Happy Advent/Merry Christmas!!!

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap."  Luke 21;34

In a time when we are supposed to be doing penitential rituals and practices, we are instead doing the opposite.

We are out shopping, hoping not to be mauled in the violence of “black Friday” or missing the “great deals” of Cyber Monday. Instead of downsizing our lives, we are just collecting more stuff and deepening our debt.

We forget about the debt we owe to Jesus, the “reason for the season”.
The debt he paid for us without charging us any interest fee.

Just for the record, I am not really opposed to the gift giving although it has become out of hand.

In a discussion with my family at dinner time, I was faced with the argument that the magi brought Jesus gifts, which I fumbled through with a quick but not so satisfying answer.

Well, as the Lord would have it, a better answer came along in something I read a few days later. The writer of the article asked the question, “how many presents did you buy for Jesus this year”?.
I’m betting that there is nothing under most people’s Christmas trees for Jesus.

Jesus gave us the greatest gift of all, the gift of salvation, but all we give to Him is our selfishness, our greed, our lack of piety.

Let us all make a commitment starting this year, that among the hustle and bustle of our future Christmas’s, that we do not forget to give Jesus a Christmas present…..the gift of ourselves to His will, to reign with Him in Heaven.

He has done His part, now let us do ours.

Gardasil warning

Catechism of The Catholic Church;  2399 The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or contraception).


I pray that one day the world will  stop accusing the Church and investigate why she teaches what
she does. What a wonderful world it would be....


Can Gardasil cause sterility? A case from Australia reported in the British Medical Journal raises the possibility that the vaccine, which has been given to millions of young girls around the world, may in some cases cause “ovarian failure.”
Teenage Girl Becomes Infertile after Gardasil Vaccination
by Steven Mosher and Elizabeth Crnkovich

Gardasil has been controversial from the beginning. While other vaccines protect against diseases spread by casual contact, Gardasil was developed to protect against a sexually transmitted disease called Human Papilloma Virus or HPV. Merck & Co., the manufacturer, has been very effective at lobbying governments around the world to make the vaccine mandatory for school attendance. Despite the frequent objections of doctors and parents, it has been administered to tens of millions of 11- and 12-year-old young girls around the world.

Now comes the case of a 16-year-old Australian girl who suffered "premature ovarian failure" after receiving Gardasil. Her ovaries have shut down, her eggs have been destroyed, and she will never be able to have children.

Dr. Deirdre Little, the Australian physician who treated the girl, has published a complete account in the British Medical Journal. (BMJ Case Reports 2012; doi:10.1136/bcr-2012-006879) Her report explains that the girl's menstrual cycles were regular until she received the Gardasil vaccination in the Fall of 2008. By January 2009, her cycle had become irregular. Over the course of the next two years, her menses became increasingly scant and irregular, until by 2011, she had ceased menstruating altogether.

Early menopause is highly unusual. In this case, the girl was in excellent health, and had no family or personal medical history that could explain this premature menopause. Her first effort to obtain medical assistance for her amenorrhoea resulted in the doctor advising her to take oral contraceptives. Had she agreed, such drugs would have masked the problem and most likely the possible cause as well. But she declined.

It should be noted that many young girls are told, as she was, to take oral contraceptives as an antidote to what is called in the medical field, oligomenorrhoea, which means infrequent or very light menstruation. Most probably take their physician's advice, which means that there may be many more cases of "premature ovarian failure" than we now know, since the contraceptives mask the symptoms.

In the Australian case, after testing the levels of numerous hormones, and the function of various internal organs, the girl was diagnosed by Dr. Little as having "premature ovarian failure", which is defined as "the presence of menopausal gonadotrophin levels in association with over 3 months of amenorrhoea or oligomenorrhoea before age 40 years." Further testing confirmed that all of her eggs—every last one—were dead. She was and is totally and irrevocably infertile.

This case was reported to the local vaccine manufacturer in Australia, called the Therapeutic Goods Administration, to find out what they knew about the vaccine's effect on a woman's reproductive system. Very little, it turned out. The TGA had records of various tests on rat testes, but no records of the effect of the vaccine on rat ovaries.

It is very rare for a healthy 16-year-old girl to go through menopause. It is also a personal tragedy of the first order, one that will only grow in magnitude as she marries and yearns to start a family.

While Dr. Little could not confirm that Gardasil caused the destruction of the girl's reproductive system, she was able to rule out all other possible causes. The circumstantial evidence implicating Gardasil is strong.

The world has just celebrated what the U.N. has designated as the "International Day of the Girl Child." In the resolution announcing this day last December, the General Assembly stated that it "Invites all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, to observe the International Day of the Girl Child, and to raise awareness of the situation of girls around the world." (emphasis added) The resolution talks of empowering women, enabling them to make decisions, supporting them, recognizing their human rights, and ending discrimination.

Tens of millions of young girls have received the Gardasil vaccine since its approval by the FDA six years ago. If even a tiny fraction of them have experienced infertility as a result, then these "girl children" have been denied a very fundamental right, that is, the right to decide how many children they want to have.

In the case of the Australian girl the effect is irreversible. She has lost an integral part of her womanhood, while still but a child. Women deserve better.

NJ teachers had sexual relations with students, colleagues covered it up……

Big news story breaking. Just type it in a search engine for the details but as a summary; the story is that 3 male teachers had sexual relations and misconduct with female students.


But, if that is not bad enough, this is something that other teachers and I’m sure other students knew about, but they kept it secret.

So, the government puts in place sexual education for students, now all the way down to the earliest years of grade school; and we have numerous cases of sexual abuse in school.

The government takes God and prayer out of schools; and mass killings and sexual abuse are rampant in these same schools.

I know that Americans are not THAT stupid.

They may “turn a blind eye” as the news story states, but surely even those that wish to be “blind” can see the correlation with all that is going on.

Wake up America!!!

The next victim could be your son, your daughter, your sister or yourself.

Take a stand, step away from the herd mentality and yell FIRE in this crowded room called America before it is too late; Before your sentimentality leaves you picking up the pieces of a broken life.

The "tolerant" become more intolerant

A very sad and disturbing story is breaking right now.
Read more here http://www.lifenews.com/2012/08/15/security-guard-shot-at-pro-life-groups-dc-headquarters/

Let's see if Obama visits the FRC security guard in the hospital or demonizes the individual whom done the shooting.
I am betting not.

Please pray for all involved.

Homosexuals, why special privileges?

Now, before I start, let me just state that I lived as a secular wild child for almost 30yrs of my life. So before someone whines that I'm some over zealous Christian wingnut, please understand that I am not condemning, just trying to get a point across. I am not unknowing about worldly things by any stretch of the imagination.
Just as homosexuals and their sympathizers feel that their lifestyles and their own personage is being attacked, so do we Christians (especially us Catholics). We feel our faith and our families are in danger.

So, in loving charity I would like to know; why does the homosexual community and their sympathizers think they should have special privileges concerning marriage?
Just because they have sexual intercourse?

What about a pair of good friends, childhood friends, whom have grown up together and have become roommates or housemates?
Why shouldn't they have the same benefits as married couples?
They love one another (emotionally and platonically), but they don't have sexual intercourse. Should they be discriminated against just because they don't want sexual intercourse with each other?
They don't have to have to get physical to show their love....maybe just a hug would do.

That to me is the biggest difference between a loving friendship and being homosexual. I know there are other reasons that homosexuals would argue over, but the fact is, that homosexuals are of the same sex and they love each other but in a disordered way.

Then, you have all the lies perpetrated by the homosexual community and their sympathizers such as the web site http://www.whymarriagematters.org/pages/just-the-facts.

The statement "No religion would be forced to marry same-sex couples, or recognize same-sex marriage within the context of their religious beliefs." has already been proven to be a lie.
Homosexual activists along with President Obama and his administration are always ready to pounce on
anyone that stands up against their forced agenda.

There are already cases being discussed and decided upon....
http://www.redstatereport.com/2012/01/gay-marriage-forced-on-churchs/

Homosexuals are usually the ones that resort to violence or hate speech in their protests.
 
So, in a society that wants "tolerance" why does marriage matter?

Why not let anyone marry anyone or anything?
Why not let Chester marry his parakeet?......that would be the tolerant thing to do.
But, not everyone in favor of gay marriage is for that. Hence, there goes someone else who will be discriminated against.
Where will it end?....our country in chaos I suspect.

Next

You have the health risks that living the homosexual lifestyle brings. Sure, immorality between heterosexual couples is also a risk and I don't condone that either, but how many elderly homosexuals have you seen? There are great risks in homosexual intercourse.
There is great danger in putting bodily "fluids" where they are not supposed to be. Any medical textbook teaches that.

But, if you do marriage the right way, staying chaste for your future spouse, and they do the same, the benefits are tremendous. Not monetary, but in the happiness of life, of love and in eternity.
So, what is marriage?
Let's let the USCCB tell us in their wisdom;

Marriage is a lifelong partnership of the whole of life, of mutual and exclusive fidelity, established by mutual consent between a man and a woman, and ordered towards the good of the spouses and the procreation of offspring....
AND
Marriage is not merely a private institution, however. It is the foundation for the family, where children learn the values and virtues that will make good Christians as well as good citizens.
The importance of marriage for children and for the upbringing of the next generation highlights the importance of marriage for all society.

There are many, many other issues that homosexuals and their advocates will bring up (such as "not all marriages bring forth life") but there are many, many other websites that deal with those specific issues and can do a much better job of explaining them than I can. I'm only a lowly blogger hoping to help someone along their journey to the deeper mysteries of the truth of life and our culture and why I believe what I do.

Parents of special needs children beware!

From ParentalRights.org

ALERT: CRC End-Around Now in the Senate!


We have sounded the alarm about the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would take away parental rights if it were ratified. With your support we have secured 37 cosponsors on SR99 to make sure that ratification never takes place.
But the current administration has introduced an end-around called the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). President Obama sent this treaty to the Senate for ratification on May 18, 2012. Like the CRC, the CRPD would seriously curtail the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children, though under CRPD it is mostly the parents of special needs children who would be affected.

CRPD calls for numerous protections for people with disabilities. Many of these protections are included in U.S. law as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, CRPD also includes numerous provisions drafted by the United Nations which would concern many U.S. citizens. Like the CRC and CEDAW, if ratified, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities would become the supreme law of the land under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause in Article VI, would trump state laws, and would be used as binding precedent by state and federal judges. Since it is a treaty, the U.S. Constitution requires that it must be ratified by two-thirds of the U.S. senators present at the time of the vote, or 67 senators if all 100 U.S. senators were present.


Ten Specific Problems with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

1. Any remaining state sovereignty on the issue of disability law will be entirely eliminated by the ratification of this treaty. The rule of international law is that the nation-state that ratifies the treaty has the obligation to ensure compliance. This gives Congress total authority to legislate on all matters regarding disability law—a power that is substantially limited today. Article 4(5) makes this explicit.

2. Article 4(1)(a) demands that all American law on this subject be conformed to the standards of the UN.

3. Article 4(1)(e) remands that “every person, organization, or private enterprise” must eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. On its face, this means that every home owner would have to make their own home fully accessible to those with disabilities. If the UN wants to make exceptions, perhaps they could. But, on its face this is the meaning of the treaty.

4. Article 4(1)(e) also means that the legal standard for the number of handicapped spaces required for parking at your church will be established by the UN—not your local government or your church.

5. Article 4(2) requires the United States to use its maximum resources for compliance with these standards. The UN has interpreted similar provisions in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to criticize nations who spend too much on military issues and not enough on social programs. There is every reason to believe that the UN would interpret these provisions in a similar fashion. The UN believes that it has the power to determine the legitimacy and lawfulness of the budget of the United States to assess compliance with such treaties.

6. Article 6(2) is a backdoor method of requiring the United States to comply with the general provisions of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. This treaty enshrines abortion rights, homosexual rights, and demands the complete disarmament of all people.

7. Article 7(2) advances the identical standard for the control of children with disabilities as is contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This means that the government—acting under UN directives—gets to determine for all children with disabilities what the government thinks is best.
Additionally, under current American law, federal law requires public schools to offer special assistance to children with disabilities. However, no parent is required to accept such assistance. Under this section the government—and not the parent—would have the ultimate authority to determine if a child with special needs will be homeschooled, attend a private school, or be required to accept the program offered by the public school.

8. The United States, as a wealthy nation, would be obligated to fund disability programs in nations that could not afford their own programs under the dictates of Article 4(2). This is what “the framework of international cooperation” means.

9. Article 15’s call for a ban on “inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” is the exact same language used in the UN CRC which has been authoritatively interpreted to ban any spanking by parents. It should be noted that Article 15 is not limited to persons with disabilities. It says “no one shall be subjected to ….” This means that spanking will be banned entirely in the United States.

10. Article 25 on Education does not repeat the parental rights rules of earlier human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. This is an important omission. Coupling this omission with the direct declaration of “the best interest of the child” standard in Article 7(2), this convention is nothing less than the complete eradication of parental rights regarding the education of children with disabilities.

In light of this threat to parental rights, we implore you to contact your U.S. senators and urge them to oppose this dangerous treaty. You can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for them by name, or you can find their direct DC number by clicking on your state at ParentalRights.org/States.

Michael Farris
President
ParentalRights.org

P.S. - Between the imminent introduction of the Parental Rights Amendment in Congress and this immediate threat being raised in the Senate, our resources are being stretched. Please take a moment now to make a generous donation to support our continuing efforts as we protect your parental rights. We cannot win this struggle without you!

Thomas Merton on this site, really?

I am always hesitant to put Thomas Merton on this blog due to the fact that he ended up causing great scandal to his Order and to the Catholic Church, but I do believe that he did write some marvelous works before his fall, so please forgive me for this.
These 2 snippets are from his book "No Man Is an Island" and I find them as relevant today as they were back in 1955 when the book was written.

The Church understands human love far better and more profoundly than modern man, who thinks he knows all about it. The Church knows well that to frustrate the creative purpose of human generation is to confess a love that is insincere. It is insincere because it is less than human, even less than animal. Love that seeks only to enjoy and not to create is not even a shadow of love. It has no power. The psychological impotence of our enraged generation must be traced to the overwhelming accusation of insincerity which ever man and woman has to confront, in the depths of his own soul, when he seeks to love merely for his own pleasure. A love that fears to have children for any motive whatever is a love that fears love. It is divided against itself. It is a lie and contradiction. The very nature of love demands that it's own creative fulfillment should be sought in spite of every obstacle. Love, even human love, is stronger than death.
Therefore, it is even more obvious that true love is stronger than poverty or hunger or anguish. And yet the men of our time do not love with enough courage to risk even discomfort or inconvenience.
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How is it that our comfortable society has lost its sense of the value of truthfulness?
Life has become so easy that we think we can get along without telling the truth.....
.......If  living were a little more precarious, and if a person who could not be trusted found it more difficult to get along with other men, we would not deceive ourselves and one another so carelessly.
But the whole world has learned to deride veracity or to ignore it. Half the civilized world makes a living by telling lies. Advertising, propaganda, and all the other forms of publicity that have taken the place of truth have taught men to take it for granted that they can tell other people whatever they like provided that it sounds plausible and evokes some kind of shallow emotional response.

Blessed are the pure in heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God….

I have always placed this, the 6th Beatitude, in the context of more at the end of our lives, even more so after we have died.

After watching my 2 girls as babies and toddlers, I am convinced that it can also be applied to the beginning of our lives. Not that it can’t be placed at anytime in our lives, but the middle years, with all that we become inundated with in life, makes being pure hearted very difficult.

Ever since the girls were old enough to be able to notice the world around them, there have been moments when they just look into the sky and smile and have a peaceful presence about them. They point, they laugh but I never see what they see.

They have always had a joy at seeing a statue or picture of Jesus, Mary or any of the saints.

Even now, no matter how much our 9 month old may be crying and upset, I can walk over by our statue of the Divine Child Jesus and she will calm down and even laugh with joy….it is truly amazing.

I have always thought that babies and toddlers can see the invisible world, the world that the rest of us cannot see, glimpses of Heaven. I believe that truly the pure in heart can see God, not only when we get to Heaven, but here on this earth.

Kentucky Catholic Homeschool Conference

Please come see us at the "2012 Veritas! Catholic Homeschool Conference".

If you currently homeschool or thinking about it or are just curious to see if homeschoolers are a little weird, like they are stereotyped to be, please come see for yourself.

Oh, did I mention that Archbishop of Louisville, Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. will be one of the speakers?

That's right, Vice-President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and staunch defender of traditional marriage,  Archbishop Kurtz is always wonderful to listen to.

For more information, visit; http://www.louisvillecatholichomeschooling.com/conference2012/Default.html

WHY FAMILY???

Want to find out?
Please visit (our favorite Priest friend) website....

http://www.whyfamily.com/

Babies Saved in Louisville

Here is some GREAT NEWS from the fruits of the 40 DAYS FOR LIFE vigil;

I'm so excited to share this news with you all and ask that you share it with the Respect Life groups you have helped get involved with 40 Days for Life. There were FIVE BABIES saved today - including 2 sets of twins! One of those moms was at 21 weeks already - she chose life! There was also a turnaround on Monday - I'm told that a woman showed up early to get information about abortion. As you know, EMW isn't open on Monday - but we had faithful prayer warriors out there at 7 am and they were able to guide her to A Woman's Choice. I'm told she is making an adoption plan for her baby.


So far, in Louisville, there are 12 babies saved during this campaign - God is SO good when his people are humble and faithful (and even when they aren't!) Please share this news with those you helped to recruit for this campaign - everyone needs to know that prayers are answered!


We would like to finish this campaign strong! I know you have all done amazing things to encourage your friends and family to stand with us - we still have ten days to go and we need you until the end! Thank you sincerely for all you have done so far! Look at the calendar and fill an hour if you can
:-). Encourage your friends to consider giving one more hour (I beg shamelessly for the babies.)
Bless you all!
Jenny
http://40daysforlife.com/louisville/

Death with dignity?

From http://www.deathwithdignity.org/
"The Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician."

.....so, to most of America, this sounds like a "good" thing. I mean, you know, it's my life and I should be able to "choose" what to do with it?
Sound familiar?

What about  Barbara Wagner?....The 64-year-old Oregon woman, whose lung cancer had been in remission, learned the disease had returned and would likely kill her. Her last hope was a $4,000-a-month drug that her doctor prescribed for her, but the insurance company refused to pay.

What the Oregon Health Plan did agree to cover, however, were drugs for a physician-assisted death. Those drugs would cost about $50.00 !!!!!

It seems that "personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician."

It seems now that the decision is up to the physician and the insurance company. The patient is left with only one option....maybe two if they hit the lottery.

So, once again our country, our society has put a price on the life of a human being.
First the unborn baby in the womb. It is cheaper to "terminate" (kill) a baby than it would be to raise the child.
Now, it is cheaper to kill a person who has a life threatening disease than it is to let them live a while longer.

Now the President and a majority of our government wishes to "kill our consciences" with their newest attack on Christianity.

Once again, the human being moves down a spot and the Declaration that this country was founded on;
 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
.....has been trampled....

WE THE PEOPLE are not being given the right to life from conception to natural death, but most Americans don't seem to mind...at least in their actions. They say they wouldn't get an abortion or they wouldn't commit suicide, yet their actions politically say something different.
If you vote for a candidate that is openly pro-abortion/pro-euthanasia, you are going against Church teachings and are committing a grave sin. There is no gray area in this realm of life.

Respect for the Rights of Conscience Act

From Brian Burch, President
CatholicVote.org ;

Every bishop in the country just received an urgent letter from Cardinal Timothy Dolan.


Here's what he wrote:


In the United States, religious liberty does not depend on the benevolence of who is regulating us. It is our “first freedom” and respect for it must be broad and inclusive—not narrow and exclusive. Catholics and other people of faith and good will are not second class citizens. And it is not for the government to decide which of our ministries is “religious enough” to warrant religious freedom protection.


Those are powerful words from Cardinal Dolan. But he also had a very urgent request. He called upon every Catholic in America to immediately contact their legislators to support the Respect for the Rights of Conscience Act.


The Senate is expected to vote Tuesday or Wednesday of next week on this legislation, which would repeal the HHS mandate – and provide conscience protections for ALL Americans.


The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri and it would protect the rights of conscience for religious organizations and for businesses so they wouldn't be forced by the federal government to pay for medical procedures which violate their moral beliefs.


My sources in Washington tell me that we are in need of several critical swing votes, especially the following Senators.
Here are ten Senators we need to contact IMMEDIATELY:


202-224-2043 – Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota
202-224-2523 – Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
202-224-5344 – Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine
202-224-5824 – Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana
202-224-4041 – Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
202-224-3954 – Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia
202-224-6154 – Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri
202-224-5274 – Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida
202-224-2353 – Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas
202-224-2644 – Sen. Jon Tester of Montana


If you get a busy signal, try calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.


If one of these Senators represents your state, it is critical that you call their office and tell them to Vote YES on the Blunt Amendment.


Please also forward this message to all of your friends and family. We need everyone to call.
If you don't live in a state on this list, but know someone who does, please forward this message immediately.
We're also running web-based ads in these states encouraging people to call their Senator to protect religious liberty.
Please consider a gift of $14 or $28 to fuel this campaign.

Senator Blunt's legislation would stop the HHS mandate's assault on our religious freedom. It would protect the rights of conscience of all Americans.

dept of redundancy

Once again, an Obama administration agency is trying to mandate it's evil upon society.

And once again, it is the HHS trying to cram it's (Obama's) ideology down Americans throats.

We continue to hear the same ol' song from that department, that they are looking out for the "good of the public". 

They obviously haven't heard of the "Silent No More" group or Rachel's Vineyard.

......or even of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution.

The HHS continues to be redundant in it's agenda to crush religious freedom and make all Americans pay for abortions on demand. 

This is a travesty of justice and a slap in the face of Democracy. 

Archbishop Sheen once said that the way to destroy your enemy is to get people on the inside. 

He was speaking more about a coop or military situation, but I think it is very real that this is happening today with our government. 

Our President has his agenda and has put his cronies in place to slowly dismantle the fabric of American freedom. 

WE THE PEOPLE are the ones who can make a difference, or sit back and watch our country go down the tubes. 

Please do the right thing.....vote the dissenters out of office, turn to God, and repent....

Also, please take a minute to sign the petition here:  https://www.stophhs.com/

HAPPY ST VALENTINE DAY!!!!!

    
The Origin of St. Valentine

The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

(from http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=159)

Three-state sweep for Rick Santorum

We knew he could do it.
Congratulations to Rick Samtorum, his family and all those making his campaign successful.

Most of all, as Rick mentioned in his speech last night, thanks be to God.

All things are possible with God....Rick Santorum has a long way to go for the Presidency but I think this helped him gain momentum.

Keep those prayers going for Rick Santorum and his bid for the Presidency.

Marian Grace

If you get a chance check these wonderful musicians out http://mysteriumonline.com/.
They are on tour now.

My wife met them at a gas station (don't ask) and had a pleasant conversation with them and was given one of their cd's which now is a fixture in our cd player.

May God Bless them and keep them safe on the road.

Who says having lots of children is a burden?

One of my new years resolution (for this blog) was supposed to be to get back to the real reason that I entered into the blogasphere.....to promote the Catholic faith.

I usually do not like to make this blog a political soapbox but, since I can't separate the Catholic faith from my daily living in the secular world, sometimes I have to rant or, like I'm about to do, to give a "shout out" to a particular situation or person or group that lifts my Spirit and removes my thoughts on how the world is going to hell in a handbasket.

One headline read;
Rick Santorum's Daughter Hospitalized; Duggar Family Fills in For Candidate on Campaign Trail

First off, let's all say a prayer for Bella for her health to improve....that the Lord may put good medical personnel in charge of her care...and prayers for strength for the Santorum family through this (yet another) trial in their lives.

Now, on to the crux of the matter...

For some time now, my life has consisted of work, eat, spend a few minutes with the family, pray and get to bed hopefully by midnight so I can wake up at 5am and do it all over again.
So, I can't imagine having 3 times as many children, or being on the road campaigning and trying to juggle family time.

The Santorum family and the Duggar family are doing just that.

They are remarkable families that are giving their all and showing America what we as a country and a society should be; not that everyone is called to have large families or become the President of the United States, but to sacrifice for a goal that is for the good of a larger cause. To go that extra mile and step in and help one another when necessary.

When I think about what I want the the future of America to look like and compare that to the candidates running for election, I can only see one candidate that represents my view of my countries future.

Rick Santorum.....

Please pray for his election and get out and vote.

God Bless