leaves have been raked (I hate this job, and I have 8 yards to do), the snow is beginning, and Christ is on His way once again.

I found this reading from a 1891 book, which describes different parts of our Faith. It was written by a French priest and poet, Laurent Juillard (1658-1730). It pretty much says it all, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

My brethren, let us gaze upon the Son of God in the poverty of His birth. What does He not say to us there? Let us enter in spirit into the stable; we shall hear a voice issuing therefrom, saying--
Blush at having beautiful houses like unto palaces, such grand furniture, so much useless apparel, whilst I have only a crib instead of a bed, and two vile animals for company. Blush in those magnificent rooms wherein you try to be sheltered from the least inconveniences of the season, whilst a half-exposed stable leaves Me prey to all the hardships of a cold season.
Blush at the aversion you have for every kind of humiliation, at the precautions you take to continue in a condition that flatters your vanity, at the artifices you employ to conceal a poverty you ought to be proud of, at the contempt you display to all who are not within the pale of your society.
Blush to bear, perchance, the insignia of the poverty and humiliations of Jesus Christ in your state of life, and yet try to aspire to the pomp and luxury of the world shining around.
Let us contemplate this scene as faith points out; let us enter this manger in spirit; let us see this hidden Deity who, in the darkness of night, when all creatures are silent--in want of every necessity, and is made poor to enrich us.
This Child is born in an empty stable, deserted by every one; it is the "God who created them, and whom they obey; it is the everlasting Wisdom which assists at all the councils of God, and which it has possessed from the beginning of time.
This divine wisdom, hidden in the limbs of an infant, was begotten in the brightness of the saints.
Ungrateful, deluded man, you who have not wished to know this divine wisdom in the richness of His beauty, see Him now in the poverty of a stable! Laden as you have been with so many benefits and blessings, you have not recognized the hand which has spread them over you with such profusion; you have closed your ears to that striking voice which appeals to you with as many mouths as there are creatures: O man, adore thy God! His ingenious love has suggested another voice to persuade you: He teaches you through the poverty of the crib: "Now, therefore, my children, hear me" (Prov. viii)
Ah, my brethren! What does not this divine Child say, that eternal Word which is now so silent?
No occasion to seek for rules of piety to lead us on, for we learn all that we need know and practice in this adorable book. All the prophets, all the doctors, all the apostles speak through the mouth of Him who has opened theirs. The stable at Bethlehem is the school where all Christians ought to study the science of salvation. All the ways to heaven, every path of virtue, begin and finish through Him who is the Alpha and the Omega, and being the way, the truth, and the life, He has opened the way to heaven to all.
Providence of my God, exclaims St. Bernard, how wonderful art Thou! Carnal and animal creatures have no conception of the works of God. Even wisdom itself is made flesh to make it intelligible to men of flesh.
It is not longer through men, full of a holy fear, that God proclaims His oracles; mysterious messages in shrouded language no longer issue from the mountain top amidst thunder and lightning; these are heard no more. It is from the farther end of a grotto, it is from the height of a crib, it is in the silence of night, it is the mouth of a Child wrapped in swaddling clothes that the Incarnate Wisdom exclaims, "Behold, to thee wisdom is manifested in the flesh."
Come, ye profound philosophers, ye refined politicians, ye clever men--enter into the stable; there is your lyceum, your academy; deposit your proud learning, your studied lessons, your captious rhetoric at the feet of this adorable Doctor who exposes the vanity, errors, and littleness of everything.
Let all the fire of eloquence, all the pride of wisdom, all the subtlety of philosophy, all the refinements of policy, disappear at the sight of this divine Child: Ecce tibi in carne exhibetur sapientia.
Preachers of the Gospel, happy organs of the eternal Word who sends you; you whom as well as St. John the Baptist, are only voices to proclaim the glory of God in every temple, kneel before this Child and acknowledge the Master who has loosened the tongues of the prophets and apostles, who has inspired the martyrs and young virgins with words that astonished tyrants and confounded pagan philosophers; and when you shall have adored Him silently and humbly, lost in wonder, speak and consecrate every ornament of eloquence to the praise and glory of Him who has endowed you with gifts.
Happy the docile listeners who, opening their hearts to that invisible Preacher who speaks to them through your mouths, can hear the voice of our Lord in those of men!
Teach us, then, O Child divine! We speak in Your place simply to exhort Christians to hear You instead of hearing us.

Du Jarry
On Christ-tide

More to come

I posted on Saturday about us trying to picture ourselves at the time of the Incarnation, and what we would think if it happened in our time. Today I was searching through my books, and I came across one which was written in 1891. It has a great thought-provoking reading in about the Incarnation. I will be posting this in its entirety in the near future. It is well worth the read. I swear that I hadn't read it before, because it uses the same type of think process that I wanted to convey to you. Be in touch later.

Holiday travel

Today is the most travelled day of the year. And with the TSA so diligent with their inspections, we all feel better for it. Right? My opinion is that you can choose to be sexually assaulted (again) by the government, or risk sterilization with the scanner. You choose. No matter what the government tells us about how safe the scanners are, I don't believe it for a minute. It HAS to be worse than x-rays, which only last for an instant. Maybe we should get back to travelling by train again.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. And remember to thank God Himself for all you have received, especially the Faith! I know I will.

Lord, help us

RORATE CÆLI

Since I converted, I have never heard of this. Any comments? They will be appreciated. In any case, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


RORATE CÆLI: "The Friday after Thanksgiving Day indult ...


Just a reminder or, for some new to tradition, a wonderful heads up, that there is no required abstinence from meat this Friday.

While always a topic of great discussion, it is a fact that Pope Pius XII granted Americans a dispensation from their Friday abstinence, so that they may enjoy turkey the Friday after Thanksgiving. I say 'enjoy' turkey because that is truly the only reason he would have granted it -- the arguments over refrigeration and whether meat would spoil are rather silly since wide-spread, in-home refrigeration (as well as cable TV) actually did exist in the 1950s.

So eat your turkey sandwiches this Friday and give great thanks to a merciful God for all that we have to be thankful for. And, while you're at it, thank and pray for Pope Pius XII before you dive into that turkey, that he may be canonized a saint soon.

Also, there will be no posting of souls for the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society this week. All souls sent in will be posted next week.

A reminder on how to enroll souls: please email me at cpaulitz@yahoo.com and submit as follows: 'name, state, country.' If you want to enroll entire families, simply write in the email: 'The Jones family, Rome, Italy'. Individual names are preferred. Be greedy -- send in as many as you wish and forward this posting to friends as well.

Fall jobs

I haven't written lately, as I have been attending to my lawn jobs. The mowing is done, but the part which I don't care about too much is left: raking. I don't like raking leaves, but it must be done. Besides, I have many lawns to do this job to. Too busy to think about posting here. Sorry!

Today, my wife and I went to a funeral for the mother of a good friend. Non-Catholic. The service was OK, but I would prefer that people wouldn't assume that their beloved is already in heaven. Catholic churches do this these days, also. It's the sin of presumption. Anyway, towards the end of the service at the funeral home, the song "Amazing Grace" was played. While I don't care for it always and everywhere, it does have a certain meaning for me.

When I converted, I accepted that the Catholic Church WAS The Church of Christ. But, I didn't really believe or know all that came with it at the time. Over time I had an epiphany for myself; the words in the song mean a lot to me. About "How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed." It was like being hit with a bolt of lightning. It was so cool! And so easy to believe. It makes sense! It's like: Jesus said it, I believe it, it has to be true! It doesn't get any simpler than this.

Protestants don't get this. They tend to interpret everything that Jesus said to their own beliefs. I know that it doesn't work this way. May God have mercy on them.

Lord, help our unbelief.

25th Sunday after Pentecost

Tomorrow is the 25th Sunday after Pentecost. We will hear some parables about how the Church will grow. The mustard seed, being the smallest of all seeds, turns into a tree so big, that, birds can build nests in it. Then we hear about the woman dividing wheat into 3 shares, which will rise equally. Could this parable mean the Holy Trinity? Equally, it will spread over the entire earth. There is NO place which has not heard about Jesus, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is now up to us to decide whether we will eat the Bread, which is furnished by the wheat in the Holy Eucharist. This is my take on it, and I am unanimous in it.


On another note, I finished a book yesterday, entitled "The Quiet Light". It is about St. Thomas Aquinas written as a novel. I got to thinking about this period of time, and I think modern society has it wrong. It says that the Middle Ages were the 'Dark Ages'. How can this be, since there were so many saints during that period? There was St. Thomas, St. Dominic, St. Bonaventure, King Louis, St. Francis, etc. It truly was an era of True Light.
On the other hand, the so-called Age of 'Enlightenment' during the past 150 years or so, is actually an age of darkness. I shall call this age a pantload. It is leading all away from the True Light of the world, Who is Jesus Christ.

May we strive to be enlightened by the Faith through the Holy Ghost, strengthened by Jesus Christ Himself in the Eucharist, and be accepted by the Eternal Father in heaven. Amen

Angelqueen.org :: View topic - Exorcist says he can't cast out all demons himself

I found this on Angelqueen. It pretty much sums up a lot of the problems in the Church. I especially like what this priest has to say about our Bishops! Just click on the link.


Angelqueen.org :: View topic - Exorcist says he can't cast out all demons himself: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Ponder

I have been reading a book entitled, "The Quiet Light", by Louis de Wohl. It's about Saint Thomas Aquinas written as if by an observer. Very interesting, so far. Thanks, Kris. It is about how he came from royalty, and how his family wanted him to be royalty, not just a beggar monk. So far, so good.

Anyway, in it was a quote from St. Augustine which I think is something to ponder:

"Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand".


Lord, that I may see.

Yay!

Two years ago, the slogan was 'change'. We knew it wouldn't be for our good. Well, the people had a say Tuesday. They said 'they' wanted a change, and they got it. Maybe we are partially on the way to be in God's good graces again. It was at least a start. Maybe more people are praying than we thought. God is STILL on the throne, and prayer does change things. Hopefully this trend will continue so that "WE THE PEOPLE" can get our country back! Time will tell.

Lord, have mercy

CHRIST THE KING!

Tomorrow is the feast of Christ the King. Jesus: "My kingdom is not of this world," but it is in the world. He came to establish a kingdom of truth for our intellect; a kingdom of justice and holiness for our will; a kingdom of love and peace for our heart. If we follow Him, He will lead us into His eternal kingdom.

Remember when Pilate and Jesus were face to face at the "trial", when Jesus answered that He was in fact a King, and said that He had come into the world to bear witness to the truth? He said that everyone who is of the truth hears His voice. And remember that Pilate turned and walked away from Him and said, "What is truth?" How many people do we know who turn away from the truth when it is presented to them? Too many to count. How many think that this is just another Sunday? They need many prayers.

Lord, have mercy. Please?


"We have no government armed with power capable contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

John Adams


Remember that the election is only 3 days away now. Vote as if your life depends on it, because it does. We need to ask the prayers of the ever-virgin Mary, our eternal Mother, that she obtain for our country the privilege to be in the good graces of God again by sending us better representatives.

Vote!!!!

Just remembering everyone to get out and vote next Tuesday. It is our duty as free citizens to do this, while we still can. We need to weed out the chaff of the government. We need some new ideas, because the old standard isn't working. Our fore-fathers are probably turning over in their graves(if it is possible), seeing what our POTUS is doing to the Constitution. Of course, he wants to dispense with it altogether. People need to wake up, smell the rotting roses, get off their butts, do some homework, and get out and vote. Our future, as we as future generations, depend on it.

Besides, I'm so sick of the mud-slinging that has been going on. The dems with their outright lies make me sick. Anybody with half a brain should be able to see through the sludge. Get off of facebook, i-pods, computer games, etc. Do some research, for crying out loud! Jay Leno on late nites frequently goes Jay-walking to see what people think about politics. Usually, these people have no idea who anybody is or what is going on in the world. But, they sure know all of the people on Jersey Shore and what they're up to. Also, "reality" shows. Pathetic! AND, they are voting and breeding! I'll tell you what. Our future is not too bright if people like this are our future.

We need desperately need Our Lady more than ever. She tried to warn us about this, but people refused to listen. Now look at the state of our beautiful country. Maybe, just maybe, if we get enough people praying again, we can once again put America in God's good graces.

Kyrie, eleison

The Motherhood of Mary

This week has been a busy one, indeed. A painting job which entailed all cutting in, because each wall has a panel on it. No rollers! A giant pain, but well worth the pay. And, mowing 7 yards between rain drops. I'm just not that agile anymore. And some plumbing. Busy, indeed. That is why I haven't written earlier. But, now to the more important stuff.


Monday was the day celebrating the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the 1500th year after the Council of Ephesus, where Mary was called the "Mother of God". It is as simple as this, as in geometry:

1) Mary is the mother of Jesus
2) Jesus is God
3) Therefore, Mary is the Mother of God

It IS that simple.

Also, this week was the 93rd anniversary of the Great Miracle of Fatima. It was witnessed by 70,000 people, many of who were skeptics. Some of them converted, or reverted to the Faith which they had abandoned. Mary brought them back! I said "no" to the Catholic Church once, because I thought there was too much to know and learn. Hah! Mary brought me back also. She knew that I was just stubborn enough to learn and defend the Faith once I learned it. Hopefully, she was right. After all, my name means "soldier" in Latin! Now days I can't seem to know and learn enough. Go figure.

Happy day

This week is an exciting one for our neighbor. She is remarrying after approx. 15 years. She is a 69 year old widow. Her fiance is a widower. They have worked together for a few years now rehabilitating released ex-cons. I don't think I would be able to do it. Anyway, it occurred to the gentleman that they seem to have a lot in common, so why not be married. The answer was in the affirmative. This will be this Saturday. She is giddy like a teenager. It's hilarious!

In the meantime, her mother who was 95 years old passed away Last Sunday. The priests in our diocese are away for the week, so the first day they could do the funeral is Friday. One day before the big day. Mom had told our neighbor that she didn't want to ruin that day for her oldest daughter, and so she didn't. Everyone will be in town for the funeral, so they might as well stay for the wedding. They just need to order more food for the get-together. Our neighbor has 9 siblings, and her husband-to-be has a big family also. It should be interesting, to say the least. Our neighbor says that her mother is still calling the shots. She got everyone together on this weekend.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let Thy Face shine upon her, and may she rest in peace. May her soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen

Different times?

Are we living in such different times than we were in the 60's? I am currently reading a book by my friend, William M. Price, entitled "Vietnam in Wonderland". He is describing what was going on over there in Nam, and also what was happening right here in the U.S. Right up there are Kissinger, Hanoi Jane, and a bunch of other losers who were running the government. It started out to help the South Vietnamese get out from under the Communist regime of North Vietnam, which was supported by China, our current 'most favored trading partner'(thanks to Billy Clinton). After a while, it was determined by Kissinger that it was an unwinnable and unworthy war, thus fueling the anti-war marches, and led by anti-American politicians who opposed the war. It could have been won, but was squashed by bureaucrats.

Is the 'war' in Iraq and Pakistan any different than that period of time? It is pretty much the same, except that this time the war is not winnable. We shouldn't be there in this bogus war! We taught them how to stave off the Russians during the 80's. Do we really think that we can conquer them now? And we STILL have losers in the government! These are much worse, seeing that they have a muslim leading them, no matter what he calls himself. If he was born a muslim, he's a muslim! Period! Besides this, we have our National Guard troops over there. They are NOT international troops. In the New World Order, we are the police department. We are being railroaded into thinking that this is all for our good. We are too stupid to realize this and to act upon it.

These Guards should be here protecting us as it should be. Our troops should be here to protect us. Our enemies are here already. The ragheads, the Chinese, the Communists, etc. They are just waiting for their cue. It will be a cakewalk. People's heads are in a dark spot. I say to them, "Keep pushing until it reappears!"

Lord, have mercy

Disrespect

I am amazed how far we have come in regard to freely disrespecting others and being able to get away with it. The political ads are so nasty, I don't want to vote for any of them. My choices won't win anyway. The dems always complaining about how they've been smeared, when it is usually them that fire the first volley. A political analyst said that the ads don't have to be true, they just need to put that little bit of doubt in the minds of the voters. It is truly sickening.

One being that won't be mocked and criticized so freely is God. He will take it seriously, today and the day when we croak. What really sickens me is when people come to church, and they're not dressed appropriately, women not being humble enough to cover their heads, or just disrespect for The Presence in the Holy Eucharist. People taking Communion in their grubby little hands. Particles falling onto the floor, which we will either step on or which will be swept up into a dirt-devil. Mother Teresa said when she was alive that "Communion in the hand is the worst sacrilege in the 20th century." I agree. I would bet everything that I have(which isn't much) that the 'other' prayer that the angel gave the children at Fatima pertains to these times, in reparation for the disrespect that God gets at the masses of this day. We all remember the first prayer, "O my God, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need of Thy mercy." But, but anyone remember to say the 'other' which the angel gave to the children? A lot of people don't. I'm going to add it, and say that it should be said every day at least 3 times, in honor of the Blessed Trinity. Here it is:

O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He Himself is offended. Through the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.



May God have mercy on our poor souls.

Thought for the these days

St. John Eudes tells us:

"When God is thoroughly angry with His people, His worst chastisement He can send is to send bad priests."

Do you think He is ticked off at us?

The Catholic Knight: Catholic Prophecy

I found this on a blog spot tonight. The website is: http://www.catholicknight.blogspot.com

How interesting!


The Catholic Knight: Catholic Prophecy: "After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognisable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognisable. Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents or elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society.

-- St. Nilus, 430 AD

Stupid

What are these people thinking? In the news lately, we are hearing about the "pastor" in Florida, who plans on burning copies of the quran on 9/11. I support his right to free speech, but his means are questionable. I DO hope he holds his ground, not to cave in to Hillary, generals, BO, and the like, in not changing his mind. He is right in that islam is of the devil, and therefore shouldn't be adhered to. But, he is just making the situation worse. I would be surprised if something doesn't happen to him and/or his property and followers.

To top this off, here in Lansing, we have a woman pastor in East Lansing, who will be reading from the quran on 9/11. This woman, who apparently doesn't believe what St. Paul says, that women are NOT to speak in church, is just another useful IDIOT! She is kissing the back side of the moslems, thus also making the whole mess worse. She would probably be one of the first to convert to this "peaceful" religion if she had to choose between that and being put to death. This IS the moslem belief if we don't adhere and convert. Wake up people!

We have to remember that God is still the throne, and prayer does work.

Just something to think about

I am going to leave you with a quote from St. Dionysius(1st-2nd century). He says,

"Those who are stone deaf to what the sacred sacraments teach also have no eye for the imagery."

I will be gone for a few days in St. Louis, so I won't be posting anything til I get back. I will give my opinion on this quote then. Feel free to leave a comment. I'm interested in opinions.

Class Reunion

Last weekend I had a 40th class reunion. We met on Friday at a local bar owned by one classmate, and reminisced about this and that. Saturday, a few of us golfed in the morning(approx. 13 out of approx. 900 class size). In the late afternoon, we had a get-together and meal with approx. 120 attending(including spouses). It was fun.
In my class, many went on to be quite accomplished in their fields. Professors, teachers, medical professionals, even an actual rocket scientist who works on the shuttle, Hubble etc. These people generally have well-to-do results. Quite impressive, I thought.

I realized how much I don't have in common with these people. Don't really know them very well. I further realized that me, after working 30 years for GM, was just a grunt compared to them. This is in my own mind.

But on further observation, I realized that I am one of the richest of the lot. I have been given the Faith that Jesus Christ Himself started! Being a Roman Catholic is much more worth than anything they have in their successful lives. The more I study, the more I realize that this is where I am supposed to be. To not worry about riches, and topics unimportant to my eternal salvation.

I am truly blessed! :) Thank you Jesus any Mary.

Getting a kick

Recently I have been getting a kick out of the liberals. They seem to be breaking in the ranks at times. Mostly, these things are considering B.O. and his dumb announcements. Like endorsing the mosque at Ground Zero. Who in their right mind would support this loser/liar of a muslim? There was a poll on the nightly news, saying that: 18% think BO is a muslim; 42% think he is a Christian; and the rest are undecided. How spineless can you get? Some dems are in opposition to his stance, and rightly so. Anyone who supports him and his stances on islam, when he is pretty much stabbing everyone else in the back, will have a lot to answer for when they croak.

Even Harry Reid disagrees on the placement of a mosque where it is intended. What a novel viewpoint, especially from him. Others are starting to question more and more all the time. I love this infighting. I pray for this disunion in liberal thinking every day. I hope one day when they realize who and what they elected, they ask themselves, "What the hell have I done?"

Another thing. I am soooo tired of the government lying about the gulf spill. "It's been cleaned up", "there's no harm to wildlife", "the well is capped", and so on into ad nauseam. There was a fisherman last week saying, "I wouldn't eat this stuff coming out of the gulf". I haven't seen him anymore. Just like the guy who jumped from the platform on the day of the explosion. He told officials that there was a problem an entire week before the disaster! They said, "More production!". Haven't heard from or about him since, either. Where are these guys? The government stifles the ones bold enough to speak the truth.

What is most disturbing is the Feds not telling us about how toxic the dispersant they used to break up the oil is. How it is killing wildlife and flora in the area. Not to mention that many will die eating this toxic seafood. If they really believed the catches are safe, they should be shown on live TV eating the same.

My kids knew they would be disciplined worse if they lied. Why can't these government people be held accountable? Just wait til November!!!!!

Blessed Mother, pray for our great nation. Please?

Assumption

Today is the Blessed Assumption of the Ever-Virgin Mary into heaven. According to the "City of God", by Mary of Agreda, she died on the 13th of August, a Friday, at 3:00pm. She was in repose until Sunday morning, when she was raised and escorted into Heaven by Her Son. Sound familiar? This is truly a day to celebrate, since the 13th was Friday, and today is the 15th. This is The Day!!!!!
Along with Jesus, there was thousands of Saints, Patriarches, Prophets, and myriads of Angels accompanying Him. What a celebration that must have been, huh!? She followed Her Son in everything throughout her life, even unto death. She pretty much started the Way of The Cross, when she, along with St. John, would trace all of the steps Jesus did on His way to The Cross, stopping at each significant spot.
According to the "City of God" again, she lived to be seventy years of age. She looked, however, the same as she was at the age of 33. She never aged beyond that year.

Oh Holy Mary, pray for us, now and at the hour of our death.
And, please escort into Heaven those for whom we now pray.

Thank you Jesus. What a Glorious day this is!

Extraordinary Mass in Lansing

Hey everybody. You have got to check out Fr. Robineau's site, and read about the "new" assignment. I especially love the ending. Prayers are needed so much!

Here's his site. I hope you get as much of a chuckle as I did.

http://getholy.com

apathy

Just a short note that I read the other day. It comes from a woman who is fighting against the islamization of the world, the U.S. in particular. Her name is Pamela Geller, and she has a web site called: http://www.AtlasShrugs.com

Her quote: "Evil is made possible by the sanction you give it. Withdraw your sanction."

Growing up too soon

The nightly news had a segment about young girls, as young as 7, reaching puberty already. What do you expect? We're getting hormones in our food, on our crops, along with genetically engineered everything. We're getting gassed by unmarked planes from the air with chem trails, poisoned in our water with extra flouride and other chemicals. We're getting lied to about the oil slick in the Gulf region. Of course they don't see any oil anymore; they've used a toxic dispersant(Corexit) to hide the oil. Even the fishermen in the region admit they wouldn't eat what is coming out of the water. But the FDA says it's okay to eat. Maybe they should be force-fed some of the catches, and see what happens in a year or so after. More people will be getting cancer and dying, and this will help fulfill the "Georgia Guidestones" mandates. Look it up and see for yourself. We need to bump off about 500 million people for the planet to survive. Our government is doing their part, if not too well.

Our beloved government lies to us, no matter what party, and there doesn't seem that we can do much to stop it. The ONLY thing that will help this great country is prayer and getting active. The prince of the world is truly rejoicing at our failures and shortcomings.

I remember hearing tapes of an old Catholic radio show, which always began with: "God is still on the throne and prayer changes things." It's worth a shot!

What we deserve

Well, we got what we deserved on Tuesday, after the primaries. In Michigan, we got a egomaniac going against a man who started a computer business(which is good), while at the same time, calls himself Republican, but thinks the party should dump the right-to-life platform.

Now, to the egomaniac. He is Lansing's current mayor. He is forever running end runs around the city council, pretending that some things are a done deal, when is fact he hasn't even presented them to the council yet. All he does is kiss body parts of developers. He will slam his opponent as much as he can. That's what he does, making up lies to maybe make voters have a little bit of doubt. He has achieved nothing for the city, and now will probably run the state. He's what the damnocrats want.

When our current governor announced before her first election, she said we would be blown away in five years. She was so right! People were blown right out of the state looking for a job.

If this sleazy little greaseball gets into the governor's mansion, things won't blow like the previous administration. They will suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finding the right Man

Las Vegas isn't such a bad city, if you stay away from the strip, and the immorality of the casino/downtown area. Recently we've had a relative from there visiting. She also has many other relatives in this area and is visiting them too. She used to have some very extreme ideas about almost everything. we never thought we'd agree with her so much as we have since her conversion. These days, however, she has converted to Christianity, although not reverting to her Catholic roots. As least not yet, anyway. She pronounced that she had finally found a Man who won't let her down, as so many others had. She has found Jesus Christ. Hooray!!!!! Maybe one of these days she will find her way to the Church founded by Christ Himself. We'll keep praying for her. She has found that she is way outnumbered now, as believers are. You know what I mean. The shunning, exclusion, and ridicule. Even in her own family. What a surprise.

I am going to give you a riddle, which I will explain in my next post, if I remember. This woman is my wife's sister's sister, but she is my wife's aunt. Got it yet? I didn't think so. Ha Ha!

Great news!

We have so much to be thankful for these in the midwest. We have finally been getting much needed rain. Maybe now our grass and gardens will prosper. God is truly great. He provides. He knows our needs more than we do and way before we think we need them, and He takes care of us. We just need to give thanks a lot more than we do.

THANK YOU, GREAT GOD OF THE UNIVERSE.

HOT

OMG! It's too hot! I think I am, like, going to stay inside and have a cold one. Wish I had a pool!

HE WILL PREVAIL

Just a couple of things today, since it is too hot again to do much.
John Henry Cardinal Newman said that "the face of the visible Church is very disappointing to an earnest mind, nay, in certain sense, a scandal." This did not discourage this great theologian, whom Pope Benedict will beatify later this year. "It is also a fact," Newman continued, "that, in spite of them still, the Church has ever got on and made way, to the surprise of the world; as an army may fight a series of bloody battles, and lose men, and yet go forward from victory to victory." We would do well also to recall two things our Lord Jesus Christ told us about His Church: that it is made up of both good and bad, wheat and chaff; and that the Gates of Hell will never prevail against it. Remember, he was a leading minister in the church of England, and converted to Catholicism in the 1840's. If you are able to, check out his "APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA", his book from 1864 in which he disputes the religious upheaval in England, and at the same time blowing away his detractors, especially when he defected to the True Faith of Catholicism.

We should remember this as we sometimes despair with all that is going on to the Faith these days. This stuff occurring today is the same as occurred in the past. Only the wordings and tactics have been changed.

The DEFEAT of Islam?

The Society of St. Pope Pius X has been praying, and adding up, rosaries for the Consecration of Russia, as Our Lady requested at Fatima in 1917. This is all very good for us to do. I have another suggestion for use of our rosaries. How about if we pray for the DEFEAT AND END of Islam. I probably shouldn't capitalize islam, since it is not a religion, according to God Himself. He set up His own for us to follow.

The Pope and good Catholics prayed for their victory against the moslems at the Battle of Lepanto, and were rewarded with it. We need to do the same is these trying days. What do you think? Could we give it a whirl?

Islam is taking over the world, starting with Europe,Asia and the like, and we will soon feel the pressure here. Especially when they propose to build a mosque at the heart of New York, at the site of the World Trade Center at the hands of the moslem butchers. What a slap in the face, considering it should be a shrine to all who died on that dreadful day. Bloomberg is an ass for even letting them consider it in the first place.

We need to stop them in their tracks while we can still pray, before it is outlawed.

Pray for their DEFEAT today and every day to follow!!!!!

Lord, have mercy.

Too hot!!!!!

Today is too hot to want to do anything. So I will just leave you with a couple of things to think about.

"I never learned anything when I was talking." Larry King

This next one was an answer to a crossword puzzle I was working. I have a passion for them, and love to do the New York Times puzzles. Any way, here it is:

Reason often makes mistakes, but the conscience never does.

I would like to add to this one. A 'well-informed' conscience never does.

Learn the Faith!!!

The Visitation of Our Lady to St. Elizabeth

Today is the day of the Visitation of Our Lady to St. Elizabeth, who was near to giving birth to St. John the Baptist. When Mary greeted her, the baby "leapt" in her womb, signifying the sanctification of John in the womb. How cool is that? How great it is when Our Lord and Our Lady visit us, even when we cannot see them?

When Mary heard St. Elizabeth say these words, she went in the Magnificat, in which she gives all thanks for everything to God, and says that her "soul" MAGNIFIES the Lord, Who had done great things for her.. She DIDN'T say that her "being" proclaimed the goodness of the Lord! Every time in the "Nervous Order" of things, when pertaining to Mary on days honoring her, the words and readings are all changed, not meaning the same thing at all! I supposed we have the protestants to thank for that, since they got to change the Mass so as to not offend them! What a huge PANTLOAD!!!!!


We just finished the month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We should all have some kind of devotion to this beautiful Heart, which has loved us so much. And, today is the first Friday of the month, which is also dedicated to the Sacred Heart.




May the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary protect us.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning for love of us, set our hearts on fire for love of Thee.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I give myself to Thee through Mary.

Lord, have Mercy.

Prayers desperately needed

Today, the confirmation hearings for E. Kagan begin in Washington D.C. We need to pray for her to stumble and fail. She would NOT be even a half-ways decent addition to the Supreme Court. She's pro-homo, anti-gun, and pro B.O. What else needs to be said?

On a lighter note(possibly), the wife and I have been watching the movie, "Masada", about the fortress on top of a mountain in Israel(well, it's Israel now), and the efforts of the Roman-led armies to thwart their existence. I didn't realize that so many Romans and Jews spoke with a British accent!? Go figure.

Just thoughts

Tomorrow is the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. He was sanctified in the womb of Elizabeth by Jesus Christ Himself. They communicated with each other(since Jesus was in Mary's womb at the same time) spiritually. He was called the greatest prophet ever by Jesus during His ministry. John called for repentance and baptism. How much simpler can we get than that? He was beheaded by Herod for speaking the truth. We should ask him for prayers to help us speak the truth, not considering the consequences.

On another topic, we here in the Lansing diocese, we seem to have a self-proclaimed martyr in the form of a priest. He thinks that since so many people disagree with him, Jesus will be welcoming him with open arms at his demise, calling him a great servant. He does have potential, but all that changed when he was awarded a parish. 180 degree u-turn. He recently says he was asked by our bishop to see if there was any interest in forming a Latin-Rite parish. This wasn't even mentioned in bulletins or anywhere. Just him. Of course, he would be the celebrant, and I'm sure the nervous-order calendar will be used, since he detests using the old one. Doesn't see the what the big deal is. He has reported that he has had death threats, but they are probably made up by him, since he IS a martyr and all. He needs many prayers.


For all those who don't seem to want to learn the Faith, here is what a saint says:

"Ignorance is no excuse when we have neglected to learn what we are obligated to know." St. Ambrose



On another note, concerning where the country seems to be going through our king of the world, King B.O., here's what another famous person had to say:

"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy". James Madison


Do we have this? Yes, with our armed forces in many places of the world, supposedly protecting us. They should be here, since our enemies are, and ready to go.

Lord, have mercy on us, since we are sooooo messed up.

Overcoming predominate faults

I was searching for something this afternoon when I came across this prayer. Surely, we all have a weak spot somewhere.

PRAYER TO OVERCOME OUR PREDOMINATE FAULT

Lord, make ,me know the obstacles I more or less consciously place in the way of the working of Thy grace in me. Then give me the strength to rid myself of them, and, if I am negligent in doing so, do Thou deign to free me from them, though I should suffer greatly.

Lord, show me the principal obstacle to my sanctification, the one that hinders me from profiting by graces and also by the exterior difficulties that would work to the good of my soul if I had greater recourse to Thee when they arise.

"Lord, here burn, here cut, and dry up in me all that hinders me from going to Thee, that Thou mayest spare me in eternity." St. Louis Bertrand

Lord, take from me everything that hinders me from going to Thee. Give me all that will lead me to Thee. Take me from myself and give me to Thyself.

New York=Mecca?

I was just watching a video on Youtube about the muslims building a mosque just hundreds of feet away from Ground Zero, where 3000 people were incinerated or died from exposure to the dust and smoke. I'm using small letters for "muslims" and "islam", because they're not worthy of anything capitalized, in my humble opinion.

They have proposed to build a mosque at the heart of the tragedy, supposedly to honor the fallen. What a pantload this is! It is an insult to any right thinking person, although there are not that many of them anymore. People need to wake up, and stop kissing up to the ENEMY. They are NOT a peace-loving "religion". They want to rule the world. Did you notice that the Queen of England had a birthday celebration just last week? A muslim mentioned that when they take Buckingham Palace over to be a mosque, the Queen will either have to convert or move. See how pompous they are?

The muslims have already taken over Europe with their violence. London also has been pretty much taken over by the same. Just name any major city in Europe, and you find the same.

Our POTUS probably doesn't see any problem with all of this. He doesn't even want an American flag at his ramblings. Any one see an American pin on his lapel? This is because he is muslim. He is all for this crap. He even bowed to the king of some arab land. i can't remember because I'm so ticked off right now just thinking about this nonsense. I had better quit now until I get back together.

WAKE UP AMERICA AND THE WORLD!

Lost sheep?

Sunday is the third Sunday after Pentecost. The man rejoices because he has found his lost sheep.

How many sheep (bishops, priests,etc.) are lost and meandering in the wilderness, because they have lost their way? The innocent (and not so innocent) lambs are blindly following them, even unto destruction and the loss of their eternal soul. Christ will rejoice at their finding, and bring them back into the fold.

Remember when Christ asked if he would find any faith when He came back? So few have held on, especially when the world has dethroned the King and replaced Him with the prince of darkness, who blinds the flock and leads them astray. Perseverance is the key, along with fidelity to the eternal Truth established by Christ Himself.

I will end with a quote from St. Jerome.


"You are deceived if you think that a Christian can live without persecution. He suffers the greatest who lives under none. Nothing is more to be feared than too long a peace. A storm puts a man upon his guard, and obliges him to exert his utmost efforts to escape shipwreck."

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Tomorrow, the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1675, Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque during the Octave of Corpus Christi of that year and said, "This is the Heart which has loved men so much and in turn is so little loved by them."

This is so true today. How many "catholics" have even heard of this devotion, or been instructed in it? Modern catholics are not given the Truth as it should be, and leaders WILL pay on their day. By the way, I use the small "c" for catholic, because, in my opinion, their brains have atrophied.

During my years of working for GM, I memorized quite few short ejaculations to the Sacred Heart, which I would repeat every day on my way to work right after my rosary. I would leave home about a half hour earlier than I had to, because I figured that if I didn't do these prayers then, a lot of days I would have not gotten them done. The morning was the best time for me. So after 25+ years of doing this, along with the litany to Our Lady of Loreto, I managed to memorize them, which is actually easier than reading them. I could do them anywhere.

Any way, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was pierced by the lance(another sign for our benefit), is our only hope of eternal rest, because of His infinite mercy.

Jesus told our beloved saint that if we would honor Him at least on the First Friday of each month, He promised this:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent. (My note, remember tepid ain't so hot)
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart shall be exposed and
honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My
Heart, never to be effaced.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love
will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive
months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor
without receiving their Sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be their refuge
in this last moment.

Old friends

I just got done talking to a couple of friends who I went to school with a thousand years ago. It was good speaking to them again. Maybe we'll be in touch more. It would be nice. When you think about old school friends or people you knew when you were working, but now days don't see them at all or even talk to them anymore, it's kind of sad. But when you reconnect once again, life seems to be a much happier place, especially with all that goes on in the world these days.

It's like being away from the Church for so many years, to be in touch again with what is important. Everything else seems so trivial. I myself wasn't away from the Church, because I wasn't Catholic then. Maybe it's better to be a convert(as shown in my first blog), because you appreciate it even more, knowing that Christ and His Blessed Mother kept reeling me in until I reached the boat. Or call that an Ark, because I feel so much safer now than in my wilder days, when church meant nothing to me. It was a place where you went on Easter and Christmas. What a shame!

Kyrie eleison

Queenship of Mary

I know that I missed posting this on the 31st, but it should be worth the read anytime. It is an ancient sequence for the Traditional Feast of the Visitation on July 2nd, in honor of the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen.


VENI PRACELSA DOMINA

Come. o Supreme Lady
O Mary, do thou visit us,
enlighten our sickly souls
by the example of thy life.

Come, O Salvatrix of the world,
take away the filth of sin;
by visiting thy people,
remove their peril.

Come, O Queen of nations,
extinguish the flames of guilt,
rectify what is wrong,
give us to live innocently.

Come, and visit the sick,
O Mary, fortify the strong
with thy holy vigor,
so that the brave fail not.

Come, O thou Star, and Light of Seas,
shed thy ray of peace on us;
let the heart of John exult
with joy before the Lord.

Indifference

I am reading "The City of God", and am now almost through the set. In the last volume, I found these statements very simple, yet disturbing.

..."Such is mortal life of men, a short course, the end of which shall bring to the runner either eternal glory of everlasting torment as a reward of punishment. All men are born to run this race by the use of their reason and free will; and no one, much less the children of the Church, can plead ignorance as an excuse. Hence, where is the judgment and good sense of those in the Catholic faith? Why does vanity still retain its hold upon them? Why do they ensnare themselves in the love of what is only apparent and deceitful? Why do they ignore the end to which they shall come so soon? Why will they not understand what there awaits them? Do they perhaps not know that they are born but to die (Psalm 138:49), that life is but momentary, death infallibly certain, the reward or punishment unavoidable and eternal? What can the lovers of this world answer to these questions? Those that consume all of their short life (for even the longest lives are very short), in accumulating honors, or riches, in wasting their strength and powers in the enjoyment of corruptible and most vile pleasures?..."

Remember, lukewarm ain't so hot.

And later on, another thought which is in the instruction part of each chapter:

"...How many are there among the mortals, who during the whole course of their lives have not excited one sincere act of thanksgiving for the gift of life, for its preservation, for health, food, honors, possessions and all the other temporal and natural goods! Others there are, who, if at any time they give thanks for these benefits, do it because they truly love God, the Giver, but because they love themselves and delight in these temporal and earthly blessings and in the possession of them. This kind of vain deceit discovers itself in two ways: first, in seeking these earthly and transitory goods, men are full of dissatisfaction, haste and discomfort, and they scarcely can think of, ask for, or desire other more spiritual things, loving only what is apparent and passing....
Secondly, this deceit is known by the forgetfulness of spiritual benefits in the blind pursuit of what is transitory, so that men neither recognize or acknowledge what is beyond. This fault among the children of the Church is most vile and dreadful, since, without any obligation on the part of God and without any of their merit, the divine mercy seeks to draw them to the secure path of eternal life, signally applying to them the merits of the passion and death of my divine Son..."

Rules for being Human

I was searching for something in our storage room, when I came across this writing. I don't know how old it is, but worth reading. If we can apply this to learning about the Faith, maybe we would be better off too.

RULES FOR BEING HUMAN:

You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for as long as you live. How you take care of it or fail to take care of it can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life.

You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time school called Life. Each day, you will be presented with opportunities to learn what you need to know. The lessons presented are often completely different from those you THINK you need.

There are no mistakes--only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success.

A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it (as evidenced by a change in your attitude and behavior), then you can go on to the next lesson.

Learning lessons does not end. There is no stage of life that does not contain some lessons. As long as you live, there will be something more to learn.

"There" is not better than "here". When your "there" has become a "here", you will again obtain another "there" that will again look better than your "here". Don't be fooled by believing that the unattainable is better than what you have.

Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. When tempted to criticize others, ask yourself why you feel so strongly.

What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. Remember that through desire, goal-setting and unflagging effort you can have anything you want. Persistence is the key to success.

The answers lie within you. The solutions to all of life's problems lie within your grasp. All you need to do is ask, look, listen, and trust.

You will forget all this. Unless you consistently stay focused on the goals you have set for yourself, everything you've just read won't mean a thing.

Good news/or not?

We have been asked if we would like a traditional parish in the Lansing area. Sounds great! It beats traveling between 40 and 80 miles one way each week. However, it seems that the priest who might be doing it(unknown to some of us), thinks that if we don't agree that Vatican II was good, that we are schismatics and heretics. I think this priest needs a good dictionary! Besides, if it is this same priest, he slammed the Traditionals every week somewhere during his talk. I don't need this, and will keep traveling for a good Mass.


On another topic, I received an e-mail about how the Ten Commandments are all over Washington D.C., and about the ACLU bitching about the "separation of Church and state". However, James Madison (4th President) and "The Father of the Constitution" stated:

"We have staked the whole of all our political Institutions upon the capacity of mankind for Self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to The Ten Commandments of God".

Is this clear enough?!!!

Apostle's Creed

Sorry I don't blog regularly, but I've been busy with lawn jobs. However, I needed to take a break and do some reading in The "City of God", third volume. It's been almost a year now since the Crucifixion, and the Disciples and moving all over the world, as they knew it. However, before they start this undertaking, they are urged and encouraged by Mary to make a unified creed that all believers are to uphold. Each of the Apostles make one article, which is as follows:

St. Peter: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

St. Andrew: And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

St. James the greater: Who was conceived through operation of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.

St. John: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.

St. Thomas: Descended into hell, arose from the dead on the third day.

St. James the less: Ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

St. Philip: From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

St. Bartholomew: I believe in the Holy Ghost.

St. Matthew: In the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints.

St. Simon: Forgiveness of sins.

St. Thaddeus: The resurrection of the dead.

St. Mathias: Life everlasting. Amen.


I had always heard that the Apostles created the Creed, but not in this way.

Good Shepherd

Tomorrow is Good Shepherd Sunday. He said, "I know my sheep, and my sheep know me." Only one thought; does He know you?

The Ides of April

Tomorrow is tax day. For those interested, there will be a Tea Party at our capital in Lansing at 11:30am. If you don't care about your own future, at least you should care about future of your grandchildren. I will now leave you with a couple of quotes from our Founding Fathers.

"A Constitution of government, once changed from freedom, can never be restored. Liberty once lost, is lost forever." John Adams

"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty." Thomas Jefferson

"Time to get off your butt and do something!" Me

Tea Party

Had a good weekend. Went to our first Tea Party Express rally. About 4000 people, by my estimate. Our local rag, the "State Urinal" says there were about 800. What a pantload! So much for truth in journalism. The wife got on a live feed going around the country when the man had his laptop with camera, photographing the whole scene. He liked her button which I bought, "I was anti Obama before it was cool". I also got one. There will be another one on April 15th on the capital steps at 11:30am, in case anyone is interested. Hope to see you there. This time will be different than Saturday. Our "beloved" politicians will be working.

Also, on Tuesday, another rally at noon will be for the Second Amendment. Maybe I can get frisked!

God's mercy

For all those who read this blog, and for those who might not, I am encouraging you to prayer for God's mercy, especially during the Divine Mercy novena. Some people believe that this novena is not valid. Imagine that. I suppose they have an inside to God's thinking. We cannot put our limits on His mercy, needed the most these days. Besides, the groups which are presented to God each day are the same ones we pray for on Good Friday, unless you don't do those either. Here is a thought which is at the end of the litany.

O incomprehensible and limitless Mercy Divine,
to extol and adore You worthily, who can?
Supreme attribute of Almighty God,
You are the sweet hope for sinful man.

Kyrie, eleison.

Coincidence?

A coincidence is a small miracle where God chose to remain anonymous.

A new beginning

Today I embarked on a first of the year. I started mowing lawns. This means a great new beginning for new grass. Plus $$$$$ I know I will be sore tomorrow, but a happy sore.

?

With the new "health" care bill passing, I found a quote that fits the situation pretty well. Here it is, "The lie is sacred and deception will be our principal weapon." See bottom for the quotemaker.

Remember, in the book of Isaias (5:20), he says, "Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness."

We've been lied to in a huge way, and now we all will have to pay the price.

By the way, the author of the quote is Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Go figure.

Hesitation

We've heard it said, "He who hesitates is lost", but I have a quote that goes even farther.

"On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of victory, lay down to rest, and in resting died."
Adlai E. Stevenson

This could apply to any of us who give up, when in fact we might have won.

Health Care

This Sunday's reading from Hebrews (9, 11-15), reminds us of the true universal care which we need in our lives.
"Brethren: When Christ appeared as High Priest of the good things to come, He entered once for all through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by virtue of blood of goats and calves, but by virtue of His own Blood, into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption. for if the blood of goats and bull and the sprinkled ashes of a heifer sanctify the unclean unto the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the Blood of Christ, Who through the Holy Spirit offered Himself unblemished unto god, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
We need the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Eucharist to heal us more than ever.

In closing, here are my thoughts on the health care bill. They are summed up by Maxine, who is probably from the Showbox greeting cards. This is how I feel, too!

"Let me get this straight....we're trying to pass a health care plan written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president that also hasn't read it and who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke. What the h..l could possibly go wrong?"

Irish eyes

Today, Irish eyes must have been smiling on us, because it was beautiful outside. I raked some yards, and I will pay for this tomorrow I'm sure. Haven't used those muscles for quite a while. And, as a bonus, we didn't get gassed by whoever.
I mean, have you ever noticed trails of planes in the sky that don't dissipate, usually in straight lines, sometimes in a grid, and how you have sinus problems in a couple of days. If you think I'm kidding, just google "chem trails", and see what comes up. You'd be surprised!
I am going to ask St. Patrick's help to deliver the snakes out who are running the country and Church. Maybe he can help us.
Prayer does work, and God is still on the throne!

Dreary

Another dreary day in this 'World Class city" of Lansing. Hopefully, things will be brighter in the near future. I still would some more snow so that I can use my tuned-up snow removal equipment. March is such a dismal month. But it is brighter for longer periods of time.

Easter is coming soon, and we can look forward to another year, God willing, to forge ahead trying to live like we are supposed to.

"Pick and choose catholics"

People like Nancy Pelosi drive me nuts. Those who call themselves "Catholic". They are Catholic in name only. They think they can pick and choose whatever beliefs they feel important in their miserable lives. She thinks she is a good Catholic, but in reality, she and those like her are lukewarm at best, to be spit out by God at their inquest. I'm trying not to judge others, but it is so hard sometimes. I do prayer for their conversion before their death. We're not to wish for someone to "go to hell", because it is a real place, and God wants everybody to be saved. Just think how many others call themselves Catholic, with not regard to what being a Catholic entails. Either accept the whole ball of wax, or go somewhere else. Don't poison the next generation with your pantload of ideas.

Those like her mention that God gave them the freedom of will. This is true. This also means that we have the option to do evil. We're supposed to fight that option. We're supposed to learn about God and His Church, and pass this on to the next generation.

This freedom of choice (which all of us have, not just women), means whether to do what God expects of us or not. We should strive to do the right things in this life, because we will be asked and judged about them in the next.

I leave you with a prayer for others from the Liturgy of St. Cyril

O Lord God, merciful and holy and all-powerful, Who art the source of all peace and tranquility, of charity and gentleness, an ever-pure and good Father and Lord to all lovers of peace, grant that we, full of hope and humility, standing firm in faith, may, not only in love of Thee, but in love of our neighbor, welcome all and each with that loyalty which is the fulfilling of Thy law. Grant that, in our spirit of tranquility and peace, we may be true children of Thine. So shall we become worthy of the blessings which Thy Holy and Only-begotten Son has promised.

Do You Think?

"You are deceived if you think that a Christian can live without persecution. he suffers the greatest who lives under none. Nothing is more to be feared than too long a peace. A storm put a man upon his guard, and obliges him to exert his utmost efforts to escape shipwreck." St. Jerome

Do any of us actually think we suffer too much. Nothing we can endure is even remotely close to what Christ chose to do for us. And, there is always someone who is worse off than us. We need to focus more on what Christ did, and less on ourselves. You'd be amazed how you feel afterwards.

I will end with a prayer for others from the Coptic Liturgy. (for after Communion)

Be mindful. O Lord, of all those who have asked us to remember them in the prayers and petitions we now make in Thy sight, O Lord our God, especially at this time of the Holy Sacrifice. Be mindful of those whose memory is always with us, and those who are especially in our thoughts at this moment and in our present prayer. Bring them the grace of a strong and lasting defense against all that may harm them.

Holy Martyrs

Today is the day of the Forty Holy Martyrs.
Under the Emperor Licinius, in 320, forty soldiers of the garrison of Sebaste, Armenia, were exposed on a frozen pond for refusing to sacrifice to idols. All persevered but one, whose courage failed him, and who perished in a bath of tepid water prepared for him. Their guard, inspired by their fortitude, took his place among the remaining thirty-nine soldiers and expired with them, thus meriting the crown of martyrdom.

I have a friend who just recently found out that he has a cancerous tumor on his thigh. I have known him for 40+ years, outside of my wife, he is my best friend. He is not Catholic, but I felt the need to tell him how we accept suffering. I asked him if he remembers how much Christ suffered for us. He did. I then told him that whatever we suffer is not remotely close to how much He suffered for us. I said that we make an offering to God of our sufferings, stating that we are doing this maybe for someone else who might be worse off than we are, to as to help them in their time of sorrow. Hopefully, he can use this to cope.

In the book, "The Window in the Wall" by Ronald A. Knox, he writes in this one place:
"...Oh, if we could only realize that the Holy Eucharist is panis fortium, the Bread of the strong! That it is meant to energize us and vitalize us, not merely to discipline and to soothe us! Let us pray Our Blessed Lady and all the saints of the Blessed Sacrament to win for us, in these times that are so difficult, so dark for the future of religion, more generosity in our dealings with God, more boldness and imaginativeness in the grace we ask from Him...May the grace of this holy Feast be new life, new energy, new adventurousness to us all.

Also I got my snow removing equipment back, and, as usual, there's no snow. Maybe we'll get hit a few more times before spring! :)


The "little woman" had surgery yesterday on her very close veins, and seems to be doing well so far. I spell-checked this, and it's OK.
Thank you for your prayers.

Lukewarm ain't so hot

Tomorrow's Gospel reading has Jesus casting out demons. He ends up stating that if we are not with Him, we are against Him. Which side do you want to be on? No matter how unpopular, we need to be on the side of Him Who conquers all things. It is usually a choice that will be followed by ridicule, even by our own family and "close" friends. Get ready. It will happen, if it hasn't yet.
Also in the Gospel, a woman tells Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck." Jesus then says, "Yea, rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it." By this He was absolutely not slamming His mother. She was already so blessed, even beyond all the saints combined. She heard the word of God better than we could possibly understand, and kept it totally throughout her life better than anyone in history.
We need to keep the fire of the love of God as close to our hearts as we can.
Remember, lukewarm "ain't so hot".

Be Strong

"Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it, and right is right even if no one is doing it," St. Augustine

When I was at the plant, there were many chances to prove my faith. In one area, there were at least 8 guys who would attack me and the Catholic Faith every day. Most "catholics" would not know how to respond, other to say, "That's what the Church says", and that settles it. I tried not to be that way. I am the type of person that wants to know the hows and whys of what the Church has said. Maybe I'm just stubborn that way. (Hush to all of you who know me) Once I learned the Truths, it was actually easier to deal with these folks. They didn't know how to respond when you got outside of their basic knowledge, which wasn't much. They know no history, just thinking that church went underground for 1500 years, and then emerged when the "reformers" arose. I prefer to call them "deformers".
There was one day I remember when I gave these "8" a challenge. I proposed to them that if they could prove to me that the Church said or did anything that the Apostles didn't say or do, I have an obligation to change faiths, which I do. Man, it was like a feeding frenzy, much like when throwing chum to attract sharks. When I returned to my station, a fellow Catholic(at least in name) said, "What the hell did you do to those guys?" I just told him that I gave them a challenge. These guys discussed within themselves for about 20 minutes and then broke up. I guess they couldn't come up with a viable answer. This made my studying much more satisfying than anything I can think of. This is what we are all supposed to be doing. Am I right?
When they would present these tracts by Chick Publications, which are so horrible against the Faith, that if you don't know the Faith, you could lose what little you have left. Anyway, there were many quotes in these tracts, supposedly from Catholic books, stating this or that. What they didn't know is that I have these same books at home. I would take them in and show them the chapter and page. Most of the time, what was in my books was condemning whatever statements or phrases they were saying the Catholic Church was saying. It almost left them speechless, but they would come up with something else to attack. One guy told me that he had never heard Catholic teaching said this way. I responded that most Catholics don't know their faith like they should. Studying the Faith really make you stronger.
I am not a theologian by any means, but knowing apologetics is what I am strong in. I am NOT going to back down, and they better have some facts when coming up to me criticizing my faith. I might not blow them out of the water, but I will make them think.

Following is a prayer for protection from a Spanish Collect in the 7th century:

O Lord, who hast made Thy dwelling among us in Thy sacred Sacraments, as it were upon the holy mountains, we beseech Thee to build up the Faith in us, to confirm us in hope, to perfect us in loyalty, that Thy indwelling may enlighten all our being, Thy strength render us unshakable, Thy protection keep us unharmed.

Constitution

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
John Adams

Makes you wonder why all the "change" is not going well with B.O., doesn't it? People are fed up with the pantload that those in Washington are trying to feed us. Remember, if we don't stand up for something, we'll fall for anything.

In my personal saga, I still haven't gotten my snow blowers back. Of course, it's going to be in the upper 30's this week, maybe topping 40(!). That's when I'll probably get everything back. When I don't need them. On the other hand, if March comes in like a lamb, Maaaaaybe I will get some snow removals toward the end of the month. I hope, I hope, I hope. :)