Remembering a Failure

 Back when I was teaching Sunday school to teens, I planned a lesson on saints.  The class was at 7:00 pm.  My plan was to take the class over to the church and explain each of the stained glass windows.  I thought it important that people should know their own parish church.

Arrangements were made, e.g., doors unlocked, lights on, etc. I even requested parents to come to help guide the students across the busy intersection, getting to the church.
           Picture this:
                   The entire class, plus chaperones, entering the church
                    We all gather in the middle of the aisle
                   We look around us towards the tall windows
          What do we see?
                   Pitch black, unlit, darkness!!! :-( 
                   Stained glass windows only show up in sunlight!!
This through me for a loop.  There went 99% of my lesson plan.  Thank God, I remembered this.  Now, that I am preparing to bring my OCIA class for a tour of the church, I won't spend much time on the windows. There are many other features in our beautiful church to talk about--tabernacle, sanctuary, candles, fonts, pictures, etc.  

Satan is known as a destroyer, destructor--just a wicked, miserable creature.

Our Lady of Succour

 Start praying for the victims of hurricaine Melissa.   https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-haiti-cuba-dominican-republic-caribbean-atlantic#google_vignette

Our Lady of Prompt Succor,
ever Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God,
you are most powerful against the enemy of our salvation. The divine promise of a Redeemer was announced right after the sin of our first parents; and you, through your Divine Son, crushed the serpent’s head.

Hasten, then, to our help and deliver us from the deceits of Satan. Intercede for us with Jesus that we may always accept God’s graces and be found faithful to Him in our particular states of life.

As you once saved our beloved city from ravaging flames and our country from an invading army, have pity on us and obtain for us protection from hurricanes and all other disasters.

(Silent pause for individual petitions.)

Assist us in the many trials which beset our path through life. Watch over the Church and the Pope as they uphold with total fidelity the purity of faith and morals against unremitting opposition.

Be to us truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor now and especially at the hour of our death, that we may gain everlasting life through the merits of Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us!

Amen.

BFsF

 It was a time of giggles--high school, hip huggers, bell bottoms, saddle shoes, hair flipped, and getting drivers' licenses.  Once you turned 16, the day you got your driver's license, you went and picked up your friends to go for a ride, usually to the beach.

Not so today.  Drivers under 18, can't drive without an adult.  Boo Hoo!  That takes all the fun out of it.  You can't drive your own car to school--how humiliating!

Those were the good memories: cars filled with laughter, weekends with friends--hopes shared and dreams expressed, before high school graduation scattered us all.

How that all happened is more or less a blur.  Boyfriends, graduations, finances, new friends, jobs, marriages, baby showers, children...whew!  What happened?

I remember a class reunion, I think.  I remember Christmas cards with pictures and quick notes, to keep in touch.  Would we recognize each other if we met now?  I guess so, actually, I know so, thanks to Facebook.  We've reconnected.

Once we pass the lined faces, laugh wrinkles, grey and white hair, there you are, and you, and you... The gang's all here.

Really, just the same.  Maybe better than before.  The love and support are still there.  The sparkle in our eyes still blink out.  Blinking an invitation, "Let's go for a ride.  Let's go to the beach."

Litany for our Nation

 

Litany for America

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.

Christ hear us.	Christ graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven,	have mercy on us.
God, the Son, redeemer of the world,	have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit,	have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,	have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,	pray for us.
Holy Mary, Immaculate Conception,	pray for us.
Holy Mary, Patroness of the United States,	pray for us.
Holy Mary, Patroness of the Americas,	pray for us.
St. Isaac Jogues,	pray for us.
St. René Goupil,	pray for us.
St. Jean de Lalande,	pray for us.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha,	pray for us.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton,	pray for us.
St. Francis Cabrini,	pray for us
St. John Neumann,	pray for us
St. Rose-Philippine Duchense,	pray for us
St. Anne-Thérèse Guérin,	pray for us.
Father Damien,	pray for us.
St Katherine Mary Drexel,	pray for us.
St. Marianne Cope,	pray for us.
Fra Junipero Serra	, pray for us.
All you Saints and Blesseds of the United States,	pray for us.
Lord Jesus, You proclaimed Yourself the Truth,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From a false understanding of Christopher Columbus,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From the belief that the Catholic Church is anti-democratic,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From the belief that the United States was not founded on Christian principles,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From the belief that traditional Christians cannot be loyal citizens,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From the scourge of revisionist historians,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From the attack on religious freedom,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From violent anti-intellectualism,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From the attack on Western Civilization,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From the materialistic philosophy,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From heretical theologians,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From historical illiteracy,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From racism, real and imagined,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From cowardly Cardinals, Archbishops, & Bishops,	deliver us, Oh God of Truth.
From the human sacrifice of the unborn,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From the human sacrifice of the newly born,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From the human sacrifice of the feeble,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From the human sacrifice of the sick and elderly,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From sexual immorality and child trafficking,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From heterodox Catholic politicians,	deliver us, O God of Truth.
From corrupt politicians,	deliver us, O God of Truth.

 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus, the God who is Truth.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 

Jesus, You came to bring deliverance to the captive.	Deliver us, O Lord.
From our national demonic infestation,	deliver us, O Lord.
From spirits of victimhood,	deliver us, O Lord.
From spirits of socialism,	deliver us, O Lord.
From spirits of violence,	deliver us, O Lord.
From spirits of anarchy,	deliver us, O Lord.
From spirits of atheism,	deliver us, O Lord.
From spirits of irreligion,	deliver us, O Lord.
From spirits of impurity,	deliver us, O Lord.
From spirits of Radical Islam,	deliver us, O Lord
From all spirits who would personally torment us,	deliver us, O Lord.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus, our Deliverer.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 

 

Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,	spare us O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,	graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,	have mercy on us.

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.

Christ hear us.

Christ graciously hear us.

 

St. Michael, the Archangel….

Our Father . . . .
Hail Mary . . . .

 

Copyright 2020 Mr Louis Pizzuti, OP
All rights reserved
This may be freely copied, along with this notice.
Not to be sold.

They're Listening.

                    Facebook image from Toni Vercillo & Dennis Sr Vercillo.

This is too close to the truth.  Here's the situation.  I'm sitting with a 94 year-old friend for lunch.  She bemoaned, "I came here for a flu vaccine, but I guess they aren't doing that."

      Well, flu vaccines were being offered 9-1.  I told her to leave her lunch and let's go upstairs, where the vaccines were being given.  

       Once upstairs, she didn't know for sure which vaccines she needed, she didn't know her insurance company, never mind the policy number.

        I called her daughter and received the information she needed.  Immediately, after that call, I started getting advertising for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

        Note I wasn't browsing for information.  I made a cell phone call.

He Deserved It

 Today at lunch, we at the table, were telling "war" stories, about elementary school.  One particularly bad boy, (he's matured, greatly) told the following.

"Sister was giving us a test.  She had to leave the room and told us she would be back.  His friend saw that the Teacher's Edition was on the teacher's desk.  He and his friend got up and took it back to their desks.  They found their test with the answers.  They wrote down the answers.  One of the answers stated, 'answers will vary.'  He didn't know what the word 'vary,' meant so he wrote the entire sentence, i.e., answers will vary.

Of course, Sister knew what happened.  He was sent to the principal, and his mother was called.  

This same Sister taught religion.  She happened to mention that Jesus died for us.  He blurted out, 'He deserved it.' Sister marched down to his desk and slapped his face!

And his mother was called."

Reading the Bible

 Where do I start?  To start at the beginning is too intimidating--all those books and thousands of pages!

You can't just start reading. Well, of course you can--but you can't do it by approaching the Bible as a narrative story, because it's a lot more than that. You have to approach with an open heart, first.  Even if you are starting to read on your own, or in a group, you need dedicated time, second.  Time to reflect, pray, and journal your journey.

Here is a workbook that will help.  All 73 books are summarized.  When my eyes glazed over in Leviticus, I looked at the Workbook's summary and the reflection questions and suddenly Leviticus was more understandable.  Sometimes I drew pictures and even charted genealogy charts in the spaces at the end of each book.

I also liked the short prayers at the close.  They kick started my own prayer or used the words I would have used.  This is a good beginner's tool.

Our Memorial

 Hubby and I are trying to make it easier for our loved ones, when we die. We are thinking of how to make the bereavement process easier for them.  We are trying to take away the stress, uncertainty, unknown, questions, and family, finance, and decisions, alleviated--at least, as much as we can.

Many years ago, we wrote a will.  Two years ago, we bought a cemetery plot. Last year, we had this engraved memorial stone made.  It depicts one of our favorite memories.  The lighthouse is Nobska Light in Woods Hole, MA.  For over twenty years, we had a sailboat (22 ft. red hull, O'Day).  We loved that boat. To include our favorite memories, we have Hubby and I sitting on a bench, on Nobska Beach, looking at a sailboat.

I love this.  Dare I say, I can't wait to die. 

Scorn to Delight

We all know God turns bad into good.  In this poem, The Jesus Infection by Maxine Kumin, who is an atheist, religion is mocked.  Her underlying prejudice against religion drips through her choice of animals.  She is driving behind trucks carrying animals and views the backside of picks and cows and sees a bumper sticker to "Honk if you love Jesus."  Good thing she honked.  She cooperates with grace.

 I personally clearly identify with "The Jesus Infection". I remember cruising down the highway to the Cape with "Glory and Praise" music blasting from CD 's, the wind whipping my hair and voice around, and loving it. I think of Jesus being born in a stable, with curious farm animals looking in, and breathing right on him.  The animal smell and natural bodily functions creating an odor and sight that Jesus was born in.  This poem wouldn't bother Him, one bit.  After all, He created it all.

The Jesus Infection
by
Maxine Kumin

Jesus is with me
on the Blue Grass Parkway going eastbound.
He is with me
on the Old Harrodsburg Road coming home.
I am listening
to country gospel music
in the borrowed Subaru.
The gas pedal
and the words
leap to the music.
On throw out the lifeline!
Someone is drifting away.

Flags fly up in my mind
without my knowing
where they've been lying furled
and I am happy
living in the sunlight
where Jesus is near.
A man is driving his polled Herefords
across the gleanings of a cornfield
while I am bound for the kingdom of the free.
At the little trestle bridge that has no railing
I see that I won't have to cross Jordan alone.

Signposts every mile exhort me
to Get Right With God
and I move over.
There's a neon message blazing
at the crossroad
catty-corner to the Burger Queen:
Ye Come With Me.
Is it well with my soul, Jesus?
It sounds so easy
to be happy after the sunrise,
to be washed in the crimson flood.

Now I am tailgating
and I read the bumper sticker
on a Ford truck full of Poland Chinas.
It says: Honk If You Know Jesus
and I do it.
My sound blats out for miles
behind the pigsqueal
and it's catching in the front end,
in the axle,
in the universal joint,
this rich contagion.

We are going down the valley on a hairpin turn,
the swine and me, we're breakneck in,
we're leaning on
the everlasting arms.

A Female James Bond

 The Traitor by Ava Glass is one in a series of spy stories.  Instead of James Bond, it's Emma Makepeace.  This is my second book written by Ava Glass.  They are both fast paced. In fact, I was so jazzed from reading, one night, that I had a hard time getting to sleep.  

Emma, this time, has to go undercover as a waitress on a private yacht.  The own is a Russian oligarch.  She there because there's a traitor in her branch and she is to keep her eyes and ears open.  Sounds easy, but remember she's on a yacht and off the grid.  IOW, she on her own.

But she's resourceful and after a few heart stoppers, the leak is revealed and Emma gets away, barely.  This is the definition of an action thriller.

Name Calling

 This morning, I heard a story about Maya Angelou.  She was about six years old when someone called her the "N" name.  From the age of six to her death in her old age, that still hurt.

When I was about six, another kid asked me (not called me) if I were a "Mick." I went home and asked my father if I were a "Mick."  He said, "No, you are a little "Limey(1), a little Frog(2), and mostly a Lit(3)." 

(1) English
(2) French
(3) Lithuanian

If this image is copyrighted, please tell me and I will give you credit.

Chutzpah

 Sometimes when you are checking out at stores, you are asked if you want to donate a dollar or more to help the hungry (or whatever).  Don't you think that is the height of gall?

Here I am in a dollar store, or in a name brand grocery--using coupons, and this huge corporation is asking me, to donate.  Why don't they donate??????????