St. Dymphna Image

Dymphna Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, You have willed that St. Dymphna should be invoked by thousands of clients as the patroness of nervous and mental disease, and have brought it about that her interest in these patients should be an inspiration to and an ideal of charity throughout the world. Grant that through the prayers of this youthful martyr of purity, those who suffer from nervous and mental illness everywhere on earth may be helped and consoled. I recommend to you in particular (Insert for whom you are petitioning)
Be pleased to hear the prayers of St. Dymphna and of your Blessed Mother, Help of the sick and Comforter of the afflicted, on behalf of those whom I recommend to the love and compassion of Your Sacred Heart,. Give them patience to bear with their affliction and resignation to do Your divine will. Give them the consolation they need and especially the cure they so much desire, if it be Your will. May we all serve Your suffering members with a charity which may merity for us the reward of being united forever in Heaven with You, our Divine Head, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever.

Links

Hey, if you are interested in buying Guerilla Apologetics for Catholics (see review below) and/or Guerilla Apologetics for Life Issues (ah... the review isn't posted yet, but should be above this posting soon), you may get them at:

Amazon's site - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-6824022-0665645?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=%22guerrilla+apologetics%22&Go.x=13&Go.y=14
or
R.A.G.E. Media's site -http://www.dyinglight.com/store/

They are a great value - lots of info, plus each include a recommended resources section at the end - so get a few for your friends, too! Peace. ~~~mary

Guerrilla Apologetics for Catholics

Guerrilla Apologetics for Catholics - that's the title of a book which I recently read. What a title!
What an image -- crucifix wearing, camo-clad people darting out from behind trees shouting, "Sorry!," as they dive, roll and dart behind another tree. Hmmm...
Well, that doesn't have anything to do with the book.
Apologetics is a matter of defending faith. Guerrilla Apologetics for Catholics is author Paul E. Nowak's treatise for how Catholics should approach situations that have often been a matter of fruitlessly defending our faith. We all know that becoming angered by incorrect harsh assertions about the Church (you do know that Catholics aren't Christians, right?) ultimately serves no purpose. A defensive stance in a discussion is a weak position. Nowak advocates taking the offensive position in the discussion so as to develop a genuine conversation.
Throughout the book, the author presents and discusses contentious topics to be brought up Catholics when engaged by evangelical Christians intend upon the Catholics the "error" of their ways. By being prepared to question the questioner, who believes they are posing loaded questions, Catholics may in fact diffuse the minefield laid by wrong thinking tract writers who have misinformed those well intentions individuals.
The only thing in this book with which I had a problem - and it wasn't really a problem, more of an uneasiness - was the fact that Nowak says in more than one place that our personal relationships with the people involved in the discourse is more important than "winning a debate." On the surface I agree with that, but, if it is a matter of Truth (note the capital T), I do believe that we should not let erroneous information about the Church/God/Jesus/et. al. go unanswered. Throwing someone on the ground and not letting them up until they repeat the Truth isn't acceptable, but there is middle ground between that and leaving things unsaid for the sake of friendship - otherwise, what kind of friendship do we have if we can't state that which we believe to be true?!? We are to spread the good news, not hide it for the sake of false friendships.
Paul Nowak wrote another "Guerrilla" book that I'll tell you about later. Peace.

Just the same old same old me

Okay. This is the Tuesday after Easter. What did I gain, from this Lenten exercise? Have I become a better Christian? Did I learn to put myself aside? Did any epiphanies result? Nope.
I experienced the same level of frustration in my life. I argued. I was me. Flawed. I knew that before I began and am very much aware of it now. All I did was record it. And because of the pain, I didn't even record it every day.
Today I dealt with someone who has mightily proclaimed her desire for an elevated spiritual life. Should that not be the type of person with whom I should have untroubled exchanges? I mean she wants to be a saint. That fall in line with what we should all desire. But she drives me crazy!!!!!!! I find myself wanting to tell her what I think of her judgments, materialism, gossip and general lunacy. How is that right?!?!?! It isn't and I so try to not be that way. In fact, when I deal with her, I look at how she is and wonder if my difficulty with her is that I am committing a sin of being scrupulous. I wonder that. I don't really know to what degree someone's actions/attitudes must be "scrupulous" for the actions/attitudes to be sinful - so I then wonder about that. Then I wonder how I could imagine that I could ever wonder about falling into a situation of overzealousness - kind of laugh to myself - then go back to nearly disliking this person. I don't get how someone can so talk a good talk yet seem to embody that which she says she disdains. Gossip, ohhhh how she loathes gossip. She will note that she doesn't want to gossip - she doesn't want to have to go to confession for gossiping. Then, in a hushed stereotypically gossipy tone, she will say something about someone - something that serves no good. I feel I'm quite liberal as to my definition of conversational information - as opposed to gossip. If saying something does some good - even if is just that it lets you blow off steam - I don't consider it gossip. But if you are whispering to me that a neighbor left her family when we aren't on any subject, before or after you say that, related to that information, then I call that gossip. And wonder what compelled you to tell me, conspiratorially, that little tidbit.
Okay - am I any better of a person? Sure doesn't seem that way.
Jesus sweat blood. Peace.

Bishop Rhoades Reflection

My blog today is a matter not of my thoughts or words; rather, they are the words of Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, Harrisburg Diocese. He shared his personal reflections for Holy Week in the Catholic Witness, March 30, 2007 issue. Please pray for our dynamic Bishop.

When we begin the Easter Triduum on Holy Thursday night, we enter, in a sense, into the Upper Room with Jesus as we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. We give thanks for the two sacraments instituted by Christ during the Last Supper: the Eucharist and Holy Orders. The Lord Jesus gave us the Holy Eucharist as the perpetual memorial of His death and resurrection so that we can participate in His sacrifice and receive the graces of redemption through the Paschal banquet. The Lord Jesus gave us the ministerial priesthood so that the Eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood, the source and summit of our lives, would be celebrated in every time and place. Please pray with me this Holy Thursday for our priests and seminarians and for an increase in priestly vocations, for without ordained priests, who alone receive the power to consecrate the Eucharist, we cannot celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Perhaps you can keep this intention in mind during prayer before the Blessed Sacrament this Holy Thursday night when the Eucharist is solemnly reserved for adoration in our parish churches and chapels after the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
Peace.

The Father will honor whoever serves me // the Lord God helps me

John's Gospel is my favorite. Not surprising. It seems to be the favorite of many people. Anyway, being that it is my favorite, when I look up an event in Jesus' life I usually turn to John. In my imagining, I can see Jesus saying,
"Whoever loves his love loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it in for eternity. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will be my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me (John 12:25-26).",
on the Wednesday before His death. I'm not a bible scholar or even moderately well studied, but that goes on my personl timeline for today, roughly 1970 years ago. It isn't part of the Gospel reading in Mass today (see Matthew 26:14-25 for that) but sure seems to mesh well with the Old Testament reading.
The first reading is from Isaiah 50:
The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. Morning by morning he wakens, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. (4-9)
Peace.

Sarcasm

Sarcasm can be the life blood of household. Such a household is a very mean-spirited place with mean people who have mean words. Compliments would certainly not what they seemed. The intent of a compliment, when voiced, could be said to point out an area of inadequacy by snidely praising. Or might it be that it only seems that way.
That's the thing about living in a verbal war zone - you are never quite sure of where the barb wire lies. It is often disguised. Camouflauged. Sarcasm can be used to mask a vitriol spirit. And the people skilled in using it are often thought to be clever.
If a person turns her back on that existence, does it ever leave her? If her heart's desire is peace, simple interactions, honest exchanges - is she able to purge the dirtiness that had sullied her life? Does a rattle snake cease being a rattle snake if it spurns the shake of her tail and the drip of her venom? Her life is that of a snake. Even if never used, as long as she lives, she possesses a death rattle. Instinct will ever press upon her.
Peace.

Making Memories. Or Not.

The Chrism Mass was this evening. Did I remember before seeing mention of it just now as I paged down the blog trying to figure out what I should write tonight? Weeeellllll... No. Guess that means that I'll just have to look forward to next year being the first year I attend one. In reality, in the shape I'm in right now, I shouldn't have gone anyway.
I need to find the right time to talk to Scott about how he feels about my lack of memory. The reason I say that is because he seemed somewhat frightened today when he asked me why I didn't remember a decision I had made 15 minutes before I said something that made it apparent that I didn't remember the decision. He knows as much about my memory situation as I do, yet I think this time - the small amount of time between one thing and the other - kind of knocked him off balance. He has always done really well with my limitations, but the incongruity of a seemingly intelligent person losing recollection of something so quickly seemed to get him. If it would have been 2 hours, he very well may have just chalked it up to the MD and moved on. The fact that the decision was a parenting related one may have heightened his anxiety too. If the person in charge doesn't have a firm grasp on things, maybe that would make a kid's world a little wobbly. Then again, I may be reading too much in to it. The only way to find out is to talk to him. I must remember to do that. I must remember to do that. I must remember to do that. I must... Oh, shoot. What was it that I was gonna do? Peace.

You don't say?

I don't know that I have ever said the line, "Crucify Him. Crucify Him.", as a member of the crowd during the Palm Sunday Gospel. Other lines are rough, but I have said them to be in "communion" with the rest of the congregation. Everytime that I have done that, I think that there had to have been people in the real crowd who went along with everyone else because that is the thing you do when part of a group. There had to have been people who sensed the injustice, yet they did as those around them.
Were there many people who cried at Christ's death, yet had that same day mocked or otherwise betrayed Him? If so, who were they and how did that impact them? Did the reality of what they had done ultimately strengthen or break them; did it cause them to cast aside their old ways or, perhaps, to crumble under the weight of it all? Or were they only momentarily saddened without that day leaving a prolonged impact upon their earthly lives?
Now, more than 2000 years later, I go along with the crowd - saying almost all of the lines - for the sake of "communion." Might that not be worse? In the recreation, I knowingly take on a despicable role. It is important that we each know that we are a part of the Body and that as a part we must function with the other parts, yet if one foot steps in a hole should the other? Or should the other jump to avoid the hole. How does one discern what is prudence, as opposed to disobedience? Independence can be a matter of a prideful being. By its nature, pride is devoid of humility and for a person to lack humility is for them to lack God.
Oh, I have no idea where I'm going with this. I have given myself and my family over to the Church and her teachings, so I guess I should even say the line that I find so distasteful. It seems odd to offer the disgust of uttering the words to the Lord (after all, I will be saying things against Him) but that might be the way.
I'm nodding off, so I'll leave this entry as it is. Hopefully, it isn't too poor. Peace.

Imagine

Well, as of this evening, we are in the final week of Lent. Holy Week. The week when the kettle of salvation bubbled up and boiled over. The week when the Most Innocent of innocents died for the sinful. This week we will observe God Made Man's blood being shed for our sake.
But I'm getting ahead of the story, am I not?
The Gospel reading for Saturday was the "Session of the Sanhedrin," John 11:45-54. That is when the chief priests and the Pharisees, apprised of Jesus' resurrection of Lazarus, gather to discuss the problem Jesus' ministry presented them. He was performing miracles and many were coming to believe in Him. Jesus threatened their very existence. "So from that day on they planned to kill Him" John 11:53. Imagine.
Peace.

Thank you, God. Thank you.

Below is the content of an e-mail I received today --


DEAR GOD:

I want to thank You for what you have already done. I am not going
to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking you right
now. I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I
am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until people say
they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking you
right now. I am not going to wait until the pain in my body dis-
appears; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until my
financial situation improves; I am going to thank you right now. I am
not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet;
I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I get
promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank you right
now. I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in
my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges
are removed; I am thanking you right now.

I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I
made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I
have walked around the obstacles. I am thanking you because I have
the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.

I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Isn't that nice? How often do we miss opportunities to thank God? Every day? Every hour? Every minute? Every second? Every breath?
Lately, I've been trying to be consciously very thankful for a particular something(s). I am thankful for healing and have repeatedly prayed prayers of thanks for the healing, yet, even though I am consciously doing this, I think I missed giving thanks for a whole day. Imagine - if a person can't consistently offer thanks for one thing in her life of which she is actively trying to be mindful, there must be more instances of ingratitude in one day than there are grains of sand upon a beach. But, you know what? I am thankful for that. I am thankful that God loves us so much that He pours forth His bounty upon His nearly thankless creatures. I am thankful that we do not receive what we deserve. Does what I'm saying make sense? In a way it does but in another it doesn't. I can't comprehend God - I can only give thanks. May our worth never be judged based upon our degree of gratitude. Peace.

Engaging Forgiveness

Last night I sat transfixed in front of the TV. The Holy Father celebrated the Penitential Rite with the youth of the Diocese of Rome yesterday. I was able to watch this beautiful celebration during a rebroadcast on EWTN. It was truly riveting.
I know this must sound like a real yawn, but it was a terrific experience to watch the confessors with their penitents. The exchanges were amazing to me. Think about it - how often have you watched someone during the sacrament of reconciliation? I actually watched soul be cleansed. Can you wrap your mind around that?
It wasn't a weird voyeurism that kept me watching; rather, the depth of involvement of the participants. It was fantastic. The priests were deeply listening and the young people seemed to be using the opportunity to grow. Not one person looked like they were following a cut and dry formula. And don't tell me you don't know what I mean by formula: days since last confession + haltingly stating 4 or 5 transgressions + an act of contrition + 1 Hail Mary = remittance of sin. Who knows if that wasn't really the case in what I saw last night, but it didn't seem that way. There were conversations. In each instance, it seemed like both parties were really listening to each other. It was great. Peace.

The Neck Rules

Not even fighting the neck tonight - it rules. The Ruler says to lay it down or I will pay for my insolence in the days to come. Scott is serving this weekend & I want to be there. Ignore the neck and I won't be able to make the trip. Neck wins tonight. Peace.

Snippets

I have come to the conclusion that I am a miserable blogger. I sit down to blog and end up searching the net for a topic to blog about. I really don't have anything pressing to share.
My life is a matter of snippets -
Chrism Mass is coming up next Monday
Meeting with teachers on Tuesday
Husband agrees that we need a car, yet won't actively car shop
PG-13 movies, on the whole, are not for 11 year olds
Politics of fertility aren't explored
Read a comment on a site by a woman who said she couldn't do NFP because she doesn't have a regular cycle. Said that she would like to be completely faithful to the Church but just can't do NFP. A paragraph later she noted that she and he husband are so open to life that they went through fertility shots to have their two children! She is so Catholic that they used artificial fertility treatment --- arghhhh!
Wondering how I might get extra palms on Palm Sunday to try to weave a craft
Loved the weather we had today! Actually had son wear shorts to school today. It was quite warm even before he left for school.
http://www.dappledthings.org/submit.html is a link for info about submitting to a Catholic magazine looking for authors and photographers who are at least freshmen in college but not older than 35. I believe they are also having a competition for High Schoolers. Take a look.
When I first looked at the need for submissions I thought that would be an opportunity for me to find a focus and actually produce my first piece in 14 years. Hmmmpphhh! Age-ists! 35 -- what an arbitrary number. Harrmpphhhh!!! Especially when they aren't paying - lol. Goodnight one and all. Peace.

Nada

My mind is thinking of things about which only I am concerned. I was going to offer a link to Danielle Bean's blog to read instead, but when I jumped over to her site, I found that a big "OOPS!" recently happened and she is in mid-recovery of her blog right now. I'd like to meet that woman - she is a home schooling mom of many and an author/editor, yet she keeps her sense of humor in her blog. Even when someone accidentally deletes it. Peace.

We Shall Overcome

Started reading Uncle Tom's Cabin today with Scott. We haven't even completed the first chapter and both of us are having a difficult time with how often the word "nigger" is used. It is supposed to be an important literary work, but the value assigned to the word and the frequency of its usage is bothersome to the point that I'd like to stop reading it. At the same time I don't want to teach Scott that he should only stay within his comfort zone. That isn't an attitude that will serve him well in school or work. Plus, learning to deal with uncomfortable things will only help him when faced with uncomfortable situations and fears later in his personal life - help him to confront them and knock them down to size.
I was proud of him today in this area. Twice he reached out and included a disabled person of obvious disability. In reality, treating people equally is how we should all act but differences scare people and can be especially scary to children. The man he treated as everyone should be treated is a person that I have seen adults pretend that he is invisible because they don't know how to deal with him. Scott doing that is really no biggy except it bodes well for him to go beyond personal discomfort to freely do what should be done. Or, so I hope. Peace.

Happy New Age Tree-Hugging Anti-Establishment Self-Actualizing Feet

Oy, what a movie we did see tonight! Happy Feet. It seemed like it was made to prove that it is possible to make a movie which promotes all the liberal agendas. It starts with stay at home fathers who take care of the babies while the mothers go to work. Differences are good but the establishment dislikes things against the status quo for no other reason than they are outside of the norm. God is a threat used to subdue the masses - fire and brimstone to keep people in line. To be a religious follower is to be a mindless religious follower. Subtle homosexuality is present - such as one male character asserting that another likes an extended hug and that it is okay to feel that way. People are raping the world of natural resource and polluting what is left behind. Positive change is accomplished by breaking free of societal convention and doing what makes you happy. It was definite overkill - just like clubbing an already dead baby seal, but for a good reason. Of course. Peace.

Clueless

As I was putting him to bed last night Scott asked me why we have to live on Earth. Why couldn't we just be with God in Heaven? So, we spent the whole night discussing original sin, death, loving/desiring God and the purification of Purgatory.
Well, actually, I balled them all together in a five minute answer, kissed him goodnight and have since wondered at the grace God gives parents to answer questions that in the first second or two after the question is asked our minds seem to slosh around in our heads as we can't imagine being able to answer the question. I'm clueless as to how God does it - thankful, but clueless. Peace. ~~~mary

Weak Entry

I am too tired to post, yet I am counting this as posting - you know that represents faithfulness to the task. Weak. Yeah, weak, weak way to do the minimum. Peace,