My Catholic Baby

I have three children. Their births were spaced apart. I have a daughter that I talked about and she is 22. I have a teenage son, and he is 16 3/4. My youngest son is 7 3/4. I call him my Catholic baby. I talked about my other two children so now I'm going to talk about my little guy. I call him my Catholic baby because he was my only child born after I had become Catholic. So he was my first baby to be baptized in the Catholic religion. My other two children completed their sacraments into the Catholic church also. The only sacrament that they missed was their baptism. They were baptized Lutheran. The Catholic church accepts the Lutheran baptism because we're only supposed to be baptized one time in our life. Also my first born daughter was a little late for her First Holy Communion. But it all got worked out. Like I said, their all up to date on their sacraments. I didn't think that my hubby and I would have anymore children. My second child was 9 1/2 years old when I got pregnant with my third child. I see how God surprised us! So that's why I call him my Catholic baby. The first night he was born I held him in my arms. All the visitors were gone. It was just me and this little baby I was holding who was just hours old. The room was dimmed and I could see the lights of the hospital through the window. The day was drawing to a close. I whispered in his little ear and recited the Our Father and the Hail Mary. I wanted to be the first person to recite these two most important prayers to him. Although I'm sure he already heard of them because he had just left heaven and entered into our lives. I thought, I have this baby that I can teach the Catholic religion to him from the get go. From birth. This child of mine is going to be a cradle Catholic. I could see God's hand in this plan. My son was 13 days old when I took him into the Adoration Chapel with me. I just wanted to thank the Lord before the Blessed Sacrament for a beautiful and healthy baby boy. I just felt so blessed. When he was still a baby I wanted him to go to a Catholic school when he reached kindergarten age. But that didn't pan out to be. But I thought that that was fine because I can still teach him Catholicism. I'm his mother. Secretly I began to wish for him to become a priest one day. I just thought that that would be so wonderful if my son became a priest! My son was around five when he came up to me and showed me a picture that he drew. He said "Look Mom." I almost fell out of my chair when I seen it. It was a picture he had drew of the crucified Jesus on the cross! It had the nails in it and everything. I just held him and hugged him. I always kept it in the back of my head that he might be a priest one day. To myself, I use to say "Oh he's going to be my little Catholic priest!" Some point after that, I told my son that he could be a priest one day if he'd like. Every once in awhile I'll ask him, "Are you going to be a priest one day or are you going to get married?" He tells me that he's going to live by himself with a family of dogs. I realized that he might not have a calling from the Lord to be a priest. And that's ok. I'm not going to push it. But I just wanted him to know that he could be a priest if he wanted to. I even told my other two children that to. They can enter into religious life, get married or live alone. Last year during Lent, my youngest son asked me out of the blue, if I would take him to the Stations of the cross up at our church. Just for a reminder, her was six when he asked me this. It's something I always wanted to do but never did. I just hugged him and told him, "Ok, we'll go." How could I look into his eyes and tell him no. A...I might be in a bit of trouble from the Man upstairs if I were to say no!!!! I know it sounds strange but my little Catholic baby, (now 7) always liked to stations of the cross. If I were looking at it in a book, he wanted to see and hear the prayers to. If I was watching it on EWTN, he would sit with me and watch it along side of me. This little child has always liked the stations of the cross. I wasn't quite sure how he'd react to the crucifixion part but he was ok with it. I just thought, well if he's ok with it, I'm ok with it. =) When we went last year to the Stations of the Cross, his chatism teacher came up to my son afterward and said how proud she was to see my son there. She said that he was the only one in her chatacism class that was there. She said that she was going to give him a little surprise at the next chatacism class just for him because he went. The chatacim teacher looked at me and said, this is wonderful that he is here. It starts with the parents inside the home. That just made me feel good. She's a very devoted Catholic. I see her in church all of the time. My son was even upset when she wasn't going to be his chatacism teacher anymore at the end of the school year. My son and I are planning on going to the Stations of the Cross this Friday evening. Maybe it will be the beginning of a little tradition that him and I do together. He's my little Catholic baby. The other day he told me that he remembered something that happened, when he was two. He said it was his birthday party and that he was flying through the hallway into the living room. I told my son that he was just probably dreaming that. He said, "No. I seen myself in the living room at my birthday party but I couldn't move my arms." I just sort of looked at him and said, "Maybe it was your guardian angel who carried you." But he didn't respond. Then I said, "Maybe it was the Blessed Virgin Mary who carried you." And he looked me square in the eyes and said, "Yeah, I think your right." ♥

After The Fast

*JMJ* Well I'm glad that that it over with. Whew that fasting is really hard. I was OK for most of the day yesterday but between 3 to 5 pm, it was not going to good for me. I finally did eat my one meal for the day at 5:30 pm. And that made me feel kind of sick after I ate because I didn't eat for the whole day. But it did give me enough energy to make it through the evening mass to receive my ashes. As soon as I came home from church I just went to bed and I was starting to feel hungry again. But I just closed my eyes and knew that when morning came, I could have my favorite bowl of cereal. When I woke up this morning I wasn't hungry. I even worked out before I ate breakfast. I did eat after my workout before I carried on with my day. It was so weird yesterday though. I just felt a peace with me all morning long. I also didn't get a headache which I usually do when I don't eat enough. I could really feel the Lord's presence yesterday. I even prayed and did some light housework and some blogging. That helped to occupy my mind away from my hunger pains. Now I'll have to do that again on Good Friday but that's not for several weeks away yet. I hope you all drew close to the Lord yesterday as it was the beginning of the Lenten season and continue to do so. I hope that this is your best Lent yet, as far as drawing closer to the Lord. God bless each and everyone of you!

Ash Wednesday, The First Day of Lent

Today Catholics celebrate ash Wednesday. It's the first day of Lent. The mardi gras celebrations are over. It's a day of fast and prayer. The whole Lenten season is a time for being sorry for our sinfulness. Not only our own but for the whole world's sinfulness as well. We pray that we want to be better Christians. We ask Jesus to help us change to be better follower's of Christ. It's also a time of alms giving. To help by giving money or giving your time to someone in need. And penance which is being sorry for your sins and going to confession. Don't forget that Catholics are obligated to make at least one confession a year. And you guessed it...we're to go during Lent. Also it's a day we get to go to mass and receive the ashes on our foreheads in the form of the cross. It's to remind us that we will all die one day. Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation. Which means you are not required to go to mass. But don't you want to? Why would you miss out on an opportunity to receive Jesus in the Eucharist? Plus it's just the perfect way to start Lent. Yes mass is in the evening and I'm starving at that point in the day. But I do it for the love of Jesus I guess. I always look around the church and think, are these people starving like I am or what? I usually leave my cross of ashes on till the next morning. I like to sleep with it on my forehead. I go to mass in the evening so my children can go after school. But what about you? Do you go get your ashes in the morning? Do you where your ashes wherever you go that day? The ashes that are used are blessed from the priest. Also the ashes come from the palms that were collected and then burned, from the previous year. I wish you all a prayerful Lenten season in hopes that everyone will draw closer to the Lord. "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return...."

Soon It Will Be Lent

*JMJ* I told you Lent was coming a few weeks ago and now it officially starts tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. Yep and we all know what that means. Fast. Ugh. It's so hard to fast. But because I have been watching what I've been eating this past year, I'm hoping it won't be so hard on me. I love to fast but then I hate to fast. Does that make any sense to anyone out there? I love this time in the church. Like I said in my previous post, It's a time I feel like I can really participate in the church. I don't like to fast because it's so hard to. I think if you don't fast, it's a mortal sin because it's something the church is asking us Catholics to do. But we are allowed to have one full meal during that day. We have to fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday. Those are the only two days that the Catholic church tells us to fast. I think if your over 62 you don't have to fast. But check with your church for I'm not real sure on that age. I do know that you don't have to start fasting until your 18. But when your 14 you do have to abstain from meat. Also check with your church for these ages as well. Also on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday your not allowed to eat meat. The six Fridays during Lent your not allowed to eat meat either. I post a note, 'No meat' on the fridge on those days for a reminder. I usually won't work out on those days or do heavy housework. I have to preserve my energy the best I can. I don't do good on the days I have to fast. You are allowed to have coffee, hot tea and water. Your not allowed to have like a milk shake. Every time I fast I always say that I'm going to get myself up at 12:01 Thursday morning to eat! But that never happens. If I do wake up in the middle of the night I'm usually not hungry because I've been sleeping. But I always smile knowing that the fast is over and I'll be able to eat when I wake up. Yeah! I love that feeling when I know the fast is over and I did it, with the Lord's help of course. It's hard. It's really hard. I have to get my mind set on fasting for tomorrow. I struggle with not being able to eat. But don't fear because I have a yummy menu for Thursday's dinner. A whole baked chicken roasted in the oven with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn. Mmmmm. But do not forget. Today is Fat Tuesday. So remember to get your punchki's and we'll just have to worry about fasting tomorrow when Mardi Gras is officially over. God Bless you and good luck to you all during your fasting!

My Little Black Book

*JMJ* Yep I got my little black book for my Lenten reflections. You can get a blue one during Advent and a little white book follows after the little black book for the Easter season. I just love those little books. They do help you to pray daily to. It has neat little tid bits about Lent on the left side of the page. The right side is for some scripture taken from the bible. Then at the bottom of it, it leaves you with a time to reflect. You'll know what I mean if you get the book regularly. It says, 'Spend some quiet time with the Lord.' From here your suppose to say your own prayers. I do hope you all attain one of these little black books for Lent to help you stay close to the Lord during this Lenten season. I got mine! Every little thing that helps us Catholics to get geared up for Lent, is great. These books were written by Bishop Ken Untener. He passed away in 2004 but these little black books still get circulated by the editor by using the writings of Bishop Untener. As I am writing this post I'm now wondering if others from other states even get these little black books. So let me know. I'd love to hear from you. P.S. Today is shrove Tuesday. It's a day when Catholics eat pancakes to help them use up some dairy that is left over before they start there fasts tomorrow.

I Don't Have Time To Pray!

*JMJ* Sometimes my life goes haywire. I don't feel right inside. I feel like I'm being pulled in 1,000,000.00 different directions. I'm a housewife. I feel overwhelmed. I think how in the h*ll I'm I going to do all of this! How I'm I going to pull this off! How I'm I going to get this done! I have a full plate! And no one can take this full plate from me. It's mine. I start to panic. My life has become like a whirlwind. My life starts to snowball. I become so unfocused. I'm just trudging water to get the priorities done for the day. But I still don't feel right inside. But deep down I know what the problem is. I've been trying to get through all of these days on my own without God. I think, "Oh Gees, I don't have time to pray! I'm just to darn busy!" But deep down inside I know what the problem is. And it's a BIG problem!! I've pulled myself away from Christ in thinking that I can handle even my daily life without Him again. A quote from the bible comes to mind, but I don't know the exact quote on hand at the moment. It says something like, "Place your burden's on me and I will give you strength.". This especially comes to mind when I'm sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament at the adoration chapel. There have been many days when I go there that I can't even pray. I just say, "Here I am Lord. You called me to come and here I am." This miserable person that I am, I can't even muster a few words in prayer. I feel so tired. I feel so drained. But I give it all to my Lord Jesus Christ. My burdens and all my sorrows that I hold in the depths of my heart in front of the Blessed Sacrament. But most importantly Jesus is asking me to pray. He is asking me to draw myself to Him. To find strength in Him. To find comfort in Him. That He is the ONLY one who can bring focus to my life. But most importantly, He is the ONLY one who can give me peace for my soul, no matter how busy my life is. He lets me know in the depth of my heart that I am nothing without him. He reminds me that I need him. Even in my little ole daily life that is filled with so much stuff that I can't do it without him. He lets me know that if I tried to do it without him, that all my heavy labors would mean nothing to him. That even my heavy heart wouldn't mean anything if I don't offer it to him. (That is where I know that the Lord sees the truth.) I can't even hide my heavy sorrowful heart from Jesus, even if I wanted to. He won't let me! And he doesn't want me to. So here I go again. I'm reading my bible daily. I'm saying my rosary. I'm saying my St. Bridget prayer. I'm saying my personal prayers. I've always went to mass though. God never let me miss mass. When I arrive at church, I always say, "Thank you Jesus for bringing me here to mass." I do the same thing when I go before the Blessed Sacrament. I do believe it's the Holy Spirit moving me toward Mass and the Adoration Chapel. Because I'm so darn lazy, I can't see myself bringing myself to it week after week. But there is one word that stands out to me and that is PERSEVERANCE! I read it in the bible all the time. When I do pray, my life is completely transformed. It's like night and day! I don't know how and I don't understand it. But I will be going along with my daily chores. Or I will think, "How in the heck I'm I going to get all of this done today?" Then it will be noon. My prayers were said that morning. My chores some how, some way got finished earlier that I thought they would be done. I even find myself enjoying a cup of hot tea at noon. I'll just bow my head and say, "Thank you Jesus!!!! I don't know how all that stuff got done, but it got done." I don't remember where I read it before but it said something like, when you pray first, even if you don't think you have the time, you will come to find out that everything that needs to be done will get done. And I have found that out. I don't know how that is. It mystifies me. I can't make any sense out of it. But when I pray first, my day goes by more smoothly and some how, some way, all the important stuff gets done early in the day! That feeling of trudging water on a daily basis goes away. I don't understand it. Because if I do the same things the next day without saying my prayers, well lets just say it would end up being a horrible day. But when I do pray, I find that I have time to sit for a little while at mid day with a cup of hot tea in silence. And of course thanking the Lord. God Bless You! Please say your daily prayers! And you to will feel the peace of the Lord!

The Saint Bridget Prayer

*JMJ* When I was visiting the adoration chapel the other day, I seen this old man who I see in there all the time. The priest of our parish shared with us that someone had told him that he sits with the Lord for nine hours a day in the adoration chapel. I suspect it's this holy man because he's in the adoration chapel all the time. He was passing these booklets out to everyone who entered the chapel. I quickly browsed through it and it was one of those prayers that if you teach and pass the prayer along then you will get some help from heaven. The prayer looked familiar. I thanked the old man. He made copies for everyone to keep. It was the 15 prayers of St. Bridget. The Lord visited St. Bridget for one year and taught St. Bridget these prayers and asked her to pass them along to everyone. These 15 prayers are to be said every day for one year. It's sort of lengthy so I kind of put it in the back of my mind for a few days. Just a few weeks ago, I had started praying the stations of the cross again. And that to is a lengthy prayer. So I was like, there is no way I can start up with the St. Bridget prayers. I like the stations of the cross. Especially with Lent coming. One day I picked up the booklet and read the promises that come along with the St. Bridget prayers. But I just set it down again. Then again the other day I picked up the booklet again. I opened it and like the second or third page it said that this prayer could be said in place of the stations of the cross! I thought ok. God just gave me his answer! So now I'm into my second day of saying the 15 prayers of St. Bridget. It takes me 15 minutes to recite it. So about the same time it takes me to recite my rosary. I've also been reading my bible on a daily basis again! Ugh. I just got so much praying to get in, lol. I need more time in a day. Well that's another post, which I will right about soon. But anyway, I just hope that I can keep up with this St. Bridget prayer for a year. I know this sounds silly, but pray that I can keep up with my prayers, lol! I would hate to have said the St. Bridget prayers for 10 or 11 months and then stop! Oh no I would not want that to happen. So pray for me would you please, lol. It's lengthy but check it out! The 15 promises of this prayer is at the bottom of the webpage. http://www.wjpbr.com/bridget.html Also I will put a link to this webpage on my sidebar.

My Oldest Son

*JMJ* I to believe that my oldest son was visited by someone from heaven when he was a child. When my oldest son was two, he was into all of his shows. He liked Barney and all of those toddler shows. One day I needed to get my shower in so I told him to stay put in front of the t.v. I told him that I was going to take a really fast shower and that I'd be right out. He was in the living room watching t.v. on the floor. If you look to the right you can see the glass sliding door from where he was sitting. I hurried with my shower so that I could check on him. When I came out of the shower, my son was standing in the kitchen where the glass sliding door is. As soon as he saw me, he asked, "Who was that lady?" I said "What lady? What was she wearing?" He said, "She was wearing pink and red and had yellow hair with Power Ranger buttons all over it." I said where was she standing?" I thought he was going to tell me that she was standing right outside the glass door. But he said, "She was standing on that garage." Right over our privacy fence, directly behind us in the backyard, our neighbors garage is butted up right against our fence almost. So all you see is the roof top of their garage. I told my son that I didn't know who that was. "He looked at me and said it was an angel." What was weird to me is that I never talked to him about angels. He was only two years old. Then years later, after I became Catholic, I read about Our Lady's apparition in Pontmain, France in 1871. I almost dropped the book as I was reading it because there were so many similarities to what my son said he seen. In this apparition, Our Lady was being seen only by children and not the adults. Our Lady was seen in the sky above a rooftop. The apparition began in the evening on January 17, 1871. A little boy looked into the sky and seen a woman first. The woman appeared above a house across the road. She was a tall beautiful young lady of 18 years old. She was wearing a blue robe seeded with small gold stars. She wore a golden crown. She looked at the boy and smiled. When the boy called his brother and father over, only his brother could see the lady but not the father. After dinner, the family went back along with all the others who lived in town as the word spread. Still only the children were able to see and no adults. The children now seen a small red cross on her chest. The adults were praying furiously. In the mean time candles were lighting around the lady and stars were moving out of the sky surrounding the lady. There was a scroll under her with gold letters appearing. Every time the adults changed prayers, something different would happen in the apparition. One time it read, "But pray my children." The next time it read, "God will hear you in a short time." Then the children yelled out, "She's laughing!" Then the scroll read, "My Son." And then all the adults knew that it was The Blessed Virgin Mary that the children were seeing in the sky. The children said she was laughing, smiling and that she looked beautiful. After awhile the whole vision disappeared the children said. I left some of the story out obviously because this is a post and not a book. But perhaps my son seen the Blessed Virgin Mary. I know he seen someone from heaven. Whether it be an angel or Mother Mary. My son is a teenager today and when I ask him about it he says that he made that up. But he didn't. A two year old can't make up something like that, and talk about angels when he never knew about angels until that day. If you are interested in reading about the whole apparition, the book I read was, 'Key Apparitions of Mother Mary." And one of the stories in that book was about the apparitions of Pontmain, France. Obviously I couldn't add all the details here in this post but what an amazing apparition that was. Happy Lord's Day!

My Daughter's Baptism

*JMJ* I have three children. And I do believe that each have been visited from heaven by someone. I know this sounds kind of weird but let me explain. My daughter was baptized in the month of March when she was an infant. Every night after I put her to bed I would close her bedroom door because I use to smoke back then and I tried to keep the smoke away from her. On the night that she was baptized, I closed the door as usual. My daughter was baptized Lutheran. It was the only church that I could find at the time who would baptize her. I wasn't Catholic yet. Well the next morning I remember waking and her not waking me. She was just beginning to sleep through the night without having to be fed. So I hurried to check on her. When I opened her bedroom door, a rush and powering smell of flowers whiffed through my nose! It was like the windows were wide open but they haven't been. It was winter time. I never forgot that. I closed the door the next night. But the next morning the smell wasn't there. That over powering scent of flowers never returned. It only happened the night of my daughters baptism. Then later as I became Catholic I learned of St. Therese of the Little Flower. I even read the books and diary on her. Then my thought came back to what happened to my daughter the night when she was baptized. St. Therese could have been the one to visit her that night, maybe Saint Therese knew that one day my daughter would become Catholic. St. Therese is known for the rose flower. So is the Blessed Virgin Mary to. Or maybe it was my daughters guardian angel who was guarding, watching or visiting her that night. I don't know. But I know that I smelled a rush of flowers in the middle of winter in her closed bedroom for just that one time. My daughter picked St. Therese for her confirmation name when she made her confirmation. Either case, I don't know who it was visiting my daughter that night, but I do know for a fact, that it came from heaven and not of this world. And I have never forgotten that. I will never forget it. It never happened to my other children when they got baptized. I even checked the next morning after the first year anniversary of my daughters baptism. But that heavenly smell never returned. Who ever it was, I know that my daughter has that same special someone watching over her to this very day.

Doing Well

*JMJ* In my sidebar I have a prayer request list. I do believe in the power of prayer. I asked if you could pray for my father-in-law's continual recovery from his open heart surgery. Thanks to your prayers, he is doing well. So I will be removing him from my prayer request list. Also, my mother needed surgery. And she to is at home and recovering really well. And I'm sure she will be feeling herself real soon. My daughter on the other hand is still pregnant and having minor complications with her pregnancy so I ask that you would still pray for her. That she will be able to carry her pregnancy to full term with a good outcome with baby and mommy doing well. Thank you in advance. And thanks again to everyone who prayed for my father-in-law and my mother. God bless you all!

My 10th Anniversary

*JMJ* I just wanted to mention that my 10th anniversary of becoming a Catholic will be this 2009 Easter season. Actually during the Easter Vigil back in 1999 is when it took place. And what a gift the Lord will be blessing me this year as I celebrate my 10th year of becoming a Catholic. My 40th birthday will fall on Easter this year. But most importantly is that my son will also be making his First Holy Communion this spring. Another blessing that I will be having this spring is that my second grandson will be born within days apart of my son's First Holy Communion. I just feel like the Lord is really flooding me with such blessings as I celebrate my 10th year of being a Catholic this year. It does make me humble. There are a lot of great events that are going to take place this spring. But the way I look at it is this. It doesn't start with my birthday being on Easter or me celebrating my 10th year as being Catholic. It begins with the EUCHARIST. And then all the blessings trickle down from there. That's the way I see it. To me it's so easy to see that. I'm so happy that the Lord called me to Catholicism. And I'm so proud to be Catholic. I truly love my religion. And I pray that the Lord will keep me faithful to him, until I take my last breath. Blessings to you all. *Note- I just want to mention that I was baptized Catholic but finished my initiation as an adult. *Oh I almost forgot. It will also be ten years that my husband and I got married into the Catholic church. Shame on us, but my husband and I sometimes, ok well usually forget that date because we don't celebrate our anniversary on the date we got married into the church. We go by our original date. Which was ten years prior. That's probably why. I just had to come back to add this in. Have a blessed day!

Detroit's New Archbishop

*JMJ* This is Detroit's new Archbishop. Allen H. Vigneron. I got my Michigan Catholic Newspaper in the mail yesterday. It was the only piece of mail that I got. And this was the first page of the Michigan Catholic. I think this picture taken by Larry A. Peplin @ the Michigan Catholic Newspaper, says it all! How exciting! Just look at his face. You can click for a closer look. Have a blessed day!

It's Coming...

*JMJ* My favorite time in the church is coming. Lent. I just love Lent. I'm getting so excited about it. I just love, love, love it. I'm not really sure why I like this particular time in the liturgical year. Maybe it because I feel like I can really participate along with the church. I love all of the little rituals they do during the Lenten season. I'm even going to have my first Mardi Gras party this year. I'm really excited about that to! So let's see. I'm trying to point out just one thing that I love about Lent but there is so many things that I like. Lent last for I believe 42 days so it's a whole season in the church and they do so many different things that it's just to hard to pick out just one thing that I love about the Lenten season. But if I did have to pick out one thing...oh gosh this is going to be tough. I think it would be the part where we have to be repentant during the whole season of Lent. I just absolutely love that. The fact that we are being asked to draw closer and closer and closer yet to our Lord at that time. Through prayer, reading the bible, saying our rosaries, sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament, just closing your eyes and being with the Lord in quiet. The Lord who died on the cross for us. Oh going to confession, how could I forget that. I just love going to confession. Because we're being asked to repent for all of our sins. I will be touching on this Lenten season a lot here on my blog because of the love that I have for the season. The Easter season is more important then the Christmas season. Christmas we're celebrating Jesus' birthday. But Easter we get to celebrate the Lord's resurrection. But I'm not talking about that yet. I want to talk more about the Lenten season that leads up to the Easter season. I'm hoping that there are a more people out there who share my enthusiasm about Lent the way I do. I would love to talk to you. I got to go to bed. Tomorrow is Sunday, the Lord's day! I have to go to mass. I just love going to Mass. I don't understand how people could possibly find it boring. I just love Mass. ♥ Good night!

+... Not Just Another Rosary ...+

*JMJ* I just LOVE, LOVE, absolutely LOVE to go to the Catholic store. I am fortunate that I have a few around my area. If I get some extra money, I just love to go into the Catholic store, then any other store, and I am serious. I could spend all day just looking at everything. I would love to own my own Catholic store. I don't think I'd mind one bit having to spend the day working in a Catholic store! You might see it as a problem. But every time I walk into a Catholic store, hows a Catholic lady suppose to walk out without a new rosary. I just LOVE, LOVE absolutely love rosaries. And every time I go into a Catholic store, I try real hard to stay away from the rosaries but there I am, every time, looking at the rosaries. And there all so pretty. And then I think I just have to have one. Oh what's just one more rosary. So there I am. Before I can walk away, I already have a rosary in my hand to purchase. So as I'm walking out with my brand new rosary in my bag, I just can't wait to go home and recite my rosary on my new rosary beads. The priest told us to pray for our new Archbishop. See, now I'm glad that I've picked me up another rosary. Now I can pray for our new Archbishop on my new rosary beads. See how that worked out in my favor? =) This Catholic lady can never have enough rosary beads! I've taken a picture to show you my new rosary? Isn't it pretty? Now you can see how I just couldn't resist them. =)

New Beginnings

*JMJ* So we can all get into ruts where we're not doing the spiritual things that we should be doing. We've become lax or in a rut like they say. But what a great time to try and change that with just days into this brand new year. I don't know about you, but when my life is going awry, I get this feeling. My soul feels unsettled. It's not at peace. Then I know it's time to pull my self out of that rut with the help of the Lord and get back into the swing of things. And that means many different things. And what I mostly mean by that is pulling back toward the Lord. To think more of him because we love Him. Here are just some of the things that draw me closer to the Lord and feeds my soul so that it's back on fire with love for Him. I go to mass every Sunday but I will go a couple of times during the week. I'll go back and sit with the Lord in front of the Blessed Sacrament if I've been neglecting to go. I'll try and recite my rosary every day again like I use to. I'll make time to pray for frequently. I'll just pick up my bible and go to my bookmark where I left off and start to read from that point on. It's as if God has been there waiting for me to pick up my bible again. Like my priest said in his homily the other weekend. You can't find good new in the news. But you can in the bible. I just love reading the bible so much. Or I will pick of a spiritual catholic book or a book on one of the saints. These are all ways that bring my closer to the Lord. And then my soul feels at peace and rested again. I feel more focused of what's important and why I'm alive and what I'm suppose to do. Because the world can put your mind in a whirl wind in so many directions. I can't live my life like that. I need peace. Even through difficult times. And I know that I can only get that by becoming closer to the Lord. But it's really not me. It's the Lord that's moving me to become closer to Him. So that is how I'm starting out this brand new year. To become closer to the Lord. He asks for perfection in all of us because he is perfect himself. We are all called to be Holy people. We all get off track sometimes. I know I do. I've mentioned this to my family before. When I was going through R.C.I.A. to become Catholic, and even to this day, I'll shake my head in prayer and say, "Lord, why did you call me to the Catholic religion. I make such a horrible Catholic!" I use to say, "Lord, don't use me for an example!" I have to laugh at myself and I do. I have to keep things light. So may we all grow closer to the Lord this year. What are some of the ways you get closer to the Lord? I'd love to hear your comments. God Bless!

Goodbye To Detroit's Archbishop

*JMJ* Soon us Detroiter's will be saying goodbye to our Archbishop Cardinal Adam Maida. He's retiring after being the Archbishop here in Detroit, Michigan for the past 18 years. He was one of the Archbishops to take place in voting for a new Pope, when Pope John Paul ll died. I was hoping that he would be elected to be the new Pope. Our Pope now, Pope Benedict xvi announced that our new Archbishop, Allen H. Vigneron is a native from Michigan. And his parents reside here also.

I have a funny little story I'd like to share with you about Archbishop Cardinal Maida. Well it's more about myself though. When I was going through the R.C.I.A. process to become Catholic, you have to go to what's called the Rite of Election at the head of your Archdiocese, toward the end of the program. The head of your Archdiocese is called the Mother church that looks after the little parishes in your area. The name of Detroit's Mother church is Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. So during the Rite of Election, it wasn't just my R.C.I.A. group from my parish there at the cathedral. There were many R.C.I.A. groups from all over my archdiocese there. During the Rite of Election, all the R.C.I.A. teachers will come forward and say the names of the people who are in their R.C.I.A. program. So it took awhile because there were so many names to be announced. But how exciting it was when I heard my name being said through the Mother church. Our names were being enrolled for the Easter Vigil Rite. Just thinking back on that time brings back such exciting memories.

So anyway I was sitting pretty close to the isle inside a pew. There were probably two people on my side. Before I go on any further, just keep in mind that I didn't know to much about the Catholic religion yet. I was still learning.

Well when I seen this priest (Archbishop Cardinal Maida) coming down the isle, I was just so excited! I mean he had on that hat (not sure of the name) and was holding that staff (sorry not sure what that's called either). He was shaking some peoples hands as he was walking down the isle. As he came closer to my pew, I leaned out and stuck my hand out for him to shake it. The two people next to me were probably like, "What's this ladies problem?" I was just so excited when Archbishop Cardinal Maida shook my hand. He looked very impressive decked out with everything. Meaning that fancy hat, the vestments, and the staff and all of that. I just got so caught up in the moment to say the least! Archbishop Cardinal Maida could see the enthusiasm on my face! What he was probably thinking was, "Lady, I'm not the Pope!" I'm laughing right now I write this. It was just so funny. I rushed home to tell my mother and father-in-law that I got to shake Archbishop Cardinal Maida's hand.

I will miss Archbishop Cardinal Maida though. They no longer will mention his name during mass. When I think of Michigan Catholic Newspaper, I will miss his editorials. I'll just miss seeing him around.

I'm praying that the Lord will continue to watch over Archbishop Cardinal Maida during this next segment of his life, as I'm sure the Lord will. We must also pray for our new Archbishop, Allen H. Vigneron as he carries out his new duties in being an Archbishop for Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit's New Archbishop

*JMJ* This is Bishop Allen Vigneron. He is 60 years old and he will be are next Archbishop for the Detroit's Archdiocese. I am just so excited about it. It's always nice to see what a new member of the community will bring to the community. He was serving as Bishop in Oakland, California. Bishop Allen Vigneron is from the Detroit area. He was born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. His parents, now in their 90's live in St. Clair County. They still live in the same farmhouse the bishop was raised in. He was a former associate priest at Our Lady Queen of Peace parish in Harper Woods, Michigan. Bishop Allen Vigneron will be installed as Detroit's Archbishop on Wednesday, January 28, @ 2 0'clock p.m. It will be held at the Cathedral of The Most Blessed Sacrament. Bishop Allen Vigneron will be Detroit's 10th Bishop and Detroit's 5th Archbishop. Here is a short clip if you would like to watch it. Just click on the link below. http://gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/gannett-detroit-freep-008-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=articleplayer&maven_referralPlaylistId=playlist&maven_referralObject=985517052

Catholic Blog Directory

*JMJ* Yeah! I made it into the Hall of Fame!!! Well not exactly. But my blog did make it into the Catholic Blog Directory. If you'd like to see it, just go to this link and check it out. It's in alphabetical order. http://catholicblogs.blogspot.com/ And there as so many more good Catholic blogs to view in this directory. This woman I met (via e-mail) Andrea, compiles all these great Catholic blogs. And I just want to publicly thank her for her dedication to that. And I would would like to thank her again for adding my blog to the directory. In the directory, you will find blogs from priests, nuns and just laymen people like myself. I do hope you go and check it out! God bless you!

Happy Feast of the Holy Family

*JMJ* Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. As you know, my blog is dedicated to the Holy Family so I felt compelled to write in my blog today about this Feast day. I don't know if you have noticed, but I do begin each post with JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph). Bishop Sheen use to begin his writings with that. I'm sure other holy people have done it but I haven't looked into that. I love Bishop Sheen by the way and I to hope for him to become a saint, soon. I've always had a strong devotion to the Holy Family since I became Catholic. Perhaps because I'm a Catholic mother and wife. I'm also a stay at home mom. I love my family and their happiness means everything to me. Our families are considered "little churches" in the Catholic faith. I have a Holy Family statue in my home where it is easily visible to me to see it everyday. My parents were also divorced and it completely destroyed my family. There is no good that comes from a divorce. And Satan will do his darnedest to destroy families, and especially Catholic families. I seen a bishop on EWTN. He said that he performed and exorcism once and that Satan spoke to him. Supposedly he said, "I am the Christ killer! And WHEREVER Christ is, I will try to kill Him!" When I heard that, I was like, "Come on! Bring it on! Show me what you got! If your going to try and destroy MY family, your going to have a fight!" I was a fairly new Catholic and very feisty and full of energy! And I felt like I had the strength to back it up, meaning the sacraments and but who else? Who would fight for us? Our heavenly mother, Mother Mary. I heard all you have to do is mention Mary on your lips and the enemy will flee because he can't stand the Blessed Virgin Mary. It hurts me to have to write that. All we need to do, is just ask for her help and protection and there she comes to aid us miserable sinners. Well folks, I try and make Christ the center of my family. Will the devil try to destroy my family? You bet he is doing everything in his power. Will he prevail? That is why I stay close to Jesus and Mary and Joseph and the sacraments. I pray that the Holy Family will watch over my family and ALL families! Like that saying goes. The family that prays together, stays together. So we all need to be diligent in watching and caring for our families because the devil is lurking to destroy ALL families. Because it reminds the devil of the Holy Family. The devil will look for the slightest weakness in an individual and just go for it. He will do whatever it takes to destroy that family. I have seen strong Catholic families destroyed and unravel in my lifetime. We all know, that 50% of marriages fail within three years of their marriage. It's so unusual for people to be married for 40 or 50 years anymore. Do I have an easy answer? No. But I think we can all agree that we need to guard our families and make our families our first priority. I seen this prayer on EWTN once. I love this prayer and I thought it was fitting for this post. Just a little note.Saint Anne is the Blessed Virgin Mother's, mother. Saint Anne, Bless My Family My family is the heart of my life. It is my little church. Saint Anne, guard the members of my family against all physical and spiritual danger. You lived in the presence of your husband Joachim and your little daughter Mary. Later, you welcomed your son-in-law, Saint Joseph, and above all your beloved grandson Jesus, our Savior. May your family inspire our families. May we remain united in a deep mutual love. If my family is broken by separation or divorce, remain for us the Saint of tenderness and lead us to God. Saint Anne, you were a spouse , a mother and a grandmother; bless all the members of my family. Keep us faithful to the Lord. May we remain attentive to the needs of other families. Protect all families. Amen *I'm not sure of the author to this prayer.

That Christmas Peace

*JMJ* That Christmas peace. How do you explain it? How do you describe it? Have you never felt it? Have you ever let a Christmas go by without searching for it? Have you ever gone to bed on Christmas Eve without trying to feel it? Can we make yourselves feel it? Or is it a gift to us from above? When you search for it...and then there it is. No matter where your at. It's that peace that envelopes you. That peace that surrounds you. That Christmas peace that comes upon you from above. And what joy it brings to ones heart searching for that Christmas peace. That quietness. That stillness. That enters your heart. The sweetness of it. The gentleness of it, like a little babe's tiny breath...yes it's that Christmas peace, that Jesus gives to those who seek. Thank you Jesus. And Happy Birthday Jesus. Thank you Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. May you all find that Christmas peace in your hearts this Christmas. Jesus, thank you for making it so easy for me to come to you, when you came into this world as a baby. Merry Christmas to you all.

Lighting of The Advent Wreath

*JMJ* Well as I mentioned in a previous post, my family was invited to light the fourth candle for the fourth Sunday of Advent at my parish this morning. As honored as I felt for the parish to think of my family for lighting the candle, that was a little uncomfortable for me. I was definitely out of my element and comfort zone. Yikes! There goes my new found confidence that I had mentioned in my previous post. It went straight out the window. I'm so shy. So it was really hard for me. My family walked up the center of the isle along with the procession. First the crucifix, then us, then the priest with the other two deacons followed. I was just so nervous. Then we had to be seated in the front pew where it was reserved for my family. Then the priest announced my family's name and invited us up to light the candles. I was grabbing onto that long match as hard as I could without it breaking so that no one would see my hand shaking. Then when we sat down I was so upset for the rest of the mass because when I looked over at the candles, I think one of the candles weren't lit. Oh well, I thought. To late to worry about it now. It was really uncomfortable to sit in the front pew to. I like to blend in with the crowd. I just felt so uptight throughout the whole mass. I can talk the talk, but can I walk the walk, lol. I have to also learn to loosen up and learn not to take things so seriously. I need to laugh at myself. Even while I'm at church to some extent. I mean you still have to act a certain way when your in the house of God. But I think you know what I'm trying to say. I shouldn't be so hard on myself when it comes to church. Don't get me wrong, I'm also not talking about not following the Catholic rules. I'd always try my best to obey them. But I mean to lighten up in the way that I don't have to be so perfect in church. I don't want to become...shall I say...stuffy. That candle not being lit really bothered me through out the whole mass and I had a hard time focusing on the mass but tried my best. As we left, I thanked the priest for the invitation of lighting the advent candles. As honored as I felt, I will be glad to sit amongst the other parishioners somewhere in the parish on Christmas, where I can just blend in with the others. That was really hard. I was really kind of surprised that I had such a difficult time doing that. It's just God Himself showing me, I still need to grow. Enjoy the Lord's day.

The True Meaning of Christmas

*JMJ* Linus says it best... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn10FF-FQfs

Bah, Humbug!

*JMJ* I'm sure that we all have encountered this behaviour from people who work with the public or that are just out and about in some way. Let me just start off by saying, I'm not being judgemental. But I do feel like this needs to be addressed. As I thought about this post, I could tell that my thoughts were being pulled in different directions, but I want to try and stay on the topic of people being rude. What are the patron saints for dogs? Because my little pooch is going to need some intervention today. Pray that she still has her ears and tail intact when I go to pick her up from the dog groomer. Oh dear. I took her back to this new groomer who clipped her ear a tiny bit last time. I figured it was an accident and took her back to the same groomer. But what I really want to talk about is people's bad attitudes, bad manners and unhappiness in life in general. I'm not talking about people who lost loved ones or someone whom they are close to is ill or are ill themselves. I'm talking about people who have no good reason for their bad behavior. Like today when I walked into the doggy parlor. There were two people working there who did not greet me, I greeted them! Then I asked for my dog's groomer. She came around the corner and I got no greeting from her either. She kept walking back and forth a few times before she even spoke to me. She looked like she didn't want to be there. Her shoulders were slouched down, looking sad and depressed. Didn't her mama teach her any manners? When she came around that corner, she should have stood up straight, greeted me with a smile and said happy holidays, it's nice to see you and thank you for letting me be your dog's groomer today. I'm just tired of seeing people's grumpiness for no darn good reason. It's so rude! Myself, I'm very shy. And I have to combat that because I don't ever want anyone to think that I'm a rude person. For example, when my youngest son started school a couple of years ago. It had been several years since I had to deal with an elementary school with rude moms who were very snobby. This time, I tried to combat my shyness to make it a point to talk to as many moms as I could. Even when clearly they did not want to talk to me, I would continue to talk to them. I think they finally gave in to speak to me because they probably seen that I wasn't going to go away. It's not that my shyness went away, that will never go away because that is apart of who I am. But my shyness was not showing in public. So I started to talk to these moms almost on a daily basis. I didn't think we were friends, we were just acquaintances. We were all moms with our kids in school. I was on a mission. I was going to become friends with all of the woman in our group of moms. Not so much for me, but so that no one would feel left out. If I seen a mom by herself for a few days at the beginning of a new school year, I would make it an effort to talk to her for the next few days. Then, she would join with the group of moms. I felt bad for the woman by herself. She must of thought I was so snobby and rude. But I combated that by talking to her. Then like I said, a few days later she joined in with the group of moms. I felt better because no one was being left out. And no one could say that I was being rude or snobby. One day there was this lady who usually talked to us but she was standing on the side, away from us. When I turned around and seen her standing there by herself, I motioned for her to come stand by the group of mothers and she did. Yeah maybe I did take it upon myself that day to presume that she wanted to be with us. Maybe she was having a horrible day and just wanted to be by herself. But I gave her the option of standing by us or standing by herself. I guess I'm just trying to point out how I will go out of my way for another human being so that they don't think that I am being rude or snobby in anyway. A couple of years ago when this all started, someone even asked me if I was in the PTO. I said no. In the group of woman, we are all different. Different nationalities, different ages, etc. But I have to say we are all speaking. Like I said, I am shy and I don't know why God chose me for the job. But I can clearly see God working through me. I feel comfortable enough to possibly have these woman over for a tea party. Two years have passed. Their all moms like me and they to work very hard. Some work out of the house and some are a stay at home mom like me. Some even have babies. But like I said, we're all talking. And one reason why I'm still iffy about asking them over for a tea party is because there so many moms now who are talking! I'd have to invite all of them! I could not be rude and leave anybody out. :-) I remember two years ago when my son entered Kindergarten that there were like 12 moms just standing there and not even speaking to each other! I thought how horrible. How rude. And what terrible manners! My hubby knows how shy I am. I tell him, boy you wouldn't know I was your wife up at the school with all the talking I do now. And I have to watch that balance. Because you don't want to be dominating or stalking anyone. Yet I've noticed that with my new found confidence, I may be shy but I can still be in a group. I've built confidence within myself, thanks be to Jesus. I've noticed it taking place at my church as well. Maybe it comes with maturity to. I wouldn't say it's low-self esteem with me. I've always felt like a worthy person. Some people don't like it when you have confidence. They wonder what your so happy about. And then they will be rude to me. They will turn their backs on me. But what they don't realize, is that your not turning your back on me, your turning your back on Christ who dwells in me. I have respect for all human beings. Because I know that the Lord loves them just as much as he loves me. God created them. So I have a general love for all people. And you wonder what brings that confidence and happiness within myself? Jesus. The King of Peace. I always feel at peace with my Lord. And if I start to feel uneasy, I know what I must do. I know when I'm not close with the Lord because that uneasy feeling creeps in. That is when I run back to the Lord where I know that I will find that peace that I think all humans long for really. Then there are times when your confidence feeds off of other people and they are drawn to you. But what their really looking at, is Christ working through little ole me, in my situation. So how should I end this post...Just know that God loves all people. He created them. Your important to him like no other person on this earth. You need to put your priorities first. When I'm closest to God, I find myself being happy about my life. Yes I am not exempt from going through difficult times. For one because I'm still breathing. But that confidence I feel when I'm close to the Lord can never be taken away from me by anyone. I guess through mortal sin, but thanks be to God, I haven't fallen into mortal sin and I hope I never do. I guess I'll close by saying, if your close with Jesus, how could you ever be rude to anyone again? Like my priest told me. You live close to the Lord, you die close to the Lord. Thanks be to God! Jesus I LOVE you! P.S. By the way, my doggy looked fabulous. And the the dog groomer loved her Christmas tip. :-)

My Saturday Night

*JMJ* A few weeks ago, out priest announced that our parish would be holding a Spaghetti dinner for a fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul. They are in desperate need for food for the poor. Our priest told us that at least a couple of people would come to the parish to ask for some food probably twice a month. Now our priest told us that people are coming in daily to the parish and asking for food. Our priest asked the whole church, if every family could go to this spaghetti dinner to help St. Vincent de Paul feed the poor. He said that this was an important fundraiser. The Men's Club who was hosting the fundraising dinner was also asking for donations for the food that they had to buy for the dinner. So I was getting my family all geared up for weeks now telling them that we will be going to Mass on Saturday instead of Sunday. My family was like, "Ugh, why Saturday?" I told them because of the Spaghetti dinner fundraiser was following mass. We were going to the dinner anyway so why not go to mass before hand. Well hubby got a bad cold so he didn't go. So it was just me and my two sons going. After mass our priest told us that the church was more filled this evening and he was hoping it was because everyone was planning on going to the spaghetti dinner fundraiser after mass. And boy did they! Let me tell you! The line was going out the doors! I repeat OUT THE DOORS!!! I mean, my parish, was the place TO BE on a Saturday night! The place was just hopping. There was a buzz in the air and everyone was in wonderful spirits. You could just feel the excitement in the air. It was spectacular! I was taken aback. The dinner cost $6 for adults and $3 for children. They gave you raffle tickets upon arrival as you entered into the social hall of the parish where the dinner took place in the church. There was also a bake sale going on. Once you got into the social hall then there was another long line to get your food. Once you got up there they gave you a plate of spaghetti and asked you if that was enough. Then they asked you if you wanted marinara sauce with that or meat sauce. They gave you a huge piece of garlic bread. You could also get a bowl of salad with any salad dressing you could imagine to chose from. They gave you those nice heavy duty paper plates with real silverware and those thick napkins. Then you could go over and get any drink you wanted. They had all kinds of pop, coffee or ice water. Then you had to try and find your family a place to even sit down. The tables all had table clothes on them. And each table had a Christmas center piece on it. One table would have a sleigh. One had bells, a snowman, etc. Our table had a white candle with artificial snow sprinkled in the center. So pretty. Then there was Christmas music playing in the background. It was so nice. People were chatting and talking and having such a wonder time. I heard a lady walking by say that they ran out of spaghetti and had to cook some more. The lines were still going out the doors at this time. But when I looked up I soon seen that they were already serving the people with more spaghetti so it didn't take them long to get the line going again. I have to say, that the dinner was delicious! The garlic bread was crispy with baked pesto and cheese on it. I'll have to try and bake pesto on my garlic bread next time. I never thought to bake it like that. They also had chopped up garlic in their spaghetti. I love garlic. Our priest was going around through the social hall talking to everyone. You could just see how happy he was with the turn out of people showing up. And I am not kidding! When my family was done eating, I cleaned up the table as much as I could for the next people to sit down who was still in line. I am not kidding. When my family was getting up to leave, there was still people lined up OUT THE DOOR to get in to eat!!! I just couldn't believe it! As my family walked out of the church doors, into the snowy night, I was just so touched of what I had just experienced by the whole church. As I was walking to my car with my children on this wintry night, I just felt so good. The thing that came to my mind, was the team effort of all of the volunteers as they hustled and bustled to do their job...together. And also the parishioners...who came for the support of the poor...together. What a nice feeling. What a nice feeling to be apart of that. And what a nice feeling, that my children witnessed that. And I could just feel the Lord's presence hovering over our parish tonight. And what a nice Saturday night it was.

A Die Hard Catholic

*JMJ* Today is the feast day for the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a Holy Day of Obligation! Yes, obligation! That means it is our duty as Catholics to go to Mass today. I had a choice to go either this morning or this evening with my family. I am going this evening. Sorry that I haven't written for a few days in my new blog here, My Catholic Oasis. I was contemplating where I wanted to go with this new blog. And I was waiting to see where the Holy Spirit would guide me in writing in my new blog. I'm not much into politics and I'm by no means a theologian. I try to write factual on the Catholic religion but, I'm only human and I could be wrong in the things I write. But I do write things with caution because I do want to be accurate. I'm still not sure where this blog is going but something did touch me to write about. Today I seen two people from separate families who go to my parish and they have their children enrolled also in the Chatacism program. I asked them if they were staying after Chatacism to go to mass. They both said, "For what?" I said in reply, "For the Holy Day of Obligation." They both said, "Oh no that's to late. It's a school night. We're not doing that." Well this evening would make for a long evening. The children have to go to Chatacism from 5:30-7:00 p.m. During that time parents were to go to this meeting for an explanation on the Family First work books that they use and showed us how their web page is set up and how to use that in addition to the workbook. Well I noticed that not all parents went to that. Anyway mass would follow at 7:00 p.m. for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and run to 8:00 p.m. Let's just start off by saying that I am not trying to be judgemental here. But my son is going to second grade Chatacism along with those other children who are also in the second grade. People, they will be receiving there First Holy Communion in the spring! And they are not going to take their children to mass?!? Oh my gosh! I don't want to hear of excuses, "Well it's to late. I need to get my children to bed early, it's a school night." I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. To me there is absolutely no excuse why those parents did not take their children to mass. I'm not going to go on and on about my day and tell you how busy I was detail for detail. But my day started at 4:00 a.m. Yes, I am a stay at home mom, but I tell you, my feet aren't up on the footstool eating bon-bons, watching soaps operas. My children and I were tired to. My second grader goes to bed at 8:00 p.m. also. In fact, I made my teenage son tag along with me last night because I wouldn't have time to run home to pick him back up for mass. So we were in church for three hours last night! When I lay my tired head down at night, exhausted or not, I know I did what God wanted me to do that day. I don't care if I had to stay at the church all day with meetings or whatever else, I would not ever let my children miss mass. To me there is absolutely no excuse for it. Especially lets not forget that it's a mortal sin to miss mass. Yes a mortal sin. That means you must go to confession before you can receive the Eucharist again. I am not a cradle Catholic. It will be ten years in the spring that I have been initiated into the Catholic church through the R.C.I.A. program. I'm I a die hard Catholic? I don't know. All I know for sure is that when I became Catholic, I didn't just do it for something to do. I didn't take it lightly. It wasn't just something to do at the time. I try my best to follow the Catholic faith to the best of my ability. I know that I will be judged on that one day. I just know it. I can feel it. I know that my life is no dress rehearsal. That this is it, playing out before my eyes. Well, now that I got that off of my chest! I didn't mean to be harsh if it came across like such. It's just that I'm so passionate about my faith and do take it very seriously. I guess I am a die hard Catholic! And proud of it!