Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

R'Ann asks about priests who have influenced my life.  I have two.  The first is Fr. Aniello.  Father has the gift of healing.  Back in the day, I didn't know what that meant.  A friend and co-worker asked me to take her to a healing service, since Father Aniello was celebrating Mass and a healing service, in my parish.  I did.  No, I didn't experience a Saul to Paul knock off my ass.  But I felt something.  Better, I have had an insatiable desire to learn all I can about our Triune God, ever since.

The other priest, conversely, affected me.  He was my very first spiritual director.  Fr. John was kinda flaky.  "Kinda" is being kinda.  I went to him about four times.  Since he was my first SD, I was very sincere, devoted, and conscientious.  I remember him telling me it was most important to have a regular prayer life.  I should go to morning Mass, if possible.  I should learn the Divine Office.  Pray a daily Rosary.  Also, I should set aside time to do Lectio Divina.  Finally, Confession should be once a month.

This is what I remember and still try to do.  Outside of that, Father John kept forgetting to come to our sessions.  He wouldn't return my phone calls and I hated to be a pest, and keep calling and calling. I eventually stopped calling, and he never noticed. When I see him today, he said he doesn't remember this at all.

Probably repressed the memory!

However, as terrible as he was at being a SD, our first encounter, and his instructions to me, are what have influenced me for the rest of my life.

R'Ann also asks that I and other bloggers join together on her site, This And That And The Other Thing, and share with each other what happened to us, during the past week.  I was very busy and sick on the Fourth of July--lasting throughout July 5.  It was some kind of intestinal bug.  I feel better, today.

Sunday -- Obsessing about statue's toes.

Monday -- Finally finished after 37 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday -- Beautifully poetic day.

Wednesday -- My Iraqui family needs help desperately.

Thursday -- The diocese of Springfield Mass has a new bishop.

Friday -- Hurricane Arthur

Be in touch next week.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

It's time for Sunday Snippets --  A Catholic Carnival.  We are a group of Catholic bloggers who link up on Sunday and summarize our week.  Go to the blog Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival and read my friends.  My week:

Sunday  --  A video of a celebration.

Monday  --  Thinking about Davey.

Tuesday  --  Prayer request.

Wednesday --  Short story.

Thursday --  I finally get fasting.

Friday --  Whistling in the dark.

Saturday --  Horsing around.

R'Ann also wants to know if my family has done the Sacred Heart Enthronement.  I guess not, since I've never heard of it.  I've always had a picture of the Sacred Heart up on the wall though, but it's not enthroned on an altar, or whatever that expression means.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

"What do I think of Catholic schools?" is a complicated question for me.  With our decadent culture the way it is, then I think Catholic schools are a must.  However, they're not affordable around here.  They're private schools for the elite.  As for the quality of the education, well since we could never afford to send our children there, I don't know; they are at least equivalent to the public schools, from what I read.  Another thought, many homeschool their children.  Again, money wise, that's out of the question, I think for most people.  Families need two parents working just to survive.  The parents who do homeschool own their own beautiful homes.  I don't think a family living in subsidized housing could afford to have one parent stay home to home school.  So as I see it, Catholic schools are definitely necessary, just not feasible.  It's very unfortunate, because I went to both public and parochial schools.  I also taught in a parochial school.  I had not only good experiences there, but wonderful experiences. I support Catholic schools wholeheartedly, just not as they exist today.

Do you want to see what happened this week on Sunday Snippets --  A Catholic Carnival?  Then click over to This And That And The Other Thing and read to your delight.  As for me:

Monday  --  A suspenseful short story.

Tuesday --  A slide show.

Wednesday --  A poem.

Thursday --  An embarrassing incident that turned into a blessing.

Friday --  A prayer group tale.

Saturday  --  Church Etiquette

Happy Pentecost!  Come Holy Spirit Come!

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

Compared to when I usually post Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival, I'm late.  I've been busy and I'll write separate posts about what I was busy about, later.  Now, I'm focusing on Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival, which I do every Sunday with some other bloggers.  You are welcome to click over to the blog, This and That and the Other Thing, to see what I am referring to.

But first let me answer R'Ann's question about what I do for the parish.  Presently, I only Lector because I belong to a lot of groups, e.i., two book clubs, two Bible sharing, and a prayer group.  I belong to other non-religious groups too.  I could very happily spend all my time volunteering and belonging to groups I enjoy.

What did I do this week?

Monday --  Boston Marathon poem     

Tuesday -- Childhood memories :-(

Wednesday -- My visit to the Peabody Essex Museum

Thursday  -- Prompt writing and Spirituality

Friday -- The value of a Bible

Saturday -- Giuseppe Girotti, O.P.

That's all folks!

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Alleluia!  He is risen.  Truly risen!

It's Easter and it's also time for linking up with my fellow bloggers at R'Ann's.  I urge you to click on over there to read some good blogs.

What's your Easter tradition?  Ours is an Easter egg hunt.  My kids were in the twenties and still insisting on it.  Now we do it for my grandchild.

This week, actually two weeks, have been wicked crazy.  I've had company the whole time.  The first week I had my nephew's family, here to visit UMass.  This week, I've had the President of the Lay Fraternities of the Southern Province, Col. Jo Ann Cotterman, O.P..  She is here to talk to my "cloistered brothers."

Meanwhile, I managed to squeeze in these posts:

Monday -- cleaning the prison cemetery

Tuesday -- Book Review of Alive

Wednesday -- Re: Judas

Thursday -- The Last Supper

Friday -- Explanation of the Tridiuum

Have a wonderful Easter. We have good reason to celebrate.  He is risen; truly risen!  Alleluia!

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

It's that time again, where we bloggers all link together at This and That and the Other Thing blog and tell about our week.  Here's mine:

Monday -- Black Madonna

Tuesday -- Book Review of the Terminals

Wednesday --  Street Confessionals

Thursday --  Book Review of Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves

Friday -- A Prayer Group Tale

Saturday -- Choices

Sorry for the curt post.  I have company up to Easter.  Have a holy HOly Week.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

Sunday is the day, my blogger friends and I link together at R'Anns, and blog our week's posts.  We also usually answer a question.  This time the question is about wearing mantillas.  I have a couple of them, I have worn once, at most.  No one in my parish wears one.  Although, one lady wears this tiny lace circle on her head.  I find it odd and silly.  However, I abide with whatever the local custom is, as St. Anselm advised St. Monica, when she asked about the manner in which the Romans were receiving communion.  "When in Rome, do what the the Romans do."  So when I go to the Traditional Latin Mass, I wear a mantilla because that's what the other women there, do.

My posts this week:

Sunday --  I made a Smile Box.

Monday --  Communion and Sister Mary Clare's story.

Tuesday  --  Book Blast and an April Fool's joke.

Wednesday --  Catholic Fiction posted my reviews.

Thursday and Friday--  Sex and Money

Saturday --  Communion

Go click on http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/2014/04/sunday-snippets-catholic-carnival.html   to read some pretty interesting blogs.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

This week RA'nn wants to know who our favorite authors are.  Michael D. O'Brien is mine.  I've read everything he's ever written.  I wish I could write like he.  He inspires me.  I especially like his "Children of the Last Days" books.  He's mostly self taught, which I think is the genius of his work.  God chooses the ordinary to humble the proud.

But let me link you to This And That And The Other Thing, so you can click over to the site and read about some other authors and interesting stuff.

And now, my interesting stuff:   ☺

Sunday --  My brother foolin around with You Tube  

Monday --  John 4: 8

Tuesday -- Feast of the Annunciation

Wednesday --  I got busted.

Thursday -- Advertising a movie.

Friday --  The Pope went to confession.

Saturday -- Do you want to know a secret?  I can't keep one.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

R'Ann and the gang from Sunday Snippets are discussing Confession.  I've been thinking about what to answer, all evening.  As a Lay Dominican, I'm supposed to go once a month.  When I had a Spiritual Director, I did.  He began spiritual direction with Confession.  I got used to it.  However, he moved on and I've been adrift.

One Confessor told me I didn't have to go every month; I could go every few months.  Another Confessor wouldn't give me Absolution because he didn't see any sins.  Now I don't feel comfortable going to Confession.

I plan to go at the end of the Lenten mission.  Otherwise, I don't know when I'll go again.  I suppose I'll try every month, again.  I should.  I will.

My week went like this:

Monday -- A Reflection From the Mirror of Love by St. Aelred 

Tuesday -- About envy.

Wednesday -- A short story about spring.

Thursday -- Hiking on the first day of spring.

Friday -- An endorsement for the Christian Brothers.

Saturday -- A You Tube Evangelization.

Pray for me.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

A funny thing happened to me this week.  A publisher who I write book reviews for, asked me to write a review.  The book looked interesting, so I agreed.  The very next day the author nixed the plan.  He said that my view was too Catholic conservative, for his book.

It seems that the Catholic liberals think I'm too conservative, and the Catholic conservatives think I'm too liberal.  That's fine with me.  To me it means I'm fair.  I'm where God needs me.

Today, I'm needed to connect with my fellow bloggers on the site This And That And The Other Thing.  On Sundays, we link together to see what we did all week.  We catch up.

Before I talk about my week, I want to add to our discussion as to what resources to use during Lent.  My recommendation is people.  That's right.  I'm assigning everyone to deliberately make someone smile, every day.  I do it by complementing:

"That color looks good on you."
"You look happy and healthy, today."
"I like your hair like that."
"Your smile makes me smile."

Get the idea?  Since I've been doing that, (especially, when I don't go anywhere, and have to compliment family members), I find myself thinking about that person, during the day.  Often, I'm moved to pray for them.

This is turning out to be the best Lent I've ever had.

Back to what happened during the week:

Monday -- A reflection.

Tuesday -- The first day of my Lenten mission.

Wednesday -- Book review

Thursday -- Ray's Reflection.

Friday -- A Prayer for Lectors.

Saturday -- I advertised for Trinity Stores.

How was your week?  How's your Lent going?  Visit our link up at R'Ann's and see what we did this week.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

It's time for Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival, where we bloggers link together on the blog, This And That And The Other Thing.  We posts our posts from the past week, and answer a question for each of us.

The question is "What is your favorite movie?"  My answer is "How to make an American quilt?"  I enjoyed the female togetherness: their solidarity, their love, their differences, their arguments, their humanness.  It's a different kind of love story because although the theme is love, these characters exhibit different kinds of love.

This weeks posts:

Monday --  Eleanor and a book review of Chasing Prophecy.

Tuesday  --  Still thinking about James Moser's Chasing Prophecy

Wednesday --  Br. Tonto and Cappa and Canis bury the Alleluia and another book review, A Dangerous Past.

Thursday -- I am looking for money to help in Fr. MacRae's appeal.

Friday -- God keeps telling me to pray.  OK, OK, I can take a hint, already.

Saturday --  Another book review.  This one is on, Too Late the Phalarope.

That's all I wrote.  Time to pray.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

Good Morning!  I'm doing Sunday Snippets, this morning--a Catholic Carnival.  This a gathering of Catholic bloggers who share their week's posts on a host's blog.  The host is R'Ann at This And That And the Other Thing.  Click on over to R'Ann site and see what we're about.

Before I get into my week, R'Ann asked what I was doing for Lent.  I am going to drink my coffee black (I usually take 'regular').  I am not having desserts.  I am going to Stations of the Cross and I'm going to attempt to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  By Easter, I should be holy and skinny, right?

My week:

Monday -- I had the opportunity to tell the Executive Director and President of Catholic Voices, how his organization had "dissed" me.  See Urban Dictionary.

Tuesday -- Matt 5: 45

Wednesday -- Why Mary has three hands

Thursday -- Busy Busy

Friday -- Amanda wandered in from the street, to an Ultreya.  Please pray for her.

Saturday -- I'm wondering about wearing Ashes.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. This is a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other. To participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In it, discuss and link to your posts for the week--whether they deal with theology, Catholic living or cute Catholic kids. Make sure that post links back R'Ann's This and That And the Other Thing.  I'd like to read it.

This morning at Mass, Father Anthony told us a joke which is my new favorite Bible verse.  "A husband and a wife were arguing over who should make the coffee.  The wife insisted that it should be her husband because he was up first.  The husband said that the kitchen was the wife's domain, so she should make the coffee.  Finally, the wife open a Bible and pointed out scripture, to prove to her husband, that it is the man who should make the coffee.
    'Where does it say that,' the husband demanded to know.
    'Right here.'  The wife pointed to 'Hebrews.' "

My week's posts:

Monday -- Request for palanca.

Tuesday -- Mother Mary needs a pair of shoes.

Wednesday -- A short story.

Thursday -- Nouwen's heaven isn't mine.

Friday & Saturday -- I still can't get over the fact that God wants us to be like Him (God), here and here.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

R'Ann asked "What's your favorite book?"

Answer: "My new favorite book is Island of the World, by Michael D. O'Brien.  I admit it's heavy reading, but that's why I keep going back to it.  It is a keeper.  I easily imagine for the rest of my life, I'll be going back to it.  The main character, Josip, will have you in love, in tears, in pain, and enthralled.  Whew! What a book!  I did once write a review of it, but it was too long (three pages and over 7000 words), for Catholic Fiction.  The novel leaves such a large impression, there is no way a quick review would do it justice.

That answers R'Ann's question.  R'Ann hosts Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival.  This is a place where Catholic bloggers, like myself, link up with our week's posts.  Go over there and read some other bloggers.  As for me, my week went like this:

Monday -- This post is really my Lay Dominican Chapter's discussion on the New Evangelization.

Tuesday -- was a hoot! (Still laughing.)  You know there was an earthquake (2.?) in the area.  LOL

Wednesday -- I disagreed with Doc, the discussion leader.

Thursday -- A short story for Valentine's Day.

Friday -- I prayed for you.

Saturday -- Another prayer group tale.

How did your week go?  Click over to R'Ann's and read some other bloggers' weekly posts.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Today is Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival hosted by R'Ann from This And That And The Other Thing.  What?  I'm talking about R'Ann blog, where we Catholic bloggers link out weekly posts together in one spot--This and That And The Other Thing. Click over there and look around, yourself.

Before, I list what I posted about this week, R'Ann asked who my favorite Catholic author is.  That would be Michael D. O'Brien.  He is an artist extraordinaire.  Not only does he paint pictures, he paints redemption in his novels.  He's about the only novelist about whom I've read everything (novels) he's ever wrote, at least once.  My favorite is Island of the World.

The week's posts:

Monday -- Book Review, I Am Abraham by Jerome Charyn

Tuesday -- Matthew 5: 13-16

Wednesday -- Ignoring Pope John Paul II last wishes

Thursday -- How blogging is a ministry.

Friday -- A chance to win a trip to Rome for the canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II

Saturday -- Prayers requested for the success of an appeal in the federal court for Father Gordon MacRae.

See you at This and That And the Other Thing.

The Blogging Apostolate

The One True Faith

Today's Zenit, contained an article by Father John Hardon, S.J., entitled Writing to Sainthood.  You know how the internet is.  Reading this article, led me to the Marian Catechesis Blog, which led me to the Catholics Writers' Guild, which led me to think.

Blogging is my way to preach.  My blog isn't preaching catechesis.  It's giving witness to how a human being is trying to walk the straight and narrow; how a saint in the making is about never giving up; how Christians are human, yet trying to do as Jesus wants.  So, OK, I guess it is catechesis without the catechism.  I hope it is a living human catechism.

That's the intent.  Hence, I post my thoughts, poetry, jokes, pictures, and rants.  Now, after reading the aforementioned  posts on writing, I realize how easily Hardon's suggestions apply to blogging.  Here's my adaptions:

(1)  Post daily.  This disciplines your thoughts.  If you can't think of what to write on any given day, write anyway.  Share your thoughts on Sunday's Gospel.  Put up a picture, and give your thoughts.  Post a YOUTUBE.  Post a favorite quotation and tell why it appeals to you.
     Forcing yourself to post daily is important to fix spiritual thoughts in your mind.  You'll remember important occurrences, better.  You'll remember failures, too.  How's that to keep you humble?  Rereading the week's posts, like I do for Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival, organizes my thoughts.

(2)  The benefits garnered from (1) carry over in speech.  Thoughts will be more organized and expressed more easily because you've trained our mind that way, through daily blog posting.

(3)  Blogging, especially mine, shares my soul's journey with others.  The hope is to bring others to Christ.  My life is like a parable, that I pray will give others faith.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

Here we go again--another Sunday Snippets.  This is a weekly "blognic."  We Catholic bloggers get together and link up.  Thanks for R'Ann at This and That and The Other Thing blog, for hosting this Catholic Carnival.

Before I tell you about my week, let me tell you about a change in my life, and also ask for your prayers.  My daughter is pregnant.  This is her second pregnancy.  She had gestational diabetes with her first pregnancy.  And it didn't go away.  This second pregnancy is therefore labeled "high risk."  This means she is carefully monitored.  She can't eat the foods she loves and is sick of pricking herself.  But I'm more concerned with the financial cost of the double medical bills.  She has been assigned two doctors.  One who will deliver her baby at the local hospital.  The other is a specialist at Mass General in Boston.  The Boston doctor will do all the tests.  And she has to see this specialist often, more often as the delivery times get closer.  $$$$$$$$$

In prayer, I was asking Our Lord to watch over and keep her safe and became really worried over her diabetes.  The family had a niece who died only a few years ago from complications of diabetes.  She just never woke up from her nightly sleep.  She was only in her forties.  I started to cry over my worry and asked God to take my life, rather than my daughter's and the baby's.  I offered my suffering over their's.  Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the assuring warmth that God heard me and answered me.  I understood that He loved me exactly like I love my daughter, because He did exactly what I was doing--He offered Himself for me.

He suffered and died for His children.  You know, I can't talk about this experience without crying.  But I had no trouble writing it.  Now you know, please pray for the health of my daughter, and for a healthy baby.  Thank you.

Here's what happened this week:

Monday -- I answered the question, "Do the Clothes Make the Man?"

Tuesday -- Advertisement for Michael Seagriff's book, The Silly, Sentimental and the Sublime

Wednesday -- Book Review of the Children of the Knight by Michael J. Bowler

Thursday -- This post was about the need to have a relationship with God.

Friday -- Defended my Catholic family.

Saturday -- A question for God

Why don't you go over to the This And That and the Other Thing blog and read some other bloggers' posts.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

Since it's Sunday, it's time to link up to This That And The Other Thing.  We bloggers get together on this site to give a snippet of our week's posts.  The theme for this week was the Right to Life.  That's all I wrote about.  All week I posted the bishops novena for life.

The question on This That And The Other Thing, was where do I get my Catholic books.  I look at the books on Tuscany Press, and then I order them from Amazon.  I write reviews for books but they're not Catholic books.  Tuscany Press only has Catholic Books.

Sunday Snippets -- A Catholic Carnival

My Lay Dominican friends and I choose patron saints.  For example, one sister asked me to find her a

patron.  She is a black American, works for the federal government, isn't married, and helps her relatives, especially her nieces and nephews.

I gave her Theresa Chikaba.  Who?  You might ask.  Sister Chikaba is a lot like Josephine Bakhita, who became a saint.  You can read about her here.

Theresa Chikaba was a Dominican Sister, and so is my patron seeker, so that's the reason I chose Sister Chikaba.

Theresa was born in  western Africa, around the turn of the eighteenth century.  She was kidnapped and sold into slavery by Spanish sailors.  Fortunately, she found herself into a kind, Christian home.  She worked, but also was taught to read, write, and think and pray.  When her owner, the Marchioness of Mancera died, she freed Theresa and bequeathed her a handsome dowry.

The dowry allowed Theresa to enter the Dominican Sisters of Salamanca.  Sor Theresa also used the dowry to pay for other young ladies who wanted to enter but lacked a dowry.  I'm only relating Sor Theresa Chikaba's story because R'Ann asked.  R'Ann is the host of Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival.  We bloggers link our posts together on Sundays.  We post what we wrote during the week.

Monday -- is actually a defense of Cafeteria Catholics.

Tuesday -- Boyarina Morozova

Wednesday -- is only an illusion.

Thursday -- A pro-life video.

Friday -- Break

Saturday -- First prayer in the Novena for Pro Life

Click over to R'Ann's This That And The Other Thing, to see what's happening.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Today's A Catholic Carnival day, where I give you some snippets of my week's postings.  Some of my fellow Catholic bloggers do this every Sunday, thanks to R'Ann's This And That And The Other Thing.

I usually begin by answering a question, but I'm turning the tables.  I want to ask, Who is your favorite Catholic Author?  Do you wear a mantilla to church?  Who's your favorite saint?  My last question is, are you active in your parish?

There.  That should keep you busy.  I've been busy this week with:

Monday -- The easiest prayer EVA!

Tuesday -- There's a novena for life to start Jan. 18, to coincide with the March for Life and                                Eleanore's case.  Read below in Friday.  And, the Novena will be posted daily.

Wednesday -- A little epiphany for me.

Thursday -- Book review of The Rainy Day Killer by Michael J. McCann.

Friday -- Eleanore causing trouble in McCullen v. Coakley.  Pray that Eleanore wins, the case is being                    argued before the Supreme Court, Jan. 15.

Saturday --  Poignant.  I can't even tell people about this experience without getting choked up.

Enough.  Today I'm off to my Lay Dominican Study Group.  We are reading and discussing, the intro to Evangelii Gaudium.  I'm sure I'll have stuff to tell you about that.