Enjoy this American Catholic article on this beloved holiday....
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/default.aspx?id=23
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Some Catholic Info I Thought Was Worth Sharing
Catholic News Agency keeps us updated on global Catholic news....great resource!
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-benedict-canonizes-three-new-saints/
Integrated Catholic again with some GREAT advice (some I need to heed myself)
http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2011/10/ask-a-carmelite-six-practical-means-to-overcome-sins-and-faults-of-the-tongue/
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-benedict-canonizes-three-new-saints/
Integrated Catholic again with some GREAT advice (some I need to heed myself)
http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2011/10/ask-a-carmelite-six-practical-means-to-overcome-sins-and-faults-of-the-tongue/
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
More on Mary & the Saints...
Integrated Catholic AGAIN....really love them.
http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2011/10/deacon-bickerstaff-of-course-we-pray-to-mary-and-the-saints/
http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2011/10/deacon-bickerstaff-of-course-we-pray-to-mary-and-the-saints/
Sunday, October 23, 2011
SIGNS
I am a HUGE M. Night Shyamalan fan. Actually, I’m a huge scary movie/story buff. My whole life the supernatural has intrigued and scared the pants off of me yet I always felt that I approached this attraction in a healthy way. Always discounting it to mere entertainment & genre of fantasy that my mind liked to wander to when I wasn’t caught up in real life responsibilities. I always adored M. Night & how (on MOST occasions) somehow worked Christian faith into his stories (although Hindu himself, he attended a Catholic grammar school & when seeing his work one can see the influence.) Although LOVING “Sixth Sense,” my favorite of his films has always been “Signs” with Mel Gibson. A story of a former Christian Pastor who when he lost his wife in a tragic accident, lost his faith. After a “close encounter of the third kind” his faith is restored & he returns to his true calling as a pastor. I always felt that the action and thrills of his films always take a backseat to the relationships and messages he sent through his characters & was possibly why his films didn't do as well at the box office. His viewers want to be scared more than they want deep messages. I think I share some of M. Night’s life views, religious, yet the love of the unexplained which can be scary! He is deeper than your average "thriller" movie maker.
In recent years, I have met some fabulous people through my parish & my kid’s school (attached to the Church) through various organizations & events I have taken part of. And through getting to know these folks, I have realized that MANY, everyday people, live their lives in receipt of & abiding by, signs they believe are regularly sent to them by God. Huh. REALLY? These were people I respected & by becoming friends with them, I have come to witness how blessed many of these people are and it really made me take pause. I attended a woman’s conference one day which, near the end became an open discussion. It was at this time that I became aware of just how many women in attendance felt they had, had some type of “Divine Intervention” take place in their lives and for some it was quite a regular experience. One woman, an extremely intelligent lady, actually studied how signs can come to us through sequences of numbers that are regularly found in the Bible….like a Catholic numerology! And another woman said that she had a serious devotion to St. Therese, “The Little Flower”, and when she called on her in prayer, inevitably, she would receive a gift of a rose to let her know that St. Therese was hearing her! All of this really blew my mind! Some asked me about my experiences which I had none to share! They all seemed shocked and adamantly insisted that I become more aware & open to these types of things. I had always believed that miracles took place like when a priest administered a Sacrament and to very holy & pious people who later became SAINTS but to a shlub like me? Skeptically, I left thinking about all of this.
These past two years have changed my skepticism into being a believer that my mind is still having a hard time wrapping around just how much. Since sharing with you my position on suffering due to my son's illness, I will now try & share with you all the “signs” I believe I’ve received along this crazy roller coaster ride my life has been along this journey.
In recent years, I have met some fabulous people through my parish & my kid’s school (attached to the Church) through various organizations & events I have taken part of. And through getting to know these folks, I have realized that MANY, everyday people, live their lives in receipt of & abiding by, signs they believe are regularly sent to them by God. Huh. REALLY? These were people I respected & by becoming friends with them, I have come to witness how blessed many of these people are and it really made me take pause. I attended a woman’s conference one day which, near the end became an open discussion. It was at this time that I became aware of just how many women in attendance felt they had, had some type of “Divine Intervention” take place in their lives and for some it was quite a regular experience. One woman, an extremely intelligent lady, actually studied how signs can come to us through sequences of numbers that are regularly found in the Bible….like a Catholic numerology! And another woman said that she had a serious devotion to St. Therese, “The Little Flower”, and when she called on her in prayer, inevitably, she would receive a gift of a rose to let her know that St. Therese was hearing her! All of this really blew my mind! Some asked me about my experiences which I had none to share! They all seemed shocked and adamantly insisted that I become more aware & open to these types of things. I had always believed that miracles took place like when a priest administered a Sacrament and to very holy & pious people who later became SAINTS but to a shlub like me? Skeptically, I left thinking about all of this.
These past two years have changed my skepticism into being a believer that my mind is still having a hard time wrapping around just how much. Since sharing with you my position on suffering due to my son's illness, I will now try & share with you all the “signs” I believe I’ve received along this crazy roller coaster ride my life has been along this journey.
My husband has been out of work for two years now. Halloween weekend of 2009 he came home to share the news with us that he was being laid off from the company he had worked for, for fifteen years. Since then, the “signs” have been hard to ignore. 2010 was a year spent in worry & anxiety. Living off of our savings and watching the news as the financial situation of our country grew increasing worse with loss of jobs & markets tanking, the outlook was NOT good. My husband is/was a finance guy in a niche market. His industry in particular was taking a terrible beating. Resumes went out regularly with few responses & the random interview always seemed too promising. I’ve mentioned it before and I have no idea why, but during this time I had this overwhelming & increasing feeling within me that my family was going through this trail because we were going to be called on, soon, to be strong for others. I thought that possibly we were learning the true lesson of humbleness and humility so when friends and family experienced it (which inevitably they would, due to one in every 10 people being without a job today) we would be able to be some kind of source of strength for them. My husband thought I was nuts, but I could not get away from this nagging feeling that was at me all the time. I prayed & prayed that my husband would find work but as of yet, it has not happened and I truly believe that there has been reasons for it. I have also mentioned that in February of 2011 my husband went on a series of interviews for a very exciting position. If he GOT the job, it would have moved us to North Carolina. He was told he was one of three final candidates and his chances were VERY high. So much so, that I began looking at real estate and schools online. Well, he did NOT get that job and my husband was crushed. As crappy though it was, I STILL felt that there was a reason for it. Well, when in the first week of May my son was diagnosed with stage-four cancer, I began STARTING to believe that maybe there was something to the concept of “signs” for everyday shlubs. My mind immediately thought about “why” I had had this nagging feeling of “being made strong”…we were being made strong & I was learning how to REALLY pray in preparation for my son’s illness!! My husband isn’t working so he can be here for our family during this difficult time. He has 100% picked up the slack at home with my daughter & has offered her a near normal life while my poor son & I have virtually lived at a hospital. She is still able to attend birthday parties and soccer games, her grades are not suffering and I contend it is because she isn’t being shipped off to friends, neighbors & grandparents while we continue with my sons treatments. I HONESTLY don’t know how other family’s do it without there being more chaos & more emotional strain on the rest of the family with parents at work. My husband CLEARLY did not get that job in NC so we would BE HERE for the amazing doctors who pushed to get our son into the trial drug study he is in. It is so obvious to me. If we had continued our easy life right up until my son became ill…I THINK my mind would have quickly & easily gone to the “why me” place & I would have done far more damage to my family than this illness has! My husband being out of work forced me to have already evaluated my life and my mind would not have already accepted and learned the lessons of humility & life’s true meanings. The sustaining GIFT of pray that had already become enriched & huge part of my life by all the time on my knees over my husband was ramped up even more when my son’s illness came along. Signs? There is no doubt that they were. I have claimed that although we have had to deal with the earth shattering situation of our son’s illness, we have been spoon fed by God, Himself through all of this. The very first day in the emergency room with my son, before we even KNEW what we were going to be faced with, my husband & I looked at each other and our stomachs churned. In January we took the leap of dropping medical insurance for our family. 1) Because we were NEVER sick & 2) We were confident he would soon be working. The cost of private insurance would crush our dwindling savings too quickly. So we gambled and CLEARLY lost. When discussing our dilemma among ourselves when filling out the paperwork for admission for our son, a woman approached us who had her jacket on. This quiet, sunny smiled woman introduced herself and apologized for eavesdropping. She said she was just about to leave for the day BUT had overheard us talking and asked if we were aware of the new NJ program covering all children with medical insurance? Although she was about ready to leave, she could help us apply for this program. I thought that this woman was an angel in disguise because at that moment, we had no idea where to turn & she could have EASILY just continued on her way out the door that Friday afternoon. Now, I’m sure we would have eventually found out about all of this but in cut down on a lot red tape we would have later had to go through by immediately putting us in the system. I recall when the social worker assigned to us, handed us the exact same paperwork for the service and how pleasantly surprised she was to easily find us already in the computer system. No, that wasn’t an incredible, faith proving miracle but it was a small helpful hand out of the blue that I will not forget. After having the OVERWHELMING feelings of Mary being with me & my son in the hospital early on in this experience then having the AMAZING occurrence of the grammar school friend who contacted me & who shared the story of my son’s oncologist (see my posting on Suffering) and her link to the creation of trial drug my son is taking! These were “in my face” LOUD & CLEAR signs for many to witness, including yourselves since I am sharing them. And since all of this has rocked my family, many have suggested I start praying to St. Therese, “The Little Flower” & how I will receive a gift of a rose to let me know she hears me. Now fully onboard with my belief in signs, me & a friend began a St. Therese novena. I must admit…I’m TERRIBLE at novena’s….I’ll get to maybe day 6 then forget to say the prayer & have to begin it all over again. Well, true to form, I did it again. My friend contacted me, excited to share her news that she had actually received her sign of a rose & asked had I? I chalked it up to not finishing my novena but I shared that I hadn’t. I gave up on the 9 day novena & took to saying the St. Therese prayer daily (meanwhile, I probably said that 9 days in a row unknowingly…HA!) & in the back of mind kept thinking “Wow…I have yet to receive my rose, oh well, no matter, I know she is listening regardless…” well not too long ago, a friend asked me to follow her to her car that she had a little something for me. This friend had NO IDEA of my recent, new devotion to St. Therese & when I got to her car she handed me a little, laminated card of rose petals that were blessed at a apparition site of Mary & Jesus. She said this card was her grandmothers & she had recently come across it & thought of me. On the bottom it said it was for “cures & conversions.” It didn’t hit me at the moment but I was driving home & thought “WOW! I got my gift of a rose that I can keep forever!!!”
Then finally, at possibly most remarkable, the news I've been receiving over the past two weeks of my son’s incredible remission. My son’s treatment protocol was handed to us us in week one....it was a calendar of 52 weeks. The day he was diagnosed he was immediately told he would miss his entire kindergarten year of school. They KNOW that kids with this cancer have AT LEAST a year of a fight ahead of them if they are gonna beat this thing at all. I recently found out that given how badly my son had this disease throughout his system, he had an approximate 20% chance of living. My son threw up ONCE when he first started his treatments and we still have a full bottle of nausea medicine on our shelf from when we first filled the prescription. He has never lost a pound. He has MINOR issues that have been more annoyances than anything else so far and now, at 19 weeks of treatment they are telling me they can find NO MORE CANCER CELLS IN HIS BODY. They did EXTENSIVE study on his bone marrow, thinking that the standard tests they use probably did not find the few cells still left floating around. This past week I was told “No, the special test performed can find NO evidence of any random cells left.” AND the surgery performed on my boy last week was to remove a small lump left at the site of his largest tumor. The PET scan reported no cancer growth there BUT the doctors feared that once dissected, they would find SOME cells left. I’m here to report…they could find NONE. In speaking with the oncologist directly on Friday he said & I quote “Frankly, we have NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. We all expected a few random cells left in that mass. I had to go back & read the entire report a second time.” My son was called “The Perfect Storm.” FLABBERGASTING!! The science world will explain this away but having lived beside this child morning, noon & night & having been the one tossed the breadcrumbs to follow on behalf of my boy all along…I have seen what the doctors have not. I asked if the doctors were attributing this awesome occurrence to the trial drug he was taking. They said “yes” because they can figure no other reason for it. I would like to see the results of this study to see if other children are responding as my boy has but as far as I know right now…they are NOT. I know some are doing well but NONE have been deemed in “complete remission” at 19 weeks of treatment. A dear friend said “I just wish God could tell you somehow that your son has beat this for good!” I responded “My son could walk out my front door & be hit by a car tomorrow! No one can tell me how long my family will remain intact & healthy. God the father does not ride in with his white beard on a cloud throwing lightning bolts around or setting bushes on fire for shulbs like me. He tosses little breadcrumbs in my path that I can either choose to pick up, or miss all together. I am glad I chose to pick them up so far. I just wonder how many I have missed throughout my life PRIOR to this because of not being aware.”
I watch my favorite movie “Sings” in a whole other light now. I pick up on M. Nights subtle hints at signs that were given Mel Gibson that he chose not to see throughout the film until the very end when he had a tremendous moment of clarity & realizes them ALL which assist him in saving his whole family. Hence his return to his faith. To me Shyamalan is a genius & I wish him better success because for this one viewer…he speaks to me regularly & I get a good scare out of it as well.
Then finally, at possibly most remarkable, the news I've been receiving over the past two weeks of my son’s incredible remission. My son’s treatment protocol was handed to us us in week one....it was a calendar of 52 weeks. The day he was diagnosed he was immediately told he would miss his entire kindergarten year of school. They KNOW that kids with this cancer have AT LEAST a year of a fight ahead of them if they are gonna beat this thing at all. I recently found out that given how badly my son had this disease throughout his system, he had an approximate 20% chance of living. My son threw up ONCE when he first started his treatments and we still have a full bottle of nausea medicine on our shelf from when we first filled the prescription. He has never lost a pound. He has MINOR issues that have been more annoyances than anything else so far and now, at 19 weeks of treatment they are telling me they can find NO MORE CANCER CELLS IN HIS BODY. They did EXTENSIVE study on his bone marrow, thinking that the standard tests they use probably did not find the few cells still left floating around. This past week I was told “No, the special test performed can find NO evidence of any random cells left.” AND the surgery performed on my boy last week was to remove a small lump left at the site of his largest tumor. The PET scan reported no cancer growth there BUT the doctors feared that once dissected, they would find SOME cells left. I’m here to report…they could find NONE. In speaking with the oncologist directly on Friday he said & I quote “Frankly, we have NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. We all expected a few random cells left in that mass. I had to go back & read the entire report a second time.” My son was called “The Perfect Storm.” FLABBERGASTING!! The science world will explain this away but having lived beside this child morning, noon & night & having been the one tossed the breadcrumbs to follow on behalf of my boy all along…I have seen what the doctors have not. I asked if the doctors were attributing this awesome occurrence to the trial drug he was taking. They said “yes” because they can figure no other reason for it. I would like to see the results of this study to see if other children are responding as my boy has but as far as I know right now…they are NOT. I know some are doing well but NONE have been deemed in “complete remission” at 19 weeks of treatment. A dear friend said “I just wish God could tell you somehow that your son has beat this for good!” I responded “My son could walk out my front door & be hit by a car tomorrow! No one can tell me how long my family will remain intact & healthy. God the father does not ride in with his white beard on a cloud throwing lightning bolts around or setting bushes on fire for shulbs like me. He tosses little breadcrumbs in my path that I can either choose to pick up, or miss all together. I am glad I chose to pick them up so far. I just wonder how many I have missed throughout my life PRIOR to this because of not being aware.”
I watch my favorite movie “Sings” in a whole other light now. I pick up on M. Nights subtle hints at signs that were given Mel Gibson that he chose not to see throughout the film until the very end when he had a tremendous moment of clarity & realizes them ALL which assist him in saving his whole family. Hence his return to his faith. To me Shyamalan is a genius & I wish him better success because for this one viewer…he speaks to me regularly & I get a good scare out of it as well.
Look for your breadcrumbs friends...they are there in your path, all you have to do is bend over & pick them up!
Until the next time good people!
Friday, October 21, 2011
I love my friends....
Thanks to a dear friend who sent this along to me KNOWING how I feel about this topic...enjoy!!
http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/
See the piece on receiving on the tongue AND aout how silence brings us closer to God...I'm loving "Ingrated Catholic" more & more everyday!
http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/
See the piece on receiving on the tongue AND aout how silence brings us closer to God...I'm loving "Ingrated Catholic" more & more everyday!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
I can't say this is surprising...
I realize that this is one persons account. I have heard this theory before & it may be conspiratorial in nature but I tend to believe alot of what I'm hearing here due to looking around at our current society today. I have heard this theory pieced together over the past few years but this short, You Tube video has the entire agenda here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQf_QfitmKE&feature=share
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQf_QfitmKE&feature=share
Monday, October 17, 2011
This is Easy & Concise....loved it.
Hi folks, I always enjoy resources that remind us of some of our basic beliefs in easy, sound byte answers. What a great source when faced with some of our misinformed Christian brothers & sisters.
Integrated Catholic is a great resource for all things Catholic...
http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2011/10/murray-catholics-arent-christians-and-other-common-myths/
Integrated Catholic is a great resource for all things Catholic...
http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2011/10/murray-catholics-arent-christians-and-other-common-myths/
Sunday, October 16, 2011
GREAT news for Catholics!!!
Sorry I've been so silent this week. 1) My little guy had surgery (no worries he's fine playing play dough on our picnic table as I write) AND 2) My computer died a horrible death ***sigh*** what is a computer loving Catholic to do?
Waiting on my newest gadget to arrive so my check ins will be sporadic until my new technology makes it to me...
BUT I found out about THIS just recently & thought I'd share! What hope for Catholics...once again, God giving humans the capability to HEAL ourselves without getting out of line with what God's plan is for us....LOVE this stuff...enjoy!
http://www.fertilitycare.org/infertility-ivf-alternative/
Waiting on my newest gadget to arrive so my check ins will be sporadic until my new technology makes it to me...
BUT I found out about THIS just recently & thought I'd share! What hope for Catholics...once again, God giving humans the capability to HEAL ourselves without getting out of line with what God's plan is for us....LOVE this stuff...enjoy!
http://www.fertilitycare.org/infertility-ivf-alternative/
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Uplifting!
Found this on PewSitter.com today! Scottish Catholic Observer is reporting this today...
http://www.sconews.co.uk/feature/13072/cardinal-wuerl-why-hope-springs-anew-for-the-church/
http://www.sconews.co.uk/feature/13072/cardinal-wuerl-why-hope-springs-anew-for-the-church/
Monday, October 10, 2011
Suffering at the Window Seat
Suffering: well, 1) we know it sucks, right? but 2) does it? OK, I'm not posing some philosophical question about a tree falling the woods but I ask you to possibly consider “suffering” whether it be physical, mental or both in a different light. I contend, if you TRULY offer up suffering by laying it at God’s feet, He will share with you certain signs which will 1) sustain you through your hardship and 2) open doors to you of insight, which in the oddest of ways becomes a blessing. Suffering in our human lives cannot COMPARE to the suffering Jesus endured for us at His death. After being BRUTALLY tortured and violently killed, He LITERALLY travelled to hell and back for our souls. Our mere mortal sufferings bring us closer to Jesus by sharing in a fraction of His experience, and in doing so, SHOULD bring us CLOSER to God by sharing in his suffering in this small way.
I’ve shared with you about my son’s illness but if you haven’t heard, in May 2011 my five year old son was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Up until this point in my life, I had ALWAYS thanked God for an incredibly blessed and in fact, EASY life. Other than your everyday events of MINOR hardships, my life had never had to endure a tragedy. People in my family passed at the appropriate ages for the appropriate reasons (no lengthy illnesses or horrible accidents) no terrible financial stresses or anyone with prison records…just a vanilla, easy going life. I have two BEAUTIFUL kids who so far are heading in the right direction…but EASTER WEEK this year, a backache changed this course for us. Three weeks later we were told news of a cancer called Rabdomyosarcoma; his bone marrow packed (to the point where he couldn’t walk), broken vertebrae’s, tumors…For three weeks I slept on a window seat in the children’s hospital racked with worry and grief with a good part of that time being spent holding my sons hand as he writhed in pain. My angelic son was near death. Night after night I barely slept and that seat by the window is where I prayed like I never had before. If there wasn’t someone in the room with me (other than my son) I was either praying or just talking to God and Mary. One night LATE, as I stared at the beige, stark, walls and said the rosary, I had this OVERWHELMING and emotional feeling that I MUST have a statue of Mother Mary in that room with us! She MUST be a visual presence in the room for both my son & myself as a constant reminder that there was someone present who literally knew our pain. I felt as if she was speaking to me, telling me “I understand what you are going through. I watched as my own son was unspeakably tortured and brutally killed and I could do nothing to ease His pain. I am here with you & I will cradle your son.” There were times that I so strongly felt her presence & just KNEW she was there beside my son as he slept. Now, I am not a person who has religious statues throughout my home & I did not own a statue of Mary but at that moment, I e-mailed a friend from that window seat and asked if there was any way she could get a small statue of Mary to the hospital and I would reimburse her. I didn’t care if she was plastic & an inch high. Well, this friend was kind enough to meet my husband the VERY NEXT MORNING at my children’s school and gifted us her OWN, beautiful statue of Our Mother which my husband brought directly to us at the hospital. I felt this urge to say the rosary as often as possible and with that urge came this necessity to ask others to do so as well. I had started a “Caring Bridge” site to keep friends and family updated & on this site I begged people to please say the rosary as often as possible. My children’s school took up saying a daily rosary for him, stories started flooding into me how SO MANY people were saying the rosary on behalf of my son…I was told that a sixth grade class in New England were saying a daily rosary “For a very sick boy in NJ” and that a prayer group which reached as far as Scotland, Spain and Greece were praying for him and that MOST of South America had representatives praying for this kid. I felt like I could literally FEEL all the prayers being said for my son. Through their intercession with God & the saints, these prayers were strengthening my family, and very obviously strengthening my son. It was as if they were calling on "back up" to help to carry the burden. My mere mortal status, could not handle this all by myself. People talk about the "power of prayer" & I'm not 100% certain I TRULY bought into that concept until my entire family was a recipient of it.
One LOUD signal God gave me in answer to my most worrisome question happened one of the nights at that window seat when my cell phone rang. I did not recognized the number & I honestly I don’t even know why I picked up but I did. It wound up being a girlfriend from GRAMMAR SCHOOL that I hadn’t talked to in probably 10 years. She had heard about my son from a mutual friend. Her father was a well known Orthopedic surgeon in a very affluent area of the state and she, herself went on to become a doctor of pharmaceutical research at Pfizer. As one can imagine, when faced with the scenario my family was, one of the biggest fears we could have is “Do we have the right doctors for our son? Is this the right hospital? Etc.” We were at the mercy of the local hospital that we were admitted to. My old friend shared with me that when she heard the news, she felt the least she could do was find out the very best doctors & facility for the kind of cancer our son had in the area. She felt confident in being able to assist us because she personally knew one of the best pediatric oncologists in the country!! What an incredible God send. So she called this doctor & told him our story. The doctor began asking “Now wait, what kind of cancer is it? Who is this kid to you? How do you know this family? This isn’t O. Smith is it?”….the doctor on the other end of the phone was none other than the doctor who admitted my son the very 1st day at our local hospital & was currently treating him. OUR DOCTOR was one of the best pediatric oncologists in the country. AND as rare as my son’s cancer is (less than 100 kids are repoted to get it per year)…this doctor and his team see it & treat it at least twice annually...there was pure hysterical crying & outbursts by me from this revelation. At that very moment I KNEW God had reached out to me and asked me to leave it ALL at his feet. He was YELLING to me that THIS burden of worry, this PART of this horrible experience, was taken care of for me and taken off my plate. I will go to my grave believing that divine intervention took place that night to specifically tell me…”Trust in me” and that is when I began saying the “Divine Mercy” prayer as well because, I did from that moment on “Trust in Him” explicitly. I think people actually thought I was insane, that I was soon to snap because I was so confident about my son, his treatment and his chances of survival. I KNEW God was sharing signs with me to keep me motivated, healthy and happy everyday with my family. This SAME Grammar school friend later shared with me that the trial drug my son was taking was the drug she, herself worked on for some time at Pfizer before she left the company. She was thrilled the drug had made it to trial & that my son was the 45 person to EVER take “her” drug. Another odd twist inserting this random person into my son’s story in regards to his treatment. Another signal from God telling me, that "yes" I was going to have to put the work in for the next year BUT my son was going to be OK. Since those first few weeks, my son has spent more time in the hospital than at our home, receiving in-patient treatments, tests, etc. and I have found myself at that same window seat...alot. Much of my time has been spent in contemplative reflection (the other portion in playing Spider Solitaire on the computer) and in being given so much time to be silent, in thought, has been quite the blessing. Without a doubt, through this personal anguish, God has gifted me with true insight. EVERYTHING seems so clear & put into perspective. My purpose is crystallized. The pursuit of anything in our lives that does not have God as the center of it is hollow and empty. I find it almost eerie that in just realizing what my time in solitary silence has done for me, a few short weeks ago, I read that Pope Benedict is calling for us ALL to bring some silence into our rushed & noisey lives. How silence & reflection in this LOUD, technology filled world is so needed to bring us more in union with God. Huh.
As much as I would have liked to shield my children from having to learn the heavy lesson of how fragile human life is at this tender age (my daughter 7 & son 5), I have seen us ALL grow so much closer, in an unbreakable bond because of it. The kids don’t even realize how, on their own, they have measured the importance of togetherness over modern technology & amenities. Prior to this experience they were pretty normal, average, everyday kids just getting to the age of embracing all the new & fun video game technology this world has to offer…but for the past six months, they have virtually abandon it all and filled the time with each other. What a GIFT! I hear them sharing their feelings openly with each other & I catch them stealing hugs and holding hands. We pray together like we never have before and thank God for sunny days and flashlight tag. Attending Mass as a family (although rare presently due to O's schedule & immune system throwing a wrench into things) is the celebration it was always meant to be.
I just KNOW God has sent me some very special signs to keep my strength in Him (& my son) going over these past months, telling me that all this suffering is teaching us all lessons we would never have learned on our own. Things like, my children are NOT my property. They belong to God. No matter WHAT the outcome of my son’s illness is, it is HIS will. Early on, my mind went to the Bible & thought of Abraham who was willing to offer his only son to God at His request and poor Job who lost EVERYTHING on this earth wealth and family BUT never lost his faith. Now, I sure ain’t no Biblical Prophet or saint but I AM called to TRY and be like them everyday. Last year I read the story of St. Pio, and was amazed. He lived his entire life in both physical & mental anguish, all the time and all in the name of God. Once again, when we approach life with the notion that “God doesn’t need us” I then realize if my son’s passing is God’s will, and if I were to abandon God or grow angry, this would not change God or hurt Him in any way. He would be sadden that He lost me as one of His children who had potential to one day reside with Him sure BUT other than that, what would I accomplish by turning on God? I would ruin EVERY chance of ever being reunited with my son, in heaven. What a defeated act. There is NO accomplishment in anger.
My son spent this past week being poked & prodded in CT scans, PET scans, Bone scans, bone marrow extractions and the like only to find out this Friday that he is in “complete remission.” We are at week 19 of a 52 week regime he must adhere to. We have a very long haul ahead of us that I’m sure will be filled with trials and tribulations (as the first 19 weeks have been.) Yet I look forward to them with joy because I KNOW God has delivered us from this earthly pain (for now.) It's kind of like Purgatory! Even though we are in a fiery, uncomfortable place...we KNOW there is light at the end! And I can only be thankful for all of the many blessings he has showered my family with and the strength he has given us. If we are fortunate enough for O to beat this thing for good…our family’s purpose for ever more, will be, to be to offer strength to others and spread the same message of thanksgiving we have learned. I have always thought that good people suffer on earth so their time in Purgatory is lessened. I was watching a re-run of Mother Angelica on EWTN who echoed this same sentiment. So if there ever is a way to EMBRACE our sufferings, I promise you, God will grant signs which one needs to be open to and aware of and the blessings will be abundant.
One LOUD signal God gave me in answer to my most worrisome question happened one of the nights at that window seat when my cell phone rang. I did not recognized the number & I honestly I don’t even know why I picked up but I did. It wound up being a girlfriend from GRAMMAR SCHOOL that I hadn’t talked to in probably 10 years. She had heard about my son from a mutual friend. Her father was a well known Orthopedic surgeon in a very affluent area of the state and she, herself went on to become a doctor of pharmaceutical research at Pfizer. As one can imagine, when faced with the scenario my family was, one of the biggest fears we could have is “Do we have the right doctors for our son? Is this the right hospital? Etc.” We were at the mercy of the local hospital that we were admitted to. My old friend shared with me that when she heard the news, she felt the least she could do was find out the very best doctors & facility for the kind of cancer our son had in the area. She felt confident in being able to assist us because she personally knew one of the best pediatric oncologists in the country!! What an incredible God send. So she called this doctor & told him our story. The doctor began asking “Now wait, what kind of cancer is it? Who is this kid to you? How do you know this family? This isn’t O. Smith is it?”….the doctor on the other end of the phone was none other than the doctor who admitted my son the very 1st day at our local hospital & was currently treating him. OUR DOCTOR was one of the best pediatric oncologists in the country. AND as rare as my son’s cancer is (less than 100 kids are repoted to get it per year)…this doctor and his team see it & treat it at least twice annually...there was pure hysterical crying & outbursts by me from this revelation. At that very moment I KNEW God had reached out to me and asked me to leave it ALL at his feet. He was YELLING to me that THIS burden of worry, this PART of this horrible experience, was taken care of for me and taken off my plate. I will go to my grave believing that divine intervention took place that night to specifically tell me…”Trust in me” and that is when I began saying the “Divine Mercy” prayer as well because, I did from that moment on “Trust in Him” explicitly. I think people actually thought I was insane, that I was soon to snap because I was so confident about my son, his treatment and his chances of survival. I KNEW God was sharing signs with me to keep me motivated, healthy and happy everyday with my family. This SAME Grammar school friend later shared with me that the trial drug my son was taking was the drug she, herself worked on for some time at Pfizer before she left the company. She was thrilled the drug had made it to trial & that my son was the 45 person to EVER take “her” drug. Another odd twist inserting this random person into my son’s story in regards to his treatment. Another signal from God telling me, that "yes" I was going to have to put the work in for the next year BUT my son was going to be OK. Since those first few weeks, my son has spent more time in the hospital than at our home, receiving in-patient treatments, tests, etc. and I have found myself at that same window seat...alot. Much of my time has been spent in contemplative reflection (the other portion in playing Spider Solitaire on the computer) and in being given so much time to be silent, in thought, has been quite the blessing. Without a doubt, through this personal anguish, God has gifted me with true insight. EVERYTHING seems so clear & put into perspective. My purpose is crystallized. The pursuit of anything in our lives that does not have God as the center of it is hollow and empty. I find it almost eerie that in just realizing what my time in solitary silence has done for me, a few short weeks ago, I read that Pope Benedict is calling for us ALL to bring some silence into our rushed & noisey lives. How silence & reflection in this LOUD, technology filled world is so needed to bring us more in union with God. Huh.
As much as I would have liked to shield my children from having to learn the heavy lesson of how fragile human life is at this tender age (my daughter 7 & son 5), I have seen us ALL grow so much closer, in an unbreakable bond because of it. The kids don’t even realize how, on their own, they have measured the importance of togetherness over modern technology & amenities. Prior to this experience they were pretty normal, average, everyday kids just getting to the age of embracing all the new & fun video game technology this world has to offer…but for the past six months, they have virtually abandon it all and filled the time with each other. What a GIFT! I hear them sharing their feelings openly with each other & I catch them stealing hugs and holding hands. We pray together like we never have before and thank God for sunny days and flashlight tag. Attending Mass as a family (although rare presently due to O's schedule & immune system throwing a wrench into things) is the celebration it was always meant to be.
I just KNOW God has sent me some very special signs to keep my strength in Him (& my son) going over these past months, telling me that all this suffering is teaching us all lessons we would never have learned on our own. Things like, my children are NOT my property. They belong to God. No matter WHAT the outcome of my son’s illness is, it is HIS will. Early on, my mind went to the Bible & thought of Abraham who was willing to offer his only son to God at His request and poor Job who lost EVERYTHING on this earth wealth and family BUT never lost his faith. Now, I sure ain’t no Biblical Prophet or saint but I AM called to TRY and be like them everyday. Last year I read the story of St. Pio, and was amazed. He lived his entire life in both physical & mental anguish, all the time and all in the name of God. Once again, when we approach life with the notion that “God doesn’t need us” I then realize if my son’s passing is God’s will, and if I were to abandon God or grow angry, this would not change God or hurt Him in any way. He would be sadden that He lost me as one of His children who had potential to one day reside with Him sure BUT other than that, what would I accomplish by turning on God? I would ruin EVERY chance of ever being reunited with my son, in heaven. What a defeated act. There is NO accomplishment in anger.
My son spent this past week being poked & prodded in CT scans, PET scans, Bone scans, bone marrow extractions and the like only to find out this Friday that he is in “complete remission.” We are at week 19 of a 52 week regime he must adhere to. We have a very long haul ahead of us that I’m sure will be filled with trials and tribulations (as the first 19 weeks have been.) Yet I look forward to them with joy because I KNOW God has delivered us from this earthly pain (for now.) It's kind of like Purgatory! Even though we are in a fiery, uncomfortable place...we KNOW there is light at the end! And I can only be thankful for all of the many blessings he has showered my family with and the strength he has given us. If we are fortunate enough for O to beat this thing for good…our family’s purpose for ever more, will be, to be to offer strength to others and spread the same message of thanksgiving we have learned. I have always thought that good people suffer on earth so their time in Purgatory is lessened. I was watching a re-run of Mother Angelica on EWTN who echoed this same sentiment. So if there ever is a way to EMBRACE our sufferings, I promise you, God will grant signs which one needs to be open to and aware of and the blessings will be abundant.
Until the next time.
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Eucharist, our "Life Giving Bread."
The following is taken from "CatholicBible101.com" Eucharist is a Greek word that means "Thanksgiving." It refers to the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus truly present in Holy Communion. What was once an ordinary piece of bread and an ordinary cup of wine, has now been changed (transubstantiated) into Jesus. In other words, just like Jesus changed the substance of water into wine at
The following is taken from a piece by Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004.NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors on from “CatholicAnswers.com.” (I highly suggest you look up this entire piece…truly wonderful information.)
Christ in the Eucharist
“...chapter six of John’s Gospel, in which Christ speaks about the sacrament that will be instituted at the Last Supper. This tract examines the last half of that chapter.
John 6:30 begins a colloquy that took place in the synagogue at Capernaum. The Jews asked Jesus what sign he could perform so that they might believe in him. As a challenge, they noted that "our ancestors ate manna in the desert." Could Jesus top that? He told them the real bread from heaven comes from the Father. "Give us this bread always," they said. Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." At this point the Jews understood him to be speaking metaphorically.
Again and Again
Jesus first repeated what he said, then summarized: "‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’" (John 6:51–52).
Jesus first repeated what he said, then summarized: "‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’" (John 6:51–52).
His listeners were stupefied because now they understood Jesus literally—and correctly. He again repeated his words, but with even greater emphasis, and introduced the statement about drinking his blood: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:53–56).
No Corrections
Notice that Jesus made no attempt to soften what he said, no attempt to correct "misunderstandings," for there were none. Our Lord’s listeners understood him perfectly well. They no longer thought he was speaking metaphorically. If they had, if they mistook what he said, why no correction?
On other occasions when there was confusion, Christ explained just what he meant (cf. Matt. 16:5–12). Here, where any misunderstanding would be fatal, there was no effort by Jesus to correct. Instead, he repeated himself for greater emphasis.
In John 6:60 we read: "Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’" These were his disciples, people used to his remarkable ways. He warned them not to think carnally, but spiritually: "It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63; cf. 1 Cor. 2:12–14).
But he knew some did not believe. (It is here, in the rejection of the Eucharist, that Judas fell away; look at John 6:64.) "After this, many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him" (John 6:66).
This is the only record we have of any of Christ’s followers forsaking him for purely doctrinal reasons. If it had all been a misunderstanding, if they erred in taking a metaphor in a literal sense, why didn’t he call them back and straighten things out? Both the Jews, who were suspicious of him, and his disciples, who had accepted everything up to this point, would have remained with him had he said he was speaking only symbolically.
But he did not correct these protesters. Twelve times he said he was the bread that came down from heaven; four times he said they would have "to eat my flesh and drink my blood." John 6 was an extended promise of what would be instituted at the Last Supper—and it was a promise that could not be more explicit.”
The Bible: 1 Corinthians 11:27, "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord"
If the above is the case (which of course it is) then WHY do we American Catholic's take receiving THE BODY and BLOOD of Christ so lightly? Why have we removed Christ from the alter (by moving the Tabernacle) in many Church sanctuaries and relegated Him off to a place we have to search for? Recently, a dismal poll was taken of practicing Catholics and 45% of those polled answered that they did NOT believe that the Eucharist was true presence of Christ, that the entire Liturgy of the Eucharist was merely symbolic!! 45%!!! What has happened to us that our CORE belief....the receiving of a grace giving, HOLY SACRAMENT has become something we don't understand and sadly don’t even BELIEVE anymore? If we get THIS wrong folks, we might as well jump ship and all change faiths.
I kind of understand WHY it happened I think. There was a huge push in the 70's and 80's that I believe went terribly awry. The call that asked us to seek out the similarities between Christian religions so to try & lessen the divide among all the separate faiths, a nice concept for sure but one I believe ONLY the Catholic Church decided was a good idea. It seems that we were the only ones who went through a fundamental transformation that changed the very practices of our faith. Does anyone recall, back in the 80’s, entering a Church & it taking some time to realize what denomination of Christianity the Church was that you were visiting? I recall one time in particular looking at this vast, open space which made me feel as if I were in a cafeteria & searching for a definitive sign of Catholicism so I knew to either stay for Mass or not. Staring at the stark, bare walls, no saints to be seen & the Tabernacle was practically hidden from view, no kneelers in the pews & of course, no alter rails. Does anyone recall when they took our statues away, or took down the alter rails? When they moved the tabernacle from the CENTER of the alter? And when we did we stop genuflecting towards the Tabernacle, was it the same time we started holding hands during the Our Father? And the WORST offense of all…this is the time we started receiving the very BODY OF CHRIST in our hands!!! At the time it all seemed harmless enough. But what did it do? It made us LOOK a lot more like our fellow Protestant Christian brothers and sisters and a lot LESS like Catholics. These were NOT just some cosmetic & feel good changes. These changes, I contend, changed our whole way we approached our practice of the Mass and stripped us of some of the things that made us uniquely Catholic. Taking our eyes off the Tabernacle in the CENTER of the alter (in doing so, taking Christ off the alter until the Consecration) our focus changed from the Divine to the HUMANS on the alter. By changing the reception of the EUCHARIST to our hands, we now not only have mentally lessened Its importance but lessened it LITERALLY as well. Our hands (nor the lay person’s hands who administered it to you) are consecrated. ONLY a priests hands have been consecrated. This is the ACTUAL BODY OF CHRIST. We approach in our sweatshirts and sneakers, stick out our hands, toss the Eucharist in our mouths & crunch away as we walk back to our pews while waving at our friends. Our grassroot efforts in making these changes (I believe started with good intentions in mind) have changed our beautiful faith and we’ve become an affront to God. These changes have, by sheer habit, helped in our modern & casual approach to the practicing of our faith. You are in the presence of our LORD, we are receiving our LORD into our bodies. Our Holy Father has been asking us since 2008 to go back to receiving on the tongue at the very least…he ACTUALLY has asked us to receive KNEELING and on the tongue to 1) show the respect that the Eucharist is due AND 2) to try & bring back SOME reverence to the Mass. Do you recall walking into a Church as a child & immediately being struck dumb because of the reverence the space demanded? Innately you KNEW this place deserved respect and that the Lord resided there. Now we walk into the Sanctuary chatting away, don’t genuflect entering or leaving our pews, chat throughout Mass, leave multiple times with our children as they parade to the bathrooms, process them up on the line for the Eucharist before their 1st Communion, waving to friends and family along the way, FEED our kids during the Mass (when did it become OK to bring FOOD into the Sanctuary?), leave before the final hymn, (or stick around chatting with our friends IN the Sanctuary)….I believe when we belittle the Eucharist, we have forgotten what it’s ALL about. If the above is the case (which of course it is) then WHY do we American Catholic's take receiving THE BODY and BLOOD of Christ so lightly? Why have we removed Christ from the alter (by moving the Tabernacle) in many Church sanctuaries and relegated Him off to a place we have to search for? Recently, a dismal poll was taken of practicing Catholics and 45% of those polled answered that they did NOT believe that the Eucharist was true presence of Christ, that the entire Liturgy of the Eucharist was merely symbolic!! 45%!!! What has happened to us that our CORE belief....the receiving of a grace giving, HOLY SACRAMENT has become something we don't understand and sadly don’t even BELIEVE anymore? If we get THIS wrong folks, we might as well jump ship and all change faiths.
I ask you, please consider receiving the Eucharist on the tongue. Only Americans have made this practice so widespread. Even if you do not go as far as kneeling, please consider not touching the HOLY EUCHARIST with your hands and further perpetuating this practice. I have been watching this issue out of Rome for some time now. The Holy Father has again just recently asked us to change this practice. I think the changes in the Mass coming this Advent are a large step by the Holy Father to bring the Mass back in line. I would LOVE to hear even more on the Eucharist. Please ask your children to follow suit. Also help spread the word to friends and family about the reverence of the Mass. Let’s try & help our good priest’s in celebrating being CATHOLIC…
Until the next time!
Catholic News Agency reporting the Church calling for receiving kneeling on the tongue:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal_says_communion_received_kneeling_and_on_the_tongue_is_most_reverent/
Saturday, October 1, 2011
I Got Misty
I was messing around the internet & stumbled across this man's blog....I became entranced with his story...his experiences in the hospice room with his grandfather have some striking resemblances to my own with my son that I will one day share. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did....
http://catholicdaily.net/seanbloomfield/
http://catholicdaily.net/seanbloomfield/
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