Monday, February 23, 2009

Lent Absence

For Lent, one of the things I am doing to offer up a sacrifice to the Lord is giving up my blogging (it is not a business, just ministry ;)) and my Facebook and Twitter.

I did see on Twitter that some saw that and didn't understand WHY I was giving it up for Lent.

One person asked another: What is the point?

The other replied she had no clue as she had no problems using FB and Twitter in her spiritual life, in fact they compliment it.

Neither do I have a problem with it! LOL That is indeed why I blog, Twitter, and Facebook...and have been blogging for about 10 years (Catholic blogging). It compliments my spiritual life, too, to be connecting with other Catholics and doing Catholic evangelism. It's good stuff! ;)

Everyone has to make their own unique life and I don't think you really should be questioning what others are doing as a sacrifice for Lent....someone's sacrifice would not be a sacrifice for another...or not make any sense...perhaps even bad for them. So, I'm not suggesting everyone do this nor that I am doing the "better" thing! ;P No no no.

I am going to take 40 days off as one of my sacrifices for Lent. For me, those things are like "candy" that some "give up"....just some goodie you enjoy...and it's my "candy"so-to-speak and I really enjoy blogging, FB, and Twitter.

So, I'll be back after Lent. :) (God willing, eh?!)

I wish you a blessed Lenten season! :))
God bless you!
Kelly

PS: Thank you for the invitation, ST BLOGS PARISH, to join! I'll check into that upon returning.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Urgent Prayer Request for Fr. Robert, CFR!

In the mailbox...
--------------------
Subject: CFR events and Urgent Prayer Request for Fr. Robert, CFR!

*Urgent Prayer Request for Fr. Robert Stanion, CFR*
Please pray fervertnly for Fr. Robert Stanion, CFR, one of the founders.
His condition is very, very serious and he is in great need of prayer.
As we begin our preparations for Lent, let us offer up some small sacrifices for his healing!
Updates on Fr. Robert's health: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.cfr-newmexico.com
Join with those who are praying: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=50810478519

The friars are asking us to say this special prayer for him each day, if we can:
"O Mother of Divine Mercy, look with compassion on your son and servant, Father Robert. Extend your hands of healing upon him. Invoke the all-powerful name of Jesus! Invoke your Spouse, the Life-giving and Holy Spirit to descend like a sweet and gentle dew upon your faithful servant. Drive away every illness! Draw down healing from on high! Yes Mother, we choose to hope and pray. May the will of the Father be accomplished for His glory and the good of your servant. We pray through Christ Our Lord. Amen!"


Thursday, February 19, 2009

Make your LIFE "Pauline" this Pauline Year!

Quick coffee break and I was just thinking...
I was just adding on my theme yesterday of the year of St. Paul...
Have you heard of The Holy Family Institute?

For those who are married but wish to be consecrated...God opened the door in our times for such a thing..and in this "Pauline" year...the Year of St Paul, what a better time to share in case you have not heard: it is called: Holy Family Institute. Yes, you can be married and consecrated with Church regulated vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience. Started by Blessed James Alberione.

Website: http://www.vocations-holyfamily.com/

It's for Catholic couples or widows, who wish to live their lives in a more consistent, God-oriented way. They draw inspiration from the Holy Family of Nazareth, model, light and source of grace. The goal they set ourselves is the sanctification of married/widowed life...and the "poverty" is nothing out of the ordinary as you have a family, of course!, but it is poverty in the sense of living normally and not blinging out with materialism...chastity is just what we are to normally live...it is nothing extra...it is chastity as is normally expected by the Church of ANY marriage...and Obedience of course to the Church which is what you are "supposed" to be doing anyhow! It is not scary as it sounds...no walking around in bare feet and robes and ashes. :P

Check out Holy Family Institute if you are looking to be consecrated laity vowed with Church regulated vows.

What the Institute is

* A branch of the PAULINE FAMILY;
* People living in ordinary families who have
consecrated and vowed their lives;
* Who are exclusively married or widowed;
* And are not Religious but consecrated laity.

What the Institute does for you:

* Accepts you where you are spiritually;
* Provides intense training for membership;
* Invites you to correspond regularly for direction;
* Invites you to our Triduum or Retreat, three great
days of Prayer and Friendship with families from
all over

It was definitively approved by the Vatican on March 19, 1993.

It counts hundreds of members in the United States and thousands worldwide.

Who should join?

Membership in the Holy Family Institute is open to any Catholic husband and wife who lead normal lives and observe the teaching of the Church in their marriages. There is no upper age limit or special educational requirements. Widows, widowers and childless couples are also eligible.

IN PARTICULAR . . .

Pro - Life activists should consider membership: the media are constantly promoting promiscuity within marriage and outside it and this undoubtedly adds to the number of abortions. And, of course, the anti-life bias of the media is well-known.

Knights of Columbus may wish to add the great value of the vowed and consecrated life to their present activity. The Knights have always defended the family and the HFI blends very well with their apostolates . .

Teachers generally and CCD people in particular can find support for their difficult work in their relationship with the Pauline Family and their activity is a fine expression of their HFI commitment.

Writers and Artists of every kind can associate their lives and work to similar work being done by Pauline Family members.

Cursillistas are those who have made a Cursillo retreat. St. Paul is the patron saint of the Cursillo movement.

IN A WORD . . . It is not easy to think of someone who will NOT profit by HFI membership - and the HFI will equally profit as members contribute their time, talents and energies to it. Even if there are problems in your marriage, why not contact us anyway. We may be able to help.

THE BRANCHES OF THE PAULINE FAMILY

The Pauline Family has no less than ten branches!

Priests and Brothers – the Society of St. Paul – the priests help in parishes on an occasional basis but mostly concentrate on editorial work. The Brothers help on the managerial and technical side.

There are four different Congregations of Sisters.

The Daughters of St. Paul whose work is similar to the work of the Society.

The Sister Disciples of the Divine Master, who devote themselves to the Eucharist, the Liturgy and the Priesthood.

The Pastorelle or Shepherdess Sisters who work in Parishes and run schools.

The Queen of Apostles Sisters for Vocations

Finally, there are four Institutes: Nazareth Today
The Annunciation of Mary – single women

St. Gabriel the Archangel – single men

Jesus the Priest – Diocesan priests who also become members of the Pauline Family

THE HOLY FAMILY

The tenth branch of the Family includes many Cooperators laymen and women who support the Family financially or otherwise collaborate with the Family’s work.


Now, let’s concentrate on

THE HOLY FAMILY INSTITUTE


Outstanding Paulines
It is a branch of the Family like the others. And so its members, like the others, are consecrated and vowed! A wonderful divine privilege.

What do we mean by “vow”?

St. Thomas Aquinas remarks that a vow is “an act of religion.” By “act of religion” he means any action which is totally directed to God, such as a prayer, fasting, penance, hearing Mass, a pilgrimage, etc.

Most people make acts of religion only a certain number of times in the day and some hardly any – even on Sundays.

But the whole life of the vowed member, not just an occasional part of the day, is totally directed to God! So it can be said that his or her life is radically changed even when there is no visible change in the married or family life or the work of the member.

What do we mean by “consecration”?

By consecration we mean that the member is “set apart” or “dedicated to” a specific goal. In our case members are dedicated to the goals of the Pauline Family.


HOLY FAMILY INSTITUTE VOWS


Are the Institute vows difficult to observe?

No.

THE VOW OF POVERTY implies a modest lifestyle in keeping with the norm in our social circle, honesty in business dealings, avoidance of needless expenditures, care of our property and the property of others, prompt payment of debts.

THE VOW OF CHASTITY in practice means the observance of the laws of the Church in marriage.

THE VOW OF OBEDIENCE involves observance of Church and civil laws and, in the Institute, collaboration with directions on practical and spiritual matters.

In a word: to a large extent the vows involve what a good Catholic is already doing in normal life. That is because – as we mentioned at the beginning – it is our commitment to living our ordinary family life well which is important.

But, surely, vows should be more difficult than you say?

The meaning of vows is not to make life difficult (it already is!) but to concentrate our energies on our daily duties at home or at work.



BECOMING AN INSTITUTE MEMBER


You become a member in 3 stages.

POSTULANCY – a period of 6 to 9 months during which the candidate learns the history of the Pauline Family and gets initial spiritual orientation.

NOVITIATE – a period of two years during which the spiritual orientation is intensified. (The Institute is governed by Church Law which requires two years in this stage).

PROFESSION – the Novice joins others (if possible) at our Annual “Triduum” or 3 Days of Prayer and Friendship and recites the formula of the vows during the appropriate ceremony.

Vows are renewed each year for three years and then the Member may make Perpetual vows.

Candidates are free to leave the Postulancy or Novitiate at any time and may also not renew their Temporary vows.

FORMATION This takes place through a Course of instruction by monthly CD’s and literature. The candidate corresponds regularly to ensure personal guidance.

OFFERING: $5.00 weekly



Can you afford to let this blessing pass you by?

Our Divine Master has opened a door for you: NOT the door to being a cooperator, collaborator or helper; NOT the door to anything except the door to a new and exciting Church development which you can join as a "founder member" (and such members always have more merits than those who succeed them).

Other people have heard the Divine call - and answered it! Decide to join them. A few times in your life, your decision can make a RADICAL difference to your future. This is one such time.

Even if there are problems in your marriage, why not contact us anyway. We may be able to help.

Coffee is over....I'm contemplating Holy Family Institute...what a great year to join in! ;)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Catholicism Project ...Trailer

Hi, I'm up late due to my little one being up late...little stinker.

Anyhow, I'm not having coffee because it will keep me up...however, I am looking through my emails and my mother sent me this...and I am forwarding it to you!

Tomorrow I have to take my son to the dentist (dentith :P) and I may not have time to share coffee conversation with you...so it's good to post now in the wee-early morn.

Top of the morn' to you! ;)

Soon you can discover the rich heritage of the Catholic Church in an epic media experience. Word on Fire Catholic Ministries offers a vision of the Catholic Faith, which has never before been seen. This vision seeks to explore, through a global journey, the living culture of the Catholic Church. From the lands of the Bible, to the great shrines of Europe, to the shores and heartland of America, to the mysteries of Asia, to the rich landscapes of Latin America, to the beating heart of Africa - and beyond, witness the passion and glory of the faith that claims over a billion of the earth’s people as its own.
Now in production.
Ten-part series for release on TV and DVD: Fall 2010.


This magnificent television event is hosted by Father Robert Barron.

Please click here to donate via their site and/or to see the trailer!!

http://www.wordonfire.org/CatholicismProject.aspx

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Coffee today, posted Sunday

Hi.

I put today's post in Sunday's...updated Sunday's and then just stayed there and added to it.

:)

Blessed Tuesday to you!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Pauline Year...sources :)


Hi.

Sitting and having a fast coffee on a very gloomy day (need interior lights on at 2:00pm CST).
Came across some resources to share with you for the Pauline Year...
Pope Benedict 16th declared this the Year of St Paul (cool!).
I tried to share it earlier, but Scribefire messed it up ;).

Some resources for the Pauline Year:
1) Our Sunday Visitor: Deepen your faith during the Year of St Paul.
2) Official Pauline Year Website.
3) Special Indulgences for the Pauline Year

I absolutely love St Paul...he's such a major "goodie" to contemplate!
A few of the things I think of when I think of him is how fiercely zealous he was in pursuing the truth as he thought it was...BUT, he was wrong....and saw that AFTER God, who is TRUTH itself, opened his eyes up....it reminds me about how we need to be sure we are in God's truth and not just using our own minds to "reason up" truth....because we can be sincere, but sincerely wrong! We can have misplaced compassion and be in sin. So, we need to ground ourselves in TRUTH...and there is only one truth...and it has a name: Jesus. The way, the truth, and the light....as soon as St Paul was instantly converted, he was "on his way" which was following God, he was "in the light" and in the Truth....on the real correct path this time. It reminds me also that there is ALWAYS hope for conversion for those we think there is no hope. St Paul would have never guessed he'd be a Christian and also "ST PAUL" at that!! :P Nobody else would have guesses either! But, God gives graces. Somebody obviously was praying for this St Paul. Perhaps they saw he was sincere but sincerely WRONG. ("Behold, I make all things new."--Scripture "Nothing is impossible with God" --Scripture).

We all have those we pray for...for their conversion back to God or just to God for the first time. And, for many we think, we'll pray for them, but I can never imagine THEIR conversion! :P Well, we must never lose hope! That shows a lack of trust in the Divine Mercy. We must always pray and hope and not worry about things that we can't worry about. Conversions lie with the soul and God...we play our part by praying for sinners...for the grace of conversion. God came for sinners and loves all souls. All without exception. St Paul is a shining example that anyone can be converted at any moment, too! Keep the faith! Keep praying!

St Paul also reminds me to "keep on keeping on"....even when I am "in jail"...whatever that form of "jail" may be.....even when I am "locked up"..."bound"....even when I am tired....even when I see I have a lot of "miles ahead"....even when it seems that it's easier to die than to keep up the good fight LOL...we must keep up the good fight....rest will come!.... St Paul felt that way and kept on keeping on for our sakes....for souls. We are God's hands and feet and mouth and touch here on earth....we need to be here as long as He wishes and to be his instruments of love, charity, mercy, forgiveness, hope,etc.

I just love reflecting on St Paul, don't you?!

What a guy! What a saint!

Thank you, St Paul, for your role in the Church history!

Pray for us, St Paul!

Coffee break is over...

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Pope's Lenten Message

Good morning.

It's Thur (if you follow our Lady of Medj. that means to read a specific Bible reading from Matt. about serving two masters).  Tomorrow is (reminder) First Friday (yea!) and Sat is first Saturday :).

I'm sipping coffee and discovered we are out of coffee...so when I am done, it's done :(. Need to get out to get more asap. (EMERGENCY! haaha)

Sharing this for those who didn't get to read it....usually I will NOT post big long things like this on this particular blog.  I focus only on short coffee conversations.
 

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009



Fasting Is a Great Help to Avoid Sin and All That Leads to It



Here is Benedict XVI's Lenten message for 2009, dated Dec. 11 and
released today. The theme of the letter is "He Fasted for Forty Days
and Forty Nights, and Afterward He Was Hungry."



* * *



Dear Brothers and Sisters!



At the beginning of Lent, which constitutes an itinerary of more
intense spiritual training, the Liturgy sets before us again three
penitential practices that are very dear to the biblical and Christian
tradition -- prayer, almsgiving, fasting -- to prepare us to better
celebrate Easter and thus experience God's power that, as we shall hear
in the Paschal Vigil, "dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores
lost innocence, brings mourners joy, casts out hatred, brings us peace
and humbles earthly pride" (Paschal Præconium). For this year's Lenten
Message, I wish to focus my reflections especially on the value and
meaning of fasting. Indeed, Lent recalls the forty days of our Lord's
fasting in the desert, which He undertook before entering into His
public ministry. We read in the Gospel: "Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty
days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry" (Mt 4,1-2). Like
Moses, who fasted before receiving the tablets of the Law (cf. Ex
34,28) and Elijah's fast before meeting the Lord on Mount Horeb (cf. 1
Kings 19,8), Jesus, too, through prayer and fasting, prepared Himself
for the mission that lay before Him, marked at the start by a serious
battle with the tempter.



We might wonder what value and meaning there is for us Christians in
depriving ourselves of something that in itself is good and useful for
our bodily sustenance. The Sacred Scriptures and the entire Christian
tradition teach that fasting is a great help to avoid sin and all that
leads to it. For this reason, the history of salvation is replete with
occasions that invite fasting. In the very first pages of Sacred
Scripture, the Lord commands man to abstain from partaking of the
prohibited fruit: "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in
the day that you eat of it you shall die" (Gn 2, 16-17). Commenting on
the divine injunction, Saint Basil observes that "fasting was ordained
in Paradise," and "the first commandment in this sense was delivered to
Adam." He thus concludes: "'You shall not eat' is a law of fasting and
abstinence" (cf. Sermo de jejunio: PG 31, 163, 98). Since all of us are
weighed down by sin and its consequences, fasting is proposed to us as
an instrument to restore friendship with God. Such was the case with
Ezra, who, in preparation for the journey from exile back to the
Promised Land, calls upon the assembled people to fast so that "we
might humble ourselves before our God" (8,21). The Almighty heard their
prayer and assured them of His favor and protection. In the same way,
the people of Nineveh, responding to Jonah's call to repentance,
proclaimed a fast, as a sign of their sincerity, saying: "Who knows,
God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish
not?" (3,9). In this instance, too, God saw their works and spared them.



In the New Testament, Jesus brings to light the profound motive for
fasting, condemning the attitude of the Pharisees, who scrupulously
observed the prescriptions of the law, but whose hearts were far from
God. True fasting, as the divine Master repeats elsewhere, is rather to
do the will of the Heavenly Father, who "sees in secret, and will
reward you" (Mt 6,18). He Himself sets the example, answering Satan, at
the end of the forty days spent in the desert that "man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"
(Mt 4,4). The true fast is thus directed to eating the "true food,"
which is to do the Father's will (cf. Jn 4,34). If, therefore, Adam
disobeyed the Lord's command "of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil you shall not eat," the believer, through fasting, intends to
submit himself humbly to God, trusting in His goodness and mercy.



The practice of fasting is very present in the first Christian
community (cf. Acts 13,3; 14,22; 27,21; 2 Cor 6,5). The Church Fathers,
too, speak of the force of fasting to bridle sin, especially the lusts
of the "old Adam," and open in the heart of the believer a path to God.
Moreover, fasting is a practice that is encountered frequently and
recommended by the saints of every age. Saint Peter Chrysologus writes:
"Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So
if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition
to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear
to others, you open God's ear to yourself" (Sermo 43: PL 52, 320. 322).



In our own day, fasting seems to have lost something of its spiritual
meaning, and has taken on, in a culture characterized by the search for
material well-being, a therapeutic value for the care of one's body.
Fasting certainly bring benefits to physical well-being, but for
believers, it is, in the first place, a "therapy" to heal all that
prevents them from conformity to the will of God. In the Apostolic
Constitution Pænitemini of 1966, the Servant of God Paul VI saw the
need to present fasting within the call of every Christian to "no
longer live for himself, but for Him who loves him and gave himself for
him, he will also have to live for his brethren" (cf. Ch. I). Lent
could be a propitious time to present again the norms contained in the
Apostolic Constitution, so that the authentic and perennial
significance of this long held practice may be rediscovered, and thus
assist us to mortify our egoism and open our heart to love of God and
neighbor, the first and greatest Commandment of the new Law and
compendium of the entire Gospel (cf. Mt 22, 34-40).



The faithful practice of fasting contributes, moreover, to conferring
unity to the whole person, body and soul, helping to avoid sin and grow
in intimacy with the Lord. Saint Augustine, who knew all too well his
own negative impulses, defining them as "twisted and tangled
knottiness" (Confessions, II, 10.18), writes: "I will certainly impose
privation, but it is so that he will forgive me, to be pleasing in his
eyes, that I may enjoy his delightfulness" (Sermo 400, 3, 3: PL 40,
708). Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an
interior disposition to listen to Christ and be fed by His saving word.
Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the
deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the
hunger and thirst for God.



At the same time, fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation
in which so many of our brothers and sisters live. In his First Letter,
Saint John admonishes: "If anyone has the world's goods, and sees his
brother in need, yet shuts up his bowels of compassion from him -- how
does the love of God abide in him?" (3,17). Voluntary fasting enables
us to grow in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, who bends low and goes
to the help of his suffering brother (cf. Encyclical Deus caritas est,
15). By freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another,
we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a
stranger. It is precisely to keep alive this welcoming and attentive
attitude towards our brothers and sisters that I encourage the parishes
and every other community to intensify in Lent the custom of private
and communal fasts, joined to the reading of the Word of God, prayer
and almsgiving. From the beginning, this has been the hallmark of the
Christian community, in which special collections were taken up (cf. 2
Cor 8-9; Rm 15, 25-27), the faithful being invited to give to the poor
what had been set aside from their fast (Didascalia Ap., V, 20,18).
This practice needs to be rediscovered and encouraged again in our day,
especially during the liturgical season of Lent.



From what I have said thus far, it seems abundantly clear that fasting
represents an important ascetical practice, a spiritual arm to do
battle against every possible disordered attachment to ourselves.
Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material
goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature,
weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire
human person. Quite opportunely, an ancient hymn of the Lenten liturgy
exhorts: "Utamur ergo parcius, / verbis cibis et potibus, / somno,
iocis et arctius / perstemus in custodia" (Let us use sparingly words,
food and drink, sleep and amusements. May we be more alert in the
custody of our senses).



Dear brothers and sisters, it is good to see how the ultimate goal of
fasting is to help each one of us, as the Servant of God Pope John Paul
II wrote, to make the complete gift of self to God (cf. Encyclical
"Veritatis splendor," 21). May every family and Christian community use
well this time of Lent, therefore, in order to cast aside all that
distracts the spirit and grow in whatever nourishes the soul, moving it
to love of God and neighbor. I am thinking especially of a greater
commitment to prayer, lectio divina, recourse to the Sacrament of
Reconciliation and active participation in the Eucharist, especially
the Holy Sunday Mass. With this interior disposition, let us enter the
penitential spirit of Lent. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, "Causa nostrae
laetitiae," accompany and support us in the effort to free our heart
from slavery to sin, making it evermore a "living tabernacle of God."
With these wishes, while assuring every believer and ecclesial
community of my prayer for a fruitful Lenten journey, I cordially
impart to all of you my Apostolic Blessing.



From the Vatican, 11 December 2008



BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Thank you :)

Hi.
Nice to see you over coffee again!
Missed your presence.

Thank you for your patience while I am sick.

I got the flu 1-15-09 & it hit me hard (in bed a week...so not me!).
I was weak from it and caught a cold immediately after.
My body got so worn down...
after the 2nd week sick I went to the doctor
who said my white blood cell count was so low, very below normal...
so he gave me a steroid shot to help me somehow.

It is now 2-4-09 and I'm still weakish and my breathing is still sort of "hard" (like asthma sort of feeling). Frustrating and a big lesson in patience (with myself!).
I want to fly...to run...and I can only crawl! LOL

So, I am guessing by next Monday I should be back to normal. :)

Meanwhile, please check out a new site I made and will update daily (M-F).
It is strictly Catholic Quotes.
http://thecatholicquotes.blogspot.com

Stop by.
Tag your Catholic site on the TAG box so that people can visit it!
(Insert your name, your catholic blog/website link , and the "message" is your blog/site NAME)

Must go for now.

It's been nice to have coffee with you!

Kelly ;)