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Advocata Nostra    mckenzie  -Black Madonna   Advocata Nostra , the oldest icon of Mary in Rome, at the Dominican Sisters Convent on Via Trionfale on Monte Mario. This icon can be traced back to its origin in Jerusalem, where tradition has it that it was painted by St Luke after the Resurrection, at the request of the apostles. But the tradition also states that after St Luke had sketched the outline, the image of Our Lady appeared on it. No human hand was involved. Such works are referred to as achiropita—'made without hands'.                                                             Fr. John Giuliani    Japenese Carmelite Nuns BLESSED VRGIN MARY CUZCO PERU ART Madonna of the Lilies, Alphonse Mucha

As television commercials and store circulars clamor for you time and money this Christmas season, you may be feeling—like so many others—a yearning to get back to basics. To reclaim Christmas and its meaning. One way to do just that is to make a commitment to give gifts that matter—gifts from the heart. A perfect gift to consider for friends, teachers, co-workers, and family this year is a Christmas basket. A Christmas basket is something that you create with the recipient in mind which means you can make a dozen of them and they will all be a bit different, or you can consider ways in which all your friends and family are similar and make the same basket for a dozen different people. Here are some easy tips to get you going for the perfect Christmas basket: ü Make a list of the people for whom you typically shop so that you know how many baskets to purchase. Your baskets can be any size and kind of container (sewing basket, garbage can, pet bed, hat box, utility buck

It's been a year later since Sandy, and now Typhoon Haiyan?  The worst storm to hit land ever?  Unbelievable. I saw this picture and my heart ached. Completely ached. Photo by Reuters/Erik De Castro from emergencies.crs.org As Thanksgiving approaches I've focused heavily on gratitude for the blessings in life.  The good things.  I think most of us probably aren't aware on a daily basis of how good we actually do have it.  This week my husband didn't pass the bar.  That's right, didn't pass, and not only that, but the poor guy missed passing by  two points .    Two lousy, stinking points.  Two good for nothing, lame points. After a few days of "mourning" this loss, we've both officially recovered from the initial shock, and have focused even harder on his achieving this goal come February.  The bottom line is, we're going to be just fine.  We may be living with my in-laws a little bit longer than  hoped,

Somewhere along the line, it seems America lost sight of the whole way… the “whole-food” way, that is!    Over the years, as a more “have-it-your-way” approach became a part of our everyday way of eating, our food & nutrition began moving further and further away from nature.  And our faith in isolated nutrient supplements grew strong... But is this a wise approach for us?  Is this the way it’s meant to be? Well, of course, it’s not. Plus research even shows that some supplements may deliver no benefits, or may actually come with risks, as well.  But why?  Why are there so many cracks in the foundation of a diet that’s built on weak foods, still fortified by high-dose supplements?  Could it be that we’re missing the whole point?    In seeking the riches of individual (and separated) nutrients, we begin to lose the treasure that’s meant to be there.   The full benefits of nutrients really come as a result of a communal relationship that’s built on interaction an

I saw Three White Doves Soaring from the Altar toward Heaven.   St. Faustina  -  November 2/1936   In the evening after Vespers, I went to the Cemetery (in the sisters' park). I had been Praying for a while when I saw one of our sisters, who said to me, "We are in the Chapel." I understood that I was to go to the Chapel and there Pray and Gain the Indulgences.  The next day, during Holy Mass, I saw Three White Doves Soaring from the Altar toward Heaven. I Understood that not only the Three souls that I saw had gone to Heaven, but also Many Others who had Died beyond the confines of our Institute. Oh, how Good and Merciful is the Lord! (Diary-748) An Offering of the Precious Blood for Souls O My God, I beg of Thee in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, through the merits of the Precious Blood offered Thee in every Mass throughout the world, to grant that this day one mortal sin may be averted, one soul in doubt may be converted to the tr

Tonight found me in an unlikely-for-me place: a glow-in-the dark indoor miniature golf course in a strip shopping mall off a state highway. I proposed the location for a Saturday night date with my husband and he agreed. While we waited our turn at mini-golf, we played skee-ball and a few rounds of Hoop Fever. We had a great time. Our teen sons would be grateful they had not come along since while we played - me cheating and my husband diligently marking his own score with a glow-in-the-dark pencil - I was singing and dancing to the 1970s music that blared through out the facility. Why did we end up here tonight? Keep Reading

It has become clear that Super Typhoon Haiyan ('Yolanda' in the Philippines) has caused enormous destruction and, very possibly, many deaths. Tacloban City, on the island of Leyte in the eastern Visayas, the group of large islands in the centre of the country, looks as if a bomb had been dropped on it. I have visited it a number of times. Much of the damage was caused by a storm surge, which is similar to a tsunami. I heard an official of  PAGASA , the national weather bureau, explain on television today that where the seas is shallow, as it is in Tacloban City,  such surges tend to be much higher than where the sea is deep and therefore much more destructive. Part of downtown Tacloban City There are now  reports  that more than 10,000 may have died as a result of the storm.  Reuters quotes a senior police official on this . Continue here .

  "Opportunities are offered hourly for us to perform with great love seemingly unimportant works.  Gentleness and patience toward others, overcoming our own moods and inclinations, acknowledging within ourselves our own imperfections, and persevering effort to keep ourselves tranquil and at peace:  this faithfulness is greater than we can imagine."   Sister Joanne Marie Wenzel VHM, In the Midst of the World, Brooklyn Visitation Monastery, 1985, p. 9 Painting: Girl Sweeping, William McGregor Paxton,1912   from The Cloistered Heart

I   am learning to live in the Light, remain in the Light and stay connected to the Light within me. My tendency is to switch back to living in misery, burdened with interior pain because this is what I am accustomed to. Ridiculous? Insane?Absolutely, but now a mere glance to the Light and bang- I switch again from misery to joy.  To nurture His Risen Life in me, the life of the Messiah, I am discovering that spiritual communion is powerful. I just  whisper a desire for the Eucharist and He is present like a fire burning in my heart, burning even my skin.  I  could dance for joy, like a child of God in the sunshine. St. Thomas Aquinas defined Spiritual Communion as  “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament and a loving embrace as though we had already received Him.” The basis of this practice was explained by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical,  Ecclesia de Eucharistia : “unlike any other sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it  brin

Forget about '.com' domains: The Church is getting ready to launch '.catholic'

Moses before the Burning Bush , Domenico Fetti, 1613-14 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 20:27-38 [Shorter form, Luke 20: 27, 34-38]  ( Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition )  There came to Jesus some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection,  [and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; and the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her

Psalm 46:10 -   “Be still, and know that I am God." 1   Kings 19:11-13   " And behold, the Lord passed by, and a strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave." 

God's Justice.  As God is complete in all that He is, we are not able to take away or add to His measure.  Since this is so, then God is whole. If God is perfect then His attributes must also be perfect.  God is one, God is the divine Trinity, the three divine persons in one God.  God is pure, and His purity must be perfect, with nothing lacking.  God is just, and His justice must also be perfect.  So God is pure, just and perfect.  As a result, if God's justice is perfect then His justice must not allow any one who is impure, vile or sinful into his presence, for this would not be just and it would be torture for the soul stained by sin to behold the beatific vision of God.   God is also mercy, and His mercy, because He is timeless is for all time God's mercy must also be infinite.  The fact of God's infinite mercy has lead souls down the path to the conclusion that no matter what they do, God's mercy is infinite and God will not allow them to go to Hel

This piece is  a reinterpretation of the  Deposition   done by Fra Bartolomeo. There were a few changes Ann made…she  added the crown of thorns down in the bottom left, and changed the face of the Virgin Mary a little. The original is in the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy. About Ann Chapin   Ann became Catholic in 1999 and soon after that was exposed to the iconographic tradition in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. After doing some private study with some iconographers with the Prosopon School which teaches a traditional Russian style, Ann decided to embark on an experiment to create iconographic art that is particularly suited for the Western eye.  She’s been working on that project specifically for the past 7 or 8 years, and doesn't ever think she will finish. Last Supper - John the Beloved and Christ  This piece represents that moment in the Last Supper, when it says that John reclined on the bosom of Christ to ask him who would betray him. (John 13:21-26).

Me to my 7th grade daughter: "You can go to the school dance, but you can't slow dance with any boys." My 7th grade daughter: "The principal said we're not allowed to say no." This conversation, naturally, almost shocked me into a full-blown panic attack. Then it got worse. Me: "Are you  sure  that's what the principal said?" My 7th grader: "Yep! And she said she wouldn't tell  anybody  who we dance with. The teachers can't tell either." I think I actually felt my heart hiccup. Because we all know who "anybody" is, don't we? Paranoid parents like me. Why would the principal ally herself with the students as the one who knows their secrets and won't tell? I had to know. Click here to read more...

I’ve begun writing the third and final installment for my Women’s Christian Inspirational Fiction series. The first title is Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage , the second is Miriam: Repentance and Redemption in Rome and the third is Sophia: Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend . I’m winding back to the United States with this book. The first takes place in Israel and the second in Rome. The reason I share all this with you is that in this last book, the main character Sophia (who is Elizabeth’s daughter and Miriam’s goddaughter) suffers from post partum depression—a topic that is very personal to me and one that I want to approach as honestly as possible in the book. My hope is to gather some feedback from different women who have suffered through any of the symptoms of this illness, regardless of the degree. I want to offer Sophia’s experience with PPMD as a ray of hope to women everywhere; the questions for which I am asking feedback on are designed for me to draw knowl

I have often thought that much of our life resembles  the life of an ant, a worker ant, not the queen. Ants scurry about, eyes trained on the ground in front of them, hauling loads of food that are bigger than they are. They are completely oblivious to the world around them, fixated solely their own tiny society. Often this narrow viewpoint leads to disastrous results, with whole colonies wiped out of existence when the macrocosm surrounding them crashes into their little world. Unfortunately, it is impossible to communicate with an ant, or to warn an ant of danger. Any offer of help frightens them because an ant perceives anything that intrudes into their microcosm as a threat. I cannot help an ant because I cannot communicate with him. I have often thought that much our life resembles the life of an ant. I run around busy with tasks, keeping my nose to the proverbial grindstone, oblivious to the realities of the rest of human society never mind the universe.  When nature

This is an account of a Pastors wife being told by God to rescue His lost sheep. It is a beautiful example of Christianity in action. It  incorporates  many elements of Christian living.  I hope you not only enjoy it but learn from it. -  http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2013/November/Extravagant-Love-The-Preachers-Wife-and-the-Stripper/

Elizabeth appears in the Gospel of Luke, where she is described as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,”.  I imagine that she was warm, loving and obviously a safe harbour for young Mary, who was not married when she conceived.  When Mary came to visit her, Elizabeth was pregnant with St. John the Baptist and in her sixth month: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.”