Over at the National Catholic Register Today

Sometimes, I pounce on breaking news and it results in a good blog piece and today's is about Pope Francis' gift of two prayers to the end of the Rosary for the month of May.

At the Register Today

Writing about the Rosary, because every time I stop, I get reminded to start again. 

The Rosary is also, a Thank you note.

And if you need me, I just read my piece...going to go find my purse and get to work saying a thank you. 

Here's the Whole Collection from the Series on the Rosary

I'm putting together all of the articles on the mysteries of the rosary from this past year, as a gift for John for Confirmation. 
First: Confirmation is Initiation, not Graduation.   Congratualations on getting to celebrate this sacrament, we're proud of you.  However, in addition to celebrating, I should point out, now the real work begins. 

Joyful:
First: The Annuciation
Second: The Visitation
Third: The Incarnation
Fourth: The Presentation at the Temple
Fifth: Finding Jesus in Temple
Sorrowful:
First: The Agony in the Garden
Second: The Scourging at the Pilar
Third: Crowning with Thorns
Fourth: The Carrying of the Cross
Fifth: The Crucifixion
Luminous:
First: The Baptism at the River Jordan*
Second: The Wedding Feast at Cana
Third: The Sermon on the Mount
Fourth: The Transfiguration
Fifth: The Institution of the Holy Eucharist
Glorious:
First: The Resurrection
Second: The Ascension
Third: The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Fourth: The Assumption of Our Lady
Fifth: Coronation of Our Lady, Queen of Heaven

In a twist of irony, the first luminous mystery, the one which gave John his name, is one I've not yet written about in this series.  I kept thinking I'd missed one and I had.  However, the piece I linked for that mystery, discusses how Confirmation perfects baptism, and so I thought it fit rather well.

Backlog of postings

Hey everyone!  This past weekend I journeyed to Florida to celebrate my second born's graduation from college, six months early.   As such, I left the computer behind at home.   Yes, my fingers itched occasionally to write down everything, but it's also good to make my brain store up things which I'm sure will pour out when I'm not paying attention as I try to consistently make a go at writing 500 new words a day. 

So I have a few links for you of stuff which got published but not cross posted here. 

There's my piece on the First Sorrowful Mystery.  I also have a link to Catholicmom.com for Small Success Thursday of last week, and I have another piece over at the Register Seven Ways to Make the Most of Advent.

Lest you think it's all words and no reality, today, at CCD, I found myself trying to explain the birth of Jesus to a single student and his mom.  We made an Advent wreath and talked about how we manifest peace, hope, joy and love by our lives.  We read a version of the Christmas story told by Charles Dickens to his children. (It was a surpise to me too). 

However, I think we found ourselves connecting more over a single decade of the Rosary. Two weeks ago, I taught a class on the rosary and this time around, we said to close out the class.  The Blessed Mother undoes knots in relationships, she also sews hearts together. 

Over at the Register Today

Today, I'm examining the Baptism at the River Jordan, and what it reveals for a person preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation:  Confirmation is an Initiation, not graduation in faith. 

I Have a Piece Published...

Over at the National Catholic Register Today telling the story of how the Blessed Mother persisted to get me back in the habit of the daily rosary.  Please share, like, tweet and leave a comment.  Also, if you're thinking, you didn't get off to a big start of a New Year's Resolution, try asking the Virgin Mary to help you say a rosary a day.  She's very willing to help.

Catholicmom.com Today

Please come join us over at Catholicmom.com for Small Success Thursday!

Lent can be a time when we focus only on our sins and when we do that, we miss the mark.  The point of stripping away the world is to notice God fills what we'd cluttered.  The point of recognizing our own sinful nature, is to recognize how much we need God's mercy, and to rejoice we have access to it, if we but seek and ask.   So stop today, and count your blessings.  Count them on a rosary and you will discover, if you're willing to cultivate your heart with gratitude, you will run out of beads before you run out of reasons to say "Thank you." and at the end, your heart will feel so full, it will feel like Christmas and Easter and your birthday, the joy must spill out.

If you still don't feel like going, if you are still struggling with "It's winter. It's Lent. I'm tired. There are 1000 things to do and I don't feel like doing them..."  go here for true refreshment of spirit, because this is what it means to discover God's love is all.

Prayers for Harvard

My dad went to Harvard.  He didn't particularly love it, but his children were proud of his accomplishments.  But he knew the place to be in love with itself, and self love eventually becomes self loathing, as indicated by the planned "black mass" on May 12th.  

Fortunately, we are not without recourse. Elizabeth Scalia, a.k.a. The Anchoress, has been following the story here. 

But we need to do more than know about this or pester the people who run that university, we need to fight spiritual assaults with the proper spiritual weapons.   So I propose a Rosary by Catholic Blogs, a rosary for those involved in this event, for those who promoted it, for those tacitly pretending it does no harm, for those who think it cool, for all those who will be injured by it.   I'm going to ask all the bloggers I have formed friendships with over the years via the com boxes to participate and put a link to their blog here. 

I'm also attaching a link to a beautiful site where you can pray the rosary with people world wide.  

So if you'd like to join the blog rosary in this month of May for all those affected by even the intent to form a blasphemy on the Eucharist and the mass, post this picture on your blog and just leave a note in the com box.  You can also pray anonymously, but I think knowing others are praying, that we are really a community of Catholics, who pray for those who hate the Eucharist, and who do not know what they are doing, and who are doing things which can destroy themselves, is a comfort and a good way to fight against the cackling devil and those who think this harmless.   For some evils, the only recourse is prayer and fasting.   This is one of those moments.  

 

I will reach out to those I know personally, because evil must be resisted and publically, by those who know it to be evil.   Even if it is a hoax, those who presented it, need prayers.  Even if it is stopped now that people in positions of authority know about it, these people need our prayers.

The Blog Rosary

Today, I am doing a Blog Rosary.

What does that mean?

It means you should put your petitions in the com box and I will place them in my rosary today.  I already have the following:

1) for a friend recently widowed and her family. Done.
2) for my sister and her family, expecting their third in a week. Done.
3) for a gentleman known only as Roughcoat. He and his wife care for his parents, both of whom have Alzheimer's. He feels as if God's love is grinding him down. Done.
4) for all the people on the news today, there's a lot of despair. Done.
5) for my children who must grow up in this world. Done. 
6) for a person who worked in the mail room of my husband's office who died. Done.
7) for all the hidden crosses we encounter. Done.
8) for a family that lost a child in utero.  Done.
9) for a woman facing eye surgery.  Done.
10) For the Church and her mission.  Done. 
11) for a woman considering abortion.  Done.  

Please feel free to add. I will check back and let you know by putting DONE next to each intention after it has been done.  I hope, I need to start a second rosary before I'm finished.

Summer Meme

I was never good at tag as a kid.  I never caught anyone.   So if I got tagged, the game was essentially over.   However, in blog tags, I'd never yet been tagged so today, I'm happy to say, "I'm it!" 

The Ironic Catholic tagged me at her post today. 

My five favorite devotions are: 

1) Saint Bridgette's devotion --fifteen Our Fathers and fifteen Hail Mary's, every day for a year.  It is for all the souls in purgatory but it is also my daily reminder to pray and because it is daily, I do find myself doing it during laundry or dishes or taking out the garbage.  It means that any activity I do can become mindful and for that, I am very grateful.

2) Saint Louis de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary:  This has been an ongoing pleasure and challenge for the past (it's hard to believe it has been this long), seven years.   When we have the days where we're doing the litany and the rosary and still have to keep up with Saint Bridgette's, you sometimes feel like you are marathon praying and in truth, you are. 

3) The Divine Mercy devotion:  This was something I said while sitting at the hospital with Paul; it gave me great comfort.  I use it when I'm stressed out; when the Holy Spirit wants me to focus on mercy because I am becoming to harsh or too hard or too sad. 

4) The Rosary:  The rosary always surprises me with how much I love it.  Mary's devotion is my go to when I can't figure out anything to do prayer.  She provides me with my everyone needs to be quiet because everyone is fighting and I want to hit the reset button prayer. Mary also stands ready when I this more often prayer.

can't sleep, I can't cope, or even worse, I don't want to cope prayer.   She is always my why don't I pray
5)  Adoration:  I have loved it whenever I have gone; I have felt pierced and fed whenever I have gone.  Like the rosary, I know it is always there and always possible.  (There's a perpetual adoration chapel just a mile and a half from me).  Yet like the rosary, I do not avail myself of its riches as often as I could or should.  You have to know there are no coincidences with God and the fact that I was thinking only yesterday of how I should go and today, I get a reminder via a blog meme, that this is something I will have to simply schedule and go do. 

Now I get to tag five other bloggers to consider how the devotions they cherish feed them and invite them to share. 
My Wonderful Life
Cheeky Pink Girl
Adrienne's Corner
Violin Mama
Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering

And I realize what a relief it was to never catch anyone because I now sit here thinking of all the other bloggers I could have tagged but didn't.   Ah well.  In the meantime, tag! You're it!

Small Success Thursday

This week was all about reconnecting with people. Motherhood often can create a profound sense of isolation, and winter and cold weather don't help. So when things suddenly become warm, getting out amongst people feels akin to being a crocus. I'm almost surprised at the pleasure of being out and about, stunned that I kept indoors and closed off for so long. Seasonal amnesia I suspect, designed to keep me from going cabin crazy by being stuck indoors.


My small successes for the week:

1) Made it to a daily mass and reconciliation.

2) Daughter was honored for getting scholarships and while we couldn't go in, we parked outside the cafeteria and I watched through the glass windows and heard because some of the windows were open. We were clapping for her. I even texted "I see you, you're on the end in the middle row." so she'd know, even if I wasn't going to bring all seven younger siblings into that setting, that we were there and rooting for her.

3) My son turns 17 today. He got up this morning extra early to catch the 6 o'clock bus so as to make it easier on me to get out the door with the rest of his brothers and sisters since their dad is in California a few days. I'm so happy and proud to know this young man and to call him my son. Stopping by the store to pick up steaks, French bread and an apple pie for his birthday dinner tonight.

4) Took two toddler daughters to get haircuts.

5) Scheduled a lunch date for next week with a good friend.

6) Mailed a letter and called two friends that no longer live nearby.

7) Scheduled the Fall Festival for September 18th, trying to get the school to add a mass to the end of it as a good way to close off the day.

Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of our Lord! Pray the Rosary for the hearts of all women, to say "Yes." to love and to life.

Notre Dame chooses between God and Country

At Georgetown last week, the President's people had the university cover up the Lord’s name (IHS) in the room where the leader of the free world spoke. Scandal to the faithful is becoming very politically correct.

Man how I wish the Jesuits had responded, “If you wanted those things covered up, you should have been here during Lent.”

But this is DC and power commands. Power is currency, even in institutions dedicated to learning and knowing God.

Just yesterday, Georgetown honored the Vice President for his service to women. (They wanted to show the world that they are just as enlightened about how to be a good little catholic school that doesn't upset anyone who matters) as Notre Dame.

However, they must have consulted different cannon lawyers than President Jenkins, as they did not feel any compunction to withhold honors and awards from Catholics in positions of power and authority who advocate positions antithetical to Church teaching. Maybe they considered Joe Biden to be not truly Catholic…or maybe not truly powerful, or both.

(For those not up to speed on the latest turn in the Notre Dame Our Mother Pray for Us Scandal, President Jenkins consulted unnamed cannon law experts other than the 35 bishops or his own Bishop, so as to provide a rationale for his decision). The logic asserted after this august meeting of unknown minds, that granting an honorary award to the President does not conflict with the mission of the University of Notre Dame, stems from the fact that the president is not Catholic and thus need not follow cannon law. It is a discreet legal argument.

My problem? The President may not be Catholic, but presumably, Fr. Jenkins...is.

I derive mild amusement and probably should not, from envisioning President Jenkins arriving at the Pearly Gates and asking for admittance. Saint Peter would explain, he’d need to plead the case and to choose appropriate counsel for the occasion. Fr. Jenkins would smile as he saw his friend and ally Douglas Kmiec waiting with legal briefs in hand.

Then, Sir Thomas More would show up for the prosecution.

I don't imagine any more of the scene because I just want to stay with that exquisite moment when cleverness for cleverness sake comes face to face with wisdom.

Keep praying for the conversion of President Saul. It’s the only hope we have for change.

Mental Dim Sum and Sons

No unifying theme today, just some odds and ends I found amusing and in some cases, profound.
If you've never eaten Dim Sum, think of having a dinner entirely of appetizers. Heart's Delight or Jewels that tug on the heart is the concept to consider here --Tapas, or French courses, the idea is little snatches of yumminess that satisfy.

First: Happy birthday to my four year old. He's potty trained, so I can officially celebrate the anniversary of his birth. He told me, I'm allowed.

Second: We went out to dinner last night and the waiter showed up with a sunday and Sombrero for my birthday boy. When they put on the hat, he stuck his lower lip out and shrunk down to the size of a ball, he looked like a Mexican mushoom with that big hat on his head, but when the ice cream showed up...suddenly that hat was his very favor thing.

Third: And now a word from our sponsor. I don't get many comments. I don't get huge amounts of traffic. Aproximately 20 or so people visit this blog a day. The high water mark was 106 and that was with a serious plug from the Ironic Catholic, a brilliant blog I admire greatly.

The other day, I knew I had arrived on the blogosphere. I got my first Spam comment. I have printed it here minus their plugs to give due homage to the people who indicated I had entered the big leagues...it was in response to the Sous Chef piece.

"3/10/08
A critical underpinning of a healthy diet is unque... A critical underpinning of a healthy diet is unquestionably the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits. Unfortunately, many adults do not like these fine foods - so kids are the concern. Anyone interested in getting kids to develop a friendly attitude towards fruits and vegetables should take a look at a new book called “Insert title here.” Great for kids of all ages – children even learn their alphabet through produce poems and then go on to more mature activities. Out only six months it is already being used in educational programs. It is coauthored by best-selling food writer Sir SPAM A Lot and Other Notable Quotable writer SPAM Jr. You can learn more at SPAM SPAM SPAM AND MORE SPAM.com
Publish Reject "

I'm sure it's a splendiferous book, postively "unque" and I'd have even given it a looksee if I thought a human had read my post.

And lasty,
Why I should really be both terribly pleased and worried:

Found my middle son's artwork.
He had drawn a rosary.

He made a list entitled "Pray For Every Night"
Here is the list, punctuation included.

1. boy twins.
2. Mom and Dad.
3. poor people.
4. My brother.
5. Everyone!!

I am in big big big trouble.

Don't forget, you can find more laughs at http://www.humor-blogs.com/! They're funny even when I'm not.

50 Something Betters

Everyone who has ever seen Steve Martin's Roxanne, has seen the riff where he gives the bar 50 something betters on how to insult his nose. In my own life, the equivalent of "Hey Big Nose!" is "You have HOW MANY?" and even better, "Why?"

50. We keep hoping for twins but so far that hasn't worked out.

49. We were trying to even up the team. (5 girls, 3 boys).

48. Meet my retirement plan, I'm staying with each of them for six weeks out of the year.

47. Catholic with a capital C.

46. Gilbreths: 12 kids, Nobel Prize winner of Economics, multiple geniuses, published authors, Von Traps: Seven, Broadway show and Musical Movie about story has made bazillions. Osmonds (6). Singing, Fame, Fortune and perfect teeth. Hughes: 6, youngest is a Olympic gold medalist, Kennedy's 9, President, would be President, Senator, etc.,

Antonetti's........Antonetti's.......pending.

45. I lost count after six.

44. We wanted to justify our SUV.

43. Creating my own voting block for when I run for President.

42. I now have plenty of excuses if my high school fantasy dream job which it will and it should (Dancer from "Cats") goes unfulfilled.

41. Wanted to win a trophy at my 25th year High School reunion for something!

40. Getting my money's worth out of the baby clothes and paraphernalia.

39. We never have left overs.

38. Q: Don't you know how this works? A: Well yeah!

37. Hoping for my own Reality TV show.

36. With such good looking intelligent offspring, it seemed selfish to limit ourselves.

35. We enjoy causing pure terror on the faces of travelers in the terminals simply by walking up to the gate en masse. Sometimes, it isn't even our gate.

34. We don't have to share a pew...ever.

33. We can dress them up as reindeer for next year's Christmas card.

32. I can drown out anyone in an argument with pure sound.

31. Hospital now has named a parking place in my honor.

30. OBGYN bought a Florida condo because of me.

29. Defense in depth.

28. Can tell babysitter I have no sympathy for him or her if they have to change a diaper.

27. Creates instant conversation starter or stopper depending upon venue.

26. Email using just initials of children eliminates all spam.

25. We have a bike, shoe, glove, coat to fit every age and gender and occasion.


24. I tell people I only have eight.

23. Can mess with people's heads by adding additional baby pictures of brother's and brother in law's children in office without telling anyone.

22. When I call for volunteers, no one else can say..."I'm too busy."

21. No one asks me to co-op babysit. No one tries to take advantage of my being a SAHM for free babysitting either. (It used to happen).

20. Always get the HOV lane.

19. Exiting Car is an event.

18. When we dress the same, (all ND jerseys, all 4th of July) it's an instant parade.

17. Easy to cook for a Church Dinner or Event, used to feeding a crowd.

16. Insta-clod spotter, the person who asks, "So...you gonna have any more?" or any variant thereof.

15. Size of family makes people underestimate our brains.

14. No fights over names of children, we got all our favorites in there.

13. You ONLY Have HOW MANY?

12. Statistically, one of these guys should strike it rich.

11. Gene pool Standard deviation has been skewed in our favor.

10. Fifth one at Catholic School is free. Right?

9. Never have to worry about being corrupted by too much wealth or material things.

8. Can rationalize messy house based on sheer numbers. It was messy before we got to eight, but now I can justify it.

7. Shrunk in the wash, no problem, it will fit.....insert child's name here.

6. Eight months out of the year, we get birthday cake.

5. Easy to teach children how to count to ten.

4. Fun watching people try to test their long term memory listing all our children's names.

3. Can identify recessive genes easily.

2. Guaranteed inspiration at all times for your weekly doses of Chocolate!

1. Said we'd accept children lovingly from God. God took us seriously.


AND the real statement I always fall back on when asked about our family and its obvious large size, "It's no sacrifice to be surrounded by people that love us."

Go to http://www.humor-blogs.com/ for fifty pretty darn funnies, if not something betters.