Something Like This

The Latest

2009-07-28T16:36:00.004-05:00

I suppose I must get out of the mindset that I must write the Great American Novel every time I post in this blog. I titled this post "The Latest" hoping to relate the most recent events in my life but I seet his as a lost cause because I scarcely know where to begin.

I guess I could start with my sister Laura finally getting pregnant! I'm going to be an aunt! I bet most of you know that already. Blast. Well, in any case, she is due to give birth to my very first nephew August 31st.

How many of you know my other sister Amy is getting married this fall? Not many I think. Naturally, I'm one of the bride's maids, and honoured to be so. She has also requested that I sing Ave Verum Corpus for the communion meditation. I'm a bit nervous seeing how I've never performed in front of that many people and I will be also singing in the presence of our Bishop because he is marrying Amy and Nick. Should be fun. I hear chewing gum beforehand helps with nervousness. Hmmmm.

I've also obtained my driver's license, FINALLY. I feel so indepedent. It has been wonderful being able to leave anywhere I want without making my poor mother come to be the licensed driver. Now I'm going to start actively looking for a job. I haven't had much luck in that department lately. I'll do anything except "work the corner" for money. I'm so desprate.

As far as my studies goes. I am working on a distance learning program at the moment to obtain all the high school credits I need. Not many people know this but I am starting to reconsider going to Nursing School (not many people knew I wanted to be a nurse when I was 11 either). I think I'm going to work towards it. So prayers are welcome.

I have decided that I need to get out. Being in Maine has been eating away at my soul. I want a change of scenery. I love my friends very much but I have found that we are going to have to separate eventually anyway. We'll all go to our prospective colleges and meet knew friends and start our individual lives. The thought of starting a clean slate is overwhelmingly empowering. I want to go somewhere where no one knows me. Where no one is judging me based on what they know of my character as I was in my teen years. I feel like those years were so unforgiving and quite possibly the worst years of my life so far. I'm starting a new decade and I feel like a new person. I don't know how the idea of going to college made its way into my future plans. It may have had something to do with having my heart broken continuously and in the same way each time. I don't wish to dwell on that subject too long for if I do, the past will consume my being like decay. How do I know this? Because I've been weak enough to let it take over before.

There is my story for now.

~Kathryn

My apologies

2008-02-25T13:14:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe I have not posted a new entry in this blog since September '07. I'm sorry! It wouldn't surprise me if no one read this anymore.
Honestly, I cannot say there is much for me to write about. Life goes through cycles it seems, and it would appear I'm going through that part of the cycle where everything is stabilized and unaffected. Yes, I have had my mishaps for I cannot say my life is perfect. One learns to get by with the grace God gives us. I don't believe I would have survived these past few months if it were not for the wonderful family I have been privileged to be a part of.
Anyway, enough of this fiddle faddle about the ups and downs of my spastic, unstable juvenile life. I suppose I'll post something interesting after this entry, for this content is certainly not enticing at all.

God Bless,
~kathryn

St. Janarius

2007-09-19T11:32:00.000-05:00

Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli

Hieromartyr Januarius Bishop of Beneventum, and the deacons Proculus, Sossius and Faustus, Desiderius the Reader, Eutychius and Acution suffered martyrdom for Christ about the year 305 during the persecution ordered by the emperor Diocletian (284-305).

They arrested St Januarius and led him to trial before Menignus, the governor of Campagna (central Italy). Because of his firm confession of Christianity, they threw the saint into a red-hot furnace. But like the Babylonian youths, he came out unharmed. Then at Menignus's command, they stretched him out on a bench and beat him with iron rods until his bones were exposed.

In the crowd were Deacon Faustus and the Reader Desiderius, who wept at the sight of their bishop's suffering. The pagans surmised that they were Christians, and threw them into prison with the hieromartyr Januarius, in the city of Puteolum. At this prison were two deacons who had been jailed for confessing Christ: Sts Sossius and Proculus, and also two laymen, Sts Eutychius and Acution.

On the following morning they led out all the martyrs into the circus to be torn to pieces by wild beasts, but the beasts would not touch them. Menignus claimed that all the miracles were due to sorcery on the part of the Christians, and immediately he became blinded and cried out for help. The gentle hieromartyr Januarius prayed for his healing, and Menignus recovered his sight. The torturer's blindness of soul, however, was not healed. He accused the Christians of sorcery, and ordered the martyrs beheaded before the walls of the city (+ 305).

Christians from surrounding cities took up the bodies of the holy martyrs for burial, and those of each city took one, in order to have an intercessor before God. The inhabitants of Neapolis (Naples) took the body of the hieromartyr Januarius. With the body, they also collected his dried blood.

Since the fifteenth century, the blood liquifies when the container is placed near another relic, believed to be the martyr's head. Many miracles proceeded from the relics of the hieromartyr Januarius. During an eruption of Vesuvius around 431, the inhabitants of the city prayed to St Januarius to help them. The lava stopped, and did not reach the city.

When are those silly pagans gonna understand that we Christians are furnace-proof?

I chopped my mane

2007-08-30T15:53:00.000-05:00

I decided my long hair was becoming too much of a nuisance and though I've heard it said, 'Pain is Beauty,' I had to disagree because having a perpetual fir coat when a scarf will suffice is just not worth it. I donated 11 inches to Locks of Love and well, just thought I'd show you how much 11 inches is. Not too shabby, I hope a little bald kid out there is wicked happy. For those of you who wanted a lock of my hair, it's too late, I already mailed it to Florida. That was a joke...yeah.

On another note, my brothers are completely insane. Yesterday, I was standing at the sink washing dishes. As most of you know, our sink has a window looking out on the deck. So I was washing dishes and down comes a stuffed frog dangling from a string of yarn, evidently, it was hanging from the bathroom window. Then more stuffed animals came bouncing down tied to a string a yarn, and they were knocking the items on the window sill into my dishwater. So as I'm being distracted by the suspended toys, I was thinking: my life would be so incredibly dull if I didn't have those crazy boys in my life.

Intolerable Secularists

2007-08-27T10:33:00.000-05:00

Interview With Author of "The New Fundamentalists"

ROME, AUG. 27, 2007 (Zenit) - Aggressive relativism is the newest form of fundamentalism, according to author Deacon Daniel Brandenburg, and Catholics are called to stand up and do something about it.

In this interview, Deacon Brandenburg, who will be ordained a priest of the Legionaries of Christ this December, comments on his book "The New Fundamentalists: Beyond Tolerance," recently published by Circle Press. Read More...

No wonder my method of knocking some sense into these people hasn't been working.

The Mother Must Die: Satan's Game Plan for Our Times

2007-07-20T11:15:00.000-05:00

http://www.lumengentleman.com/content.asp?id=62

Satan hates all women. Now, it is certainly true that, as bearers of the imago Dei, he hates all of us enough to desire our eternal damnation - anything to smear and smudge that Divine fingerprint which we reflect. But it is also true that, if you are a woman, Satan has an extra special hatred for you. He looks upon you and he seethes with rage, renewing again his intention to see you first distorted, and then destroyed... Read more...

It's amazing how Satan can go right under our noses and profane something so beautiful without people noticing. He has totally brainwashed women to think that their ability to bring life into fruition is weak. I don't know about you but I'm inclined to believe it takes STRENGTH to carry a human for nine months in ones womb and then when the nine month term is over to squeeze a 7 lb person (I won't get graphic)out through a small opening. Women have been convinced that they cannot make anything of themselves if they become a "baby machine." Why? Because as far as they're concerned it doesn't put them in a seat of power.

Also, why has it become such an insult for a man to open a door for a lady? Explain this to me. The only argument I've heard from feminists is "I can open my own door, what do you think I'm completely helpless??? *hisssss* *bite*" He's not trying to degrade you and say that you're weak and can't open a door. It's a way of showing you that you hold a place of honor as a woman. Do we realize what a sacred place our womb is? Mary's blessed womb was the first tabernacle. It was the first vessel to carry the body of Christ. When a gentleman (few as they are) opens a door, he is honoring your womanhood, and your femininity.

What a beautiful role we have the honor of playing.

Spot of Blessing

2007-06-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

http://www.spiritdaily.com/spotofblessing.htm

Are you in your place of comfort, of peace?

If so, you know how hard it is to stay there!

What it takes is balance.

Call it your "spot of blessing": When we get to where Christ wants us, to the spot He designed for us, we find comfort, peace -- and resistance from the enemy.

The devil wants anything for us but to see us remain blessed.

But there is that spot of blessing and you can find it.

Previously, we wrote of a "place" of blessing. That's an actual physical location that may afford us grace. A "spot" of blessing is not just an actual location but our entire circumstances. It's where our "heads" (our spirits) want to be. It is the spot to which we have aspired our entire lives (without realizing it).

And when we get there, there is a heavenly sense but also the knowing that Heaven does not exist on earth and that there are folks who seem to come after us -- who seem intent on nudging us from this "spot," on disrupting us -- when we get there.

That's the enemy at work, and he does this because he wants to keep us off balance. A balanced person is a person who prays, who has God on his mind, who can work hard, who can struggle, but who can also relax and laugh. The enemy hates laughter! A balanced person is living in a way that is "natural" to the spirit -- and this is what brings the harmony that translates into a sense of comfort.

To regulate our lives, to make time for the health of both body and mind, to set aside enough time for prayer, for exercise, for relaxation, and for personal relationships, is to head for the right "spot." We are in balance when we are in control of our schedules, instead of slaves to the passage of time (and the chatter around us). We reach our spot of comfort when we are healthy of body and when we have emotional equilibrium. We are in balance when our hearts are pure and meld with the Sacred Heart.

The simple formula is in Luke 2:12: "Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and peace to men who enjoy His favor."

Once attained, it must be protected.

For there are the cares of the world. There is the wrong energy of television, of hard music, and of radio, which disturb the spirit (and often nudge us from that precious peaceful spot). There are tensions that arise.

Folks sense that we are in a place that is blessed, and they think they have to knock us out to get to the same spot. They don't realize that it is not the spot of their anointing.

We all are anointed in a different way.

And we have to respect that. Each of us has worked and suffered in a different fashion and are designed for a unique place in the eyes of God.

We know when we are there when security resonates in the spirit.

You know how a teeter-totter is? It goes up and down and when there is a loss of control it fluctuates wildly -- painfully.

Ups and downs can be the result of a spiritual shortcoming and what we have to do is get the teeter-totter back in balance with the point or fulcrum (which is Jesus).

When you are depressed, God will lift you up if you believe He will lift you up; when someone tries to knock you down, or tensions come, don't react; let the wave go right past. You will be blessed for that. You are headed to a spot of anointing! Your peace will be prolonged.

Work hard. Rest enough. Go to no extreme. Eat in a way that agrees with your body. Harbor no passion (but for Him). Remember personal relationships, and make sure being thrifty is balanced with the generous. Be wise, and yet a dove. Be strong, and yet meek. Seek to complete your mission in life but don't run yourself into the ground doing it.

If it seems like time has sped up, ask the Lord to organize your day and slow it down!

To stay at our spot of blessing means paying strict attention to how we regulate our lives -- what we think, how we pray, how we speak, what we expose ourselves to. Evil in any way can throw us off balance -- and cause us to waver from that precious "spot."

So can jealousy: the attacks of others pierces the bubble of the cocoon God has around us unless we strengthen it (through balance).

Don't give voice to the enemy. When someone comes at you because you are where you want to be, because you are in a state of comfort, where you feel grace, harbor no anger and don't keep talking about it. Don't quote them. Never repeat the words of the enemy. When we hover over a matter, we energize the spirits -- good and not so good -- around us.

Instead, spend your efforts getting back to that place of balance and find life a struggle but a joyous one at the end of which -- if we pray enough -- the spot of our blessing will serve as our portal to the eternal and death will have no sting.

Visiting the St. Charles Children's Home

2007-05-21T19:14:00.000-05:00

(from left to right: Me, Sr. Mary Rose,
Mother Paul Marie, Sr. Maximilian, and MJ)
Mj and I just got back from spending a weekend with the Daughters of Mary Mother of Healing Love who run the St. Charles Children's Home in Rochester, NH. Let me just say that this won't be the last time I visit them or a convent. They live in a Victorian mansion! It was gorgeous.

Staying with them was a great experience because not only did I learn a lot about myself but I also felt my bond with MJ became so much stronger. We realized things about each other, like how different we are from each other, but we still have such a strong relationship because we help each other in our shortcomings. One of the boys actually pointed out that we were total opposites and he found it peculiar because we're best friends even though we're nothing alike.

Now, I'm sure a lot of people are wondering if I've decided I want to be a nun. So I want to take this opportunity to tell you all that I'm not going to figure it out in one "nun visit". But I can say that I see the Religious life as much more desirable than I saw it before. I did see the beauty of the vocation before this visit but I now feel as if God has revealed to me the many other beautiful aspects of being a bride of Christ which I did not fully understand before, so now I can adequately start seriously discerning. Prayers are welcome.

I can't forget the kid's from the home. They all come from broken homes and parents who cannot take care of them for various reasons. For example, one of the boys comes from a family of many half brothers and sisters whom have different fathers but one mother. Also, many of the girls come from homes where their parents were part of the occult, so there are a few girls who hear voices. One kid was sleeping next to a bloody knife when they found him. I can say, for the boys at least, that they are the most well adjusted kids in their situation I've ever seen. What a wonderful influence that have, I mean the sisters are ideal caretakers for these kids.

If you read about the kids in the link I posted above, you will see that the sisters have developed the idea of running with the kids every morning to work off the bottled up anger and anxiety. They run four miles everyday and it really makes the difference.

The last night we were there was one to remember because we stayed up late eating junk food with the sisters. It all started when Mother Paul Marie kept bringing bowls of popcorn from the huge popcorn bag someone had donated to them. Then Lydia, the aspirant, brought out the cookies. Then Sr. Mary Rose pulled out the ice cream, and well you get the idea.

Please keep the Sisters and the kids in your prayers. Also consider visiting a convent or monastery if you haven't already. It's made me think more about improving my prayer life. Being able to spend so much time with the Lord in their chapel was one of my favorite aspects from the weekend. These women are so devout and so in love with their beloved spouse. It really was a liberating experience spending time with them.

I hope my readers haven't stopped visiting my blog. I haven't really had a chance to do anything lately, especially after the wedding, which was beautiful by the way. Please forgive me! I hope everyone is well.

God Bless,
~kathryn

P.S. I'm meeting the the coordinator for the Birthline Pregnancy Center to talk about volunteer positions. Pray for me!

Time flies

2007-04-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's already Good Friday. I know it's been a long time since I've written in this blog because my last entry was at the beginning of Lent and now Lent has already come to a close and the Triduum has begun. So I guess you could say I inadvertently gave up blogging for Lent.

Anyhow, I hope everyones Lent has been successful and beneficial. Mines kind of been like every year. I get all psyched to change my ways and sacrifice my wants and needs. Then halfway through, I forget my resolutions and act as if Lent wasn't even in effect. I still practice my Lenten sacrifices (not eating chocolate, not eating meat on Fridays, etc.) but with a sort of habitual manner, as a thoughtless regiment like brushing my teeth. Usually, if I feel like I've failed in my sacrifices for Lent, I stay silent for either all of Holy week or Good Friday. Yes, that means I don't speak a word, shocking right? It's a way for me to discipline my defiant, rebellious soul to make up for my ridiculous actions during Lent I suppose.

The wedding is almost a week away. I'm excited for it but I refuse to anticipate it. I'll have much to say about it after it's all over I'm sure so for the present moment I'll remain silent on that head.

Have a blessed Easter and remember to stop for a moment at three o'clock today to reflect on Christ's love for us.

God Bless,
~kathryn

Happy Ash Wednesday!

2007-02-21T12:04:00.000-05:00

Tear out the roots of vanity, live Lent as a Christian again, pope says on Ash Wednesday

http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=23117

VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) – Lent is a time to embrace conversion as a journey of return to God and to reject self-realization, Pope Benedict said on Ash Wednesday.

In remarks during his weekly audience Feb. 21, Pope Benedict said that Lent serves as an opportunity for the faithful “to go back to being Christian.”

The pope’s audience began a day that will see him open the Roman Catholic Church’s observance of Lent with a penitential procession, late afternoon celebration of Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina and the imposition of ashes.

Lent is a time of conversion “in which we return to our baptism in order to rediscover it and experience it more profoundly,” the pope said. “It is an occasion to go back to being Christian via a constant process of interior transformation, and of progress in the knowledge and love of Christ."

"Conversion," the pontiff said to about 3,000 in St. Peter’s Basilica and about 7,000 in the Vatican’s audience hall, is not something that happens once, but rather “is a process ... a journey ... that cannot be limited to a specific period but must embrace all existence."

In Lent, the Christian is called to “tear out” vanity’s roots, the pope said.

"Lent is an appropriate spiritual moment to train ourselves more earnestly to seek God, opening our hearts to Christ,” the pope said.

“Conversion means seeking God,” he said.

Pope Benedict said that conversion is “not an effort of self-realization,” but is found in submitting to God’s will.

“Self-realization is a contradiction, and it is too little for us. We have a higher destiny,” he said. “Conversion consists precisely in not thinking that one is the 'creator' of oneself, and thus discovering the truth."

He pointed to his Lenten message, released Feb. 13, in which he highlighted "the immense love that God has for us," and invites Christians to remain "with Mary and John, the disciple Jesus loved, next to him who on the cross gave his life for humanity."

In his 1,200-word 2007 Lenten message, Pope Benedict focused on love, the theme of his encyclical Deus caritas est (God is love), the cross, and the responsibility of Christians to respond to love in dealings with others.

"The cross is the definitive revelation of love and divine mercy,” the pope said in his remarks at the audience.

The conversion of the cross stands in contradiction to a culture that is “too often distracted by worldly and momentary concerns and interests.”

“God is love and his love is the secret of our happiness. To enter into this mystery of love there is no other way than that of losing ourselves, giving ourselves, the way of the cross."

"The liturgy of Lent invites us,” Pope Benedict said, “to reject sin and evil, and overcome selfishness and indifference.”
Prayer, fasting, penance and works of charity are all become “spiritual paths to follow in order to return to God," he said

Pope Benedict offered the prayer that Lent be a time “to learn how to give, once again, our love to our neighbors, especially those who are suffering or are in difficulty.”

I can't wait to get ash smudged on my forehead today! Call me crazy but I'm wicked pumped about Lent. I feel like this year, our sacrifices are going to be so much more powerful than previous years, I don't even know why.
I was talking to my mom about it yesterday and we were remarking on how we're sure Satan isn't happy, because he's been kind of attacking our family (I mean, more than usual). It's obvious something big is gonna happen during Lent this year and he's trying to prevent it by discouraging us. I guess I'm excited because I can finally see the value in this Season, and how beneficial it is to one's humility and holiness.

God Bless!

~kathryn

More Recordings

2007-02-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been working hard on some more recordings. These are a little more improved than the previous ones. Enjoy!

Romantic Poetry Collection 001
To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet

The Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, Editor
The False Prince and the True
The Hoodie-Crow

Legend Land volumes 1 & 2
The Women Soldiers of Fishguard

To come:
-The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas; Chapter 116

God bless,
~kathryn

Outrageous Injustices

2007-01-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

"Persecuted because they were doing their jobs? That's precisely what has happened to two U.S. Border agents who were convicted and sentenced to 11 and 12 year prison terms for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler who had crossed our border illegally with nearly 740lbs. of marijuana and physically assaulted one of the agents."

Read More...

WorldNetDaily Article

What has become of this world? We are granting pardon for rapists, drug dealers, and killers, because we don't want to violate they're 'civil rights'. These injustices encourage sex trafficking as well. This also applies to cases where if someone is in danger and another person tries to rescue them and accidentally causes an injury in that act, the 'victim' can press charges for the minor injury inflicted on them, while they might have died had not the rescuer had the bravery to save their ungrateful life.

All these cases give me a knot in my stomach; a throbbing in my head. Our law enforcements are getting less respect than most criminals. The same thing is happening with our troops in Iraq. These people are risking their very lives so you can live comfortably. Not to mention they're fighting for your right to hold up those 'anti-war' signs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a pro-death activist. I'm not 'for' this war and I never have been. All I can say is, we've kinda caused a little mess, I think it's our duty to clean it up best we can. We can't just say "Oh..uh, sorry for the mess but we gotta go. Good luck and take care!"

I'm finished with this rant, but now I must say, we are one of the laziest, decadent countries ever. We are known as one the most powerful countries in the world. Of course they mean, 'powerful' in the material sense. We're certainly not selfless and sacrificing. The real sacrificial people in this country are the ones in Iraq, the people protecting our borders, and many others. And all we do is criticize them and dismiss their efforts.

I can read!

2007-01-27T12:53:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I've become mercilessly addicted to this website http://www.librivox.org/, and I've volunteered to read for them. So far I've read four stories, (short stories). Since you've all been such good dedicated readers, you may listen to them.

Legend Land volumes 1 & 2

St. Neot, the Pigmy Saint by various
http://download.yousendit.com/30B8E70726E11EA6

The Old Man of Cury by various
http://download.yousendit.com/69490BA53DA6B45D

How Bala Lake Began by various
http://download.yousendit.com/6E07935962A63E90

Short Poetry Collection 021

O, Lord Thy Wing Outspread by William John Blew
http://download.yousendit.com/786E2F5202320132

They're kinda sloppy, but it's my first time, so gimme a break.

~Kathryn~

Sisterly Love in Literature

2007-01-09T13:12:00.001-05:00

I'm nearing the end of Little Women and so far this book has hit soft spots in my heart many times. There is the love story between Jo and Laurie that, after heartbreak, turns into sisterly love. Also, there is Jo's strong bond with her sister, Beth. Beth dies at a very young age which scars Jo's heart forever.

These sort of parallel my relationships. Not so much with Jo and Laurie, for she had to refuse Laurie's proposal, and he had to endure a process of recovery of not only his broken heart, but also his damaged friendship with Jo. Even so, their friendship before and after her refusal is quite genuine and reminded me of my very brotherly friend and I.

The parallel I saw in Jo's attachment to her sister is reflected in my attachment to mine. Though Laura is alive and well and is entering a less dark future, at least for all of us, I feel as if I can sympathize with Jo's pain, having to let go of a sister and get by without her. But, as I read on, I did recognize how I am so reluctant to give my sister away to marry her beloved, I realized I shouldn't see it in such a depressing light. I will miss Laura, but I should be grateful she has found her other half, that Sean has found his rib, and that Laura is happy and healthy.

As G.K. Chesterton so eloquently puts it in his commentary on this lovable classic, "Little Women was written by a woman for women-for little women." I've always valued the strong bond with both my sisters, and I always will, even when we've all moved on with our lives and have little women of our own.

~Kathryn~

Back to Reality

2007-01-02T18:02:00.000-05:00

The holidays have just about "done me in". With everyone frantically running around like their butts were on fire, I could hardly keep my focus. But, God has His way of instilling some understanding in my cluttered mind, which I feel obliged to share with my easily perturbed cousin and many other frustrated minds.

After all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year's, I feel like an old watch. The wheels still turn, but no matter how hard I try, I can't tell time (actually, I've never been able to tell time). I just wish I could keep my focus on the real meaning of the Christmas Season. It's so difficult, with being so immersed in the secular world, to overcome materialism. Now, I'm back to the boring life I left behind two weeks ago, even though we still are celebrating Christmas, it's back to regular life. Same trash different garbage man. The holiday's give me minor strokes. They disable an entire half of my brain. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, I've only lost small pieces of gray matter out my nose. I must sound like the Grinch right now but even in that movie they don't get the real meaning of Christmas in the end. Curse this feel-good, warm fuzzies crap. Save the happy go lucky garbage for Barney and Friends! It just makes you terrible drivers anyway (don't ask me how I made that connection because I neither have the time nor do I have the patience to explain it to you). The only Christmas movie that nails the true meaning is A Charlie Brown Christmas and they've re-released a new version with that part cut out! *slams face on keyboard*

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

-Reinhold Niebuhr

What I got for Christmas

2006-12-26T18:52:00.000-05:00

Some more for me to read.

Celine: Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face: Sister and Witness of St. Therese of the Child Jesus by Stephane-Joseph Piat

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Linus understands

2006-12-22T16:30:00.000-05:00

Why don't we?

P&P and Little Women

2006-12-18T18:35:00.000-05:00

I finished reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen a couple of days ago. So I will begin my commentary on that.
I enjoyed it very much, and I could identify with Elizabeth very well. The book focuses a lot on how women are so obligated to get married because they can do nothing without a husband and are no good once past their prime. Youth seems to have been very favored in that society and time. Very unfortunate for Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte, whom was unmarried because of her plain looks, was in her late twenties. She ends up settling for Elizabeth's uncouth, impertinent cousin, Mr. Collins, for mere comfortable living and financial support.
I particularly enjoyed Lizzy and Darcy's exchanges when they were together. She seemed to have much disdain for his actions and ideas, and he found her interesting, though he did see her as beneath him.
The new movie doesn't follow the book as well as the A&E movie. I kept skipping back and forth from both movies and found I would find a lot of the A&E version in the book.

Next for review is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, which I am currently reading. I enjoy this one a lot. It follows the accounts of a family with four girls. The father is away at war while the mother is left to raise the girls on her own.
The girls are a scream! I see a lot of the character Beth in myself. She enjoys staying at home and doesn't like to be with people too much. She finds it tiring to have to think of clever things to say and is more content cleaning the house or playing her piano. I can be like Amy too, the youngest. It must be youngest child syndrome. The book is way better than the movie I think. There's so much more to the book and they get into all the girls' lives instead of just Jo's.
I am almost halfway through it so I will probably write another review about it once I reach the middle. And if not, farewell until I finish it! God Bless!

~Kathryn~

Marriage is a Vocation

2006-12-11T14:38:00.000-05:00

My brother, Thomas, and I were talking the other day about Marriage and the Religious life. I was mostly ranting and spilling my guts about the matter but the concern was this, why do people see the sacrament of Marriage as such a second rate practice? I feel as if I were to tell a fellow Catholic that I've found out that my vocation is to be a wife and mother, they wouldn't be as thrilled as they would be if I had chosen the religious life.

Now, Im not doggin on the consecrated life. I was telling Thomas that the Religious life and the Married life are like man and woman. They have very different strengths but are both equal. The RL has strengths that the ML does not, just like men have strengths that women don't and vise versa. For example, the ML has the advantage, if it is a holy marriage, of sex which is described as the closest thing to experiencing God's glory, when it is pure, unadulterated love; at least as pure as a human couple can make it. Now, the RL does not have this but that is the sacrifice that has to be made. Also, in the RL, a man or woman has the privilege of being united with Christ or the Church as their spouse. Which the ML does not have. So married people have to leave behind that honor. These examples could be compared to a woman's ability to be more nurturing to a child than a man could, or how her domestic abilities may be more acute than a man's. Also, a man may be more able to support is family or even something on a smaller scale, like lifting an axe. Man and woman are equal, just as the two vocations. Both are just as beautiful and contribute to this earth in some manner.

Im sure the reason people have the wrong view on Marriage is because it has be secularized. Why? because everyone does it. Everyone "gets married" whether it happens on a beach or jumping out of an airplane. It is not a sacrament to us anymore, so even people within the Church don't see the holy union in the same light it should be seen. Bring back the "Holy" in Matrimony!

mat·ri·mo·ny [ma-truh-moh-nee]
-noun
1. the state of being married; marriage.
2. the rite, ceremony, or sacrament of marriage.

http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/matri.html#EFFECTS

IV. THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

"From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament."[140]-(CCC; 1638)

The marriage bond

"The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself.[141] From their covenant arises "an institution, confirmed by the divine law, . . . even in the eyes of society."[142] The covenant between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with man: "Authentic married love is caught up into divine love."[143]-(CCC; 1639)

"Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God's fidelity. The Church does not have the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom."[144]-(CCC; 1640)

V. THE GOODS AND REQUIREMENTS OF CONJUGAL LOVE

"Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter - appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility. In a word it is a question of the normal characteristics of all natural conjugal love, but with a new significance which not only purifies and strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making them the expression of specifically Christian values."[150]-(CCC; 1643)

The unity and indissolubility of marriage.

The love of the spouses requires, of its very nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses' community of persons, which embraces their entire life: "so they are no longer two, but one flesh."[151] They "are called to grow continually in their communion through day-to-day fidelity to their marriage promise of total mutual self-giving."[152] This human communion is confirmed, purified, and completed by communion in Jesus Christ, given through the sacrament of Matrimony. It is deepened by lives of the common faith and by the Eucharist received together."-(CCC; 1644)

"The unity of marriage, distinctly recognized by our Lord, is made clear in the equal personal dignity which must be accorded to man and wife in mutual and unreserved affection."[153]-(CCC; 1645)

The fidelity of conjugal love

"It can seem difficult, even impossible, to bind oneself for life to another human being. This makes it all the more important to proclaim the Good News that God loves us with a definitive and irrevocable love, that married couples share in this love, that it supports and sustains them, and that by their own faithfulness they can be witnesses to God's faithful love. Spouses who with God's grace give this witness, often in very difficult conditions, deserve the gratitude and support of the ecclesial community."[156]-(CCC; 1648

God Bless!

~Kathryn~

Praise be to God!

2006-12-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!!!!

The reason Im posting this is because I got this wicked awesome email from a friend.

"What a beautiful thought: salvation history began in the womb of Mary's mother, where God formed the first of the elect, the first to be saved and redeemed by the superabundance of grace from the sacrifice of Christ --- which hadn't even happened yet! God prepared for himself a woman with purity unimaginable, holiness inconceivable, and the perfection of every virtue, from her very conception preparing her for that "yes" she gave, that "yes" which brought Christ into the world, bringing the "dawn from on high" upon us to "shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Well, I just want to say, we now possess the grace that Mary received, through Baptism. And there are many in this world who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, even many in the Church. Mary serves as a model for all of us, and God is asking all of us that question: will you abandon yourself to follow Christ and bring Him into the world? Please, don't be hesitant to give Him your "yes." I know we are often afraid. It is a big risk, and it simply seems beyond us. But the angel's words apply to us as well: "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." I echo Peter's words, "be all the more eager to make your call and election firm, for, in doing so, you will never stumble. For, in this way,
entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you." (2 Pet. 1:10-11)

If you asked Blessed Mother Teresa or Pope John Paul II how they became what they became, they would tell you it was all because they responded with courage to God's call and said "yes." This saying "yes" to Christ, the truth, and all the demands of living the Gospel is a radical thing, true. But it is the only way to the fulness of human life. Keep close to Mary, she'll show you how to say "yes"! The world is very cold, be a channel for that divine fire!

God bless you, all of you, and Mary keep you. Please, give God your "yes" with courage, in faith and in love! I'll cya round the bend. Happy feast of the Immaculate Conception!

atM, John"

How beautiful is that? It's so true too. Mary should be our ultimate role model, even for those young men out there. God asks something of us every day and every minute of our lives! Though many of us may be hesitant, or dare I say miserly, with our "yes" God does not cast us aside or give up on us. This is why we must strive to act like the Blessed Mother who so perfectly and freely gave herself to be the Mother of our Lord and Savior. Just think how much easier our lives would be!

Many people confuse the Immaculate Conception, Mary, with Christ's Virginal Conception. This article from http://www.catholic.com/ sheds some light on this subject.

http://www.catholic.com/library/Immaculate_Conception_and_Assum.asp

The Immaculate Conception

"It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived "by the power of the Holy Spirit," in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings. When discussing the Immaculate Conception, an implicit reference may be found in the angel’s greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). The phrase "full of grace" is a translation of the Greek word kecharitomene. It therefore expresses a characteristic quality of Mary. The traditional translation, "full of grace," is better than the one found in many recent versions of the New Testament, which give something along the lines of "highly favored daughter." Mary was indeed a highly favored daughter of God, but the Greek implies more than that (and it never mentions the word for "daughter"). The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of charitoo, meaning "to fill or endow with grace." Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. So, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel’s visit. In fact, Catholics hold, it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence."

God Bless and Mary Protect you!

~Kathryn~

Women these days

2006-11-27T17:09:00.000-05:00

Check out this thread on this heretical site Mj showed me http://www.womenpriests.org/circles/tm.asp?m=526&mpage=1&key. Mj came before me so she is in the thread more. Mine is the one below (#29) replying to this post: http://www.womenpriests.org/circles/fb.asp?m=1421

http://www.womenpriests.org/circles/fb.asp?m=1424

Pardon me for inturrupting your debate with my friend here but I read this post I had to say something. I am not a mother nor am I a wife, for I am the same age and at the same turning point in my life as my friend. She feels called to the religious life and God is calling her to himself to be his bride. While I am feeling a strong call to the life of a wife and mother. I am one of six children. My mother is a stay at home mom, while my dad works. She has given everything up for us. She has a degree in voice from the Boston Conservatory, and could very well have become a great proficient. But she was called to be a self-sacrificing mother, putting aside her wants and needs for her children. Which is what Christ has done for us. He gave his body to be sacrificed for us. My mother gave her body to bring my brothers and sisters and I into the world. I was born and raised Catholic and I do not resent my parents for doing so. I am incandescently happy with my life right now and it gets better everyday! I thank my parents everytime I get the chance for being such wonderful, sacrificial people for being such great teachers of the faith in my life. I also should add that my mother has lost her first child, he was a stillborn. She could have easily turned her back on God and hated him for the rest of her life, but it only brought her closer to him. Mothers go through just as much as any person if not more.
Women are especially called to do many things that men cannot. Every woman is special. Christ calls ever woman to him in some respect. For my friend, to be His wife and give everything to Him. This could very well be my vocation for I have some discerning ahead of me. But I can say right now that Christ is the number one man in my life, I choke back tears thinking about how much He loves me and how much He wants me to love Him.
Im sorry if Im not clear but I just want you to know that there is something God is calling you to but there is something blocking your view. I pray that you find it and can see how far Christ's arms are outstretched to you.

God Bless and Mary Protect.

Pray for these women. They are seeking truth in dark places where Christ is not, not unlike the rest of the world.

That's my dad

2006-11-24T11:47:00.000-05:00

This is what my dad said to a toll booth worker yesterday:

"Merry..uh, I mean Happy New year."

That's how important Thanksgiving is to my father. He can't even remember what day it is. I hope that toll booth worker appreciated the effort.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day!

The "Holiday Tree"

2006-11-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

I am severely perturbed by the apparent idea of changing the well-known "Christmas Tree" to the "Holiday Tree".
Firstly, why pick must we pick on the Christians? Heaven forbid if we were to do the same to the Jews or Muslims. They are allowed to keep their traditions sacred. We didn't change the word holiday, which might I add comes from 'holy days', to Christmas.
Now I'm not so upset by the fact that they want to change the name of an obvious Christian tradition. It's the fact that everything is changing. Christ's very name 'offends' people??? We're not allowed to say "Merry Christmas" anymore because we might be imposing on someone else's beliefs. Of course we aren't thinking about offending Christian's by totally bastardizing and commercializing their traditions and beliefs.
I don't mind if store associates say "Happy Holidays" to me. They are trained to do so and aren't necessarily okay with that fact. It's the fact that I, as a citizen, am not allowed to celebrate Christ's birth and practice my Christian faith. Have we totally forgotten that we are all allowed to practice our religions freely? It doesn't say on the Bill of Rights, "Freedom of religion for all, except for the Christains, they're losers."
Fine, go ahead. I'm going to say Merry Christmas to toll booth workers, even when it's not Christmas! Try and stop me, I'm in a car, you're stuck in a booth.
Maybe I'm being confrontational about this; afterall, we're all called, as Christains, to be hated by the world. So now that I've dumped a bucket of crap and smeared it all over the floor, I'm satisfied. Now God is scolding me for making a disgusting mess and I have to clean it. Later for now!

God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving!

"This is My Body"

2006-11-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

http://godspy.com/life/This-Is-My-Body.cfm

A new mother's meditation on childbirth, life and Christ's Passion.

By Elizabeth Wirth

After a year of marriage, my husband and I decided to start actively trying to
have a child. I wanted one so badly, I ached. We prayed and planned, charted and
hoped. The day I surprised my husband with a positive pregnancy test, I couldn't
remember being happier. I bought books on pregnancy, started taking vitamins and
looked forward to a blissful nine months.
Then I got sick. Really sick.
I had to eat Cheerios from the side of the bed in the morning before I even
lifted my head off the pillow. Some days I could barely get up for exhaustion. I
couldn't open the refrigerator or dishwasher without vomiting. Yes, I did go to
work every day, but for three months I felt far worse than I ever had on a "sick
day." Certainly, I knew that many women experienced far more difficult
pregnancies and that my suffering was relatively minor. Still, it amazed me that
women around the globe went through this routinely. I couldn't understand a
paradigm in which this would be considered normal.
Of course, I loved the
baby growing inside of me. I was preparing a home for him, avoiding alcohol,
soft cheeses and sushi, and choosing from 20,001 Baby Names for him. I was
supposed to be excited, glowing and anticipatory. But I had never before felt so
out of control.
Friends of mine, due the same month, giggled and exclaimed
over their babies' first kicks. When I felt my baby's first kick, I felt
squeamish and even a bit repulsed. I found it frightening rather than
comforting. Here I was, growing somewhat resentful and increasingly
disillusioned. I had chosen this. I had asked for this. I wanted this. Then why
was it so foreign and creepy?
The fact was, nothing in my life had prepared
me for pregnancy. I simply had not been taught that my body was made for
childbearing. Even as I write this, it feels like a betrayal of my gender. How
can my body be "for" anything? I had learned that my body was my own, that no
one could decide anything about it but me. Then what was going on?
For nine
months, another person decided whether I kept my breakfast down or not. Another
was stretching my skin, making room for himself. Another used me as an
incubator, fed from me and kicked my organs. As I looked and felt less and less
like the person I had been, I cried out, "This is my body! What is happening to
it?"
I prayed a lot during my pregnancy. I prayed for my baby's health. I
prayed for him to have a good life. I prayed to feel better. I prayed not to
throw up in any embarrassing places. I prayed that labor wouldn't hurt too much
(I didn't say these were the noblest prayers). And I prayed for something to
help this make sense.
My questioning only increased during Christopher's
birth. I was fortunate in that my labor was "textbook," as if a textbook could
encompass what it is like to give birth to a child. He was born after 11 hours
of labor, no drugs (the anesthesiologist was "busy") and the most energy I've
ever expended on anything.
But as I was reveling in the beauty of my new
baby, I marveled that my husband's body was exactly the same as it had been
twenty-four hours before. I could barely recognize myself. My breasts were
feeding troughs, and my stomach sagged in positions I didn't think possible. All
my modesty had been stripped away. By the time I delivered, I remember thinking
that anyone could do just about anything to me and I would hardly notice.
With my body at the weakest point it had ever been, I embarked on the trial
of actually raising my newborn. I wanted to spend the first night with him, to
have him near me, to welcome him with love. But my body had reached its physical
and emotional limits.
All I could do was cry. The nurses finally asked
gently if I wanted them to take my baby out of the room so I could sleep.
Sobbing, I agreed. It was my first night and already I felt that I had failed.
A few weeks later, as I cried along with Christopher one sleepless night, I
remembered the words of my Lord the night before he sacrificed himself for me:
"This is my body, broken for you."
He, too, spent a grueling, sleepless
night of agony before the most difficult experience of his life. He, too, prayed
before his suffering, asking his father for relief, wondering if there were any
other way. He, too, lost his modesty, splayed naked before onlookers, laid bare
while suffering and in pain. Jesus, God made flesh, was physically torn. He
endured torment and exhaustion. His body had been broken, too. He understood
what was happening to me.
The answer to the why—to what was happening to his
body—was life. At the end of Jesus' sacrifice was life. Life for me. Life for
all who would believe in him. Like me, he went through his agony with a name on
his lips, the name of the one for whom this all made sense, for whom the pain
and suffering were worthwhile. Like his suffering, my suffering was not
meaningless.
The body that had endured so much to bring Christopher into the
world now ached with joy. There in my arms lay a being that existed because of
my love and my sacrifice. If my body had not been available and enduring, he
would not have been there—and I could not imagine a world without him. Perhaps
this paradigm was not "normal," but it was holy.
So I held Christopher close
those sleepless nights when I thought I couldn't give one more ounce. When I
thought I would collapse, I looked into his face and whispered, "This is my
body—broken for you."

Let's try this again

2006-11-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

Oy, okay then. I think I've finally got this thing working. I know, Im a retard. Give me a break. I tried creating an account on the Blogger Beta and I couldnt use my gmail account as my email because, duh, I didn't know that I needed to sign in first. So I created my first account (yes, first. meaning there is a second) with my hotmail account, which I don't use anymore. So last night I figured out that I screwed up royally. So I made another account with my gmail address. I became perturbed because I remembered the fact I sent out an invite to all my friends to be able to read my old blog. So yeah, sorry guys. Im just going to make this one public to avoid complication.

So there it is. Im afraid my blog will consist of nonsense like the above. Later for now!