Headed for the Mountains

Headed for the mountains! My favorite place to be!

Won't be posting for a bit. Talk to you when we return.

Many blessings to you all.

Pray Without Ceasing

Two prayers that say it all:

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
Oh good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy sacred wounds hide me.
From the wicked enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me.
And bid me come to Thee
that with Thy saints I may praise Thee
for ever and ever, Amen.

Prayer of Surrender
St. Ignatius of Loyola

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess you have given me. I surrender it all to you to be disposed of according to your will. Give me only Your Love and Your Grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.

Trading the Temporal for the Eternal

Back to serious heartfelt posting. I think that I am better at that. Hopefully anyway. If not, I guess at a minimum it helps me to sort through this mess I have in my heart and mind.

Through this move, I have realized how much I have been relying on my surroundings to make me feel safe. The last time we moved, 11 years ago, we had been married for just over one year, we had no children yet, and hardly any stuff. It was an exciting time, buying our first house, with endless possibilities ahead. I felt so carefree and in love and ready for anything. Even though uncertainty was ahead, I felt strong and able to navigate anything. After all, look at all that I had come through in my life. I admit at that time I was not particularly searching for any type of relationship with God, just sort of going through the motions and continuing to live in the darkness of self will.

Well, 11 years later, things are completely different, and God is healing the broken heart that I had denied for so long. I am so sentimental because I am afraid to lose myself, my loved ones, and the stability that I have so carefully tried to protect. This move does not seem so exciting because truthfully, even though I have been actively seeking God's will and truly giving my heart to Him, what I have not done yet is to open myself up completely to receive Him fully into my heart. That requires tearing down all the protective walls that keep danger out. He always gives Himself to me completely, but I only allow so much of His grace in and then go back to finding the safe way again.

And so this move is teaching me that even though He has healed so much in my life, there is still more to heal. I am so thankful for Jesus coming to us through the Sacraments. He has worked miracles in my life through living the sacramental life of the Church. God has given us this beautiful treasure that is worth eternally more than the temporal things surrounding us. When we see Him in all that is around us, then it really does not matter if things of this world seem to be falling apart. He never changes, He always Loves, and Love never fails. And He gives us, as messed up as we are, Himself, the Eternal, through the healing power of Confession and the eternal nourishment of His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Thank You God, for all Priests, who give their lives to bring us the Sacraments. Thank You for giving us Yourself through Mary our Mother. Thank You Mary for your Yes. Thank You Jesus for giving Your Life to save us, to heal us, to reconcile us to Our Father in Heaven. Help me to give myself to You like Martha, but only after choosing the better part and receiving You like Mary her beloved sister. I love You. In Your Holy Name I pray, Amen.

I'll Go with the Peanut Butter Sandwich, Thank You

Just read a post by Matthew Archbold at Creative Minority Report about Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's ideas about education in our country. Apparently the days of moms waiting at home with a peanut butter sandwich are over in our country.

While we're eating our peanut butter sandwiches and lovingly preparing them for our children to have when they get home (oh wait they're already home), let's take Joe up on his challenge at Defend Us in Battle to not watch TV until August. Are there seriously only 3 1/2 days left in August? I thought it was June.



P.S. - Vincenzo, if you read this, PLEASE don't post a picture of me eating a peanut butter sandwich on the side of the road in Alaska. :)

How my Husband Got Me to Watch Ice Road Truckers

Me: Going downstairs to tell my husband good night. "Well, honey, I'm tired, I think I'm going to go to bed now."

Mighty Warrior with a Playful Heart: "Do you want to watch Ice Road Truckers with me?"

Me: "Naw, I'm pretty tired."

Mighty Warrior with a Playful Heart: Saying hopefully, "I'm going to make some popcorn?..."

Me: Hmm, I think. "Well, I am really tired. I think I'll just go to bed."

Mighty Warrior with a Playful Heart: "This guy is really cool. He's Catholic and prays Hail Mary's while driving his truck and has had his truck blessed."

Me: "Really?"

Mighty Warrior with a Playful Heart: "Yes, really, I'm not making this up."

Me: "Well, okay, I guess I could stay up and watch it with you for little while."

And actually the show was pretty good. Not that I have a one track Catholic mind or anything.

God is Faithful

We moved into our new home yesterday evening and stayed here for the first time last night! We were greeted with huge thunderstorms and torrential rains! Kinda reminds me of when we got married and the tornado sirens went off right as we were starting to process into the sanctuary. Amazingly enough, even with all that, God still blessed us with a wonderful wedding day, even though we started an hour late. We still have a long way to go with unpacking, but will keep settling in. I am thankful that God is always constant, even when our own lives are in flux and the storms are flying all around us. Thank You God for your faithfulness. I love You.

Prayer Request

Well, this is the big week when we will be moving. Our internet and phone is going to be turned off here tomorrow, so I probably won't be posting much for the next week or so.

It will be interesting living between 2 houses for the next week or so, and we are just really struggling with this move, especially since we have not sold our current house yet. Please pray for us to keep our trust in God as it seems that this is what He wants us to do. I am having a really tough time with second guessing everything. The house where we are living now is our first house, the house where we have brought home all our children and the place where I have lived the longest, so it represents stability to me, and I feel like all stability is going away. Deep down I know that our true stability and identity is in Christ, but it is still a struggle. Also, I am dealing with a few unknown health issues that we are trying to figure out so please pray for that too. So far nothing serious has turned up but I am still having some tests done.

I look forward to coming back to blogging again soon and will miss reading all of your blogs too! God bless you.

Academic Freedom and Religious Freedom at Stake

Many of you may be following the story of the firing of University of Illinois-UC adjunct associate professor Dr. Ken Howell for expressing Catholic beliefs in a class he teaches on Catholicism. There is a facebook page, Save Dr. Ken where other faculty, alumni, students, and interested people can offer support and learn more about what is happening. I highly recommend a great article by Daniel Klimek discussing this case, and specifically addressing the differences between natural and moral law and Catholic teaching on sexuality. It is a long but really informative article. Here is a quote:

Rightfully so, administrators at the university have decided to review the case, understanding that a proper dismissal would not result in such a powerful public outcry. There are, in essence, a couple of serious matters that the university's administrators must consider. If Professor Howell was fired for teaching provocative ideas, then a grave academic freedom violation has been perpetrated by the University of Illinois. If Professor Howell was fired for personally agreeing with the Catholic Church on the issue of homosexual relations, then a great violation of religious liberty has been perpetrated by the university. Yet, as has been shown, there isn’t anything provocative that Professor Howell was teaching, simply the standard philosophical ideas on sexuality that have been taught by prominent Catholic philosophers, ethicists, and popes throughout the years. And there isn’t anything improper in agreeing with the Catholic Church, particularly when you allow your students the right to disagree (as Professor Howell did), and particularly when you’re a Catholic scholar hired to teach a course on Catholic thought.

Go to ministryvalues.com to read the article. Speaking as a former college professor and spouse to one, this is really outrageous. This is just another sign showing how academic freedom and religious freedom are being trampled all over the world. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual occurrence anymore. I am filled with hope at the response of support for Dr. Howell. Please pray for him, for all universities, and for the student who felt attacked by Dr. Howell. And let us all stand strong in our faith and be not afraid to express the beauty, strength, and truth of our Catholic faith, even in the face of grave opposition. There is a reason that all this is occurring. God has given us all an opportunity to speak truth and love to our world through this injustice. Every opportunity He gives us, whether it be to speak truth about the sanctity of life, the dignity of each human person, or the sacredness of our freedom is a blessing that can bring hope to a world in great need of His Love.

To Know, Love, and Serve

A few days ago, I posted about what Holy Mass means to me. I should have realized not to post about reverence at Mass when my husband was going to be out of town and I would be going to Mass with the four little "angels" by myself. But alas, I did, and well the whole experience became a teaching moment, not for them, but for me. They actually did pretty good.

Except for our 2 year old, who while trying to climb my back saying "pi bak! pi bak!" (piggy back ride! piggy back ride!) would not let our 4 year old sit in my lap. And then there was this, right around consecration time, she started saying really REALLY loud "penk ma bot! penk ma bot!". Now at first I had no idea what she was saying at all and kept asking her nicely to please sit quietly, when I figured out that she was saying "spank my butt!" which if you know our family, as imperfect as we are, butt is not a nice word and we are usually not allowed to say that word, so we try to use the word bottom instead. There may be other things we allow that other families don't and vice versa, but this is just one of those words that I don't like too much, so that's how it's supposed to be at our house.

Anyway, while I was praying reverently, this is what she was saying, and I was trying not to let my embarrassment overcome my reverence and focus on Him. And trying not to shoot angry looks at our 4 year old who was looking quite smug over there with a mischievous smile (he must have been the one who told her to say it). And it hit me that I remembered how I said that I wanted to be at Holy Mass every waking moment, and realized that what I meant to say was that I desire to be at Holy Mass without misbehaving kids. But the truth is that is not where God has called me to be, at least not all the time. As much as I may lament this, I have not been called to a fully contemplative vocation, although this is a beautiful way to know, love, and serve our Lord. And possibly those called to a fully contemplative vocation may at times lament not being physically out in the world, but they know in their heart they are where God has called them and this is what brings the most glory to God and joy in their own life.

So my vocation as a wife and mother is where God has called me, and in my heart I know that this is how my life can bring the most glory to God and how He will provide joy in my own life, even in the midst of suffering and frustration. As hard as it may be sometimes, I would not want it any other way. I am thankful that God has given me the desire to be at Holy Mass, and the desire to be with Him in Eucharistic Adoration, and the desire to follow Him in Eucharistic Procession. These all provide nourishment, courage, strength, and perseverance to follow Him into my vocation, into the joy He has planned for me. Thank You God for my husband and for entrusting those beautiful souls to our care. I see You in each one of them. Help me to show Your Love to them also. Forgive me for those times, those too frequent times, that I do not show Your Love and let my selfishness and anger block me from receiving You and giving You. I love You. In Your Holy Name I pray, Amen. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us.

Sanctamissa

Thank you to Joe at Defend us in Battle for referring me to the Sanctamissa website for more information about the Extraordinary Form (aka Tridentine, aka Latin Mass, aka Mass in the usus antiquior). It is an awesome website with a ton of information. I am learning so much but still have a long way to go!

Also, ran across this Latin Mass directory as well.

I do have a followup to my post about what Holy Mass means to me, but will have to turn in for the evening and try tomorrow.

What's Cookin' Mama?

Rebecca over at Shoved to Them is doing a recipe swap on Mondays. Sounds like a great idea! I'm in.

This week's theme is LUNCH. Here's my recipe:

Baked Ravioli

1 lb ground beef
seasoning to taste (we usually use a little garlic salt and pepper, that's it!)
1 package frozen mini round cheese ravioli
1 jar ( around 1 lb 10 0z) spaghetti sauce
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
fresh grated parmesan cheese to taste

Brown ground beef with seasoning. While browning ground beef, cook ravioli according to package directions.

Toss browned ground beef, cooked ravioli, and spaghetti sauce in a medium sized casserole dish. Top with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Serve topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

What Holy Mass means to me

Okay, well here goes, now you will really know how clueless I really am. Since I am a Catholic convert, there are times when I run into issues that I really have no clue about, and feel really sort of embarrassed that I don't know what people are talking about. It isn't any way that they make me feel or anything that they have done or said wrong, it is just my own insecurity for not understanding. And really I am so thankful that God places these moments in my life, so that I can go home and do some research myself and He (God) is ALWAYS there when I search, and the answers that come from our Holy Mother Church are amazing. I feel a Jeremy Camp song coming on... Every time I'm on my knees, searching for Your Strength, I will find You there, find You there.

Anyway, I digress (at least with song and music!). Lately I have been reading/hearing a lot about mass translation changes, different mass forms, the 3rd anniversary of Summorum Pontificum, and so finally I decided to go and sort out what the terms Novus Ordo, Extraordinary Form, Ordinary Form, Tridentine, etc.... really mean. Just to give you a little idea on where I am coming from on this matter, Scott Hahn's book The Lamb's Supper is one of my favorite books, and it opened wide for me what Mass really is. Ever since He removed the scales from my eyes, when I go to Mass, it is all about Him and not me. Honestly, if I could, I would be at Mass every possible moment I'm awake. Or in Eucharistic Adoration, or in Eucharistic Procession. Where You lead me, I will follow... Because He is there in the Eucharist, He comes to us, He Loves us, He gives Himself completely to us, how could we not want to be there?

After doing some research, I am a little more educated about all these different terms about Mass Forms, but I still feel a bit confused about the technical side of things. I am thankful for priests who do understand these technical (and really spiritual) matters and who bring God's Love to us through their reverent regard for Our Lord and Savior in the Eucharist. What I am not confused about is that even though I do not know what it was like before Vatican II, or what the ins and outs of different forms are, there is a BIG difference in my heart when I am more reverent at Mass. God has moved my heart to great love for Him through more traditional practices such as receiving on the tongue and Gregorian chant among other things, and I truly look forward to any changes in the Mass that will foster more reverence for Our Lord and Savior in the Eucharist. I am so thankful for Pope Benedict XVI's movement in this area, and know deep in my being that the Holy Spirit will continue to teach all of us about His Love for us in the Mass. In our homeschool plan this year, we are going to be learning more Gregorian Chants in our music study! I think sometimes I am learning just as much as the kids are, if not more, during our homeschool time. And being a student at heart, I am thankful that God has given us this opportunity to grow closer to Him.

Some day I will write a post about His story in my life on how the Eucharist has transformed me. He works in such marvelous and mysterious ways. Oh God, please do not ever stop stirring my heart for love of You. I love you. I am Yours and You are mine. Amen.

Movie Reviews

Here are a couple of good websites we like to go to for movie reviews:

Plugged-in online (a ministry of Focus on the Family)

Decent Films Guide (Stephen Greydanus, a Catholic perspective)


Does anyone have any other good movie review or video game review websites?

Prayer for Government

A Blessed Independence Day to you!

Here's a prayer that I found over at Fr. Z's blog What Does the Prayer Really Say? composed by
Archbishop John Carroll, relative of Charles Carroll, a Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Prayer for Government

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Here is an excellent post U.S. Catholics reflect on the Declaration of Independence: Do We Still Hold these Truths? by Deacon Keith Fournier at Catholic Online. An excerpt:

The Declaration of Independence was the birth certificate of the United States of America. The principles it communicates have informed our history as a free people and inspired our neighbors in other parts of the world to stand up against all forms of tyranny. Catholics who are Americans know all too well the ravages of the "dictatorship of relativism" in our Nation. It is time to take up the task of the New Evangelization in this Nation which we love. It has become mission territory. We are the missionaries. May God Bless America.

Read the rest here.

And finally, my husband read 1776 by David McCullough and loved it. Here is a review of 1776 by Catholic Media Review. Some time, after I finish reading the 10 or so books on my list :), I would like to read it too!

Tyrannosaurus Debt

And now for a break from all things spiritual, although God is a part of every aspect of our lives. Another post on faith and politics may be coming....

For those of you who don't know, I am somewhat of a political junkie. Ugh. I know. Anyway, back in March, I wrote that Congress needs to watch Schoolhouse Rock or read the Constitution of the United States or something. Well, I am reiterating that point again with another Schoolhouse Rock reference to Tyrannosaurus Debt:

There's something huge
Red, white, and blue
That's grazing in D.C.
It's gobbling up the taxes
That are paid by you and me
It doesn't seem to notice
We really can't afford
The billions that it's costing us
To pay its room and board

It doesn't roam
But seems content
To dwell on Capitol Hill
As long as trucks keep pulling up
With tons of green-back bills
We've got to feed the big guy
We really can't forget
It has an awesome appetite
Tyrannosaurus Debt

TOUR GUIDE: The debt was born in 1790 when our new government took over 75 million the colonies spent in the Revolutionary War.

We've got to feed the monster
So it doesn't get upset
It's got an awesome appetite
Tyrannosaurus Debt

TOUR GUIDE: Alexander Hamilton, our first Secretary of the Treasury (he's on the 10, you know), wanted a federal debt to provide a reason to establish taxes to support our new nation.

The debt was young, they kept it small
They didn't know back then
In 1812 another war would make it grow again
By '66 the Civil War had cost the nation millions
The government in Washington now had a debt of billions

TOUR GUIDE: The Civil War ran up a debt of almost three billion dollars that still wasn't paid off by World War One.

We're spending money we don't have
Or so it would appear
The deficit is that amount we overspend each year
Though congressmen and senators
Make vows to cut its size
Despite their honest efforts
The debt just seems to rise

TOUR GUIDE: Now the debt's over 4 trillion dollars and still growing...

A balanced budget would be great
To spend within our means
To stop the monster in its tracks
Before we bust our seams
It feeds on just the interest
Its appetite is whet
It never, ever stops to rest
Tyrannosaurus Debt

TOUR GUIDE: And this is the U.S. Treasury. It sells Treasury Bonds, bills, and notes, and savings bonds to finance the debt. The U.S. government promises to pay the owner interest plus the value of each bond at a future date.

We've got to try to tame the debt
And bring it down to size
To let it grow unchecked like this
Is certainly unwise
The debt's a monster problem
That we really can't ignore
I guess we should be grateful
That it's not a carnivore
We've got to keep on servicing
Our trillion dollar pet
It's got a monster appetite
Tyrannosaurus Debt

A fiscal misadventure
With trillion dollar dentures
Tyrannosaurus Debt

TOUR GUIDE: Feeding time is ALL the time.

And here's one I haven't seen on many blogs yet, so I thought I would write about it here. Now the House has "hereby adopted" H.R. 1493 a "not-really-a-budget" in another house resolution, Section 4 of HR 1500 by a vote of 215-210. What does this mean? It means that they can "pursue this alternative to a real budget that will allow them to keep up their record levels of spending without having to be fiscally accountable."

ht Michele Bachman blogging at Townhall.com