Merry Christmas

I won't be blogging over Christmas, as I will be spending my time with family.
So I want to wish you all a very holy, safe, joyful and peaceful Christmas.
Don't eat too much!
May God bless you all this Christmas & please remember to invite Jesus to the party on Christmas day...He would love to celebrate His birthday with you.

Mary did you Know?

Marie Antoinette Award

Thanks to Therese at Aussie Coffee Shop for this award.

The rules for this award are to display the icon and send it on to 7 other bloggers I feel are real in who they are.

I pass this award onto:

The Mom at Shoved to Them

Paul from Thoughts of a Regular Guy

Marilena at Saint Philomena's Garden

Fr Speekman at Homilies and Reflections from Australia

Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii

Elena at Precious Treasures

Cassie at A Blessed Life

Mary's Christmas Dream

I had a dream Joseph.

I don’t understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for Our Son.
I think that was what it was all about.

The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks.
They had decorated the house & bought new clothes.
They’d gone shopping many times & bought elaborate gifts.

It was peculiar though, because the presents were not for Our Son.
They wrapped them in beautiful paper & tied them with lovely bows, & stacked them under a tree.
Yes, a tree Joseph, right in their house.

They decorated the tree also.
The branches were full of glowing balls & sparkling ornaments.
There was a figure on the top of the tree.
It looked like an angel might look.
Oh, it was so beautiful.

Everyone was laughing & they were very happy.
They were all excited about the gifts.
They gave the gifts to each other Joseph, not to Our Son.

I don’t think they even knew Him.
They never mentioned His name.

Doesn’t it seem odd for people to go to all that trouble to celebrate someone’s birthday if they don’t know Him?

I had the strangest feeling that if Our Son had gone to this celebration, He would have been intruding.

Everything was so beautiful Joseph, & everyone was so happy, but it made me want to cry.
How sad for Jesus not to be wanted at His own birthday party.

I’m glad it was only a dream.
How terrible Joseph, if it had been real!!!!


“Let’s put Christ back in to Christmas” for then there will be Peace on Earth for all Men.

Pro-Life and Pro-Abortion

A great post written by 'The Mom'at Shoved to Them:-

Pro-Life and Pro-Abortion people in this country will never come to an agreement on this issue. It's not going to happen. We are fundamentally different in our value systems, and I don't think that that is going to change anytime soon.

One side thinks that life is valuable, all life in any form, no matter how inconvenient or unattractive it is. Even if that human life can't speak or wets its pants or drools uncontrollably. Even if the caretakers are worn out and tired and ready to be free of the burden of caring for what appears to be a lump of human flesh without any redeeming social value. Even then. Even at its most inconvenient and repulsive, even then life is precious. Even then we don't have the right to kill it for our own convenience. Life is a gift to the one who is living it, even when they are tired of it, it has value.

The other side, the pro-abortion/pro-euthanasia side of the argument sees death as a gift and a release, death is freedom. Not for the one who dies usually, although there are those who would choose their own demise, but for those who are burdened and inconvenienced. Death is a release for the person who puts herself and her own wants and desires above those of others. If something is unpleasant or a drag or occurs at a time that "just isn't right" then the offending piece of humanity should be removed, the sacrifice of the one for the "greater good." To kill another whether young or old is not to commit an horrific act, but to create for one's own self the freedom to live life as we choose it, on our terms instead of someone else's.

What happens when a child is raised in a home where human life is allowed to continue only when it's convenient? A home where human beings are disposable and self-interest is applauded? What decisions does that child make when her own mother become less than easy? What happens when her own mother begins to slip into dementia, and has to wear diapers, and drools? The able-bodied political activists who are campaigning today for the right to terminate their children and the elderly are raising their own murderers.

If a child has been taught that they escaped the butcher's knife only because their parents made a decision that this was a convenient time to have a child, what stops that child from deciding that an infirm parent is not occurring at a convenient time? If we can murder humanity inside of the womb, why not in its hospital bed?

Be careful the lessons you teach your children, because someday you may wish that they had not learned them so well.

Reality of seven deadly sins

The seven deadly sins still provide a good part of our news and entertainment, although few people could give an accurate list of the top seven! In fact, many would struggle to explain the idea of sin at all.

For Christians sin offends God and turns us away from love. True love never causes us to sin, although disordered love of self lies behind many sins, especially sins of the flesh.

Sin harms the sinner, often harms other people and violates their rights. Murder, violence and stealing are clear examples, but sins are not necessarily a crime or a disease.

The notion of sin comes from the Bible, presupposes that we have real personal freedom to choose good or evil, and is essential for a happy and safe community.

A society which rejected the idea of sin would be a jungle, where the strong oppress the weak and define what is right and wrong. History shows, even our personal histories, that those who believe love is of paramount importance also acknowledge attacks on love.

Sins are more than breaking rules, because people are hurt.

The seven deadly sins are sometimes called capital sins because they lead to other sins, into habits or vices.

The most common list comes from St Gregory the Great, a famous pope at the end of the sixth century. He places pride first, followed by greediness, envy, anger, lust, gluttony and sloth or bitterness.

The Italian writer Dante Alighieri grouped the seven sins according to the way they offended against love. A perverted love produces pride, envy and anger. Insufficient love leads to sloth or laziness, while excessive love of earthly goods results in greed, gluttony and lust.

Not only did Dante understand human nature, but he possessed a well formed Catholic conscience.

Habits of sin also damage our judgment so we do not see things clearly and become blind to the rights of others.

Our moral sense can become blunted, even extinguished in some areas. Think of people who worked happily in concentration camps.

The seven deadly sins not only damage our judgment, but can even come close to capturing our free will entirely. Think of those addicted to drugs, alcohol or pornography.

On the other hand no situation is hopeless. God’s forgiveness is real and life-giving and many have returned from the brink, small step by small step.

Christianity is about love, the opposite of sin, but it is cowardice to duck this issue.

Some Christians dismiss talk on sin as negative, refuse to classify sins and are content to claim that God loves them and is not interested in “bad stuff”. It is always a danger sign if we believe we are not sinners!

To acknowledge the reality of the seven deadly sins helps us to know ourselves. And self knowledge always means knowledge of sin and usually leads to knowledge of God.

+ George Cardinal Pell's Comment

Archbishop of Sydney