Every sacrament is a meeting with the Lord.

A fantastic homily by Fr Speekman from Homilies and Reflections from Australia explaining;

- why Catholics go to Mass
- the sacrament of marriage and reconciliation and;
- how "...in every sacrament God makes an oath, namely, that in every sacrament he will meet us in the community, touch us, and change us..."

"I will meet you there!"

Check out Fr Speekman's blog HERE.

The Rosary

Here is a lovely post on the Rosary by Kelly at; Gratiae ut Deus

A family that prays together, stays together.

Carry the crosses YOU are given

Last night I read...

'Say often, "God bless.......," of any whom you find in disharmony with you, or whom you desire to help.
Say it, willing that showers of blessings and joy and success may fall upon them.

Leave to Me the necessary correcting or training; you must only desire joy and blessing for them.
At present your prayers are that they should be taught and corrected.

Oh! If My children would leave My work to Me and occupy themselves with the task I give THEM.
Love, love, love.
Love will break down all your difficulties.
Love will build up all your successes.

God the destroyer of evil, God the creator of good - is love.
To love one another is to use God in your life.
To use God in your life is to bring into manifestation all harmony, beauty, joy and happiness.'

How many times do we want to correct other people and change them instead of concentrating on fixing ourselves and making ourselves a better person, so that we can love one another!
It was a good reminder to me.

Lord, help us to embrace our cross the way You did.

Fireproof your marriage

This is the theme song for the movie FIREPROOF.
The movie is about how and why you should and can save your marriage.

Explaining the Holy Trinity to children

One way which I have found helpful to describe to children how God reveals Himself to us in the Holy Trinity is that:
God the Father is the mouth.
The Word He speaks is Jesus the Son.
And the breath He uses to speak is the Holy Spirit.

The Father is the idea.
The Son is the Word telling about the idea .
And the Spirit is the action that puts the idea into practice.

Tell children to think of a word.
Then holding their hand in front of their mouth, speak the word.
The "thought" I compared to the Father.
The "spoken word" I compared to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
And the breath they felt on their hand, I compared to the Holy Spirit, the breath of Life that carried the spoken word out.

Take 3 strands of string (3 different colours if possible).
Braid them together for about half their length and stick this onto a piece of card. Then separate out the 3 strands and stick them down separately.
The 3 strands braided together represent God as one.
And then each strand can represent Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Trinity is like an ice cube in a pan of boiling water.
The ice is solid, the water is liquid and the steam is gas but they are all H2O.
All three things are separate, but they are all the same thing and all at the same time in the same place.

Ideas from monachos.net

Please share your ideas.

The importance of Fathers

Former NFL lineman Ed McGlasson shares how he helped his daughter become a woman and taught her the virtue of chastity and preserving herself for marriage.



Thanks to Divine Ripples Blog.

Aspire after Perfection

A Rule of Life - For Those Who, Living in the World, Aspire after Perfection


By Father Michael Muller, C.Ss.R.

In the Morning

1. Rise at affixed hour, for example, six o'clock; do not remain longer in bed without a reasonable motive.
2. As soon as you awake, offer your heart to God, make the sign of the Cross, and dress yourself quickly and modestly. Then, on your knees, say three "Hail Marys," in honor of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to obtain a great purity of body and soul.
3. Say your morning prayers, and make a meditation during half, or at least a quarter of an hour. It is better to say short prayers - "Our Father" and "Hail Mary," - or to say your prayers going to or at your work, than to say no prayers at all.
4. Hear Mass, if it is possible.

During the Course of the Day

5. Read a spiritual book for at least a quarter of an hour.
6. Say your beads, if possible, with the rest of the household.
7. Pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the church if you can do so. N.B. - For these three last exercises you can choose whatever time will
least interfere with your daily occupations.
8. Frequently make short ejaculatory prayers, above all at the beginning and end of your actions. Employ chiefly acts of the love of God, such as these: My dear Jesus, I love Thee ... I wish very much to love Thee ... make me love Thee more and more, etc.
9. Practice the mortification of the eyes, of the ears, and of the tongue, by sometimes refraining from looking, hearing, or saying things, which, though not dangerous, are useless, in order to be able more easily to abstain from what is dangerous, or even bad.
10. Seize carefully every opportunity of suffering any little pain, contradiction, or humiliation, for the love of God. In every such occasion submit yourself to the will of God, saying: O my God, this is Thy Will; may Thy holy Will be done!
11. At your meals deprive yourself in part or entirely of some little thing you are fond of; and never completely satisfy your appetite.
12. Do not eat between meals without necessity.
13. Fly idleness, bad company, and every occasion of sin, especially those in which chastity is in danger.
14. In temptations, especially those of impurity, make the sign of the Cross, if you are alone; and say in your heart, Jesus and Mary, help me. If the temptation still continues, do not be troubled, but pray with greater earnestness, saying, My dear Jesus, I would rather die than offend Thee.
15. If you have the misfortune to commit a sin, so not give way to trouble, even though the sin be grievous, but make immediately a good act of contrition, with a firm purpose not to fall again, and to confess it as soon as possible.

In the Evening

16. At a fixed hour, for example, nine o'clock, say your night prayers, and make your examination of conscience; recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, and then read over the subject of the next morning's meditation.
17. Having said, on your knees, the three "Hail Marys," as in the morning, undress yourself with all modesty, and be careful to remain always decently covered in bed, and to preserve a modest posture.
18. Until you fall asleep, occupy your mind with the subject of the tomorrow's meditation, or with the remembrance of death, or some other pious thought.
19. Choose a good [Traditional] Confessor, in whom you have confidence; open your heart to him without reserve, and be guided by his advice; do not quit him without strong reason.
20. Go to confession once a week, and receive the Holy Communion as often as your director judges proper. (Note: This was before Pope St. Pius X's decree encouraging frequent and daily communion.)
21. Attend sermons and instructions as often as you can, endeavoring always to apply them to yourself, and to draw some practical resolution from them; enter some pious confraternity, with the sole view of attending to the interest of your soul.
22. If your health will permit, fast on every Saturday, and on the eves of the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin. At least perform in Her honor some little act of mortification on those days, according to your state of health and your occupations. Nourish in your heart a tender devotion towards the Blessed Virgin, and address to Her from time to time this fervent prayer: My
good Mother Mary, help me to love your divine Son Jesus with all my heart. Wear the scapular, and at least the miraculous medal.

Observation

As this rule of life does not of itself impose any obligation under pain of sin, no one must be alarmed if he cannot follow it in every thing. Let each one take that which is in accordance with the duties of his state of life, which ought always to be attended to in preference to any exercises of piety which are not of obligation. Thus let each one do what he can, but cheerfully, and for the love of God.

-----------------
Taken from A Familiar Explanation of Christian Doctrine, 1875
(out-of-print), by Father Michael Muller, C.Ss.R.
From: A Catholic Life Blog.

Near Death Experience Story

Watching the following video may make you think about how you live your life and how you should not waste any second given to you from the Lord.

Please put aside some time alone, or with someone who won't distract you, to watch this inspiring story. It might be well worth it.

Click on highlighted link below to see the Video:

SANCTE PATER: Father Steven Scheier

Love The Sinner And The Saint Within

From: Bo Sanchez.

We’re tempted to only see the sinner in us.

Remind Yourself That You’re A Saint Within (story from, Chicken Soup series).

One day, a teacher asked her students in class to write the names of the other students on a piece of paper. “And leave space between each name,” she instructed.

When they finished, the teacher said, “Underneath each name, I want you to write the good things you see in that person.” Immediately, the kids busied themselves with the task and took the whole class to finish it.

The teacher took the papers home and collated the material. On one piece of paper per child, she wrote all the positive qualities written by their classmates.

On the next class, she handed out the papers to the kids. They were very happy to read the letters. “Wow, am I really this person?” some of them gushed.

Many, many years later, the teacher received a phone call. One of her former students, who had become a soldier, was killed in battle. Would she want to attend the funeral?

She went and saw many of her former students condoling with the bereaved family. As she stood beside the coffin, looking at the lifeless body of a young man in uniform inside, a middle-aged woman approached her. “Are you my son’s grade school teacher?”

“Yes,” she said, “you must be his mother. My deepest condolences.”

“I’d like to show something to you,” the mother said. “My son had this inside his wallet when he died.” She pulled out a worn-out piece of paper. It was obvious that it had been folded and unfolded many times.

Even before it was opened, the teacher already knew what it was. It was the piece of paper that contained the list of positive qualities his classmates saw in him. Kept and read all through the years.

By that time, her other students had gathered around both of them.

A young man beside the teacher said, “Uh, I carry mine wherever I go too.”

A woman from behind said, “I still keep mine. It’s in my diary.”

Another man said, “I display my list on my desk at home.”

Another woman said, “It seems like all of us kept that paper all these years!”

The teacher was moved beyond words.

Why would a simple piece of paper mean so much?

Because here’s the truth: Life can be rough. At various times, it can even be cruel. Every time we fail, every time we receive criticism, every time we get rejected, we doubt our worth. We doubt our goodness.

We are very desperate for love.

We need to love the saint within us.

Friend, love yourself.

Each day, celebrate your positive qualities. Celebrate your goodness. Celebrate your beauty.

Thank God for how wonderful He made you.

Can I Live?

"It's probably just my impression, but is it rappers who are doing the best pro-life songs these days?"
Quote and Video from: Thoughts of a Regular Guy

Pleasures of Sin

“Pride inflates man;
Envy consumes him;
Avarice makes him restless;
Anger rekindles his passions;
Gluttony makes him ill;
Comfort destroys him;
Lies imprison him;
Murder defiles him...
The very pleasures of sin become instruments of punishment in the hands of God.”

Pope Innocent III

"I'll need you Dad"

"Happy Fathers Day" to all Dads, especially the father of my children (pictured with myself and his 2 daughters and his son still in my womb last Christmas), and to my Father who was a very good role model to me growing up.

Thank you to all Fathers who work hard to take care of their families.

Holy Scripture presents the concept of fatherhood:
1) as Guardian - who protects his own.
2) as Provider - who sees to their physical and spiritual needs.
3) as Teacher - who instructs and forms his children by word, deed and example.



Video thanks to: Divine Ripples.

Surrender to Him

If you want to know about God, there is only one way to do it:
Get down on your knees.

You can make His acquaintance by investigation, but you can win His love only by loving.

Arguments will tell you God exists, for God’s existence can be confirmed by reason; but only by surrender will you come to know Him intimately.

That is one of the reasons why so many professors in secular institutions have no religion.

They know about God, but they do not know God.

And because they do not love what they already know, because they do not act on their belief, even the little they have is taken away.
They rattle the milk cans of theology but they never drink the milk.

Atheism is born from the womb of a bad conscience.
Disbelief comes from sin, not from reason.

This is not a broadcast about God, it is a plea to love God.
Worship Him because He is your perfection, more than knowledge is the perfection of the mind.

Love Him because you cannot be happy without love.

Love Him quite apart from all you are, for you have the right to love Him in your heart, even though you do not always succeed in loving Him in your acts.

Think a little less about whether you deserve to be loved by Him;
He loves you even though you are not deserving – it is His love alone that will make you deserving.



From Into the Deep.
Fr Fulton J. Sheen, 1944

Something to think about...

From Fishers of Men - Priestly Life and Vocation Summit.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Here is something they said that moved me during the DVD.

"You look at nature and the way things grow...
they grow in silence.

You look at the trees and the flowers...
and if you look even at human beings...
we grow in silence.

A vocation is very similar...
and a relationship with God is very similar...
it grows in silence...
in an environment where once inner ears open to hear God...
who only speaks in silence."

Here is a snippet of the DVD below:

Holy Purity x 3

1) Of body - sensual drives.
2) Of mind - thoughts in the mind.
3) Of soul - desires of the heart.

Purity of mind makes for holiness of body, insists Augustine.
Thus, what rally matters is not the holiness of one's state interior disposition.

The following are the three game tactics for the integration of purity:
1) Know yourself - flaws and all.
2) Be not deceived.
3) Avoid all temptations.