JPII's Momentos Untouched by Devastating Fire

Blessed John Paul II's bible and walking stick he gave to St. Malo's catholic retreat have been miraculously untouched in building destroyed by fire: http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/7177

Missing Your Calling

I think I've always known on some level I missed my calling to teach. I find the most pleasure when I truly have knowledge of some subject (longevity helps that!) that makes it possible to mentor someone new to my space. I don't mean this in any way to be self-promoting, so I apologize right away if there's any impression of that. I'm not one to invade personal space with self-appointed authority. I simply find teaching to be the most uplifting part of my day...if I'm able to do so.

It happened three times this week and it pulled me right out of the doldrums. Twice I had the opportunity in my workplace and once with someone who'd like to learn to make rosaries. I get so excited I have to make myself slow down to keep from all-talk and no-listen! It is heartening to know things, often gained from painful mistakes, which other people need to know to carry on excellently. I relish the hope of preventing missteps and slugging it out the hard way. I think that's why history is so fascinating to me. I'm capable of learning from it. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Conversely, I positively cannot relate to those who are stingy with knowledge, and indeed, it makes me angry. No, I don't make a good doormat either in case you're wondering about the occasional egocentric.

                                                                                                   

Don't miss your own calling. My workplace career is on the back end, so youthful exuberance for journeys has passed me by. I am one of those people who never had dreams, no, I'll rephrase that. I never identified dreams for whatever reason. I do think I'm odd that way, as many people seem to innately know what they want to do with their life. But, we all have this path we follow, and I don't look happenstance in the eye very often. That's part of my faithful core.

Although I'm looking back on my own years, by no means am I isolating my thoughts to the young. I'm not finished with the good race either. Identify your strengths, but most of all, identify with certainty that which gives you an unmistakable sense of dignity and...what makes you whistle a happy tune.

The 15 Promises of Mary - October is the Month of the Holy Rosary

History of the Rosary

Our Lady’s 15 Promises to Those who Recite Her Rosary

1. To all those who shall pray my Rosary devoutly, I promise my special protection and great graces.

2. Those who shall persevere in the recitation of my Rosary will receive some special grace.

3. The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, deliver from sin and dispel heresy.

4. The Rosary will make virtue and good works flourish, and will obtain for souls the most abundant divine mercies. It will draw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary will not perish.

6. Whoever recites my Rosary devoutly reflecting on the mysteries shall never be overwhelmed by misfortune. He will not experience the anger of God nor will he perish by an unprovided death. The sinner will be converted; the just will persevere in grace and merit eternal life.

7. Those truly devoted to my Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite my Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces and will share in the merits of the blessed.

9.  I will deliver promptly from purgatory souls devoted to my Rosary.

10. True children of my Rosary will enjoy great glory in heaven.

11. What you shall ask through my Rosary you shall obtain.

12. To those who propagate my Rosary I promise aid in all their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Son that all the members of the Rosary Confraternity shall have as their intercessors, in life and in death, the entire celestial court.

14. Those who recite my Rosary faithfully are my beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion to my Rosary is a special sign of predestination.

Given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan

Agreeing to Disagree

I'd like to quote a few lines from the Archbishop of Miami's letter to the faithful regarding October's Respect Life dedication. "...Jesus' promise of 'life to the full' is especially poignant today, when our culture and sometimes our government promote values inimical to the happiness and true good of individuals and society...Our culture today increasingly views life as a 'zero sum' game, in which advancing one's interests requires putting aside the needs of others. This leads to callous unconcern for anyone who is especially weak, defenseless, and in need of our help. The unborn child, the aging parent who some call a 'burden' on our medical system, the alledgedly 'excess' embryo in the fertility clinic, the person with a disability, the cognitively impaired accident victim who needs assistance in receiving food and water to live--each today is at risk of being dismissed as a 'life unworthy of life.'...Efforts by agencies of the U.S. government to define abortion and contraceptive services as 'health care' as if fertility were a disease also threaten the conscience rights and religious freedom of those who dissent..."

I'm not dismissing other serious issues raised, but I think what clearly struck me in Archbishop Wenski's letter is the recognition of the threat to the rights and freedoms of those who dissent. When tolerance is one-way, it's not tolerance at all. It's oppression, whether from an individual, a group, or a government. Granted, I empathize it's not always easy to define who may be a "one-way" party. Here's how I see it: You have the right to your beliefs and behaviors, and I have the right to call it like I see it...and vice versa. To be sure, there is a time and place for courageous, credible authorities to condemn. But by and large, it doesn't mean you have to behave in the way I believe is upright, but it does allow me to disagree with your behavior, yes, even if I say it outloud, or in the press, or privately. This present-day slandering of values is the quintessential intolerance. Our mutual responsiblity is to be mutually respectful while agreeing to disagree. I'll leave my views on good manners to another day.

October 4th – St. Francis of Assisi

Those of us with pets we love enjoy it when community churches offer the annual Blessing of the Animals in celebration of St. Francis' feast day on October 4th. The time is near and I encourage you to seek out information in your community for the Blessing of the Animals events.

The Bread of Angels

Ecce Panis Angelorum: Behold the Bread of Angels

"Behold the Bread of Angels" - the mystery of the Eucharist was signified by many events in the Old Testament - Isaac's heartbreak at obedient sacrifice, the Paschal Lamb, the manna given to the fathers in the desert. These words are taken from the famous hymn, "Lauda Sion Salvatorem" written by St. Thomas Aquinas before the year 1274. It teaches pure Catholic doctrine throughout. It discusses the establishment of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. It reinforces Catholic teaching, such as: You receive Jesus whole and entire under either species (bread, wine).

The expression “bread of angels” comes from Old Testament texts which speak of the manna which was given to the Israelites during their journey through the desert. The manna heralded the Eucharist and indicates this title given to the manna in the Old Testament would portend the Blessed Sacrament in the New Testament.

·         Book of Wisdom 16:20-21: “you gave your people food of angels, and without their toil you supplied them from heaven with bread ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste. For your sustenance manifested your sweetness toward your children; and the bread, ministering to the desire of the one who took it, was changed to suit everyone’s liking.”

·         Psalms 77(78): 23-25: “Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven; he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven. Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance.”

15 Promises is 5 Years Old

I just updated my Fleur de Lis logo on my website. This month, 15 Promises is five years old and I'm so content! This time of year isn't the best for rosary sales, but I'm happy to say, it's neither a desert nor an oasis...more like, let's say, not a holy day, but Sunday nonetheless. Yes, Mass is "celebrated", after all. I'm grateful for each customer, each person who enjoys my work, each visitor who drops in. I'm looking forward to the next five years, and onward until my hands can't twist that wire any more. Happy Birthday, 15 Promises!