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Is your priest a magician? Able to solve all your problems with a magic wand? READ MORE CLICK HERE

It looks like cloudinids, critters whose skeletons look like a stack of ice cream cones, made Earth's first reefs.... ...Thinking about God's Design Decisions Every time I write one of these 'science' posts, I wonder if I need to explain why thinking is not a sin . If you've been here before, feel free to skip down to 'Cloudinids and a Precambrian Reef.' As a Catholic, I'm obliged to believe that God creates everything, including us. We're designed with a thirst for truth, which should lead us to God. Thinking about the world's beauty and order doesn't get in the way of faith. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 27 , 31 - 35 ) God's design decisions don't upset me. I like living in an immense universe: one where we keep finding new facets of reality. It's as if God created a world loaded with puzzle games for us to solve. But since so many folks seem convinced that science and religion are at war, an explanation may be

The first people called to follow Jesus are four Jewish fishermen. (Mt 4, 18-22). Now Jesus calls a tax collector,a sinner, a man who is unclean in the eyes of the observant Pharisees. Yet, this man’s name is  Matthew , which means  gift of God or given by God. And just  like the first four men who followed Jesus, Matthew, the tax collector, stands up, leaves the tax office, his source of revenue and without vacillating, against all common sense and worldly wisdom, follows Jesus. The Calling of St. Matthew – Hendrick Terbrugghen What would have been like to look into the deep, piercing eyes of Jesus which looked right into my soul with insight but also with profound love? No need to pretend. Jesus would have loved me just as I am  because he embraced the broken, marginalized, sick ones who realized that they were hungry and empty and needed the love and healing power of God. read more>

NOTE: To understand this posting, you have to read Fearless (Part 1) which you can read.. .HERE Sometime after my first experience as written about in Fearless (Part 1), I was again praying the Stations of the Cross.  I get to the fourth Station, the Station where Jesus meets His Mother and I the Lord reminded me of the day when the pews made all that noise and St. Michael and my Guardian Angel showed up.   Then He said to me,  "I want to show you what was coming after you that day."  To read more... CLICK HERE!

Shane O’Flaherty’s has launched his own company called, Growing the Faith.   They created an app for Catholics and have been all over the country working with priests to bring this free app to Catholics.  Their mission is to help people grow in their faith.   The app has great Catholic content, Catholic radio, daily mass readings, saint of the day, personal daily motivation, parish directory, daily tweets from the pope and so much more.   Preview YouTube video Growing the Faith Launches OneParish App Growing the Faith Launches OneParish App find more information via  www.oneparish.com .  readmore >

Happy Fourth of July 2014! Please read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

Christ blessing the children , Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53 National Gallery, London [ 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)  [This link is to the readings for the Vigil Mass and for the Mass on Sunday] Gospel  Matthew 11:25-30    ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) At that time Jesus said, “I thank   you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;   yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.     All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke

So much has happened when I was praying the Stations of the Cross.  The demon has tried everything to scare me off.  He can't.  I won't say I haven't been scared, I have, but I have stood my ground.  On this day, I was praying the Stations of the Cross and begging God for those that were lost.  I was alone in the Church.  I had gotten to the 4th Station...to find out what happened next, CLICK HERE!

Santa Lucia Church:  Touring Chicago's beautiful churches, is the second church my husband and I are visiting in my series.  Ever since our choir joined  St. Thérèse  nearly three years ago this fall, we have heard about "the little church."  Our first stop on touring Chicago's beautiful churches was  St. Andrew . You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

My 3 year old surprised me the other night. It didn’t surprise me that he snuck out of bed and was listening/watching undetected from the top of the stairs as my husband and I chatted with my parents and enjoyed a piece of ice cream cake. It didn’t surprise me that we heard the pitter-patter of his little feet running back to bed as he heard us come up the stairs, or that he jumped in bed and pretended to be asleep as we walked in the room. Once we started talking to him, it didn’t surprise me that he brought up the ice cream cake. What surprised me is that he had pieced together everything that had happened for us to have the ice cream cake. He told me that it was the same ice cream cake they have at Carvel and asked if Daddy had gone to Carvel, opened the freezer, taken out the cake, put it on the counter, paid for it, taken it to the car, drove it home and put it in our freezer. “Is that what happened, Mommy?” he asked. Yes, son. That’s what happened. This isn’t the only t

The Blessing of Silence One would think that the sound of God would be a mighty blast of the trumpet or the crashing sound of a tree falling in a forest.  One might expect that the Voice of God would deafen the ears of His creatures and force us down on our knees. Yet, in the silence of the burning bush, Moses heard the voice of God.  "Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Mid′ian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.  And Moses said, “I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here am I.”  Then he said, “Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which y

Name that tune!  I bet most of us (especially those with young children) can do so in an instant. What are the words of Frozen's "Let it Go" teaching our children about Freedom? Click to read more here....

Perhaps you are familiar with the prayer "Lord, give me patience. Right now." Recently when I complained about having to wait so long for a book to be accepted by a publisher, a friend commented, "All in God's good time." God's time is really different from ours!  We Americans like things fast: fast meals, express lanes, instant coffee, express mail. We find it irritating to wait in line, be put on hold, and be stuck behind a car only going the speed limit. We like to squeeze as much as we can into our hours, but in the end we might only be as productive as the gerbil spinning on the wheel in his cage. On the other hand, Scripture says about God that a thousand years are as a day to him. (Psalm 90:4)  While we have all the time in the world to do things,  God has all eternity and takes his time—with marvelous results. Click to continue

Nothing will be impossible for you... This is another experience while I was praying the Stations of the Cross.  This is what I asked for. Out of love for all the lost souls that fall into hell constantly, that souls not be lost.... I asked God that the gates of Hell be closed for one hour. To read more.... CLICK HERE .

AVOCADO SCORES BIG! ...in Flavor , in Versatility , in Nutrition , in History , and in " Cleanliness "... Check out this fruit's impressive report card: FLAVOR [+Texture]:  A vocado is mild yet distinctive, slightly sweet & slightly nutty to some, smooth (buttery), and complimentary. VERSATILITY :  A vocado gets along well with others —works (and blends) nicely with ... NUTRITION :  A vocado is dense by nature, in a good way ... ► Click Here to Read More at The Way to Nourish for Life   ...including linked recipes for: Guacamole Dip; Raspberry Avocado Salad with Honey Raspberry Vinaigrette; Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Hass Avocado and Cucumber Relish; Gluten-Free Mini Avocado Spice Cupcakes; California Avocado/Fruit/Citrus Bowl. A  for Avocado !  (: EF)

Miriam loved being a prayer warrior for her church and her friends. She took the job of pounding on heaven’s doors very seriously. In fact, being a prayer warrior was very much in line with Miriam’s own gift of intercession. Unfortunately, Miriam was plagued with the false idea that while other’s deserved healing and wholeness and miracles, she did not. And this false belief led to less and less successful intercession for others as Miriam’s own needs for healing and wholeness and miracles continued to be unmet because she did not feel she was worthy of heaven’s help. Many, many Christians suffer from the same false belief that Miriam experienced. Countless Christians feel unworthy of heavenly intercession; but nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, it behooves every Christian to become his own, best prayer. Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Articles/Keys-to-Becoming-Your-Own-Best-Prayer-Warrior.aspx#PTtxL0GPYorXFwde.99 picture:  ID 37530342 ©   Dharshani

If you could, Would you? If you could be told the date, time, place and method of your death, would you want to know? Would you want to know if you would face death alone or be held in the warm embrace of your family? Would this knowledge impact your life?  Would you seek to change?  Would you look for God or live with abandonment, not caring what you did, only seeking worldly pleasures before you died? If you knew that, as you walked out the door that morning,  you would never return home again, would you walk out that door?  If you knew that tomorrow you would die, what would you do? Other than this moment, this second, we are not guaranteed another moment of life.  Do you praise God and thank Him for His great gift  of life?  As I have aged, I have come to realize what an amazing gift life is.  I have been given so many chances to right the wrongs.  Each day gives me that gift.  Each day I am granted the opportunity to grow closer to God, to live in His ways and

Who do you think you are? CLICK HERE

Storm the Gates (Part 2) NOTE:  The following of what you are about to read, is for your discernment.  I do not ask nor require anyone's belief.  Also, God did everything in what I am about to tell you, I only asked.  Even in the asking, God gave me the breath to speak it, the will to ask it, so really He did it all.  I am only writing this now because I was told to write, and write I will.   To Find Out What Happened During My Prayer on the 11th Station, CLICK HERE.

The Meaning of the Immaculate Conception Of course I can’t remember being conceived nor growing into a baby in my mother’s womb. Nor for that matter do I remember being baptised a week later. I was totally dependent on my mother for everything, not just in those first weeks of my life, but for many months to come. I, not only depended on my mother, for my physical growth and development, but for my spiritual development too. I received my first experience of God’s love from her love of me. Exactly the same happened to Jesus. St Paul said that he was ‘like us in every way but sin’ , that’s how God had planned things from the beginning. That’s why at the very moment that he decided that his Son would be made flesh, that decision included having a human mother. As Blessed John Duns Scouts put it: - ‘if God willed the end he must have willed the means’ . If he chose to enter into this world as a human being he must have a human mother, for without a human mother he could not be a true hu

photo by Connie Wells

Quite a lot has happened, since Father James Statz came to the Our Lady of the Angels parish here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Most of it's routine, like the annual cycle of the liturgical year, some hasn't. Today is the last time Father Statz celebrates Mass as our parish priest. I'm sorry to see him go, but very glad that he has been here. Remembering, Mostly 2003 Some of it hasn't been routine, like when the Christmas tree — over a dozen feet tall — fell over behind him. That was in 2003. I took that photo before the excitement. The choir director had told us that the last song would be "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" when the Christmas tree fell over. Over a dozen children on the near side of the altar, and probably a few other folks, said "eee!" The tree fell neatly on the altar's far side. Then we sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." Nobody was hurt, much, although Father Statz got clipped as the tree went past him, and th

Todays Gospel tells the story of Jesus asking Peter, " Who do you say that I am" and I can't help but repeat this intellectual, theological joke told 30 years ago by a Jesuit priest in front of a university New Testament class. Jesus was walking alongside of the Sea of Galilee  when he turned to Simon Peter and asked him, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Why you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus was pleased with his answer. So, Jesus turns to the modern day theologian and asks, “Who do you say that I am?” The modern day theologian answers, “Why you are the eschatological manifestation in the ground of our being. The kerygma, which finds its fulfillment in interpersonal relationships.” And Jesus says, “What?” kerygma is the basic Christian message, eschatological  a branch of theology dealing with the final, end times

DARE YOU READ THIS? REALLY? CLICK HERE

Eventually if we live in this world long enough we will experience hurt and disappointment. The hurts we experience in life can create unhealthy patterns and wrong ways of thinking that influences the way we act. In turn we could end up hurting others, push people away or cause unhealthy co-dependent relationships. Romans 12:2 says, " Do not conform  to the pattern of this world,  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing  and perfect will." Continue Reading >

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, * and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  Matthew 16:18. "...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." .  What does this mean? How can a gate prevail?  Wouldn't it be demons that would prevail, but that isn't want our Lord said, He said 'gates'.     A gate is something to keep something in, or to keep something out.  It can also be used as a passageway.   From the scripture we know there is more than one gate. (' gates' plural).  There are supposedly 12 gates into heaven the same as the number of apostles, the demon loves to mock God, so their must be more than one gate into hell, but how many? To Find out How Many.. Click HERE!!

Sts Peter and Paul , Guido Reni Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan [ Web Gallery of Art ] Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul. Solemnities take precedence over Sundays in Ordinary Time. At the Vigil Mass (Saturday evening) NB: The Vigil Mass has its own prayers and readings. Those for the Mass During the Day on Sunday should not be used – though some priests seem to be unaware of this. It is incorrect to refer to the Vigil Mass as an ‘anticipated Mass’. It is a celebration proper to the evening before. The Vigil Mass also fulfills the Sunday obligation. Readings     (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  [This link is to the readings for the Vigil Mass and for the Mass on Sunday] Mass During the Day Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Z

Well folks, it’s time. It’s time for the very long awaited review of  Something Other Than God  by Jennifer Fulwiler of  Conversion Diary . While the punctuality of my reading of the book and this review may indicate otherwise: I loved this book. Read the rest here . 

Tobit’s Dog is a love story amid the battle between heaven and hell for the souls of the good guys as well as the racists, murderers, rapists, thieves and connivers not portrayed in the biblical version of the Book of Tobit.   In this imaginary take on the Book of Tobit, exciting enough a tale, Richard skillfully uses the characters, symbols, and scriptural principles. All the vital elements are there: Tobit’s sudden blindness and miraculous healing. Prejudice and bravery — this time, involving a lynching and Tobiah’s arrest for his compassion toward the boy hanging from a tree. Richard sets this, his first professionally published novel, in North Carolina during the depression. The Jim Crow era provides the tension between the black characters (Tobiah and family) and the white businessmen and law enforcement determined to keep the Negros in their place.   And they are Catholics. Is this how the enemies of the Jews treated the chosen people during thei

Divorce and its breakup of the family are devastating to say the least. For a faithful Catholic, the experience can rattle faith and force a questioning of self-worth and God's Love. Divorce leaves a hungering for something real, for nourishment beyond the physical.  Sunday's first reading reminded me of that hunger. In this reading from the book of Deuteronomy, we see Moses leading his people away from slavery but into the desert to wander, isolated, lacking a clear path, and hungering for 40 years. It must have seemed as though the suffering of the Jewish people would never end. There have been many times over the five years that I've been job searching while raising my five boys alone, that I too have wondered if the exhaustion, the feelings of being overwhelmed and abandoned, the suffering would ever end, if I would ever see an end to the wandering, the isolation, the hungering I so often experience. It is at these times I am drawn to the experiences of those