Life Matters

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-11T19:36:00.003-08:00

Wishing everyone a Blessed & Holy Christmas.
The true joy of Christmas is the everlasting love of Christ, shared with family and friends.
I hope you all experience the Love, Peace & Happiness that the true meaning of Christmas brings.
Much love,

Countless days on a journey that led so far
Endless nights they traveled to follow the star
They did not find a palace, just a humble village home
And searching for a king, but finding a child, no crown, no throne

Still they bowed down

Come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him

Expectation turned to mystery
For nothing was like anything they dreamed
Anticipating the royal and those honored by this world
Instead they gazed in the eyes of an awe-struck peasant girl

Holding her child

Come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him

The brilliant gold, the fragrant myrrh, the costly frankincense
Placed before him

Come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Christ, the Lord

October Baby

2011-11-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

October Baby - tells the story of Hannah, a beautiful 19-year-old college freshman who discovers late in life not only that she was adopted but also the survivor of a failed abortion.

Abortion Hurts

2011-05-30T02:48:00.000-07:00

A new website has been formed because of an Abortion Clinic in Albury.
Please visit the website and comment if you like.
It is a way of informing people about the truth of abortion and the abortion industry & that they can't keep covering it up.

Click HERE to visit the website, ABORTION HURTS ALBURY.

Cohabitation

2011-05-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

SOURCE = HERE

The Pill

2011-05-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

What is it?

The birth control pill is also known as an oral contraceptive. It is a pill taken by mouth daily. It is supposed to work by preventing the woman's body from becoming pregnant if she engages in sexual intercourse.

What is in the pill?

The birth control pill comes in many forms, from the progestin-only pill to combinations of progestin and estrogen.

Progestins and the estrogen in the pill are artificial hormones designed to help a woman's body believe that it is pregnant month after month. All the vital organs in her body are affected by the constant use of this pill. It contains powerful steroids that constantly remain present in her body. The pill's artificial hormones suppress the woman's production of normal progesterone and estrogen.

This constant presence of powerful steroids is not healthy, and there are side effects when using the pill.

How does the pill work?

The birth control pill can work in one of three ways:

1) It can prevent ovulation (releasing an egg from the ovary)
2) It can cause the mucus in the cervix to change so that if sperm reach the cervix, they are not allowed to enter, and
3) It can irritate the lining of the uterus so that if the first two actions fail, and the woman does become pregnant, the tiny baby boy or girl will die before he or she can actually attach to the lining of the uterus.

In other words, if the third action occurs, the woman's body rejects the tiny baby and he or she will die. This is called a chemical abortion.

Abortion is an act of direct killing that takes the life of a tiny human being-a life that begins at fertilization.

Is the pill safe?

No! If you are not using the pill, don't start. If you are on the pill now, take out the patient package insert that should be with the pills and read it.

Here are some of the side effects:

bacterial infections (because the pill weakens the immune system)
more susceptible to the AIDS virus (HIV) because the pill weakens the immune system
infertility-unable to ever bear children
cervical cancer
ectopic pregnancy
shrinking of the womb (endometrial atrophy)
mood swings and depression
breast cancer
blood clots
birth defects in children conceived while women are on the pill
tender breasts
stroke
weight gain

The pill also offers no protection against sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.

What is my best option?

Some people may try to convince you that the pill is totally without risk. Don't believe it!

Don't depend on the pill. It could be harmful to you. It could also kill your baby-without you knowing it.

If you're single, abstinence is always your best choice. It isn't always easy, but it always works. By abstaining from sex, you eliminate the possibility of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.

SOURCE = HERE

If you are married, there are natural options that you can use to space your children that are very effective & don't have side effects.
Some options are:
* The Billings Ovulation Method (Natural Family Planning)
* NaproTechnology
Please see my sidebar to find out more about these 2 natural methods.

What Abortion is...

2011-04-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here is 37 second advertisement which is worth watching.

'Former' Abortion Clinic worker

2011-03-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

Former Planned Parenthood Director Reveals the Lies

Former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson’s book Unplanned, reveals what she had witnessed during her eight years of volunteering and working with Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas.
In 2009, after witnessing an ultrasound-guided abortion, Johnson resigned her position and became pro-life. She is planning to come into the Catholic Church this coming Easter.

Abby's answer to a question in a Webcast:
What was it that you saw that October day that caused your change of heart?
I had never seen an ultrasound-guided abortion before. They’re not standard procedure because they take a few extra minutes. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first time it had happened at our facility.
I was called in to help. My job was to hold the ultrasound probe on the woman’s abdomen so that the physician could get a view inside the uterus. I got everything ready. When I looked at the screen and heard them say that she was 13 weeks pregnant, on the screen I saw the profile of a 13-week-old baby in the womb. I had seen thousands of ultrasounds before, including ultrasounds of my own daughter Grace, who is now four. In that instant, I had a flashback to my own ultrasound of my daughter when I was 12 weeks pregnant. In that instant, I realized what was about to happen and what I was about to witness.
As I was trying to get it together and talk myself back into it, I recalled all of the things I had said for so many years to justify abortion – all the things that I thought I believed deep down in my core.
When the abortion procedure started, I saw the child begin to move away from the abortion instrument and recoil. The child knew that it’s life was in danger. Before that moment, I had never even considered that the child in the womb felt pain or felt anything for that matter. Planned Parenthood had always told us that the fetus had no sensory development until 28 weeks.
I needed to believe that to continue to justify abortion. I was surprised, shocked, appalled and disgusted at what I was watching. I felt betrayed because I couldn’t believe that this company that I had believed and trusted in had lied. I didn’t want to believe it, but was looking at it so clearly. The evidence was in front of my face. The abortion started and in just a few moments, the screen was black, and the abortion was complete. In that moment, I knew that my life was going to have to change. I knew that I couldn’t walk out of there the same way that I had walked in.

Abby speaks of her experience HERE. Click on, + The Day Abby Crossed The Life Line.

To listen to the 1st chapter, go HERE.

To read the 1st chapter of Abby's book, go HERE.

Abby speaks @ Walk for Life - fast forward to when Abby speaks @ 05:40 - HERE.

Abby's words:
- 'I mourn choice'
- 'There is a place for all of you in this movement'
- 'Don't get lazy, get fired up for life'
- 'It is time to get uncomfortable for life'
- 'If you have never looked at an abortion clinic and faced it, I encourage you, find a place where you can do it'
- 'Is it comfortable to be outside of an abortion clinic? No, its not.'
- 'It makes sense to be pro life. It doesn't make sense to be pro choice.'

To buy Abby's book, go HERE.

The nun who spent 5 years in Hell to save a soul.

2011-02-15T01:42:00.000-08:00

Discover the 16th century stunning, prophetic messages given by Our Lady of Good Success (feast day Feb. 2) to the Conceptionist nun, Mother Mariana of Jesus because they describe the:

* 3 sins that will provoke God to punish mankind
* devil's terrifying attacks on Mother Mariana, even as a young girl
* statue of Mary that was made by the 3 Archangels
* Blessed Mother's sudden, spectacular triumph over Satan

Our Lady of Good Success is inseparable from the life story of Mother Mariana of Jesus.

She was a victim soul who suffered for us, the Catholics of today. She also spent 5 years in hell to save an evil nun, the ring-leader of the convent's revolted sisters.

But there's so much more to the prophecies. So please read HERE.

10 Tips for better New Year Resolutions

2011-01-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

1. Be honest. Know yourself. What is your strongest virtue? What is your worst vice? Therefore, tailor your resolution so it strengthens your good side and fights your bad one. A one-size fits all resolution is useless.

2. Be specific. Don't use generalities. They don't work. For example, if you need to be more humble, just saying "I am going to be more humble," is useless. You need to zero in on one situation where you need to practice humility and resolve to improve in that one situation.

3. Be simple. Don't make it complicated. Focus on something you can see and measure easily and that does not overwhelm you each time you try to obtain it. Otherwise, you will become distracted and your energy will be dispersed and misdirected.

4. Be reasonable. Don't try to do too much at once. You won't become a saint in one day. Remember: you have one MAJOR point upon which is hinged your entire fidelity to God and His Holy Laws. This is a called your primordial light. Find out and work on improving it. Everything else will improve if you improve on that one major point.

How to discover your primordial light

5. Be consistent. It's far better to do something small everyday to improve on that one key point in your soul than to make a big resolution that you cannot keep for more than a week or two. Slow and steady wins the race!

6. Be humble. Recognize that you cannot do any good action which has value in the supernatural order without God's grace and the intercessory help of the Blessed Mother. Beg God's grace through Our Lady's intercession constantly in all your thoughts, desires and actions

7. Be disinterested. Remember that God wants us to defend His rights and interests, and to share His thoughts and ways. And therefore, to focus on things, happening and events that are very close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that are not necessarily linked to our own personal interests.

8. Write it down. It's important to write down your resolution so you can refer back to it often during the year. Also, by writing it down, you will be able to review it when the year is over, and to evaluate your progress since the time the resolution was made.

9. Public expressions of faith. Don't hide your faith. That's just what the devil wants. He knows when you express your faith publicly, others see you and are encouraged to follow your good example. Say grace openly and proudly before meals in a restaurant so people can see. You'll be surprised with the good reactions you will get.

10. Devotion to Our Lady. Have more devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Devotion to the Mother of God is a panacea. Saint Louis de Montfort said that devotion to Holy Mary is the easiest, safest, fastest, most secure, and surest path to Jesus and to our own salvation. If you can do nothing else, resolve to say the Rosary everyday. Saint Louis de Montfort wrote:

"If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins 'you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.' Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and will save your soul, if-- and mark well what I say-- if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins."

SOURCE = HERE

Just an idea for a New Years Resolution...Why not try to set goals, to improve your relationship with God?
For example, try to set aside 5 minutes/day for God & you can increase this as the year goes on. This improves your Prayer Life.

Seek Him – Find Him – Follow Him

Abortion - Victoria

2010-11-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Did you know....?

Do you care about who you vote for?

Do you vote for someone who will fight for the unborn?

Even if you don't follow Politics or like Politics, don't just vote for anyone - find out who you are voting for and what they believe in.

Every vote counts.

Sidewalk Counselling - End Abortion - How you can help

2010-11-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted on my blog for over 2 months, because I have been pre-occupied with Pro-life work.
There is an Abortion Clinic in my town that is open one day a week.
A group of us are working towards ending abortion in our district.
We have begun following Monsignor Reilly's Pro Life Misson - Helpers of God's Precious Infants.

There are three ways that you can participate in helping the babies that are about to be aborted:

1) Footpath Counselors
* The Counselors are the people who approach the woman going in to the abortion clinic and offer her help or an alternative and make her aware of the risks involved during and after an abortion.
* They also approach the men, friends or parents.
* The footpath Counselors stand directly out the front of the Clinic, or either side near the entrance.
* The footpath Counselors educate her about the baby's biological development in her womb, and help her to understand the exact manner in which the abortion
will kill her child.
* The woman will be provided with literature telling of all the help available: financial, medical, and spiritual.
* A possible opening line could be; "Hello, here is some information for you. I am not here to take away your choice, I am here to offer you help or an alternative, no matter your circumstances. If you choose to talk to me, I can help you."
* If the woman decides to see the abortionist anyway, she will be reminded that we will be outside waiting, if she, like others before her, changes her mind while inside and comes back out again.

2) The Pray'ers
* The Prayers come to the abortion clinic to pray for an hour or more, on any morning that the babies are going to be killed.
* They pray quietly on the opposite side of the road of the abortion clinic.
* They pray in a spirit of reparation: for their own sins; the sin of abortion; and particularly for the deaths that will occur while they stand outside on that day.
* They pray for women going into the abortion mill: for the abortionist and his staff; for the neighboring community; for their legislators; for the religious leaders of the nation; and for all who, through indifference, do nothing to try to stop abortion.
* The Prayers provide spiritual and moral support for the Footpath Counselors.
* They are essential.
* The Prayers are also there to give a personal love to God's infants who will die that day.

3) Spiritual Helpers
* These are people who want to be present at the abortion clinic but are unable to come due to physical illness, work, etc...
* They contribute prayers and sacrifices made during the week, and offer it up for the work of The Helpers.

If you are interested in helping stop abortion in our Nation, here are some suggestions:

* Go to Monsignor Reilly's website found HERE. Read up on Our Mission.
* View some Videos on Footpath Counseling (5-6min long each, there are 7 videos), showing real footage of some Americans approaching women at a Clinic. To see these videos, go HERE.
* Karen Black's Method, found HERE, has many helpful tips on how to counsel.
* Read a "Sidewalk Counselor's Guidebook", found HERE.
* Google 'Sidewalk Councelling' - read up about it.
* Find out where/or if, there is an abortion clinic (sometimes called a Fertility Clinic), in your area. Through google or phone book.
* Find out what times/days the Clinic is open and how far along they perform abortions there. Find out as much as possible about the Clinic.
* Find out where your Pregnancy Support service is (make sure they are pro-life and against contraceptives) - some are not located near the actual clinic, which can make it harder, but don't lose hope. Get in contact with them.
* Get a group of you together (at a Pro Life meeting in your Parish), through word of mouth or fliers and discuss where to go from there.

You may even be able to find young mothers interested in counseling or praying (if they can find a babysitter for an hour or two), and the young faces make a big difference.

Would you spend some time with the little babies in your own neighborhood before they die?

A Catholic Marriage

2010-08-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hail Mary saves student from Hell

2010-08-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

Consider the following instance of the great mercy of Mary.

In the year 1604, in a city in Belgium, there were two young students who gave themselves up to a life of debauchery instead of following their studies.

One night they were at the house of an evil woman; but one of the two, who was named Richard, stayed only a short time and then returned home. While he was preparing to retire, he remembered that he had not yet said the few Hail Marys that were his daily practice.

He was very tired and half inclined to omit them; nevertheless, he forced himself through the routine, saying the words half asleep and with no particular devotion. Then he lay down and fell asleep.

Suddenly he was wakened by a violent knocking at the door. The door was closed, but the figure of a young man, hideously deformed, passed through it and stood before him.

"Who are you?" Richard cried. "You do not know me?" asked the other. "Ah yes, now I do," said Richard; "but how changed, with all the appearance of a devil!"

"Alas, unhappy creature that I am," said his companion, "I am damned! When I was leaving that house of sin, a devil came and strangled me. My body lies in the street; my soul is in Hell.

"And know this — the same fate awaited you, except that the Blessed Virgin spared you for that little act of homage of the Hail Marys. If you are not a fool, profit by this warning which the Mother of God has sent." He then opened his mantle, showing the flames and serpents by which he was tormented, and disappeared.

Breaking into a flood of sobs and tears, Richard went down on his knees to give thanks to Mary his protectress. Then as he pondered how to change his life he heard the bell of the Franciscan monastery ringing for matins. "It is there," he said, "that God calls me to do penance."

He went immediately to the monastery and begged the Fathers to admit him. Since they knew his wicked life, they were hardly willing to do so. But sobbing bitterly, he told them all that had happened. And when two Fathers had been sent to the street and had found the strangled body, which was charred and blackened, they admitted him.

From that time on he led an exemplary life and at length went to preach the Gospel in India, and thence to Japan. There he had the happiness of giving his life for Jesus Christ, being burnt alive for the faith at Nagasaki on September 10, 1622.

Source = HERE

Talent

2010-08-23T03:56:00.000-07:00

10 yr old Catholic opera singer - singing Bach's Ave Maria.

Beautiful, amazing - please watch!

Perfect & Imperfect

2010-08-23T02:46:00.000-07:00

There are two types of contrition:

- Perfect: out of love of God;

- Imperfect: out of fear of Hell.

"O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven, and the pains of Hell; but most of all because I love Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen."

How to avoid distractions during the Rosary

2010-08-16T03:24:00.000-07:00

You cannot say your Rosary without having a few involuntary distractions; it is even difficult to say a Hail Mary without your imagination troubling you a little, for it is never still; but you can say it without voluntary distractions, and you must take all sorts of precautions to lessen involuntary distractions and to control your imagination.

To do this:

1) Put yourself in the presence of God and imagine that God and his Blessed Mother are watching you.

2) Imagine that your guardian angel is at your right hand, taking your Hail Marys, if they are well said, and using them like roses to make crowns for Jesus and Mary.

3) Remember that at your left hand is the devil, ready to pounce on every Hail Mary that comes his way and to write it down in his book of death, if they are not said with attention, devotion, and reverence.

4) Do not fail to offer up each decade in honor of one of the mysteries, and try to form a picture in your mind of Jesus and Mary in connection with that mystery.

Source = HERE.

Woman saves babies

2010-08-16T03:22:00.000-07:00

Love is a Decision

2010-08-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

Many people do not see why a person would have to make the decision to love since they made that decision many years ago when they said yes to one another on their wedding day.

It is normal in married life to have periods of romance and disillusionment. This cycle is often repeated – sometimes over days, weeks, even months.

Breaking out of Disillusionment by Making the Decision to Love
One way to break out of disillusionment is by deciding to love. Feelings change and aren not easily controlled. Love is not only a feeling, it is more than a feeling. Love is a decision.

* Love is a decision to be open and to share when you don’t feel like it.
* Love is a decision when you don't think your spouse deserves your love.
* Love is a decision means that you are open to honest communication with your spouse. That's not only talking, but also listening.
* It is also a decision to be loved.

Making the decision to love includes the everyday, little things that you often do for one another, especially when you’re not feeling loving.
From the action of deciding to love, often the feeling of love will follow.

What Love is a Decision Means in an Abusive Situation
Making the decision to love doesn't mean you love and accept negative or abusive behavior.

If your spouse is abusing you, either emotionally or physically, making the decision to love is getting out of the abusive situation.
Often times, making the decision to love is getting help for both you and your spouse.

Source = HERE.

A letter from an unborn baby

2010-08-02T21:22:00.001-07:00

Marriage tip!

2010-07-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a marriage tip I recently read:

Turn Off the TV and Talk!

"With children and our work between the two of us, it's easy to just not have time to communicate. While we enjoy watching our favorite tv shows together, we communicate much better and feel a lot closer when we turn off the tv and the computer and actually talk to each other.
Even the stressful conversations about things like money go better when we are open and honest and try to discuss things when there are fewer distractions.
It's too easy to simply exist in the same house without actually connecting. When we tune into each other instead of everything else, it brings us much closer and helps us realize we are more in love now than the day we got married. And that's saying something!"

"I'm watching you Dad"

2010-07-20T20:56:00.001-07:00

How to be a Good Father

2010-07-20T03:04:00.000-07:00

The father's role in our modern society has dwindled to almost nothing. But as a Christian, the father's role is important in molding and giving example to his children, especially to his sons.

Directions

Probably nobody denies that the typical father exercises less authority in his home today than at any time in history. Reasons for this decline probably are of no interest or help in the present discussion; but the effect of it cannot be overlooked. For evidence accumulated by psychiatrists, social workers and similar experts proves unmistakably that when children lack a strong father to guide them, they suffer serious damage in many important ways.

Consider these facts:

There is a startling growth in homosexual tendencies among the young, and most authorities agree that the boy who develops feminine characteristics usually has had unsatisfactory relations with his father in one or several important respects.
Increases in juvenile delinquency — a headlined trend in every part of the country — are also due to the weak position of the father; the lack of an affectionate and understanding relationship between father and son is a prevalent characteristic in the background of boys charged with criminal offenses. Many authorities also blame the shocking rates of divorce and marriage breakdowns to this cause. The fathers of those who cannot succeed in marriage often never gave their children a realistic example of how a man should live with his wife in this relationship.

The importance of the father as an example of manhood to his son and daughter probably cannot be overestimated. For example, one day your son may marry and have a family.
To be a successful father, he should know:
* how to train his children;
* how to treat his wife and their mother in their presence;
* what to discuss with them about his work;
* how to show them manual skills, such as repairing a chair or painting furniture;
* how to perform in countless other important areas.
The best way to learn how to act as a father is to observe one in action.

What ideals will he display as husband and father?
To a large extent, that answer will depend upon those he has learned from you, his father, in your own home.

What part will he play in the religious education of his children?
The answer will largely depend upon whether you:
* have led the family to Mass each Sunday
* say grace before meals in your home
* take an active part in the spiritual life of your parish.

How should he act toward his wife — aloof, affectionate, domineering, docile? Here too the answer will mainly depend upon your example.

The adage, "Like father, like son," is firmly based on fact. No matter how much he may resist your influence, your son will be like you in many different ways.
* If your influence is wholesome, the effect upon him will be wholesome.
* If you are a bad father, you will almost surely corrupt him in some significant way.

Remember also that you represent God before your child because you are — or should be — the figure of authority in your home.

He will be taught that he can always depend upon the mercy and goodness of the eternal Father; but it will be difficult for him to grasp the full importance of that teaching if he cannot rely upon the goodness of his earthly father.

It has been said that, in addition to giving wholesome example, a good father follows four fundamental rules in his dealing with his children.
1) He shows himself to be truly and sincerely interested in their welfare.
2) He accepts each child for what he is, and encourages any special talent which the youngster possesses.
3) He takes an active part in disciplining his children.
4) He keeps lines of communication open with them at all times.
Each of these rules is worth detailed consideration, because the typical father often ignores one or more of them.

For a detailed explaination of the FOUR FUNDAMENTAL RULES a good father should follow in dealing with his children, go HERE.

Abortion - honest answers

2010-07-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

What About Abortion? | Despre avort (Romanian subtitles) from provita on Vimeo.

Wedding speech

2010-07-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

I have been invited to make up a reading at one of my friend's wedding's.
It was quite difficult, as they don't really believe in God, but I tried my best to write something meaningful and what may be helpful to them.
They wanted it to have humour in it, but a lot of the humour was inappropriate (down playing marriage), so I added some light-hearted humour.
I took bits and pieces from books, which helped.
They are not Catholic and are not being married in a Church, but here is what I came up with:

The powerful union of marriage, provides the path for you to learn how to love another imperfect person unconditionally. It is wonderful. It is difficult. It is life changing.

Love isn't what we feel, but what we do. It is a decision and a choice, not just a feeling.

Love endures. It refuses to give up. Today you are saying to your spouse, “Even when you don’t like me – I will choose to love you anyway. Forever.” Because love never fails.

To the bride - The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man, is when he's a baby.
And if your husband comes home, and the kids are still alive, you’ve done your job!

To the groom - Always grant the possibility that she may be right, even if you don’t believe it.
And, always hold hands. If you let go, she shops!

Love seeks understanding. When you were trying to win the heart of your spouse, you studied them. You learned their likes, dislikes, habits and hobbies. Keep studying each other, even after you are married. You are then seeking to ‘understand’ each other.

View your marriage relationship as a covenant instead of a contract. Realizing it as a covenant means, you are giving yourself to the other and committing to this marriage for life.

Strive to be selfless. We can all be selfish, but love does not seek its own. You either make decisions out of love for others or love for yourself. Being selfless, is putting the happiness of your partner above your own. Regard one another as more important than yourselves.

Marriage is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand!

Your life together is before you. Take hold of it and never let go. May God bless you as you begin this adventure together.

Mother's Prayer

2010-07-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Change kids' behaviour without rewards or bribes

2010-07-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

From: Michael Grose- Australia's No.1 Parenting Educator.

There are many strategies you can use to improve or change children’s behaviour.

Some like, bribery, may be effective in the short term, but keeping relying on that method to get kids to cooperate and you need deep pockets as today’s little toy is tomorrow’s games console. Your bribes need to be bigger and better each time!

One simple strategy for improving behaviour and promoting the behaviour you want is the provision of good feedback when kids behave well.

I call this strategy ‘ describing them being good’ as it goes one step further than simply making a fuss. It involves describing their behaviour so that you shape future behaviours.

Sounds complicated, but it’s not.

First, it’s important to remember that parental recognition is a high driver for kids. They like to please their parents so making a fuss when they do the right thing means they are more likely to do it again. No guarantees, mind you! Just likelihoods!

Second, figure out a behaviour you want to improve and focus on that. An example maybe you want kids to pack up their toys after each time they’ve played with them.

Third, make sure kids know what’s expected of them. Show as well as tell them what you want.

Next, when children approximate those behaviour make a fuss, but tell them what they have done. “Wow! It’s great that you put each toy away before getting the next one out. That’s smart. And look, you put it in the right container. Look at all the room you have made to play.”

There are three features to using feedback to change or shape kids’ behaviour:

1. Immediate: Wait too long and its impact is lost.

2. Descriptive: tell’em exactly what you saw (and what you want)

3. Amplify with touch, eye contact & voice: Smile, touch or hug them and get excited and you’ll find its impact is magnified tenfold.

For more tips on Praising a Child, go HERE.

Beautiful, Beautiful

2010-06-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

It's All Right to Be Wrong

2010-06-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Question & Answer from HERE.

"I worry a lot about making mistakes in raising my children.
How do I know what I'm doing now won't hurt them in some way later in life?"

Few things can ruin the enjoyment of parenthood more surely than a fear of mistakes. Nowadays so many parents live with the daily worry that they will accidentally set in motion some emotional hang-up that will plague their youngster through childhood and maybe into adulthood. One single parent mom told me she was reluctant to discipline her strong willed son because she didn't want him to grow up with bad feelings towards women.

It's no surprise that parents are so skittish. They've been blamed for everything from Waldo's bellyache to his dropping out of school. Somehow, some way, the finger gets pointed back at the folks. They must have miscalculated or blundered at some crucial stage along the way. Out of ignorance, inexperience, lack of sophistication or savvy, they've done something to create the instability or defect in Sigmund's mental health.

What a tragedy that such a black cloud hovers over childrearing. The reality is that the very best of moms and dads will miscue so many times that they'll lose count in their first year. Mistakes are inseparable from good parenthood. They are as integral to the process as children are. My guess is that the typical parent with the typical youngster misjudges, overreacts, and mishandles things thousands of times per childrearing career. And that's in raising a typical youngster. If you live with a Spike, allow yourself two or three times the norm in mistakes, because this little spitfire would make Job cry uncle.

Unquestionably your parenting is powerful in shaping the person your child is and becomes. If you consistently parent poorly, she probably will develop some problems on her way to adulthood.
The key words here are consistently and probably. You have to mess up not once or twice, but repeatedly to lay the base for possible future trouble. Just as it takes time and perseverance to teach good values and habits, it takes time to teach bad ones. Mistakes made by parents who love, discipline, and care for their children simply will not ruin a child for life.

Kids are emotionally durable. The good Lord knew that children were going to be raised by humans, with all of our shortcomings, inconsistencies and flaws. So he built them to withstand us, and all the trial and erroring we do on our way to better parenting. Kids are not fashioned from spun glass. They don't have to be ever so delicately shielded from all bumps and jostles. Not at all! Kids are built tough. They can be more likened to hard rubber, with steel belts on both sides.

Whenever you worry that you may have blundered badly in handling a situation or problem, remember: that occasion is only one of thousands upon thousands of interactions you and Waldo will have together. It's the overall picture that matters, not the periodic foul-ups that all of us parents are prone to, especially if we're raising kids and not something easy like wolves.

There's a bright side to making mistakes. Responsible parents learn from mistakes. If you think you make more than your share, you'll learn more quickly. Mistakes are how good parents get better.

Healing Miracles

2010-06-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

View the following short video, introducing the six stories in Christine Watkins compelling new book:
Full of Grace: Miraculous Stories of Healing and Conversion through Mary's Intercession:

To buy Christine's book, go HERE.

To read Christine's conversion story, go HERE.

To view Christine's website, go HERE.

Top 10 Reasons to Come Back to the Catholic Church

2010-06-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

No matter how long you have been away from the Catholic Church, you can always come home.
You may already be feeling a strange inner pull to look into the Church again.
That spiritual longing you feel is God drawing you back to Himself.
God never forces; He only invites.
He leaves the decision to return to the Catholic Church up to you.

Here are ten reasons (by Lorene Hanley Duqin of Our Sunday Visitor), that influenced the decision of many Catholics to return to the practice of the Catholic faith:

10: Because we want meaning in life.

9: Because childhood memories surface.

8: Because we made mistakes.

7: Because we need to forgive others.

6: Because we want to be healed.

5: Because the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth and grace.

4: Because we want our children to have a faith foundation.

3: Because we want to be part of a faith community.

2: Because we want to help other people.

1: Because we hunger for the Eucharist.
[The Eucharist is the number one reason that people come back to the Church.]

For each reason to be explained, go to HERE.

Most people discover that coming back to the Church is not an event as much as it is a process that involves a little pain, a little laughter, some thinking, some prayer, some discernment and a lot of letting go.
“My actual return to full participation in a parish took about three years after I felt the first longing,” one person admitted.

You'll know you are home when you begin to feel a deep sense of peace.

The real Me

2010-06-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

Only God is perfect.
We are all imperfect
So... be yourself, just as God sees you.

The Real Me from Clay Productions on Vimeo.

Do birth control pills cause abortions?

2010-06-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Question and answer from Chastity.com.
Read full answer HERE.

In order to prevent pregnancy, birth control pills employ several mechanisms. First, the synthetic hormones may convince a woman’s body that she is pregnant. This can stop the ovaries from releasing an egg. The Pill also makes it difficult for the sperm to reach the egg, because the hormones thicken the cervical mucus, making it difficult for the sperm to live and move.

The Pill also creates changes in the uterus and fallopian tubes that can interfere with the transport of sperm. Despite the hormones’ ability to prevent the release of eggs, sometimes a “breakthrough ovulation” takes place. How often this happens depends upon several factors, such as which kind of pill the woman is taking, how consistently she takes her pills, and even how much she weighs. Even with correct and consistent use of the Pill, some formulas allow ovulation in less than 2 percent of cycles, while others allow a woman to ovulate during 65 percent of her cycles.

When a woman ovulates, she can become pregnant. However, the Pill has mechanisms that can cause an abortion before a woman knows that she has conceived. If a sperm does fertilize the egg, the newly conceived baby (zygote) may be transported more slowly through the fallopian tubes because of how they have been altered by the Pill. Thus, the child may not reach the uterus, where he or she needs to implant and receive nourishment for the next nine months. Because the fallopian tubes are changed, the baby may accidentally implant there, causing an ectopic or “tubal” pregnancy, which is fatal to the baby, and can also be life-threatening for the mother.

If the baby is able to travel safely to the uterus, he or she may not be well received. One reason for this is that the chemicals in the Pill thin out the lining of the woman’s uterus (the endometrium). As a result, the baby may not be able to implant. At other times the child will attach to the wall, but he or she will be unable to survive because the normally thick and healthy uterine wall has shriveled and is therefore unable to nourish the baby. The Pill also impacts the woman’s progesterone level. This causes the lining of the uterus to break down and eventually shed as it would in a menstrual cycle, further denying the baby’s attempt to implant.

Many doctors are concerned about the fact that women often are not informed that the birth control pill can cause an abortion as well as prevent pregnancy. One medical journal declared, “If any mechanism of any OC [Oral Contraceptive] violates the morals of any particular woman, the failure of the physician or care provider to disclose this information would effectively eliminate the likelihood that the woman’s consent was truly informed and would seriously jeopardize her autonomy. Furthermore, there is a potential for negative psychological impact on women who believe human life begins at fertilization, who have not been given informed consent about OCs, and who later learn of the potential for postfertilization effects of OCs. The responses to this could include disappointment, anger, guilt, sadness, rage, depression, or a sense of having been violated by the provider.”

Unfortunately, not all doctors are aware that the Pill can act as an abortifacient. Dr. Walter Larimore admitted that he prescribed the Pill for nearly twenty years—and used it in his own marriage before anyone informed him that it could have such an effect.

When another doctor clued him in, he said that he had never heard of such a thing, and that the claims seemed to be “outlandish, excessive, and inaccurate.” He began a search of the medical literature, “to disprove these claims to my partner, myself, and any patients who might ask about it.” However, what he discovered compelled him to stop using the Pill in his medical and personal life. Reviewing the information, he realized how many doctors (and patients) were ignorant of the abortifacient potential of the Pill. It was a humbling realization, considering that ever since the 1970s, the patient package insert for birth control pills explained how the drug reduces the likelihood of implantation.

One reason why certain doctors may not tell women about the abortifacient nature of the Pill is that some physicians do not believe that pregnancy begins with fertilization.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) decided to redefine pregnancy. In its words, “conception is the implantation of a fertilized ovum.” Instead of defining conception as fertilization, ACOG decided that life begins nearly a week later, at implantation. At the time they said that this was because pregnancy could not be detected before then. Today science is able to detect pregnancy before implantation, but the ACOG still won’t correct its definition. The original change had nothing to do with a scientific discovery in women’s health, reproduction, or biology. Unfortunately, doctors today are split on the issue.

Regardless of a doctor’s personal opinions, few women are ever informed about this issue. Feminist author Germaine Greer wrote, “Whether you feel that the creation and wastage of so many embryos is an important issue or not, you must see that the cynical deception of millions of women by selling abortifacients as if they were contraceptives is incompatible with the respect due to women as human beings.”

Go back to - Truth (God)

2010-06-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

The goal of life.

2010-06-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

So what exactly is the goal of life here on earth?
Is it to be rich?
To be famous?
To have a big fancy car?
To have a huge house?
To have a big screen HDTV?
To go on expensive vacations every year?
To have unlimited sex on demand?
To be constantly entertained?
To eat like a king every day of the week?
To work all of the time?
To attain power?
To get drunk?
To have lots of friends?
To collect collectables?
To have lots of things?
To play sports?
To watch sports all the time?
To watch movies?
To play games?
To look at pornography?
To play computer games all day long?

Of course, the answer to all of the above is NO.
None of those things are the goal of life here on earth.
So what is the goal of life?
From the old Baltimore Catechism, the goal of life here on earth is:

TO KNOW, LOVE, AND SERVE GOD IN THIS LIFE, SO THAT WE CAN BE HAPPY WITH HIM IN HEAVEN.

Something to reflect on.
Is this our goal?

From HERE.

Pornography ruins lives

2010-04-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Boys AND GIRLS listen to this video.

For loves sake, for the love of your future spouse - say no to pornography.

Fight for a Superior pleasure that severs the root of the lie.
There HAS to be a Superior pleasure!

'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'.
If I defile my mind and my heart with picture after picture, I will not be able to see God clearly.
And if I can't see Him clearly, my joy falls.
If my joy falls, I am a sitting duck for every sin that comes along.

Fight for joy that is Superior to the quick surge that comes from pornography.
It is so cheap, so low, so small and the kickback afterwards is so weak and so miserable.

Why Fast?

2010-03-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

The Bible refers to fasting nearly 100 times, however, it remains a discipline which is absent from the lives of many Christians.

Although most Christians may feel the need to do a lengthy fast, there are benefits to be gained from even a short period of self-denial.

Here are 16 reasons why...

1) Fasting expands compassion.

2) Fasting prepares the way to meet a challenge.

3) fasting helps you move to a positive spiritual outlook.

4) Fasting is encouraged by the spiritual fathers.

5) Fasting benefits others.

6) Fasting creates more time for additional spiritual disciplines.

7) Fasting is good for the soul - it brings spiritual gifts.

8) Fasting reminds us we don not live by bread alone.

9) Fasting is a positive response in the face of materialism.

10) Fasting creates more physical and mental energy.

11) Fasting helps us appreciate things more.

12) Fasting strengthens virtues and weakens vices.

13) Fasting is good for self-discipline.

14) Fasting improves physical health.

15) Fasting can enlighten others.

16) Fasting follows the way of Christ.

Holidays...

2010-03-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a holiday in Queensland (on the Gold Coast).
Here is where we stayed:

Here was our view at night time:

You are Loved

2010-02-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

I posted this for a special someone (just a little reminder) - they know who they are. xx

Why Should I Go to Confession?

2010-02-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

Sin is a fact of life.
Whether we’re guilty of the sins of the flesh (such as adultery, fornication, masturbation, gluttony, drunkenness), sins of pride (anger, hard-heartedness, envy) or some other kind of moral failing, we all fall prey to sin.

Some sins are called “venial,” because they weaken the life of grace in the soul and make it more likely that the person will fall into “mortal” (i.e., serious) sin — the kind of sin which, because of its gravity, extinguishes the life of grace in the soul.

But all sins separate us from God.

As the Bible reminds, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).

The problem is that many people become comfortable with living in the state of sin (c.f., 1 John 5:16-17) and never really make any effort to turn their hearts back toward the Lord with repentance and a firm desire to avoid sin and grow in holiness.
There are even those who live an outward life of apparent goodness, but inwardly, they are practicing sins that keep them from the relationship with the Lord that He desires for them.

“He who says, ‘I know him’ but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4).

The good news is that Jesus Christ wants to free you from the chains of sin, give you new life in grace and lead you to the heights of holiness.
But he won't do that against your will.
You must be willing to say “yes” to His gifts of grace and forgiveness.
And the very first step along that path is to make a good, sincere, heartfelt confession of your sins.

Even if it's been many years since you last went to Confession, there's no reason to be afraid or to delay.
You can change your life today, simply by discovering Christ and His mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation!

Source = HERE

Let's start giving.

2010-02-27T20:26:00.000-08:00

We are the World - 25 for Haiti

Do what you can, Haiti needs you.

Whatever you have, no matter how big or how small...IT ALL COUNTS!

Do more than just watch...reach into your hearts.

Dios es amor...

2010-02-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

"Dios es Amor" means...
"GOD IS LOVE."

Planned Parenthood - America

2010-02-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

Insiders from the abortion industry reveal the linkage between the upcoming socialization of healthcare and the promotion of the abortion industry.

Thanks to Divine Ripples.

Temptations of Christ

2010-02-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

The following is from my Parish Bulletin, thanks to Fr Murphy.

1) Bodily pleasures v's Self Control
2) Ego/Power v's Prayerfulness
3) Wealth/Greed v's Generosity

Temptations are not sins, provided we do not consent to them.
Christ was tempted but never sinned.
He allowed Himself to be tempted so as to teach us HOW to combat them.

Sometimes overcoming temptations can even help us to obtain more grace and grow in virtue.
All occasions of sin, however, are dangerous in as much as we become more susceptible to sin.
For the devil never sleeps, but like a hunter waits silently for his prey, until we are tired, fed up or depressed.
Then via deceit, fantasy and with feigned compassion, he induces us into his snare and sin is chosen.

During Lent, the common practice of penance is fulfilled by performing the following:

1) Prayer
- daily Mass
- rosary
- stations of the cross
- adoration

2) Self-Denial
- not eating meat
- sweets
- alcohol
- no TV
- no internet
- no computer games, etc...

3) Helping Others
- the poor (ie: project compassion box)
- visiting the sick
- visiting the elderly
- visiting the lonely

Temporary Home

2010-02-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

Earth is our 'temporary' home.

Q : Where is our real (permanent), home?
A : Heaven

40 Days for Life

2010-02-17T14:16:00.000-08:00

40 Days for Life starts on Ash Wednesday, it was a great idea by Americans, and it means vigils outside abortion mills 24/7 and prayer and fasting until March 28- BUT!!

That's all kinda boring because my REAL news is that 40 Days for Life is now in Australia (America, and North Ireland if you're dropping by) again and in:

Melbourne - http://www.40daysforlife.com/melbourne/
Sydney - http://www.40daysforlife.com/sydney/
Brisbane - http://www.40daysforlife.com/brisbane

The home page for 40 Days for life is here- http://www.40daysforlife.com/about.cfm

You don't have to live in those cities to participate.
There are heaps of things you can do - go to the Home page and click on "Get Involved".

So basically, this means you have NO excuse not to do something for the 100,000 children killed by abortion every year in Australia alone and making this a wonderful Lent- saving lives!!

The following is a trailer (for America) for the 40 Days for Life...it may inspire you to participate.

Test driving Sex...

2010-02-16T00:55:00.000-08:00

Former Australian Rugby League player Jason Stevens (now a Presenter, Speaker and Author), recently married his wife after vowing to stay celibate until he was married.
The following is a reply of his to a question about waiting until marriage to have sex.

What would you do if it turned out your future wife was a shocker in bed?

I believe that a good sex life that lasts only comes out of a great relationship based on love, respect and trust.
When these things are in place in a relationship and both people have a good self esteem- the sex will be awesome.
People think you need to try before you buy, but I believe the worst lovers are the "experienced ones" because they come into a relationship with past memories of lovers, hurts from previous relationship - in other words baggage.
Sex isn't like buying a car, you don't need to test drive it!

To read many of his answers to similar questions, click HERE.

Changing old habits

2010-02-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

Are you a Good Old Boy?

- Do you go to church on Sunday morning, and then get drunk Sunday afternoon while watching the NFL?

- Or worse, do you not even go to Church on Sunday because your golf game and your Sunday Newspaper take priority?

- Do you follow all of the latest news on TV, but don't have a clue what the Bible says, or what your Church teaches?

- Do you tell dirty jokes to the guys?

- Do you sneak a peek at porn whenever no one else is around?

- Do you flirt with the women at work but don't like talking to your very own wife?

- Do you like to go to Hooters and stare at the cleavage?

- Are you obsessed with spending quality time with your computer, your car, your sports, your buddies, etc., but hate to spend time with your very own family?

If you answered YES to any of these, then you may be suffering from "Good ol' Boy" (GOB) Syndrome.

Unfortunately for you, you can't have it both ways - you have to choose, because most GOBs won't make it to Heaven unless they repent and embrace Jesus Christ.
That is decidedly uncool for most GOBs.
The peer pressure of your drinking/joking/smoking/sports buddies would probably be too great for you to quit that lifestyle, and besides, they would laugh at you if you did that.

However, it is also VERY true that none of us will come to a natural end, but rather a supernatural one, when we die.
What that means is that we will all wind up in one of 3 places upon our death - Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell.

That means that if you are not paying attention to God now, and are putting football, porn, drinking, etc., before Him, then you will have a very tough time getting into Heaven.
Remember that you could die tomorrow on the way to work.
No one is guaranteed a tomorrow in this life.
Probably none of the 3000 or so who died on 9/11/2001 thought that they were going to die that day and meet their Maker while they were getting dressed that morning.

Besides all of that, participating in GOB activities usually means that your family life suffers greatly.
The wife that you promised to love, honor, and obey in front of God, your priest, and your family and relatives during your wedding, probably would love to have you come back into her life as a loving husband and father to your kids.

Unfortunately, the tug and pull of your GOB lifestyle wins out more often than not.
Hopefully, you will heed this message to come back to Christ before a disaster happens in your family.
Sooner or later, there will be a car wreck, an injury, a death, cancer, etc., that God will use to call you back to his flock.
At that time, you will probably plead with God for help in eliminating this event from your life, or the life of a loved one.
Just like an NFL quarterback doesn't wait for Sunday to start getting in shape for the game, neither should you wait for a tragedy to happen to you or your family to begin to learn to pray.
It takes a lot less faith to pray to prevent a tragedy, rather than to undo one.

A word here about how the devil operates.
No one signs a contract with the devil to be subject to him.
The real way that he gets you is through sin.
Every time you sin, and the more grievous the sin, the devil and his minions get a piece of you.
The bigger the sin, and the more frequent the sin, the more you will find that life is mysteriously not going well for you.
While this is not demonic possession as seen in "The Exorcist", there are lesser degrees of control that the devil can exert in your life.
Your marriage, your health, your outlook on life, your family, your job, etc., will all start to fall apart, and you won't have a clue why.
You will start hollering and screaming at your family for the silliest things as a result.
You will start blaming everyone else for your very own self-created problems.

So - By not sinning (porn, drinking, anger, treating your family horribly), you reduce this possibility from occurring in your life, and the life of your family.

So now what?
First, you have to eliminate your GOB lifestyle and then go to confession and have God bless you through that sacrament.
Through this sacrament, God forgives you of your past sins that you confess to His priest, as long as you truly repent and promise to try not to do sin again.
This part of the cure can be thought of as "eliminating the negative" in your life.

After that, start reading a good Catholic Bible.

The last thing is to learn how to pray.
Prayer is not "give me, give me, give me".
The 4 ways of prayer are:
1. Adoration
2. Contrition
3. Thanksgiving
4. Supplication (requests) - which is abbreviated ACTS.

The person who learns to use the first 3 items (ACT) as the majority of his prayers usually gets the supplications (requests) answered.
The person who only uses requests while ignoring the first three rarely gets his prayers answered.
A useful approach to prayers is to be as humble as you can, as often as you can. The devil's sin was pride, because he wanted to be God.
The opposite of pride is humility, so the person who really is humble usually is the most successful prayer warrior.
The more you humbly pray in adoration and contrition and thanksgiving, the easier it becomes.
Most people pray today like they have to make a long distance telephone call to God when they want something.
After you begin your new prayer life, you will realize that no long distance phone call is needed, because God is right beside you and can hear you just fine 24/7/365.

In summary, being a "good ol' boy" is a very natural human state of existence for most "guys".
Sadly, it will not get you into heaven, but usually blocks that from happening.
That is the long-term problem.
The short-term problem is that it will start to affect your earthly life here as well, in a decidedly negative fashion.

Accepting Jesus in your life, receiving the sacraments, going to Church every Sunday, reading the Bible and humble prayer with Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and Supplication is the cure.

To read this whole article, go HERE.

Bad Company

2010-02-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Things to remember from the video:

1 Corinthinans 15:33 - "Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character."

" ...I expected that I was going to be able to maintain my Christlike behaviour when I was hanging out with these kids...and especially when I have no support from other Christians...""

Romans 3:10 "There is no one righteous..."

I can't do anything on my own.

Bad company is people who are not living the way that God has asked us to live.

It doesn't mean that they are evil, horrible people.
It just means that they are not seeking after Christ, like you, and thus they are bad company for you.

It is hard to give up those friends, because they can be some of your 'closest' friends or 'only' friends, because you may not have any Christian friends.

Letting go of them can be one of the best things for your life, because it can allow you to see what is going on in your life, that may be keeping you from Christ.
It may take time to end those relationships.

You can be more of a 'light' when you hang out with other Christians.

Remember, the Majority Rule.
If you are going to hang out with somebody that you are trying to win for Jesus, only hang out with them when the majority of people that you are with are good company and good character people.
So that means, if you hang out with a non-Christian friend, bring 3 Christian friends with you, so that your good company can bring their bad company up, instead of their bad company bringing you down to their level.
This will allow you to have success.

Answer this:
It can be okay to hang out with non-Christians...but are they your MAIN friends?
Are you hanging out with people that are not following the call of Christ?

Time

2010-02-05T17:38:00.001-08:00

I have realised that I need to put more time into reading the Bible and TALKING and LISTENING to God (praying).

I knew a long time ago, that I should be doing this (and have started), but never continued with it, as I have let distractions and excuses get in the way.

For this to be a reality in my life, I have come to the conclusion that I have to forfit doing other things (such as reading blogs), and prioritize my time better.

I find it easier to 'do' things by minusing other things in my life all together, so that I don't get distracted and so that I am not as easily tempted.

The devil trys his best to keep us busy.
The last thing he wants is for us to pray and form a 'personal' relationship with Jesus.
He couldn't stand it if we set aside time, to not only read the Bible, but find time to TALK to Jesus each day and then be quiet and still (say nothing), and actually LISTEN to what He is telling us.

I recently recieved a good reminder from someone who wrote:
"Be faithful to your time for daily prayer above everything else like Jesus was....this is THE KEY, because it is only then that you can listen more deeply to God's will for your life and then put it into practice.
Everything stems from your prayer life!
And the devil is so happy when he stops you from making time to pray because he has stopped you from listening to God speak to you directly through his Word!!!
Always be radical in this one thing and everything else will flow from it."

God gave us the Scriptures to read and to see how He lived His life and to learn how to love like Jesus does.
If we don't know Jesus, then how can we be like Him?
And to know Him, we have to form a close relationship with Him.

So don't be offended if I don't read your blog anymore, or have stopped following or don't comment.
Right now in my life, I am shutting off my temptations and concentrating on starting to form a real relationship with my true Father who loves me more than I know and is waiting and longing for me to dialogue with Him.

"Everyone is doing it"

2010-02-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

Source = Chastity.com

How should I respond when people in my high school say, "Everyone is doing it?"

You could respond in any number of ways.
For one, you could ask the person, “If I can prove that the majority of high school students are virgins, will you be abstinent?”

The most authoritative research on the sexual activity rates of high school students is the Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control. According to this nationwide survey of more than 150 high schools, only about a third of all students are currently sexually active.
Since 1991 teen sexual activity rates have been dropping, and now the majority of high school students are virgins.
In fact, between 1991 and 2005 the sexual activity rate of high school boys dropped twice as quickly as that of high school girls!

Among teens who have already lost their virginity, two-thirds of them wish they had waited longer to have sex (77 percent of girls and 60 percent of guys).

The trend toward chastity is well underway, even if you haven’t noticed it on your campus.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy surveyed teens from around the country, asking them if it was embarrassing for teens to admit that they are virgins.
Surprisingly, 87 percent of teens said no, it’s not embarrassing.
Most of those who said it was embarrassing were under the age of fifteen.
Only 5 percent of older teens (fifteen to seventeen years of age) thought virginity was an embarrassing admission.

Despite the fact that these teens said virginity wasn’t something to be ashamed of, you don’t hear much about it because the sexually active students do all the talking.
For some reason chastity gossip just doesn’t seem to spread as quickly.
This gives the impression that “everyone is doing it,” when in reality the majority are not.

You could also point out that the “everyone” who is “doing it” is also getting STDs, that “everyone” is breaking up three weeks after they have sex, and “everyone” ends up getting divorced if they stay together long enough to get married.

You are in no rush to join any of these crowds.
We all have a fear of not being accepted or of being a loner if we do not conform to the world.
But you must hold out for the higher standard of love.

The bottom line is this:
What is your motivation?
Is it to please God or to conform to the world and make life-changing decisions based on the opinions of classmates, most of whom you will probably never see again after graduation?
Stay strong.
You are worth the wait.
Besides, the world needs to see young people who are not scared out of their minds to be chaste.
This is something to be proud of, and if enough people on your campus realize this and have the courage to stand up, I would bet the saying “everyone is doing it” may eventually refer to chastity.

His Little Princess

2010-02-04T01:29:00.000-08:00

Click HERE to buy the book and take a look inside the 1st few pages.

A True Fairy Tale

Cinderella is a great story, but after the last page is turned, little girls can’t look forward to the tale coming true when they grow up.
It’s just “for pretend.”
Now girls ages four to nine can unveil the reality of their royal calling!
His Little Princess shows them that they are not pretend princesses…because God is for real!
When a grown-up sits down to read out loud these touching love letters, girls will come to understand and embrace how much they are truly loved and adored by God, the King of kings!

A Daughter of the King

Every little girl dreams of being a princess.
And for the one who trusts in God, the Word heralds a most beautiful truth: She is the chosen daughter of the King of all kings.
She is a true princess!

Here is a majestic gift for that special young one in your life—personal letters written from her King.
Each day a new letter will inspire her to live and act like the radiant princess she is!

Story Behind the Book

“If we can help our daughters learn from a young age that they are God’s chosen princesses, we will help them to win the identity struggles they will face as teens. While we have influence in their lives, we need to deposit in their hearts and minds how much they are loved and how important they are in God’s kingdom.
This book will give girls godly confidence that they are chosen by the King of all kings.
Read one each day to them and watch them grow into the princesses they are destined to be!”

Abortion Testimony

2010-02-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Divine Ripples

Educational computer games for kids

2010-01-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some good educational games for your younger children.
I'm not into having my kids sit on the computer, however, when I do I just limit my children to 20 minutes a day.
It's good for those chaotic times in the evening to keep them occupied.
It's helped my 4 year old to learn her letters and their sounds.

http://www.starfall.com/

http://pbskids.org/

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com

http://www.funbrain.com/index.html

http://www.tvokids.com/

http://www.ictgames.com/resources.html

http://www.nickjr.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/

http://www.kidsspell.com/

http://www.speakaboos.com/

The black sheep

2010-01-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

Some things to reflect upon:

* Notice Jesus 'carries' his lost sheep, instead of poking and prodding them with his shepherd's staff?

- We too should nurture the people in our life and treat them with love and respect.

* Notice Jesus picks up (and holds close to his Heart), the black sheep too, the one that is different than all the rest?

- We too should help those people out that everyone else rejects because they are different.
- Or, if you feel like you are a black sheep, an embarrassment to others - remember how special and unique you are in God's eyes and that He will never forget you or leave you. He made you and He accepts you just the way you are.

Isaiah 40:11 "He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart"

Jesus loves everyone, not just those who fit in, and He takes great care of us all.

Making time for God

2010-01-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

Almost all of us have busy lives so here are a couple of ideas to make time for God. One idea is to wake up a little early and spend some time in prayer before getting up and/or go to bed a little early and spend some time in prayer and spiritual types of reading before going to sleep.
St. Teresa of Avila said she often began prayer with a good spiritual book to help put her mind on God as to pray correctly one needs to first set aside other concerns and put our minds on God alone and then she also advises to speak to Jesus as one would a friend.

Loving the people in our life also requires setting aside some time for them.
Love desires to be with those we love and just as we set aside time to be with God alone, so we need to make time for our loved ones on earth by spending time with the people who count to us.
If we want a relationship with God and others we need to spend some time relating or else no relationship!
No time?
How much time do you spend on the internet or watching TV or doing other recreational types of things or maybe even working for things you don't really need while neglecting those things you do, like God and some special people in your life? The greatest two commandments are:
Love God with your whole heart, whole mind and whole strength and your neighbor as yourself.
If we do these things we will have inner peace now and forever and if we don't, we won't.
St. Therese of Lisieux had some words worth pondering as she neared her own death... she said, "It is love alone that counts".

No need to worry about things anyway as God will take care of all our needs when we put Him first including our need for a spouse and people to love us and to love in return.
If we are doing that and it hasn't happened yet, what is needed is trust... do what is right and good and true and trusting God has a great plan for our life and it will unfold as time goes on and in the right time.
We don't need to do things out of fear or impulsiveness or drives, in fact those feelings should not be acted on but just trust God and do what is right and what often is accompanied by a sense of deep peace inside where God dwells inside us and things will be as they should and even better than we imagined they could be.
The Bible says, " Fear is useless, what is needed is trust" and if we don't have it or anything else we need the Bible says, "Ask you and will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open."
As far as earthly things go, Our Lady of Fatima said that what is required of us all is doing our "daily duty".
Our daily duty is to what is required for us at this time and place in our life and relationships.

Doing what is right can be a gigantic struggle because we are all sinners and we need God's grace to overcome but we have God's promise of his help and grace for the asking seeking to do what is right and letting the chips fall where they may.
We need to pray for the strength to do what is right and God will give us the grace and make up for the lack in our actions and make all things work together for good in our life.

With us some things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.

We need to become God pleasers and not a people pleasers.

Pain isn't pleasant but sometimes it is necessary to achieve real change and growth for ourselves and others so we need to accept any necessary pain and work through it to achieve the goal.

Additional thoughts:
If we want to be holy, we seek God's will alone and really that is the only thing that makes sense as God loves us more than we love ourselves.
He wants only what is best for us in the long run and He knows everything and we don't and he knows what is best and we don't, so seeking his will is really and truly seeking our best good.
Some of us who have made messes of our lives in various ways realize this through experience, but it is possible to learn this just by trying it... if we try it (learn God's will and put it into practice) we will see it is true and works without having to understand it or learn things the hard way or hit bottom or whatever. Jesus says if we want to know what is true, to do to what He says and we will know it is true.
That is how we know it is true in the doing it, not in the understanding it, as we will understand it when we do it... so the thing here is not intellectualizing but putting it into practice.
In effect Jesus says: Do what I tell you and you will know it is true.
With God's help we can do it, and with someone like that on our team all will be fine.

Summary:
Seek God first and all things will be given us besides and all things will work together for good (as God describes good not as we do as sometimes what seems good to us really isn't best in the long run and only God really knows what is best and sometimes we don't know what is best in any given circumstances) if we love God and put him first in our lives.

Jesus' prayer:Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, THY WILL BE DONE on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen. (For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever).

From Catholic Spiritual Direction.

Ex Porn Star tells the truth

2010-01-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

By the power of Jesus Christ and to acomplish an important mission she fell into to cruel world of pornography. An outstanding testimony of conversion that will shock you. Now, mother of three and a loving viewer on Mother Angelica, unveils the dark side of the evil industry.

Porn - you have a choice

2010-01-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

Help for Porn Addiction:

xxxchurch.com

www.pornnomore.com

www.thekingsmen.org

www.cleanofheart.info

Watch the lies...

2009-12-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

From Divine Ripples
This is a disgrace!

Our Reason to Live

2009-12-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

12 Days

2009-12-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

The 12 Days of Christmas
- begins on Christmas Day & includes the Octave of the Christmas season
- 12 days of celebration & feasting.

This carol originated as a Hebrew hymn, which begins, "In those twelve days..."
In the Middle Ages, the song was rewritten in Latin with Christian images.
By 1645, an English version of the Latin ymn had appeared.
By the 18th Century, it had, in turn, become the Christmas carol we know today.

The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me..."
The true love is God and the following are His presents:

1. The first one is the partridge in a pear tree which means Jesus Christ who died on a tree.

2. Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

3. Three French hens were faith, hope and love - three virtues of the Holy Spirit.

4. Four calling birds were the four Gospels which sing the song of salvation.

5. Five golden rings were the first five books of the Bible - the Pentateuch.

6. Six geese a-layin were the six days of Creation.

7. Seven swans-a-swimming were the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

8. Eight maids-a-milking were the eight Beatitudes.

9. Nine ladies dancing were the nine choirs of angels.

10. Ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

11. Eleven pipers piping were the eleven faithful apostles, or the eleven stars seen by Joseph.

12. Twelve drummers drumming were the twelve articles of the Apostles Creed.

VACCINES using Human cell lines from Aborted foetuses

2009-12-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

Certain children vaccines (mainly Measles, Mumps, Rubella & Chicken Pox/Varicella), may be prepared using human cell lines from Aborted foetuses.

If so, there are no alternative vaccines available to Australians for the examples mentioned above.
Therefore, there may currently be no moral vaccines for Christian/Catholic people who want to protect their children against Measles, Mumps, Rubella and/or Varicella.

HERE is the website with the Vatican statement in response to it all.

HERE is another website I found of an Australian Catholic Dad who has done some research on the matter.
He has most of the information on his website and all his References at the bottom of his page.
This website has included a letter to the current Minister of Health that we can use.
Please check this out!

HERE is another website from the Australian Vaccination Network.

HERE is another website to check out. Once in the website, click on 'PROVE IT' on left hand side.

HERE is a website from Right To Life(RTL)Michigan.

An interesting quote from HERE:

"It is crystal clear that the real motive behind producing the rubella vaccine in this manner was to justify the benefits that would come from the use of aborted fetal tissue research."

We as parents have a right to demand ethical alternatives be used, or reject the vaccine if an alternative is not available.

Disclaimer: This video (below), is not meant to convince you, but to move you to do the research.
This video may not be perfect, but it's a good place to start, to get the word out.

A thank you to: click HERE.

Vaccinations - too much, too soon?

Below is an interesting video.
Something else to think about doing some research on:

Santa v's Jesus

2009-12-10T18:33:00.000-08:00

Some key things to compare from the video:

"In the end, I keep going back to Santa's naughty or nice distinction.

Jesus came because none of us are nice enough.

Santa is about 'ME'and the stuff I so desperately WANT.

Jesus is about something more...the grace I so desperately NEED."

Funny comments from No. 2

2009-12-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

These are some of the lyrics to the song, "Last Christmas"...

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,
But the very next day, You gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special

No.2 sings it like this...

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,
But the very next day, You gave it away
This year, to stop me from having tears
I'll give it to someone special

Mum - "Come on kids, please eat your dinner."

No.2 - "I am eating...I'm shovelling it in!"

No.1's funny answer...

2009-12-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

Mum - "Pearl, get off the road, you'll get run over!"

No.1 laughs...

Mum - "You won't be laughing when you get hit by a car and killed."

No.1 - "Yes I will, coz I'll be in Heaven with Jesus!"

Did you know...?

2009-12-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

Saying No!

2009-12-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

Question from Chastity.com
Isn't it hard to say "no" all the time?

Answer:
As I see it, there are two ways to live and to love.
One sees temptations as obstacles to virtue, demanding a constant need to say “no!” in order to obey all God’s seemingly burdensome laws.
It is a life that is based upon “Thou shalt nots.”
Every day is an exhausting struggle to avoid offending God.
If we live like that, then it will be pretty hard to say no all the time.

Here is the alternative:
Instead of living life trying not to offend God, live life trying to glorify him.
Live each moment as an act of worship to God.
Instead of seeing temptations of lust as obstacles to holiness, see overcoming them as the very means to holiness.
Certainly this involves avoiding temptation and saying no to sin, but the motivation is the yes of true love.

As Mother Teresa said, “Intense love does not measure . . . it just gives.”
Or in the words of Pope John Paul II, a young heart feels “a desire for greater generosity, more commitment, greater love.
This desire for more is a characteristic of youth; a heart that is in love does not calculate, does not begrudge, it wants to give of itself without measure.”
“There is no place for selfishness—and no place for fear!
Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands.
Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice.”
“Real love is demanding.
I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so.
Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God.”

Therefore, the virtue of purity is not first a no to illicit sex but a yes to authentic love.
It is not a prolonged series of noes but a continual yes to Jesus.
Since we receive more grace each time we say yes to God, we soon see how possible and joyful this life really is.
The Blessed Mother offers us the perfect example of how to live this, when in the Gospel of Luke she gives us the recipe for holiness: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
The more we are able to imitate her yes, the more joy and peace we will find in our lives.
When asked how we could become saints, Mother Teresa replied: “Whenever Jesus asks something of you, say yes.”

Living the virtue of chastity now means that you cherish your future marriage (or religious vocation) more than passing pleasures.
It also prepares you to be a better wife or husband because you will learn how to express intimacy without always needing to be physical.

It has been said that when a couple has healthy intimacy, the closer the two become, the more they become themselves.

When a couple is experiencing unhealthy intimacy, they usually feel as if they are losing their identity.

The yes I have spoken of is possible with God, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).
Tap into that, and ask God for the grace to be pure.
Have confidence, because with God’s grace anyone can achieve sexual purity.

As you work toward the virtue of chastity, know that the desire to become pure is not something that comes from your body.
There is no chastity gland located near your spleen, secreting abstinence hormones.

Chastity arises from the will and is awakened and made possible by love.

Granted, there will always be a tension between the desire to please God and the desire to act on our impulses.
In the words of Christopher West, “Winning this battle takes faith in Christ, dedication, commitment, honesty with ourselves and others, and a willingness to make sacrifices and deny our own selfish desires. But love is not afraid of those things; love is those things.”

One practical note:
Take a look at what surrounds you.
If you constantly have to say no to various temptations, this implies that you end up in tempting situations on a regular basis.
There will always be temptations, but we should work to avoid the occasion of sin.
If you listen to music with sexually explicit lyrics, watch MTV, spend time in risqué chat room conversations, look through swimsuit or Cosmopolitan magazines and so forth, you are pouring lighter fluid on the fire that you are trying to extinguish.

As the Bible says, “Who will pity a snake charmer bitten by a serpent, or any who go near wild beasts? So no one will pity a man who associates with a sinner and becomes involved in his sins. . . . Flee from sin as from a snake; for if you approach sin, it will bite you” (Sir. 12:13–14; 21:2).

If there are bad influences in your life, replace them.
Find better music and decent books to read.
Also, increase your time in personal prayer, Scripture reading, and other devotions, and you will be surprised at how much easier chastity becomes.
Never forget that purity is a gift from God; you have to ask for it.

It's about the Birth of Christ!

2009-12-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Divine Ripples.

A Miracle

2009-12-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

The Miracle of Christmas
is that....

GOD SHOWED UP!

Think about it...

Christ is The Reason...

2009-12-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

'Twas the month before Christmas'
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying,
Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ' Holiday '

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, now Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me...

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet during the holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Christ is The Reason for the Christmas Season!

Do you love Gay people?

2009-11-19T14:49:00.004-08:00

This is a LOVE issue.

Here are some questions to think about from the video:

* Do you treat gay people with hatred?

* When someone doesn't believe with your Christian world view, do you become unloving?

* When you stand up for what you believe in, do you still love?

* Do you judge and condemn people outside the Church?

* Do you love people who believe differently to what you do?

* Do you love like Jesus?

The Catholic Church holds that, as a state beyond a person's choice, being homosexual is not wrong or sinful in itself.
But just as it is objectively wrong for unmarried heterosexuals to engage in sex, so too are homosexual acts considered to be wrong.

We should still love the sinner....Jesus is in everyone.

There is a world dying out there...
Would you rather be RIGHT or offer them LOVE?

History of casual sex

2009-11-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

Females with history of casual sex report most depressive symptoms

According to a study featured in the Journal of Sex Research, various studies have shown that a majority of adolescents first engage in sexual intercourse before they graduate from high school.
Furthermore, other studies have shown that 70% of college students report having had sexual intercourse with individuals they did not consider to be their romantic partner.

Casual sex is a sexual relationship in which the partners do not define the relationship as romantic or as their partner being their boyfriend or girlfriend.

These “relationships” are mainly based on sexual desires or physical attraction alone and commonly involve drugs or alcohol.

In this particular study, the researchers aimed to identify the factors and circumstances associated with those engaged in casual sex and sought to examine the link between casual sex and depressive symptoms.

Researchers used a sample of 404 undergraduate students who were enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a large university in the southeastern United States.
Each student completed a Sexual Behaviors Questionnaire which was designed by the researchers to investigate sexual behaviors in romantic relationships and it was modified for this study to also include sexual behaviors with casual partners. Through these questionnaires, the researchers found that casual sex was a fairly common occurrence among the participants in the study.

76% of the sample reported having engaged in intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex, and more than half (53%) of those who were sexually experienced reported having engaged in sex with a partner with whom they were not involved in a romantic relationship.

The majority of males and females who engaged in sex with a casual partner reported knowing that the encounter was casual and had no expectations other than a physical affair.

The researchers also focused on the link between casual sex and psychological functioning.
They found that for females, as the number of sexual partners increased, symptoms of depression also increased.
Female partners who had the greatest number of partners had the highest symptoms of depressive pathology.
The researchers noted that the association of casual sex and depressive symptoms in females is worthy of further investigation.

Article found HERE.

Pornography

2009-11-17T01:40:00.000-08:00

The Harmful Effects of Pornography:

1. Harm to the Soul

2. Harm to Personal Morality and Chastity

3. Harm to Public Morality

4. Harm to Marriage

5. Harm of Violence Toward Women

6. Harm of Degradation of Women

7. Harm to Children

8. Harm of stimulations resulting in Rape

9. Harm of Contracting AIDS and other Venereal Diseases in Peep Show Booths and spreading the same to the Public

10. Harm to Performers in the production of porno films and videos

11. Harm to Performers in Nude Dancing Establishments

12. Harm to innocent persons criminally assaulted and murdered by those stimulated by porn, including Serial Murderers

The available evidence from testimony, research, social science studies, and interviews with sexual offenders indicates that the production and consumption of pornography causes grave harm to society and individuals.

Click HERE for an explaination of each of these effects.

For those who desire to break their addiction to pornography, lust, and sins of the flesh, click HERE at the PornNoMore.com website and find help.

Homosexuality

2009-11-16T00:44:00.000-08:00

A conversion story told by a woman who 'was' living a homosexual life.

It is important to know that the Church (and God himself), loves each and every person (even homosexuals), and how it is only when one participates in homosexual behaviour that it is wrong.

A great story of how...
God can make 'all' things new!

Question on Birth control

2009-11-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

Question: Isn't using birth control better than having unwanted teen pregnancies and abortions?

Look at both these issues and judge for yourself if contraception is part of the solution or part of the problem.

Because of the widespread use of birth control, more people than ever have sex without intending to have children.
Sex out of wedlock has become far more common, and more sex means more babies.
Some argue that teaching people how to use contraceptives will alleviate the problem.
But research shows that “programs in safer sex education and condom distribution have not reduced the out-of-wedlock birth rates among sexually experienced teens. The fact is, increased condom use by teens is associated with increased out-of-wedlock birth rates.”

A few years ago in Colorado, one school began passing out condoms to the students. Within three years the birth rate rose 31 percent above the national average, and in one school year one hundred births were expected among the twelve hundred students. The administrators were described as “searching for explanations.”

When unwanted pregnancies occur, many turn to abortion as a solution.

In fact, studies show that about half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion.
Some argue that increased use of contraception could have lowered these abortion rates.
However, the research institute of the nation’s largest abortion provider admits that most women who receive abortions had been using birth control during the month they became pregnant!

Such couples feel that the “fault” of the pregnancy can be blamed on the failed contraception, but by contracepting they have already set their wills against new life.

Since contraception treats pregnancy as if it were a disease, many people conclude that abortion must be the cure.

I once saw a condom advertisement that called pregnancy “the mother of all nightmares.”
With this mentality it is no surprise that the sex researcher Alfred Kinsey said, “At the risk of being repetitious, I would remind the group that we have found the highest frequency of induced abortion in the group which, in general, most frequently used contraceptives.”
Even a former medical director of Planned Parenthood admitted in 1973, “As people turn to contraception, there will be a rise, not a fall, in the abortion rate.”
Fifty million abortions later, no one can dispute his prediction.

Lastly, it should be noted that anyone who believes that contraception decreases abortions ignores the fact that hormonal birth control can cause abortions.
Click HERE for details on that.

Mother Teresa did not need to see the statistics.
She was well aware of the connection between contraception and abortion when she said in a speech in the presence of Bill and Hillary Clinton:

“The way to plan the family is Natural Family Planning, not contraception.
In destroying the power of giving life, through contraception, a husband or wife is doing something to self.
This turns the attention to self and so destroys the gift of love in him or her.
In loving, the husband and wife must turn the attention to each other.
Once that living love is destroyed by contraception, abortion follows very easily.”

This question was from Chastity.com.

The Pill Kills Babies

2009-11-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Go HERE for more information about how the PILL KILLS BABIES.

Why Catholics go to Confession

2009-11-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

The Devil is afraid of you!

2009-11-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

An American exorcist has said the film The Exorcist led people to believe wrongly that the devil could "come and zap them" when in fact the devil is afraid of the power of Jesus inside them.

Mgr John Esseff, retired exorcist of the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, told an audience of 400 students at Bowling Green State University, Ohio that the power of Jesus within them was "enormous".

He said: "The devil is afraid of you - if you would just awaken to who you are."

In describing one of his exorcisms, he said: "As she came in, she saw me and she shrieked - and the language and the growls - and then she slithered across the floor and was going up the wall. Well, there was obviously a force here, a presence. And I just simply silenced her in the name of Jesus."

Mgr Esseff said that each baptised person was united to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. He read passages from the Gospels in which Jesus exorcised demons and then sent his disciples to do the same.

He said that Jesus ultimately defeated Satan through his death and Resurrection and then sent the power of the Holy Spirit to his Apostles at Pentecost.

"When God looks down, he sees Jesus in you," Mgr Esseff said. "You have that power as baptised, confirmed Christians. And so when he [Satan] sees you, he hates what you would discover about that power that is within you."

He suggested that each audience member had been tempted that day because temptation was the ordinary activity of the devil.

"Your soul is a battlefield because there is also someone who hates you," he said. "That one is the devil. The devil knows who you are and what you have. God passed him by. God did not choose to become one of the angels. God chose to be one like us."

But just as each person was tempted, Mgr Esseff said, another spirit also was at work.

"In your life today, this very day, has been the Holy Spirit," he said. "God is in you. God the Holy Spirit is operative in you. God the Holy Spirit wants to bring into your heart love. God wants to bring you peace."

Mgr Esseff also told students of the power of angels and encouraged them to renew their devotions to their guardian angels.

"His [the angel's] job is to protect you all through this world. And when you close your eyes, he wants to deliver you to God," Mgr Esseff said.

After the talk Megan Dowell-Howko, a first-year student, said she now had a better understanding of how she experienced temptation, and that she would remember she could say no to the devil.

She said: "I guess I'm taking away a renewed confidence that the devil only has as much power over me as I give to him," she said.

Before the event Mgr Esseff said he saw three indications of Satan's presence in the world: money, lies and war.

"I think one of the greatest things he has done is have people forget he exists. People deny he exists," he said.

Read the whole article HERE at the Catholic Herald.

What is the purpose of Prayer?

2009-11-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

REASONS TO PRAY (from Prayer for Beginners by Peter Kreeft):

1. Praying keeps your soul alive: Prayer is real contact with God, and God is the life of the soul as the soul is the life of the body. If you do not pray, your soul will wither and die, just as, if you do not eat, your body will wither and die.

2. Because God commands it: Three reasons he commands us to pray correspond to our three deepest needs, the fundamental needs of the three powers of our soul: prayer gives truth to our mind, goodness to our will, and beauty to our heart. "The true, the good, and the beautiful" are the three things we need and love the most, because they are three attributes of God.

3. Prayer changes us: We pray, not to change God's mind, but to change our own; not to command God, but to let God command us. Prayer is our obedience to God even when it asks God for things, for God commanded us to ask.

4. We do not have an infinite amount of time: We are one day nearer Home today than we ever were before. I guarantee you that after you die, you will not say, "I spent too much time praying; I wish I had watched more TV instead." We must learn to pray because infinite and uncompromising Love will not leave us alone until we do. If we do not learn to practice his presence with our whole mind and will in this life, we will have to learn it in Purgatory, where it will be much more painful - or else we will never learn it, and that is Hell.

5. Learning to pray is dress rehearsal for eternal life: What you do when you rehearse a play is actually to practice it, to do it; and what we do when we pray is actually to practice what we will be doing in Heaven.

6. Prayer is delightful: Brother Lawrence says, in The Practice of the Presence of God, "There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it."

7. Prayer is the way to know God: One moment of prayer, of weak worship, confused contrition, tepid thanksgiving, or pitiful petition will bring us closer to God than all the books of theology in the world.

8. Prayer is the only way to spiritual progress: We must pray in order to grow, and we must grow because Infinite Love will not, cannot, settle for less than the greatest joy of which his beloved creature is capable.

9. Prayer is necessary because without it we cannot attain the meaning of life, the end and purpose of our existence: Becoming saints is the meaning of life. It is why we exist. It is why God created us. Prayer is our first step in becoming saints. The second step is charity, a life of love, the ecstasy of giving ourselves away over and over again forever, as each Persons of the Trinity do. But this is prayer, too, or an extension of prayer. This is practicing the presence of God in action.

From: Catholic Answers.

Why are many graces being lost at mass?

2009-11-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

Fr. Bill Casey makes us think about these questions...

How well do you prepare before Mass?

Do you talk, joke or socialize before or during the Mass?

How do you act during Mass?

Do you forget about the 'Real Presence' during Mass?

Do you genuflect?

Do you make a thanksgiving after recieving Holy Communion when Mass is finished?

It is Time for a Real Sexual ‘Counter-Revolution’

2009-10-26T02:14:00.000-07:00

I figure now’s a good time for a radical discussion about sex.
We’ll never change the way we view abortion until we change our attitudes about sex. It’s time for a sexual counter-revolution.

The sanctity of human life from the moment of conception throughout all of life up to and including a natural death is the only foundation our society will ever be able to stand upon if we hope to flourish as a truly free people.
It’s quite obvious our foundation is crumbling.

To repair it, we must go back to square one and correct our ideas about sex.

Unless we give sexual intercourse its due reverence, we’ll never give human life its due reverence.
The two can never be separated.

If we don’t regard all life as sacred – and thus the creative act of sex—then we will always find ways to rationalize and justify the murder of a child as a “right.”

I’m not naively suggesting that prior to 1973 people were all living chaste and faithful lives and that sex was held in the highest esteem by all, to be expressed within the bond of marriage.
I am saying that the decision to legalize the killing of our preborn children cemented a poisonous shift in our mentality, and that poison has corroded every aspect of our society, especially our treatment of sex.
We replaced responsibility with “rights” and it’s been a downhill race toward insatiable debauchery ever since.

One criticism I hear often from people is that I and other Pro-Life folks ignore the real cause of abortions: unexpected/unwanted pregnancies.
What needs to be addressed, they say, is the “tragedy of unexpected and unwanted pregnancies.”
Do you see what I mean?
Pregnancy is a “tragedy” – not a miracle of life.

There’s that poisonous shift in our thinking.

The creation of a new human being is a tragedy if we didn’t expect it or want it. The tragedy isn’t the new life; it’s our self-centered, warped perspective.

There is a solution to the problem of nearly all unwanted and unexpected pregnancies, but it’s the only one that nobody wants to talk about or consider seriously.
The answer is so obvious, it just begs to be shouted out, but no one wants to do it because it’s the action that requires the most of us.
As soon as I say it, I’ll be laughed at and called an idealistic nincompoop (or worse).
I don’t care.
It might not be politically correct, but it must be said!

We all know exactly how babies are made so if you are unwilling to lovingly accept a child into your life, then don’t have sex! Period.

Sex isn’t a right; it’s a profound gift that serves a profound purpose.

It isn’t just a healthy, human activity; it’s also the ultimate expression of love and selflessness.
It’s not a recreational pastime with no strings attached.
Sex comes with some huge responsibilities, and if we’re not willing to accept ALL those responsibilities, we have no business having sex.
It’s that simple.

The tragedy isn’t that women are unexpectedly pregnant; it’s that people are selfishly indulging in sex and then refusing to accept the natural outcome.

Women do not simply “find themselves” pregnant, as though they had nothing to do with it.
It isn’t magic that happens without their involvement.
(In no way am I speaking here to women who are victims of violent assault. No woman chooses to be raped.)

Our real freedom and power lies in that very first choice: to have sex or not.

Why are women only free and empowered if they have the “right” to kill their babies? Are we not capable of using our brains and connecting the dots?
“If I choose to do this, here’s what will probably happen.
It’s my life and my choice, so I’d better make the wise choice.”

It seems to me that a woman who’s truly interested in preserving her choices will be smart and not put herself in a vulnerable position in the first place.
I never said it was easy – only that it was simple.
Our choices need to be made while we still have our clothes on.

Next comes the argument that not having sex is completely unrealistic and impossible, so we must have better birth control.
Here again is the poisonous shift in our thinking.
Birth control simply further engraves on our hearts the idea that pregnancy is a tragedy and babies are a burden to be avoided.
When unexpected/unwanted pregnancy occurs, it isn’t because our birth control has failed, it’s because our sense of morality and responsibility has failed.

The creation of new life should always be expected because that’s what sex is for!
That’s why even married couples are called to abstain when they have serious reasons for not conceiving a child.

And let’s stop buying Planned Parenthood’s talking points that say many women have abortions because they think they have no other choice. Baloney.
There are other choices, but they won’t be as convenient as killing the baby.
It’s in Planned Parenthood’s best interest to portray women as pitiable, helpless, forgotten sufferers without any recourse besides abortion, but it’s a lie.
Women need to stop wearing the victim mask and take responsibility for their life’s choices, the most important of which is whether or not to have sex.
Where is a woman’s personal accountability in all of this? Where is a man’s?

It goes without saying that society must step up and care for the needs of pregnant women and their babies, encouraging all mothers to choose life.
(I believe the Church works very hard to do that.)
It also goes without saying that men and women need to think about the consequences of their actions and be willing to accept responsibility, and responsibility does not equal abortion.

Is everyone expected to be "perfect", in the sense of never making a mistake or exercise bad judgment? Of course not.
I’m simply saying that when it comes to sex, we all know what happens!
Our lapses in judgment can never, ever justify killing preborn babies.
Once a new person enters the equation, the only choice that remains is LIFE.

We need to return to the knowledge that sex is sacred because life is sacred.

It’s time for a radical revolution of responsibility; a revolution of reverence for sex and reverence for life.
It is time for a sexual counter-revolution which liberates men and women, honors marriage and reaffirms the beauty and dignity of human love in the Divine Plan.

By Jennifer Hartline
9/16/2009
Read the article at: Catholic Online

Perseverance in Prayer

2009-10-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Seven simple Rules:

1) Be constant - a daily routine is essential.

2) Try to improve the quality of your prayers.

3) Never doubt that God hears your prayers.

4) Avoid distractions but don't become depressed.

5) Listen as much as you speak.

6) Learn from others about prayer.

7) Don't forget - NEVER give up!

Worth a sacrifice - an important decision

2009-10-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

This powerful and moving video thanks to Divine Ripples shows what God did for us all (using this example).

What a sacrifice!

Thank you God for saving us all.

What would your decision be?

Hell

2009-10-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Does Hell Exist?

CCC1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of unrepentant mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire."

Who goes to Hell?

Persons who die in unrepentant mortal sin.
Such souls are devoid of sanctifying grace and charity - the love of God.
God sends nobody to hell, they go there of their own accord, to that which they have 'loved'.

Why did God create Hell?

God did NOT create Hell.
Hell is the result of sin and free will.
Self love v's God's love.

Slow Fade

2009-10-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Lead singer/songwriter Mark Hall of the Casting Crowns comments on this song:

"When we're in the church and spending time with God, we know what we're supposed to do and how to live.
Everything is black and white.
But somewhere between the altar and the door, when we leave and go out into our lives, it all leaks out.
Everything gets gray again.
It's like we have these two lives, and the Christian life is the journey between the altar and door....trying to get the things you've got in your head, into your hands, into your feet, and into your life."

Mistakes, regrets, wrongs, sins don’t occur all at once or in a single day.
It is gradual.
It is based on small decisions we make day to day.
We find ourselves often having done something or at some place we didn’t expect to be, not because we woke up one morning choosing to do something, but rather little by little our daily choices and decisions led us there.

"Be careful little eyes what you see..."

Stepping out of your comfort zone

2009-10-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Do YOU step out of your comfort zone to make others aware of Jesus and talk about Him?

Video thanks to Divine Ripples.

Every sacrament is a meeting with the Lord.

2009-09-30T04:27:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-28T03:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-18T00:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-09-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

"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

2009-09-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

“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"

2009-09-05T04:13:00.000-07:00

"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

2009-09-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

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.