Cool Stuff 4 Catholics

Garbage In: Garbage Out: Fulton J. Sheen

2012-01-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

"If one puts garbage into the stomachs of children, it will be easy to forecast their health; if moral garbage is put into the minds of children, it is easy to predict how these ideas will become acts."

--Fulton J. Sheen, A Fulton Sheen Reader, speaking of teenagers.

Spring Tide

2012-01-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

Historical fiction author, Mary Ray, brings to life Roman England in Spring Tide. The time is 311, the place is Great Britain. Friends Con and Julius are out in the countryside cutting saplings for beansticks and poles when they are attacked by the Deisi. After fleeing to the protection of a nearby home, a stranger helps them stave off the raid. Who is this stranger? Why is he so different? After entering their lives, will they be the same. A thrilling story that has many ramifications for these modern times.

Human Experience

2012-01-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

We are not a movie family. We are more likely to read books. However, the Human Experience was not only engaging, but touching. It is so easy to get caught up in ourselves, but this movie takes us on a journey beyond ourselves. I can't say too much without giving away the story--just view it. We borrowed it from the library, but I am hoping to purchase it.

Human Experience

Flora's Very Windy Day

2011-12-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Flora's Very Windy Day is a lovely book to read during Fall or anytime an older child is just not fully appreciating his/her younger sibling.

Talking to God

2011-11-25T18:24:00.000-08:00

"Here is a point for your daily examination. Have I allowed an hour to pass, without talking with my Father God? Have I talked to him with the love of a son? You can!"

#657 Furrow by Josemaria Escriva

Reasons to be Thankful

2011-11-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, I' m feeling a little nostalgic here. This picture is probably 9 years old--just a guess. I'm thankful for love and hugs and children who share them.

Joan of Arc or Jeanne d'Arc

2011-10-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

To view an incredible array of paintings and other artwork depicting St. Joan's life, visit Maid of Heaven.com--Historical Pictures of Saint Joan of Arc

On the yahoo group, The History Place, someone asked for a book recommendation on St. Joan of Arc. Definitely throughout history there has been a fascination with Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne d'Arc. Just type in Joan of Arc into the library catalog and a plethora of books comes up. I, myself, have 14 titles, but then again, I don't seem to have one book of anything. This list includes both books that I have read and not read. Some are rare. Some are certainly better than others. Amazon Associates is not working, so I don't have time to put this all together at once.

Picture Books

Hands down my all time favorite book of St. Joan of Arc is Joan of Arc by Maurice Boutet de Monvel. The artwork is spectacular, the story is moving and she is heroic, saintly, and real. Amazingly, it has been reprinted. Even though it is a picture book, it is not designed for young readers.

Another beautiful picture is Joan of Arc by Josephine Poole, illus. by Angela Barret.

For Middle School:

Saint Joan of Arc, God's Soldier by Susan Helen Wallace, FSP, Encounter The Saints Series (Ages, 8-Up).

Saint Joan, The Girl Soldier by Louis de Wohl, Vision Books
Ages 10-Up

New Face of Home Schooling: Education in the Digital Age

2011-10-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

This past summer I spoke at the IHM Conference in VA. The topic was The New Face of Homeschooling: The Pros and Cons of Technology. Similar, but not exactly the same as the talk, is an article I wrote for Lay Witness, Sept./Oct 2011 issue, "The New Face of Home Schooling: Education in the Digital Age." Believe it or not I have not had a chance to sit down and read it. You may think that odd, but sometimes the editor, actually edits. If you are interested in finding out more about CUF or subscribing, you can find them here.

Where Have I Been

2011-10-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

Too many book sales! Too little time! Well, that is only part of the story. I have been selling books on Cathswap to help pay for a house that is in constant disrepair. I had kitchen drawers with the faces falling off, a black tar-like floor, no insulation in the walls, and too many other lovely details you don't want to know about.

Last summer, we stored bird seed on our back porch. We had, however, a squirrel, which was not deterred by the windows and shredded the screens.Therefore, my next goal is to pay for the new screens/windows. I think it will take me a while before I sell that many books.

In the meantime, we are all reading lots of books, but I haven't had a chance to post them.

Tanglewood Performance

2011-08-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Alyssa, is experiencing her summer "vacation" playing at Tanglewood. This is what one reviewer had to say:

Making an interesting contrast to that was Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 7, composed when he 30 years old and in thrall to Mahler. The last third of this piece is truly wonderful, and it was played with great verve by violinists Jennifer Yamamoto and Alyssa Yank, violist Esther Nahm, and cellist Loewi Lin. Its triumphant close seemed all the more dramatic because the quartet was played without a break.

You can read the whole review
here.

BTW: This is not a recent photo.

Life Lessons and Rabbit Tales, The Tale of Peter Rabbit

2011-07-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

Life Lessons and Rabbit Tales, The Tale of Peter Rabbit

There is something magical about snuggling with a newborn baby, caressing his soft, silky hair and cheek, mesmerized by his incredible beauty. Equally magical, though, is that same child years later, delighting in snuggling next to you for no other reason than you are his mother or father reading a picture book.

I couldn't wait until our eldest child could sit still long enough to cuddle on my lap to look at picture books. I had a long list I was waiting to share. Number one on the list was The Tale of Peter Rabbit. . . .

(the rest of the article is in Faith and Family Spring, 2011 issue.)

Art Lessons for Kids

2011-06-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for art lessons to do with your children this summer, a friend sent this link to
Deep Space Sparkle

Building an e-book Catholic library

2011-06-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this link to building a Catholic e-book library. I know others who use other e-books as well.
Building a Catholic e-book Library.

Another friend purchased the whole Summa for $.99.

God Bless,
Elizabeth

New Face of Homeschooling

2011-06-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am sure the Holy Father has many addresses encouraging people to use the internet and technology as a means of evangelization. Here is another talk.
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO PARTICIPANTS IN A CONGRESS ON
"DIGITAL WITNESSES.
FACES AND LANGUAGES IN THE CROSS-MEDIA AGE"
ORGANIZED BY THE ITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE (CEI)
Paul VI Audience Hall
Saturday, 24 April 2010

Your Eminence,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
Dear Friends,

I am glad of this occasion to meet you and to conclude your Congress that has a particularly evocative title: "Digital Witnesses: Faces and Languages in the Cross-Media Age". I thank Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, for his cordial words of welcome with which, once again, he has wished to express the affection and closeness to my apostolic service of the Church in Italy. Your words, Your Eminence, mirror the faithful adherence to Peter of all the Catholics of this beloved nation and the esteem of so many men and women motivated by the desire to seek the truth.

The present time is experiencing an enormous expansion of the frontiers of communication, bringing about an unheard of convergence among the different media and making interactivity possible. The internet is therefore revealing a vocation that is open, basically egalitarian and pluralist but at the same time it is creating a new boundary: indeed, people are talking about the digital divide.
This divide separates the included from the excluded and adds to the other discrepancies that are already distancing nations from one another and dividing them from within. The dangers of standardization and control, of intellectual and moral relativism, already clearly recognizable in the erosion of the critical spirit, the subordination of truth to the play of opinions, the multiple forms of degradation and humiliation of the person's intimacy. We are therefore witnessing a "pollution of the spirit; it makes us smile less, makes our faces gloomier, less likely to greet each other or look each other in the eye" (Address for the Immaculate Conception, Piazza di Spagna, 8 December 2009). This Congress, on the other hand aims precisely to focus on faces, hence to surmount those collective dynamics that can cause us to lose our perception of the depths of the person by stopping at appearances. When this happens, people are left as bodies without a soul, objects of exchange and consumption.

How is it possible to focus anew on the face? I have also tried to point out the way in my third Encyclical. It passes through that caritas in veritate, which shines out in Christ's Face. Love of truth is "a great challenge for the Church in a world that is becoming progressively and pervasively globalized" (n. 9). The media can become factors of humanization, "not only when, thanks to their technological development, they increase the possibilities of communicating information, but above all when they are geared towards a vision of the person and the common good that reflects truly universal values" (n. 73). This requires that they "focus on promoting the dignity of persons and peoples, they need to be clearly inspired by charity and placed at the service of truth, of the good, and of natural and supernatural fraternity" (ibid.). Only on these conditions can the epochal change we are passing through be fruitful and rich in new opportunities. Let us set sail on the digital sea fearlessly, confronting open navigation with the same enthusiasm that has steered the Barque of the Church for 2,000 years. Rather than for technical resources, although these are necessary, let us also qualify ourselves by dwelling in this world with a believing heart that helps to give a soul to the ceaseless flow of communications that makes up the web.

This is our mission, the inalienable mission of the Church. Every believer who works in the media has a "special responsibility for opening the door to new forms of encounter, maintaining the quality of human interacti0n and showing concern for individuals and their genuine spiritual needs. They can thus help the men and women of our digital age to sense the Lord's presence" (Message for the 44th World Day of Social Communications, 16 May 2010). Dear friends, you are also called to post yourselves on the web as "leaders of communities", attentive to "preparing ways that lead to the word of God" and showing special sensitivity to "the disheartened and those who have a deep, unarticulated desire for enduring truth and the absolute" (ibid.). The web can thus become a sort of "Court of the Gentiles", "offering a space... for those who have not yet come to know God" (ibid.).

As leaders of the world of culture and communications, you are a vital sign that "Church communities have always used the modern media for fostering communication, engagement with society, and, increasingly, for encouraging dialogue at a wider level" (ibid.). In Italy, voices in this field are not lacking. It suffices here to recall the daily Avvenire, the television broadcasting station TV2000, the radiophonic circuit inBlu, and the press agency SIR, alongside the Catholic periodicals, the diocesan weeklies and the now numerous websites of Catholic inspiration.
I urge all professionals in communications never to tire of nourishing in their hearts that healthy passion for man which seeks to draw ever closer to his many languages and to his true face.
A sound theological training will help you in this and, especially, a profound and joyful passion for God, fostered by continuous exchanges with the Lord. The particular Churches and religious institutes, for their part, should not hesitate to make the most of the formation courses offered by the Pontifical universities, by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and by the other Catholic and ecclesiastical universities, earmarking for them, with foresight, people and resources. The world of the media is fully part of pastoral planning.

As I thank you for the service you offer to the Church and thus to the human cause, I urge you, enlivened by the courage of the Holy Spirit, to set out on the highways of the digital continent. Our trust is not uncritically placed in any one technical instrument. Our efforts consist in being Church, a believing community that can witness to all to the perennial newness of the Risen One, with a life that flourishes in fullness to the extent that it is open, enters into relationships and is freely given.

I entrust you to the protection of Mary Most Holy and of the great Saints of communications and I cordially bless you all.

Vatican Library

New Face of Homeschooling: Technology as a Tutor

2011-06-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

Part 4 of my resource section on the New Face of Homeschooling.

IV.Technology as a Tutor: CD-ROMs, DVDs,/CDs, Online Classes

Technology can act as a tutor in assisting mom.

CD-ROMS

Teaching Textbooks: http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/Default.htm

Saxon Teacher: http://saxonhomeschool.hmhco.com/en/saxonteacher.htmor

DVD/CD

Teaching Co.aka, http://www.thegreatcourses.com/greatcourses.aspx

Institute for Excellence in Writing

Online classes, lecture, interactive, webinars, streaming live, summer classes, podcasts

e.g. Interactive classes or lectures are available through Angelicum Academy, Homeschool Connections, Memoria Press, Mother of Divine Grace, , Regina Coeli Academy, , and others.

On-line syllabus and online testing and grading are available through Seton, with recorded audio lectures.

You need to inquire as to the type of online classes.

Private tutor: Many tutors offer services through the web.

Write Guide: http://www.writeguide.com/
Mother of Divine Grace School has a teacher assisted option or a teacher directed option for the student to have contact with the teacher through regular scheduled phone and e-mail.

More Options:

Peaksmart: http://www.peaksmart.com/ps/ Online customized, adaptive math learning for kids

Head of the Class: http://www.theheadoftheclass.com/

Pre-school through 8^th grade, e-books, multi-media, and videos and worksheets

Khan Academy: http://www.khanacademy.org/

Over 2,000 Free online instructional math and science videos

New Face of Homeschooling: Technology as a Teaching Tool

2011-06-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Technology as a Teaching Tool is the 3rd section of my resource section of my talk on the New Face of Homeschooling.

III Technology as a Teaching Tool

What are some of the ways in which we use technology as a teaching tool?

Computer: The uses of the computer are expanding. Beside a word processor and a source of information though the internet, some computers can be used as tablets to write on, others have touch screens.

Large Screen Board: Use TV Screen/Monitor as a whiteboard by using your computer and attaching it to your TV screen Monitor. Flat screens TVs/monitors have less radiation than cathode ray types of TVs.

The graphic pen: Another possibility is to use a graphic pen, which works in Acrobat (Acrobat Pro). The teacher writes as she normally would on a
"hard mouse pad," and it appears on the computer screen. MODG uses a
group board (virtual chalkboard), but a homeschool mom could connect the computer to a big screen TV and use a blank pdf and everyone in the room would see what she is writing(virtual chalkboard).

Internet to create Shared Documents: Several people can look at a document at the same time and/or you can access the document from multiple computers from the same home. You decide who can view the files, self, family, or friends or all, e.g. Goggle doc or Dropbox: http://www.dropbox.com.

Jump drive/Memory Stick: Carry your documents anywhere.

*Audiobooks: A word about audiobooks.

Research indicates that watching TV uses a different area of the brain than active play, reading books, or listening to books being read aloud. In our family, we are surrounded by books (literally). My husband and I read to the kids and the older kids read to the younger children as well. But if you want to do triple duty—this is like secrets homeschoolers never tell you—get a book on tape/cd or mp3. The kids are actively listening to the story, while doing dishes or eating lunch or driving in the car and mom can enrich their academics by exposing them to books they would never pick up off the shelf to read. Some audio books have a cast of characters, others a single narrator, but even a good narrator can make a difference. Actually, this is more than triple duty. It frees up mom to do other things. The kids are content to do something they might otherwise find boring, like the dishes. It is nearly impossible for them to bicker because they are all quiet listening to the same story at the same time. If your child finds reading difficult, this is a marvelous way to augment his vocabulary. A child will always have a comprehension vocabulary far above his reading vocabulary. We get our audio books mainly through the library. But others have told me about Audible, Librivox and Readings for the Blind and Dyslectic. The child needs a diagnosis from a professional to use rfbd.

These are great sources for audio books.

Public Library,
Audible: http://www.audible.com/

Librivox: http://librivox.org/

The internet, MP3 players, tapes, CDs, apps. and DAISY are all tools for listening to audio books and classical music or poems or dictation recorded by the student.

*E-books: Kindle To Kindle or Not to Kindle: Nook: that is the question. Ignatius and others are now introducing e-books simultaneously with their hard covers and soft covers. Some publishers, however, are not happy about the push toward e-books. They fear the demise of the publishing industry. E-books are usually cheaper than hard covers and soft covers. If you use e-books, Kindle has some advantages over viewing them than on the computer. If you download free books in pdf format, it is cheaper to view them than to print them and it is easier to read them on a Kindle than a computer screen. Also, Kindles are not back lit so they are easier on your eyes. You can adjust the size of the print, which is good for people who are my age and have tri-focals or children with vision problems. In e-books (not pdf) the reader can check vocabulary and other linked information. A Kindle holds multiple books, including audio books, which are easier than lugging around a stack of books and it saves shelf space. Some kids/adults are attracted to gadgets and that also can be a means of encouraging a reluctant reader. You can share your Kindle library between multiple Kindles in the house, allowing several people to read the same book at the same time. It allows you to adjust text size, take notes, highlight and even has a text to speech feature, although some publishers disable that feature because of copyright.

Powerpoint: Teachers (or teachers as parents) use Power point presentations at co-op classes and teachers ask students to create Powerpoint presentations. Our violin teacher is also a university professor and he primarily uses powerpoint because it allows him to use music scores, mp3 files of music and more.

Exercise: Wii Fit/ treadmills/exercise DVDs/programs. When there is miserable weather, these are ways moms/kids have exercised.

Recorder: Memorize poem, narrations, lists of facts, listen to yourself for music, record teacher.

Apps., ADD-ons: Really depends on what you are looking for: read the newspaper, Wall Street Journal, GPS, games, educational apps, organizational apps. etc. Confession, Calendar app,

Home Routines ( works well with Fly Lady)
http://www.homeroutines.com/

calendar app, Memorize Famous Poems, Memorize Now, Smart Recorder (Smart Recorder), Montessori apps, http://www.mobilemontessori.org/

Montessori app: http://www.mobilemontessori.org/

Bobs books now has interactive reading apps:
http://www.bobbooks.com/bob_books_apps.php

Many other educational apps.
iPad educational apps with the kids, the organizational apps for mom, check e-mails and access to all Kindle books and audible books.

Learning and Teaching with iPads

Technology: Online Information Resources

2011-06-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

Technology in the Homeschool Classroom

Looking for ways to enhance your homeschool experience, you might want to try this.

Discovery Education

Technology for college students

2011-06-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

Many of these ideas hold true for homeschooling as well.

Back to School: 10 Essential Stratagies for Success in College

New Face of Homeschooling: Technology as a source of information

2011-06-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is a "bit" of a mess. But I never said I was technologically savy! What can I say! I should own a Mac. Maybe I wouldn't have the problems of word. Lots of information.

III. Technology as sources of information. Some of these resources also overlap with Catholic Homeschool Support

A. Homeschool conference talks on CDs or mp3

B. Catholic CDs/DVDs, e.g. http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/

http://coolstuff4catholics.blogspot.com/2010/03/catholic-media.html

C. Catholic Radio: http://www.relevantradio.com/

D. TV (Educational or Catholic programming)

Catholic TV and internet: http://www.ewtn.com/ You can watch programs through the internet if you do not subscribe to cable.

Educational shows on TV: Discovery Channel, History Channel, etc.

E. Internet as Information and Research Resource

For information, it depends on what you are looking for. For answers to general questions, you can goggle your questions and see what pops up. If you are looking for answers to particular questions, then usually people have their favorite websites. For instant access to information, the internet is a plus. On the con side, not all sites are reliable and the information may not be as in-depth as needed. Some moms sit down with their children to instruct them in how to navigate the web, how to identify good information or a phony site.

Catholic Homeschool Vendors/Schools/Curriculums—(e.g. CHC is not a school)

http://coolstuff4catholics.blogspot.com/2010/05/catholic-homeschool-vendors.html

Emmanuel Books for example, http://www.emmanuelbooks.com/

http://coolstuff4catholics.blogspot.com/2010/03/catholic-home-study-schoools-curricula.html

Virtual Catalogs: Some are better than others to navigate and view

More Homeschool Vendors (Not specifically Catholic)

http://coolstuff4catholics.blogspot.com/2010/08/more-homeschool-vendors.html , e.g. art supplies

Catholic Homeschool Conferences

http://www.catholichomeschool.org/

http://www.setonhome.org/conferences.shtml

Catholic Homeschool Periodicals:

http://coolstuff4catholics.blogspot.com/2010/03/catholic-homeschoool-periodical.html

e.g. mater et magistra magazine http://www.materetmagistramagazine.org/

Catholic Magazines/Newsletters/Newspaper: http://coolstuff4catholics.blogspot.com/2010/03/catholic-periodicals.html

Faith and Family online: http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/

National Catholic Register online http://www.ncregister.com/

Online Current Catholic News,

e.g. http://catholiclane.com/

Zenit: http://www.zenit.org/

Vatican: http://www.vatican.va/

New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/, current news, Catholic Encyclopedia, Summa, Church Fathers, and Bible

Primary Source Documents

Favorite websites: history, social issues, politics, science, Catholic apologetics, Catholic Evangelization, Life Issues, homeschool, etc.

CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/

Catholic Education Resource Center: http://www.catholiceducation.org/

Catholic Answers: http://www.catholic.com/

Web Gallery of Art: http://www.wga.hu/index1.html

Catholic Crafts: http://coolstuff4catholics.blogspot.com/2010/03/catholic-crafts.html

Cottage Blessings http://alice.typepad.com/

Illuminated Ink: http://www.illuminatedink.com/

Catholic Gifts: Monastery Greetings: http://www.monasterygreetings.com/

Products from Abbeys, Convents, Monasteries, and Hermitages

Online Book/Movie/Product Reviews:

http://www.love2learn.net/ Includes other homeschool info.

http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/

http://www.amazon.com/ Caveat* They are not always reliable because anyone can write a review, except the author of the book.

National Catholic Register reviews both books and movies

Reviewing movies: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

Some publishers let you peek into their books, viewing the table of contents and the first few pages before you buy them. This is the same for music.

Online Educational Videos: You Tube and others, e.g. TED, Ideas worth spreading, “Gever Tulley 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do http://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_on_5_dangerous_things_for_kids.html

One of our favorites for little kids is the Slippery Fish song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkMJHY-mpq0

Discovery Education Streaming:
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/administrators/curricular-resources/streaming/ A great source for educational videos

Online Catholic movies and Educational movies/programs: https://www.netflix.com/

Online Book Lists: You can find people’s favorites, lists of your favorite author, or series, e.g. Landmarks, good books for kids to read, http://coolbooks4kids2read.blogspot.com/ , Complete listing of Newbery Honor or Caldecott Honor books, Amazon has “Listmania,” suggestions for further reading, “Customers who bought this item also bought”, the our library system has something similar, “You may also like” or subject search at the library.

Downloadable files, such as small books, answer keys, coloring pages, clip art, e. g. http://etc.usf.edu/

Online Free E-books:

Google Free ebooks. You can specialize to request Kindle format or iphone format or some simply come in another format such as pdf.

Gutenberg Project www.gutenberg.org

www.Librivox.org (audio books)

Others: Literature page www.literaturepage.com

Dictionary/Encyclopedia
Translator: Very helpful when receiving documents in another language
Graphic Calculator

Maps/GPS/Google Earth

Paying bills and banking online

Checking weather, checking traffic

Purchase car/clothing/just about anything/American made

Prayer requests, e.g. http://www.adorationsisters.org/requests.html

Recipes and Meal Planning: Google the type of recipe, e.g. All Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/

Catholic Food like you have never seen it before! Catholic Cuisine http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/ For the truly patient and artistic chef

New Face of Homeschooling: Technology

2011-05-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some helpful links. If I don't put them down somewhere, I will never find them again. These technologies would work for many kids who struggle with learning issues.

Assitive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities

Homeschoolers May be Ahead of the Technological Curve

Homeschooling Special Learners with Assistive Technology

New Face of Homeschooling: Technology as a source of income or saving money

2011-05-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

II. Technology as a source of income and/or means of saving money.

Because of the way the internet is designed, some moms are able to stay home and work and contribute to their family’s income. For example one mom in our homeschool group, does medical records from home. Some moms have online businesses.

Used Books: Many moms buy and sell books through Cathswap, a yahoo group. There are other homeschool buy and sell yahoo groups.

Ebay, www.abebooks.com , etc.

Whether you homeschool or not, moms want to save money.

Coupons: Individual stores, including Catholic homeschool stores, like Emmanuel Books and many others, send e-mails alerts of sales or coupons. Some businesses discount purchases made through the internet, i.e. airlines, driving schools, etc. Another popular coupon group is www.Groupon.com , which sends e-mails to your account of various discounted businesses (restaurants, hair salons, etc). http://www.retailmenot.com/ is a website with coupons for over 90,000 stores nationwide.

Discount Retailers: Some stores offer free shipping with a minimum purchase.

Homeschool Buyers Co-op is just what it says. Bulk purchases allow for discounted prices. Homeschool Buyers Co-op: http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/

They are the cheapest place for Discovery Streaming. They offer many online programs like Colonial Williamsburg field trips, or online math and reading programs. They also sell an online version of Explode the Code.

New Face of Homeschooling: Organizing

2011-05-30T02:09:00.000-07:00

Here we go! Some of the resources referred to in my talk The New Face of Homeschooling at IHM in DC, 2011.

I Technology as an Organizer:

A. For organizing your home and schedule:

1. Emilie Barnes

2. Family-centered.com

3. Homeroutines.com (app. works well with FlyLady):

4. flylady.net

5. Google calendar, which multiple people can have access to, PDA, smartphone, etc.

B. For organizing your lesson plans:

1. For organizing lesson plans, attendance record, report cards, transcripts and more on your computer, there is the Homeschool Tracker

2. For printable resources, there is Donna Young.org Printables and Resources: donnayoung.org

3. Scholaric: http://scholaric.com/marketing

4. titus2.com

5. Chart Jungle : Printables for school and homeschool

6. Excel spread sheet

7. If you google, homeschool record keeping, or homeschool lesson planner, you will find a number of alternatives: Edu-Track Home School http://www.contechsolutions.net/products/eths_pc/

C. For organizing Books: There are several choices.

Good Reads Book recommendations from friends, keep track of what you have read and if you liked it and what you would like to read, form a book club and more.

Shelfari: Shelfari

Keep track of what you have read; how you liked it and connect with friends.

Library Thing

Free unless you wish to catalog an unlimited number of books and no ads. Library Thing is to keep track of all the books you own. You can add books that are not in the system. You can scan books that have a bar code with your mobile phone or with a cue cat they sell on their site.

Harmony

2011-05-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Homeschool Groups and Forums

2011-05-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

Yahoo Groups are a great way to find other homeschoolers of similar interests: Here are a few examples.

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/ Groups for buying and selling used Catholic curriculum, or specific homeschool philosophy or interest, i.e. The History Place, Catholic World History in the Homeschool; and others.

Catholic Charlotte Mason: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CatholicCMason/

The History Place: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheHistoryPlace/

Cathswap: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cathswap/

Pope Saint NicholasV: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PopeSaintNicholasV/

Catholic Classical Education: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cce/

College 4 Catholic Homeschoolers: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/College4CathHS/?tab=s

Forums are another way to connect with homeschoolers of similar interests.

Forum/Board: Homeschool Message Boards: http://4real.thenetsmith.com/

Catholic Homeschool Message Board.... http://oroetlaboro.yuku.com/

Support Groups: If you are looking for a local support group, try here.

http://catholichomeschool.org/

New Face of Homeschooling

2011-05-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

I will be speaking at the Washington DC IHM conference June 10/11, 2011. There is no way I can possibly share all the information about the impact of technology on homeschooling in 45-50 minutes. Therefore, I will be posting many of the books and links here. I will be continually updating.

Here is a Bibliography. I have read portions of these books, but have not necessarily cited them. They are not in alphabetical order or organized by topic.

The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology and Devices: Tools and Gadgets for Living Independently by Susznne Robitaille, 2010
For people with disabilities, this book offers a wealth of assistive technology, written for the layman.

Learning How to Learn, Revised by Joyanne Cobb, 2003.
Incorporating her own experiences of going to college as a disabled person, she lays out a well organized look at getting into and surviving college. She includes many helpful tips.

Christian Homes And Special Kids by Sherry Bushness and Diane Ryckman, 2003
Published through NATHHAN/CHASK
The book is laid out a little different. Each section is a different topic and then different families offer their first hand experience. There is a short chapter on assistive technology.

High Tech/High Touch: Technology and Our Search for Meaning by John Naisbitt, 2001
How technology effects our lives.

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr, 2011
He takes a look at how the internet and how we interface with technology is effecting how we think. Is the internet encouraging us to think with quick bits of distracted information instead of "promoting deep creative thought."

Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten: Raise IQ by up to 30 points and turn on your child's smart genes by David Perimutter MD, and Carol Comman, 2008.
I bet you can guess what they are going to say! Limit screen time. No TV for children under two. No TV in your child's room. No video games for children under 3. The list goes on.

Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology (P.S.) by Eric Brende, 2005.
This is Eric and his wife's experiment to live without technology. But, I would add, there are plenty of uses of technology sprinkled throughout. I did not read the whole book. In my opinion, it is not what you are willing to live without, but what are you willing to live for. I don't know that the author fully recognizes that although there is a hint of it when they baptize their baby.

The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain, 2009.
The is written by a computer geek. It presents a technical look at the history of computer technology. The information is not really related to my topic at hand, but may be of interest.

The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future(Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30) by Mark Bauerlein, 2009. Is the digital age destroying people's ability to think and reason, let alone read.

Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman, 1993. The fear that technology is transforming culture negatively.

Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think And What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, 1999. Are children struggling in school, because of too much time with TV and video games.

Different Learners: Identifying, Preventing, and Treating Your Child's Learning Problems by Jane M. Healy, 2010. More and more children are becoming labeled learning disabled. Healy takes a look at many of the diagnoses, identifies them, and discusses how they are addressed. For example, Asperger's Syndrom, What is it? Where does it come from? What do we do? Healy also covers how the brain develops, the effects of the environment, and much more.

Disconnected Kids: The Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program for Children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Disorders by Dr. Robert Melillo, 2010. This book offers exercises to assess the child and practical solutions to overcome neurological disorders.

Overcoming Dyslexia For Dummies by Tracy Wood, 2005. She includes a list of technological helps for the dyslexic.

Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level by Sally Shaywitz, 2003. Now in Kindle. And there is a later pbk edition. She does have an interesting section on brain development.

Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons by Meg Meeker, 2009. No TV or computer in bedrooms.

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker, 2007. One of the few if only authors who includes the importance of a moral foundation and God.

Helping Boys Succeed in School by Terry W. Neu and Rich Weinfeld, 2006. Some tech support suggestions offered.

The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do by Peg Tyre.

Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Leonard Sax, 2009.

Girls on the Edge: The Four Factors Driving the New Crisis for Girls-Sexual Identity, the Cyberbubble, Obsessions, Environmental Toxins by Leonard Sax, 2010.

Five-Star Apps: The best iPhone and iPad apps for work and play by Glenn Fleishman, 2010.

Kids in the Syndrome Mix of ADHD, LD, Asperger's, Tourette's, Bipolar and More!: The One Stop Guide for Parents, Teachers and Other Professionals by Martin L. Kutscher and Robert R. Wolff, 2007.

How the Special Needs Brain Learns by David A. Sousa, 2006. The importance of language development in the young child.

Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford, Ph.D, 2005.

Making the Brain Body Connection: A Playful Guide to Releasing Mental, Physical & Emotional Blocks to Success by Sharon Pomislow and Cathrine Levan, 2005.

Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age by Maggie Jackson, 2009.

Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper and James Schall SJ (forward), 2009.

New Face of Homeschooling: Pope Benedict XVI Message on Communication

2011-05-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE 45th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age

June 5, 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the occasion of the 45^th World Day of Social Communications, I would like to share some reflections that are motivated by a phenomenon characteristic of our age: the emergence of the internet as a network for communication. It is an ever more commonly held opinion that, just as the Industrial Revolution in its day brought about a profound transformation in society by the modifications it introduced into the cycles of production and the lives of workers, so today the radical changes taking place in communications are guiding significant cultural and social developments. The new technologies are not only changing the way we communicate, but communication itself, so much so that it could be said that we are living through a period of vast cultural transformation. This means of spreading information and knowledge is giving birth to a new way of learning and thinking, with unprecedented opportunities for establishing relationships and building fellowship.

New horizons are now open that were until recently unimaginable; they stir our wonder at the possibilities offered by these new media and, at the same time, urgently demand a serious reflection on the significance of communication in the digital age. This is particularly evident when we are confronted with the extraordinary potential of the internet and the complexity of its uses. As with every other fruit of human ingenuity, the new communications technologies must be placed at the service of the integral good of the individual and of the whole of humanity. If used wisely, they can contribute to the satisfaction of the desire for meaning, truth and unity which remain the most profound aspirations of each human being.

In the digital world, transmitting information increasingly means making it known within a social network where knowledge is shared in the context of personal exchanges. The clear distinction between the producer and consumer of information is relativized and communication appears not only as an exchange of data, but also as a form of sharing. This dynamic has contributed to a new appreciation of communication itself, which is seen first of all as dialogue, exchange, solidarity and the creation of positive relations. On the other hand, this is contrasted with the limits typical of digital communication: the one-sidedness of the interaction, the tendency to communicate only some parts of one’s interior world, the risk of constructing a false image of oneself, which can become a form of self-indulgence.

Young people in particular are experiencing this change in communication, with all the anxieties, challenges and creativity typical of those open with enthusiasm and curiosity to new experiences in life. Their ever greater involvement in the public digital forum, created by the so-called social networks, helps to establish new forms of interpersonal relations, influences self-awareness and therefore inevitably poses questions not only of how to act properly, but also about the authenticity of one’s own being. Entering cyberspace can be a sign of an authentic search for personal encounters with others, provided that attention is paid to avoiding dangers such as enclosing oneself in a sort of parallel existence, or excessive exposure to the virtual world. In the search for sharing, for “friends”, there is the challenge to be authentic and faithful, and not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial public profile for oneself.

The new technologies allow people to meet each other beyond the confines of space and of their own culture, creating in this way an entirely new world of potential friendships. This is a great opportunity, but it also requires greater attention to and awareness of possible risks. Who is my “neighbour” in this new world? Does the danger exist that we may be less present to those whom we encounter in our everyday life? Is there is a risk of being more distracted because our attention is fragmented and absorbed in a world “other” than the one in which we live? Do we have time to reflect critically on our choices and to foster human relationships which are truly deep and lasting? It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives.

In the digital age too, everyone is confronted by the need for authenticity and reflection. Besides, the dynamic inherent in the social networks demonstrates that a person is always involved in what he or she communicates. When people exchange information, they are already sharing themselves, their view of the world, their hopes, their ideals. It follows that there exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world: this takes the form of a communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others. To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one’s own digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically. Furthermore, it is also true in the digital world that a message cannot be proclaimed without a consistent witness on the part of the one who proclaims it. In these new circumstances and with these new forms of expression, Christian are once again called to offer a response to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is within them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).

The task of witnessing to the Gospel in the digital era calls for everyone to be particularly attentive to the aspects of that message which can challenge some of the ways of thinking typical of the web. First of all, we must be aware that the truth which we long to share does not derive its worth from its “popularity” or from the amount of attention it receives. We must make it known in its integrity, instead of seeking to make it acceptable or diluting it. It must become daily nourishment and not a fleeting attraction. The truth of the Gospel is not something to be consumed or used superficially; rather it is a gift that calls for a free response. Even when it is proclaimed in the virtual space of the web, the Gospel demands to be incarnated in the real world and linked to the real faces of our brothers and sisters, those with whom we share our daily lives. Direct human relations always remain fundamental for the transmission of the faith!

I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible. This is not simply to satisfy the desire to be present, but because this network is an integral part of human life. The web is contributing to the development of new and more complex intellectual and spiritual horizons, new forms of shared awareness. In this field too we are called to proclaim our faith that Christ is God, the Saviour of humanity and of history, the one in whom all things find their fulfilment (cf. Eph 1:10). The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive, which stimulates the heart and moves the conscience; one which reflects the example of the risen Jesus when he joined the disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). By his approach to them, his dialogue with them, his way of gently drawing forth what was in their heart, they were led gradually to an understanding of the mystery.

In the final analysis, the truth of Christ is the full and authentic response to that human desire for relationship, communion and meaning which is reflected in the immense popularity of social networks. Believers who bear witness to their most profound convictions greatly help prevent the web from becoming an instrument which depersonalizes people, attempts to manipulate them emotionally or allows those who are powerful to monopolize the opinions of others. On the contrary, believers encourage everyone to keep alive the eternal human questions which testify to our desire for transcendence and our longing for authentic forms of life, truly worthy of being lived. It is precisely this uniquely human spiritual yearning which inspires our quest for truth and for communion and which impels us to communicate with integrity and honesty.

I invite young people above all to make good use of their presence in the digital world. I repeat my invitation to them for the next World Youth Day in Madrid, where the new technologies are contributing greatly to the preparations. Through the intercession of their patron Saint Francis de Sales, I pray that God may grant communications workers the capacity always to carry out their work conscientiously and professionally. To all, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 24 January 2011, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales

BENEDICTUS XVI

Vatican Library

More Marvelous Math

2011-05-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

More Marvelous Math. Several publishers have whole series dedicated to math.

A Very Improbable Story: A Math Adventure by Edward Einhorn. This is one of many Charlesbridge Math Adventures. The Sir Cumference series is perhaps the most well known.

How Much Is a Million? 20th Anniversary Edition (Reading Rainbow Books) by David M. Schwartz. Others about millions by this author.

Building Math (Math Alive) by John Perritano, 2008. This is part of a series (Math Alive) with different authors. Science Math (Math Alive) by Dawn Stosch, Body Math (Math Alive) by Penny Dowdy, Travel Math (Math Alive) by Pia Awal Dutta, Transport Math (Math Alive) by Lesli Evans, Nature Math (Math Alive) by Penny Dowdy, and others.

Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Masaichiro Anno and Mitsumasa Anno

Sorting Money (A+ Books) by Jennifer Marks, 2007

Counting: Lift-a-flap fun (active Minds)
Counting Book photography by Dave King

Looking at Shapes (Yellow Umbrella Books) by Shirley Tucker and Jane Rambo, 2002. Part of an early reading series. What's Zero? (Yellow Umbrella Books) by Betsy Franco, 2002, Can You Eat a Fraction? (Yellow Umbrella Books) by Dlizabeth Dana Jaffe, and more.

The Crayola Counting Book by Rozanne Lanczak Williams, 1995

Cheerios Counting Book by Will Mcgrath and Barbara Mcgrath, 1998

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Counting Fun Book by Barbara Barbieri Mcgrath, 2000

Case Of The Missing Birthday Party: Hello Math (Hello Math Reader, Level 4) by Joanne Rocklin, Part of a series with many other titles.

Go, Fractions! Ages 7-9 (All Aboard Math Reader, Station Stop 3) by Judith Bauer Stamper, 2003. Part of a series of math easy readers.

Usborne Illustrated Elementary Math Dictionary (Illustrated Dictionaries) by Kirsteen Rogers and Tori Large, 2010.

The Empty Pot by Demi, 2007

One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi, 1997

The Importance of Homeschool Conferences

2011-05-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, April 29/30, 2011 our group, Greater Milwaukee Catholic Home Educators, hosted a conference. Linda Nelson of Sacred Heart Books and Gifts was one of the vendors. Afterward, she sent out this e-mail to her e-mail list. I believe she has raised many good points to consider. God Bless, Elizabeth

Greetings!

I have pondered for some time now wondering why homeschool conference attendance has dropped in the last few years. Yes, I believe the economy and gas prices have played a role, but I also believe the internet has played a major role. The internet gives us social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. We also have various e-mail groups that we belong to, blogs to read and so many places we can go to learn and to connect.

I am thankful for the internet, but it does not take the place of the human connection. Attending homeschool conferences rejuvenates us. We make contact with friends from the past and make new ones for the future. Our hearts and souls are renewed by the people we meet, the stories we hear from other parents, the hugs given, and the talks we attend.

We cannot hug someone through Facebook. We cannot see someone's face who is sharing their burden with us and they cannot see the concern and love on our faces. The joy of laughter and a twinkle in someone's eye cannot be seen or really felt. With the communication on the internet we know people care, but again nothing takes the place of the human connection.

Conferences are held to help families grow stronger in their Catholic faith, but also to know in their heart of hearts that yes, homeschooling is what is best for their family. Talks at conferences are not just on homeschooling, but are also on topics that will help us to grow in holiness, to grow strong in our marriage and to help our families get to heaven. Conferences inspire us to continue the mission God has set forth for us, to homeschool our children.

Conferences inspire us. Conferences make us step back and contemplate our homeschool in order to ask ourselves how are we doing and is there anything we need to change. Conferences remind us that we are parents first to our children and teachers second. Conferences give us the encouragement to continue to say YES to God's calling for our family. Last, but not least conferences give us the human connection that we so badly need.

This past weekend was the Greater Milwaukee Catholic Home Educators Conference. They had wonderful talks and lots of vendors to visit. The smiles I saw from everyone were so joyful to see. It was like a large family reunion. Everyone was making connections to continue the mission. I received so much from attending these conferences. You may say, 'But you are just a vendor and don't attend the talks,' and I would say,"Yes, you are correct. But, even in vendor halls the conference continues with conversations, questions, and help for all.' This weekend my friend (all my customers are my friend and family), Jacqueline said she came to the conference in order to give me a hug. That was her mission and in so doing this she made my heart sing.

Many hugs were given. Laughter was heard all around. Hearts were shared. Burdens were lifted. The Holy Spirit was moving and the human connection was made.

I hope that you will be inspired to attend a conference with your friends and family this year and join all of us in making the human connection.

God Bless,
Linda Nelson
Sacred Heart Books and Gifts
Sent from Him to serve you

Marvelous Math

2011-04-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

Since my life is so crazy/busy right now, I don't have time for detailed reviews. I like to use literature as a bridge to other subjects, math is no exception. Here are some picture books to make math more interesting.

A Place for Zero: A Math Adventure by Angline Sparagna LoPresti

Math Potatoes: Mind-stretching Brain Food by Greg Tang. This author has a whole series of math books. Not crazy about the first math puzzle in this book, so I would skip it. The rest are fine.

Math For All Seasons (Scholastic Bookshelf) by Greg Tang.

The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book by Jerry Pallotta. Check out other books by this author.

The Hershey's Kisses Subtraction Book by Jerry Pallotta. There are other books in this series.

Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta

The M&M's Brand Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath. Other math books by this author.

What's Your Angle, Pythagoras? A Math Adventure by Julie Ellis. The author has another book, but it is not available in our library. Pythagoras and the Ratios: A Math Adventure

Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander. This is part of a series of books.

Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone by Cindy Neuschwander

Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter (Math Adventures) by Cindy Newuschwander

Sir Cumference: And the Great Knight of Angleland by Cindy Neuschwander

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table (A Math Adventure) by Cindy Neuschwander

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (A Math Adventure) by Cindy Neuschwander

My One Book by Jane Belk Moncure. Ideal for preschool. This is the first in a series. My Two Book, etc.

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky

Grammar Galore

2011-04-16T05:16:00.000-07:00

Updating here with a few additions.

I want to post this on my other blog coolbooks4kids2read.blogspot.com as well (At least the intention is there). It's always a "dangerous" thing for me to follow the "customers who bought this item also bought" or on the library site "you may also like". I find more and more books. Some of these series you may have already heard about, but others are developed along the same idea. Still others are always adding more. They combine literature with grammar, phonics, etc. This provides an alternative to the usual workbook method. Also I may not have all the books listed by the author or series, so you will have to do a little homework research. These are not in alphabetical order. Because of time, I don't offer any reviews. I will be updating as we find more.

The Vowel Family: A Tale of Lost Letters by Sally M. Walker

Silent Letters Loud and Clear by Robin Pulver.

Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver

Merry-Go-Round (World of Language) by Ruth Heller.

The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage without Apostrophes! by Lynne Truss (author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves: Why Commas Really Do Make a Difference!)

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! by Lynne Truss

Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, every punctuation mark counts! by Lynne Truss

Punctuation Celebration by Elsa Knight Bruno

Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? (Words Are Categorical) by Brian P. Cleary (Other books in this series not listed here).

If You Were a Homonym or a Homophone (Word Fun) by Nancy Loewen (Other books in this series. Not all the same author).

Penny and the Punctuation Bee by Moira Donohue

The Punctuation Station by Brian P. Cleary

Strength and Courage

2011-04-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

St. Francis de Sales says: "I say, that even if we felt we might have neither the strength nor the courage to resist temptation should it befall us now; as long as we desired to resist it and hope that if it did come our way, God would rescue us and we would seek His help, then we must not be sad. Neither do we always have to feel strong and courageous; it is enough to hope that we will have strength and courage when and where we need them. We don't have to have a sign that these virtues will be ours; it is enough if we hope that God will help us.

. . . Now God, who does nothing in vain, does not give us either strength or courage when we don't need them, but only when we do. He never fails us. Consequently, we must always hope that He will help us if we entreat Him to do so. We should always use these words of David, 'Why are you sad, my soul, and why do you trouble me? Hope in the Lord.' The prayer which he spoke: 'When my strength fails, Lord, do not abandon me.'"

Francis de Sales, Jane de Chantal: Letters of Spiritual Direction, Paulist Press, p.181.

All Saints Day Game idea

2011-04-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this link to me for an All Saints Day game idea.

Saints and symbols relay

I know it is the wrong time of year, but if I wait, I will probably forget about it.

Oh, no--she's awake

2011-04-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says, "Oh, no--
she's awake."

Author unknown.

Catholic nun dolls

2011-03-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I have reviewed several Catholic dolls. Sadly, most of the companies that make them don't last very long. I don't own one of these, but they do look wonderful.

Saintly Sisters

Worry Free Living

2011-03-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

While some people may pretend otherwise, worry free living is not about sitting in a lotus position and repeating ad nauseam your special, magical word. Neither is it about looking in the mirror and repeating over and over again positive thoughts, "I believe in me." Me, who is me? What then is worry free living?

Fr. Joseph Kentenich demonstrated worry free living when he looked into the jaws of death and said, "Yes, I will go to Dachau"--although he could have had a doctor's excuse to possibly not go. Do we realize the full impact of this decision? Dachau was a living hell, especially for an elderly, frail man.

How was he able to do this? He had a childlike confidence in his Heavenly Father that he would truly take care of him as "the apple of his eye." He believed in the depths of his being that God loved him and would protect him and that when his time would come, it would come--unshakable confidence in God's merciful and almighty love.

How can we develop this same unshakable, confidence in God? Especially when the world around us seems to be spinning out of control or our children seem to be in another world? Spend time with God. How often do we converse with God? Morning prayer, evening prayer, meditation, ejaculations. You can't know someone if you don't spend time with him. This means developing a prayer life. This means disciplining ourselves enough to read scripture, the saints, or spiritual reading, not just the news which is old tomorrow or romance novels which set up false notions of love and commitment.

Who is the saint I am most attracted to? Why? Do I develop the same attributes that he or she possesses? Do I have the smile of Mother Teresa of Calcutta? Do I have the exuberant energy of Bl. Damien of Molokai?

Do we shut out the noise of the world or do we enter into it? Is the radio, TV, or computer always on?

Spending time with our Heavenly Father can also be meditating on beautiful artwork, such as Carl Bloch's Denial of Peter or just sitting in front of the tabernacle.

I can choose to think about all the things I have done wrong in my life, or I can choose to be grateful for all the gifts God, who is rich in mercy, has given me.

I can see the person who doesn't agree with me as my enemy or I can see the person who doesn't agree with me as the face of Christ.

Do I live in the present or do I have a tape that repeats the past over and over again. If God has forgiven me for my past sins in confession, then do I forgive myself? Do I fear the future? If God has taken care of me, why do I doubt that he will continue to take care of me? St. Teresa of Avila said, "More tears are shed for answered prayers than unanswered ones." As the name of the '50s TV show says, "Father Knows Best." We can wring our hands in fear, but I love the title of the book by Harvey McKay. We Got Fired!: . . . And It's the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us. Do we believe that misfortune can be the best thing that happened to us? The book is not just about one person ,but many people who went on to become famous or successful in their field of enterprise.

Sometimes I think women are born with a worry gene. As Marie Bellet sings, "Mother, you are worried about many many things." Do we leave all our worries with the Blessed Mother and say, "Here, you take them. Give them to your Son." Transform them into something beautiful for God.

Whether I am experiencing great joy--the birth of a child--or incredible suffering--migraines or worse, if I am going to repeat any little phrases, it can be "God is good, or This too will pass, or Jesus, Mary, Joseph, pray for us," or any number of small ejaculations.

There is only one place that is truly free of all worry. Let us place all our cares in the Blessed Mother's hands as we journey through this valley of tears, so that we may lift up our hearts to our Heavenly Father and express perfect trust in his ultimate good for us, so that we may arrive in our Heavenly home for all eternity.

"We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

This is why we do what we do as parents

2011-03-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

This is why we do what we do as parents!

Baby singing God Will Take Care of You

My daughter, who is in graduate school sent this to me.

Transforming the World One Smile at a Time

2011-03-06T03:57:00.000-08:00

I recently learned that the smile of Mother Teresa is responsible for 3 vocations to the priesthood: 2 from atheists and one from an agnostic. Hmmm. Makes you think you need to smile more! And develop the Mother Teresa smile! Talk about transforming the world. And that is only 3 that that person knew about. How many more conversions and inner transformations is she responsible for?

Capactiy to love corresponds to the capacity to suffer

2011-02-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

"Even suffering is part of the truth of our life.
Thus, trying to shield the youngest from every
difficulty and experience of suffering, we risk
creating, despite our good intentions, fragile
persons of little generosity:
The capacity to love, in fact, corresponds to the
capacity to suffer, and to suffer together."

Pope Benedict XVI

Fiction Books for Teen Girls

2011-02-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of fiction books for Teen Girls. I will update it.

Alex O'Donnell and the 40 CyberThieves by Regina Doman, pbk, 2010.
A good series to discuss with teens. Recommended for mature teens. One of my favorites by Regina.

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry. An interesting mixture of romance, fiction, fairy tale, and more.

The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, ... Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside) by L. M. Montgomery

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley, pbk, 2008. A more mature retelling of Cinderella.

Black as Night: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman, pbk, 2008. Second in series. A good series to discuss with teens. Recommended for mature teens.

The Good Land (Texas Panhandle Series) by Loula Grace Erdman, Bk. 3

The Lark on the Wing by Efrida Vipont, pbk, 2008

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and her other novels.

The Midnight Dancers: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman, pbk 2008.
A good series to discuss with teens. Recommended for mature teens.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, pbk, 2007

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (In this fantasy world, there is a "nasty" Bishop, but he is balanced out by a kind and good Bishop.) Provides a good lesson in why not to make a bargain with an "evil" entity.

The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman, pbk, 2008. For mature teens. A good series to have discussions with your teens.

That Girl of Pierre's by Robert Davis, pbk, 2007, Bethlehem reprint

Under a Changing Moon by Margot Benary-Isbert, reprinted by Bethlehem Books. This is a lovely story of a girl who has just returned from her happy days going to a convent school in France to live with her family in the Rhineland area of Germany in 1866. The story is timeless in how the realistic characters interact. Her five brothers recreate the battle of Lepanto in the flooded basement cellar, they prize pocket knives, and they squabble and fight like normal little boys and apologize and make up. At the same time, the family's Catholic life and culture is intertwined throughout the story.They take their decorated Easter eggs to church to be blessed.

Waking Rose: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman, pbk 2008.

A good series to discuss with teens. Recommended for mature teens.

The Wide Horizon (Texas Panhandle Series) by Loula Grace Erdman, pbk, 2007, Bk. 2

The Wind Blows Free: A Tale of the Texas Panhandle (Texas Panhandle Series Book 1) by Loula Grace Erdman,pbk, 2006

Testimony of Hope

2011-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

Testimony of Hope: The Spiritual Exercises of Pope John Paul II by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Pauline Books and Media, 2000.

". . . only Christian love can change hearts, not weapons, not threats, and not the media.

It is love that prepares the way for the announcement of the Gospel.

Omnia vincit amor, 'love conquers everything.!'

When love is true, it stirs a response of greater love. Then a person loves and is loved in return, and the new commandment of Jesus, 'Love one another as I have loved you' (Jn 15:12), is realized. Reciprocal love is the fulfillment of the art of loving."

Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan

Saints for Women Who Suffer: St. Jane Valois

2011-02-09T04:53:00.000-08:00

Rejected by her father and then her husband, can it get any worse? Well, yes, her father tried to kill her (Who needs soap operas! Just read the lives of the saints.)

Born in 1464, St. Jane Valois was the daughter of King Louis XI of France. During her life, she suffered many trials as well as gross humiliations. When she was born, she was a great disappointment to her father, who desired an heir to the throne. To make matters worse, she was deformed and ugly. At the age of 5, her father banished her from the castle to a remote cottage where she was deprived of life's basic necessities. Here she developed a devotion to the Blessed Mother. Hearing the bells ring the Angelus, she was comforted in her sorrow thinking of the Incarnation.

At the age of 2 months, for political reasons, her father betrothed her to Louis, Duke of Orleans. Against her wishes, they were married when she was 9. The duke, compelled by fear of the King, had agreed to marry her, but actually hated her, even insulting her in public, causing her great humiliation, despite the fact that she had saved him while he was in prison, awaiting a traitor's death for fomenting a rebellion against Jane's brother the reigning king. Later, when he became King, he had the marriage annulled, causing Jane even more suffering. Jane bore this with patient humility and ultimately considered this a great blessing that she was released from her marriage, so that she could now devote herself to founding a new order. She founded the Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a contemplative order of nuns. The rule was based on following the virtues of Mary.

For those of us who suffer from vanity, Jane was considered hideous in appearance, hunchbacked, lame, and pock-marked. She was also sickly much of her life. Let us imitate her and cultivate an interior beauty that outshines physical beauty.

When we are rejected and despised by the ones who should love us the most, when we are angry, bitter, and resentful and want to lash out at the ones who humiliate us, or cry, pout, and feel sorry for ourselves, let us think of St. Jane of Valois and strive to love through patient forgiveness, penance and small acts of kindness.

Noted for her goodness, humility, and gentleness as well as patience, charity, and duty to her ungrateful husband while they were married, let us imitate St. Jane Valois. St. Jane, pray for us!

Also known as Joan of Valois, Joan of France or Jeanne de Valois. Her feast day is February 4.

Testimony of Hope

2011-02-08T09:48:00.000-08:00

Testimony of Hope: The Spiritual Exercises of Pope John Paul II by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Pauline Books and Media, 2000.

Continuing with the previous posts.

"'I left everything to follow Jesus, because I love the defects of Jesus.'

The fifth defect : Jesus doesn't understand finances or economics.

Recall the parable of the workers in the vineyard. . . . (Mt 20:1-16).

If Jesus were named the administrator of a community or the director of a business, the institution would surely fail and go bankrupt. How can anyone pay someone who began working at 5:00 P.M. the very same wage paid to the person who has been working since early morning? Is this merely an oversight? Is Jesus' accounting wrong? No! He does it on purpose, as he explains, 'Can I not do what I want with what is mine? Or are you jealous because I am generous?' (Mt 20:15)."

Homeschool Conference Time!

2011-02-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Our homeschool group is gearing up for another fantastic homeschool conference this Spring, April 29 and 30. Past speakers include Laura Berquist, Bishop Callahan and Fr. Pablo Straub, CSSR. This year's conference promises to be another outstanding year with featured speakers: Joseph Pearce, Fran Rutherford, Jim Weiss, and Fr. Cliff Ermatinger. Everything you need to know will be posted on www.gmcheconference.com. Mark your calendars and come "Celebrate the Faith" by joining us for this inspiring and faith filled event!

Testimony of Hope

2011-02-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

Testimony of Hope: The Spiritual Exercises of Pope John Paul II by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Pauline Books and Media, 2000.

Continuing on with the previous post.

"'I left everything to follow Jesus, because I love the defects of Jesus.'

The publicity manager of a company or someone running an election campaign prepares a precise program, which includes many promises.

Nothing of the kind for Jesus! His publicity campaign, judged with a human eye, is doomed to failure.

Jesus promises trials and persecutions for those who follow him.

To his disciples who have left everything for him, he does not guarantee food or lodging, but only a share in his own way of life.

To a scribe who wants to join him as a follower, Jesus responds, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head' (Mt. 8:20). . . .

The disciples had faith in this risk-taker. For 2000 years, and until the end of the world, the multitudes following Jesus will never be exhausted. It is sufficient to look at the saints of every age. Many of them belong to his blessed association of risk-takers--with no address, with no telephone, with no fax machine!"

Testimony of Hope

2011-02-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

Testimony of Hope: The Spiritual Exercises of Pope John Paul II by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Pauline Books and Media, 2000.

Continuing with the previous post.

"'I left everything to follow Jesus, because I love the defects of Jesus.'

The Third defect: Jesus: Jesus doesn't know logic.

"A woman who has ten silver pieces loses one of them and she lights a lamp to search for it. When she finds it, she calls in her neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver piece that I had lost' (cf. Lk 15:8-10).

This is truly illogical--to disturb your friends over one silver piece and then to plan a feast to celebrate the find! Even more, by inviting her friends, she is bound to spend more than the one silver piece. Not even ten silver peices would be enough to cover all the expenses. . . .

Here we can truly say, with the words of the French philospopher, Blaise Pascal, 'The heart has its reaons that reason doesn't know.'

Jesus reveals the strange logic of his heart at the end of this parable, 'Just so, I tell you, there is more joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Lk 15:10).

Testimony of Hope

2011-02-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

Testimony of Hope: The Spiritual Exercises of Pope John Paul II by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Pauline Books and Media, 2000.

Picking up on the theme of the previous post. Quoting Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan,

"'I left everything to follow Jesus, because I love the defects of Jesus.'

The second defect: Jesus doesn't know math.

"If Jesus would have had to take a mathematics exam, he might have failed. He indicates this in the parable of the lost sheep. A shepherd has one hundred sheep. One of them becomes lost and, without delay, he sets out in search of it, leaving the other ninety-nine in the wilderness. Finding it, he puts the poor creature on his shoulders and retuns to the fold (cf. Lk 15:4-7).

For Jesus, one is equal to ninety-nie--and perhaps more! Who could ever accept this? But his mercy reaches from generation to generation. . . .

When it is a matter of saving the lost sheep, Jesus does not become discouraged by any risk or by any effort. We can contemplate his actions, full of mercy, when he sits beside Jacob's well and speaks with the Samaritan woman, or when he wishes to dine at the house of Zaccheus! What simplicity that knows no calculations, what love for sinners!"

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization

2011-02-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization (Politically Incorrect Guides) by Anthony Esolen, pbk, 2008 (The hard cover is OP).

I know I shouldn't recommend a book I haven't read completely, but there are too many parts that say, "Read me." He recommends watching A Man for All Seasons. Two thumbs up just for that! He quotes Popes and saints! He speaks the truth about "Planned Non-Parenthood." He dares to speak out about the negative effects about the Pill. He talks about Marxism in America. Okay, I could go on and on. Read it.

Immaculee Ilibagiza Wows the Audience

2011-01-30T11:12:00.000-08:00

As was expected, Immaculee with her incredible message of love and forgiveness wowed the crowd of 2,400 women who attended the 2011 Women of Christ Conference in Wisconsin this past weekend January 29. If you missed the conference, but want to hear Immaculee Ilibagiza, Helen M. Alvare, or Fr. Larry Richards, you can purchase either CDs or
DVDs
from
jmjmediagroup.com.

Testimony of Hope

2011-01-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

Testimony of Hope: The Spiritual Exercises of Pope John Paul II by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Pauline Books and Media, 2000.

I haven't finished reading the book. But I "had" to share this snippet.

"'I left everything to follow Jesus, because I love the defects of Jesus.'

The first defect: Jesus has a terrible memory.

On the cross, during his agony, Jesus heard the voice of the thief crucified on his right, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Lk 23:42). If I had been Jesus, I would have told him, 'I certainly will not forget you, but your crimes have to be expiated with at least twenty years of purgatory.' Instead, Jesus tells him, 'Today you will be with me in paradise' (Lk 23:43). He forgets all the man's sins. . . .

Jesus does not have a memory like mine. He not only pardons, and pardons every person, he even forgets that he has pardoned."

To be continued. . .

Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI Monday, December 20, 2010

2011-01-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
ON THE OCCASION OF CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
TO THE ROMAN CURIA

Sala Regia
Monday, 20 December 2010

Dear Cardinals,
Brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It gives me great pleasure to be here with you, dear Members of the College of Cardinals and Representatives of the Roman Curia and the Governatorato, for this traditional gathering. I extend a cordial greeting to each one of you, beginning with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, whom I thank for his sentiments of devotion and communion and for the warm good wishes that he expressed to me on behalf of all of you. Prope est jam Dominus, venite, adoremus! As one family let us contemplate the mystery of Emmanuel, God-with-us, as the Cardinal Dean has said. I gladly reciprocate his good wishes and I would like to thank all of you most sincerely, including the Papal Representatives all over the world, for the able and generous contribution that each of you makes to the Vicar of Christ and to the Church.

Excita, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni. Repeatedly during the season of Advent the Church’s liturgy prays in these or similar words. They are invocations that were probably formulated as the Roman Empire was in decline. The disintegration of the key principles of law and of the fundamental moral attitudes underpinning them burst open the dams which until that time had protected peaceful coexistence among peoples. The sun was setting over an entire world. Frequent natural disasters further increased this sense of insecurity. There was no power in sight that could put a stop to this decline. All the more insistent, then, was the invocation of the power of God: the plea that he might come and protect his people from all these threats.

Excita, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni. Today too, we have many reasons to associate ourselves with this Advent prayer of the Church. For all its new hopes and possibilities, our world is at the same time troubled by the sense that moral consensus is collapsing, consensus without which juridical and political structures cannot function. Consequently the forces mobilized for the defence of such structures seem doomed to failure.

Excita – the prayer recalls the cry addressed to the Lord who was sleeping in the disciples’ storm-tossed boat as it was close to sinking. When his powerful word had calmed the storm, he rebuked the disciples for their little faith (cf. Mt 8:26 et par.). He wanted to say: it was your faith that was sleeping. He will say the same thing to us. Our faith too is often asleep. Let us ask him, then, to wake us from the sleep of a faith grown tired, and to restore to that faith the power to move mountains – that is, to order justly the affairs of the world.

Excita, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni: amid the great tribulations to which we have been exposed during the past year, this Advent prayer has frequently been in my mind and on my lips. We had begun the Year for Priests with great joy and, thank God, we were also able to conclude it with great gratitude, despite the fact that it unfolded so differently from the way we had expected. Among us priests and among the lay faithful, especially the young, there was a renewed awareness of what a great gift the Lord has entrusted to us in the priesthood of the Catholic Church. We realized afresh how beautiful it is that human beings are fully authorized to pronounce in God’s name the word of forgiveness, and are thus able to change the world, to change life; we realized how beautiful it is that human beings may utter the words of consecration, through which the Lord draws a part of the world into himself, and so transforms it at one point in its very substance; we realized how beautiful it is to be able, with the Lord’s strength, to be close to people in their joys and sufferings, in the important moments of their lives and in their dark times; how beautiful it is to have as one’s life task not this or that, but simply human life itself – helping people to open themselves to God and to live from God. We were all the more dismayed, then, when in this year of all years and to a degree we could not have imagined, we came to know of abuse of minors committed by priests who twist the sacrament into its antithesis, and under the mantle of the sacred profoundly wound human persons in their childhood, damaging them for a whole lifetime.

In this context, a vision of Saint Hildegard of Bingen came to my mind, a vision which describes in a shocking way what we have lived through this past year. “In the year of our Lord’s incarnation 1170, I had been lying on my sick-bed for a long time when, fully conscious in body and in mind, I had a vision of a woman of such beauty that the human mind is unable to comprehend. She stretched in height from earth to heaven. Her face shone with exceeding brightness and her gaze was fixed on heaven. She was dressed in a dazzling robe of white silk and draped in a cloak, adorned with stones of great price. On her feet she wore shoes of onyx. But her face was stained with dust, her robe was ripped down the right side, her cloak had lost its sheen of beauty and her shoes had been blackened. And she herself, in a voice loud with sorrow, was calling to the heights of heaven, saying, ‘Hear, heaven, how my face is sullied; mourn, earth, that my robe is torn; tremble, abyss, because my shoes are blackened!’

And she continued: ‘I lay hidden in the heart of the Father until the Son of Man, who was conceived and born in virginity, poured out his blood. With that same blood as his dowry, he made me his betrothed.

For my Bridegroom’s wounds remain fresh and open as long as the wounds of men’s sins continue to gape. And Christ’s wounds remain open because of the sins of priests. They tear my robe, since they are violators of the Law, the Gospel and their own priesthood; they darken my cloak by neglecting, in every way, the precepts which they are meant to uphold; my shoes too are blackened, since priests do not keep to the straight paths of justice, which are hard and rugged, or set good examples to those beneath them. Nevertheless, in some of them I find the splendour of truth.’

And I heard a voice from heaven which said: ‘This image represents the Church. For this reason, O you who see all this and who listen to the word of lament, proclaim it to the priests who are destined to offer guidance and instruction to God’s people and to whom, as to the apostles, it was said: go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation’ (Mk 16:15)” (Letter to Werner von Kirchheim and his Priestly Community: PL 197, 269ff.).

In the vision of Saint Hildegard, the face of the Church is stained with dust, and this is how we have seen it. Her garment is torn – by the sins of priests. The way she saw and expressed it is the way we have experienced it this year. We must accept this humiliation as an exhortation to truth and a call to renewal. Only the truth saves. We must ask ourselves what we can do to repair as much as possible the injustice that has occurred. We must ask ourselves what was wrong in our proclamation, in our whole way of living the Christian life, to allow such a thing to happen. We must discover a new resoluteness in faith and in doing good. We must be capable of doing penance. We must be determined to make every possible effort in priestly formation to prevent anything of the kind from happening again. This is also the moment to offer heartfelt thanks to all those who work to help victims and to restore their trust in the Church, their capacity to believe her message. In my meetings with victims of this sin, I have also always found people who, with great dedication, stand alongside those who suffer and have been damaged. This is also the occasion to thank the many good priests who act as channels of the Lord’s goodness in humility and fidelity and, amid the devastations, bear witness to the unforfeited beauty of the priesthood.

We are well aware of the particular gravity of this sin committed by priests and of our corresponding responsibility. But neither can we remain silent regarding the context of these times in which these events have come to light. There is a market in child pornography that seems in some way to be considered more and more normal by society. The psychological destruction of children, in which human persons are reduced to articles of merchandise, is a terrifying sign of the times. From Bishops of developing countries I hear again and again how sexual tourism threatens an entire generation and damages its freedom and its human dignity. The Book of Revelation includes among the great sins of Babylon – the symbol of the world’s great irreligious cities – the fact that it trades with bodies and souls and treats them as commodities (cf. Rev 18:13). In this context, the problem of drugs also rears its head, and with increasing force extends its octopus tentacles around the entire world – an eloquent expression of the tyranny of mammon which perverts mankind. No pleasure is ever enough, and the excess of deceiving intoxication becomes a violence that tears whole regions apart – and all this in the name of a fatal misunderstanding of freedom which actually undermines man’s freedom and ultimately destroys it.

In order to resist these forces, we must turn our attention to their ideological foundations. In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorized as something fully in conformity with man and even with children. This, however, was part of a fundamental perversion of the concept of ethos. It was maintained – even within the realm of Catholic theology – that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a “better than” and a “worse than”. Nothing is good or bad in itself. Everything depends on the circumstances and on the end in view. Anything can be good or also bad, depending upon purposes and circumstances. Morality is replaced by a calculus of consequences, and in the process it ceases to exist. The effects of such theories are evident today. Against them, Pope John Paul II, in his 1993 Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor, indicated with prophetic force in the great rational tradition of Christian ethos the essential and permanent foundations of moral action. Today, attention must be focussed anew on this text as a path in the formation of conscience. It is our responsibility to make these criteria audible and intelligible once more for people today as paths of true humanity, in the context of our paramount concern for mankind.

As my second point, I should like to say a word about the Synod of the Churches of the Middle East. This began with my journey to Cyprus, where I was able to consign the Instrumentum Laboris of the Synod to the Bishops of those countries who were assembled there. The hospitality of the Orthodox Church was unforgettable, and we experienced it with great gratitude. Even if full communion is not yet granted to us, we have nevertheless established with joy that the basic form of the ancient Church unites us profoundly with one another: the sacramental office of Bishops as the bearer of apostolic tradition, the reading of Scripture according to the hermeneutic of the Regula fidei, the understanding of Scripture in its manifold unity centred on Christ, developed under divine inspiration, and finally, our faith in the central place of the Eucharist in the Church’s life. Thus we experienced a living encounter with the riches of the rites of the ancient Church that are also found within the Catholic Church. We celebrated the liturgy with Maronites and with Melchites, we celebrated in the Latin rite, we experienced moments of ecumenical prayer with the Orthodox, and we witnessed impressive manifestations of the rich Christian culture of the Christian East. But we also saw the problem of the divided country. The wrongs and the deep wounds of the past were all too evident, but so too was the desire for the peace and communion that had existed before. Everyone knows that violence does not bring progress – indeed, it gave rise to the present situation. Only in a spirit of compromise and mutual understanding can unity be re-established. To prepare the people for this attitude of peace is an essential task of pastoral ministry.

During the Synod itself, our gaze was extended over the whole of the Middle East, where the followers of different religions – as well as a variety of traditions and distinct rites – live together. As far as Christians are concerned, there are Pre-Chalcedonian as well as Chalcedonian churches; there are churches in communion with Rome and others that are outside that communion; in both cases, multiple rites exist alongside one another. In the turmoil of recent years, the tradition of peaceful coexistence has been shattered and tensions and divisions have grown, with the result that we witness with increasing alarm acts of violence in which there is no longer any respect for what the other holds sacred, in which on the contrary the most elementary rules of humanity collapse. In the present situation, Christians are the most oppressed and tormented minority. For centuries they lived peacefully together with their Jewish and Muslim neighbours. During the Synod we listened to wise words from the Counsellor of the Mufti of the Republic of Lebanon against acts of violence targeting Christians. He said: when Christians are wounded, we ourselves are wounded. Unfortunately, though, this and similar voices of reason, for which we are profoundly grateful, are too weak. Here too we come up against an unholy alliance between greed for profit and ideological blindness. On the basis of the spirit of faith and its rationality, the Synod developed a grand concept of dialogue, forgiveness and mutual acceptance, a concept that we now want to proclaim to the world. The human being is one, and humanity is one. Whatever damage is done to another in any one place, ends up by damaging everyone. Thus the words and ideas of the Synod must be a clarion call, addressed to all people with political or religious responsibility, to put a stop to Christianophobia; to rise up in defence of refugees and all who are suffering, and to revitalize the spirit of reconciliation. In the final analysis, healing can only come from deep faith in God’s reconciling love. Strengthening this faith, nourishing it and causing it to shine forth is the Church’s principal task at this hour.

I would willingly speak in some detail of my unforgettable journey to the United Kingdom, but I will limit myself to two points that are connected with the theme of the responsibility of Christians at this time and with the Church’s task to proclaim the Gospel. My thoughts go first of all to the encounter with the world of culture in Westminster Hall, an encounter in which awareness of shared responsibility at this moment in history created great attention which, in the final analysis, was directed to the question of truth and faith itself. It was evident to all that the Church has to make her own contribution to this debate. Alexis de Tocqueville, in his day, observed that democracy in America had become possible and had worked because there existed a fundamental moral consensus which, transcending individual denominations, united everyone. Only if there is such a consensus on the essentials can constitutions and law function. This fundamental consensus derived from the Christian heritage is at risk wherever its place, the place of moral reasoning, is taken by the purely instrumental rationality of which I spoke earlier. In reality, this makes reason blind to what is essential. To resist this eclipse of reason and to preserve its capacity for seeing the essential, for seeing God and man, for seeing what is good and what is true, is the common interest that must unite all people of good will. The very future of the world is at stake.

Finally I should like to recall once more the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. Why was he beatified? What does he have to say to us? Many responses could be given to these questions, which were explored in the context of the beatification. I would like to highlight just two aspects which belong together and which, in the final analysis, express the same thing. The first is that we must learn from Newman’s three conversions, because they were steps along a spiritual path that concerns us all. Here I would like to emphasize just the first conversion: to faith in the living God. Until that moment, Newman thought like the average men of his time and indeed like the average men of today, who do not simply exclude the existence of God, but consider it as something uncertain, something with no essential role to play in their lives. What appeared genuinely real to him, as to the men of his and our day, is the empirical, matter that can be grasped. This is the “reality” according to which one finds one’s bearings. The “real” is what can be grasped, it is the things that can be calculated and taken in one’s hand. In his conversion, Newman recognized that it is exactly the other way round: that God and the soul, man’s spiritual identity, constitute what is genuinely real, what counts. These are much more real than objects that can be grasped. This conversion was a Copernican revolution. What had previously seemed unreal and secondary was now revealed to be the genuinely decisive element. Where such a conversion takes place, it is not just a person’s theory that changes: the fundamental shape of life changes. We are all in constant need of such conversion: then we are on the right path.

The driving force that impelled Newman along the path of conversion was conscience. But what does this mean? In modern thinking, the word “conscience” signifies that for moral and religious questions, it is the subjective dimension, the individual, that constitutes the final authority for decision. The world is divided into the realms of the objective and the subjective. To the objective realm belong things that can be calculated and verified by experiment. Religion and morals fall outside the scope of these methods and are therefore considered to lie within the subjective realm. Here, it is said, there are in the final analysis no objective criteria. The ultimate instance that can decide here is therefore the subject alone, and precisely this is what the word “conscience” expresses: in this realm only the individual, with his intuitions and experiences, can decide. Newman’s understanding of conscience is diametrically opposed to this. For him, “conscience” means man’s capacity for truth: the capacity to recognize precisely in the decision-making areas of his life – religion and morals – a truth, the truth. At the same time, conscience – man’s capacity to recognize truth – thereby imposes on him the obligation to set out along the path towards truth, to seek it and to submit to it wherever he finds it. Conscience is both capacity for truth and obedience to the truth which manifests itself to anyone who seeks it with an open heart. The path of Newman’s conversions is a path of conscience – not a path of self-asserting subjectivity but, on the contrary, a path of obedience to the truth that was gradually opening up to him. His third conversion, to Catholicism, required him to give up almost everything that was dear and precious to him: possessions, profession, academic rank, family ties and many friends. The sacrifice demanded of him by obedience to the truth, by his conscience, went further still. Newman had always been aware of having a mission for England. But in the Catholic theology of his time, his voice could hardly make itself heard. It was too foreign in the context of the prevailing form of theological thought and devotion. In January 1863 he wrote in his diary these distressing words: “As a Protestant, I felt my religion dreary, but not my life - but, as a Catholic, my life dreary, not my religion”. He had not yet arrived at the hour when he would be an influential figure. In the humility and darkness of obedience, he had to wait until his message was taken up and understood. In support of the claim that Newman’s concept of conscience matched the modern subjective understanding, people often quote a letter in which he said – should he have to propose a toast – that he would drink first to conscience and then to the Pope. But in this statement, “conscience” does not signify the ultimately binding quality of subjective intuition. It is an expression of the accessibility and the binding force of truth: on this its primacy is based. The second toast can be dedicated to the Pope because it is his task to demand obedience to the truth.

I must refrain from speaking of my remarkable journeys to Malta, Portugal and Spain. In these it once again became evident that the faith is not a thing of the past, but an encounter with the God who lives and acts now. He challenges us and he opposes our indolence, but precisely in this way he opens the path towards true joy.

Excita, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni. We set out from this plea for the presence of God’s power in our time and from the experience of his apparent absence. If we keep our eyes open as we look back over the year that is coming to an end, we can see clearly that God’s power and goodness are also present today in many different ways. So we all have reason to thank him. Along with thanks to the Lord I renew my thanks to all my co-workers. May God grant to all of us a holy Christmas and may he accompany us with his blessings in the coming year.

I entrust these prayerful sentiments to the intercession of the Holy Virgin, Mother of the Redeemer, and I impart to all of you and to the great family of the Roman Curia a heartfelt Apostolic Blessing. Happy Christmas!

This article can be found on

Vatican. va

Pope John Paul II to be beatified on May 1

2011-01-15T06:16:00.000-08:00

Pope John Paul II will be beatified on May 1 2011!
For more info. you can read about it here.
Catholic Culture

The Great Race

2011-01-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

The Great Race

March 27th, 2010 by Elizabeth Yank

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are quite the experience, not so much for me as for those watching me. Really, they are not looking at me so much as they are looking at my three-year-old twin nephews.

What’s so interesting? At the present time, I am taking my nephews to speech therapy at a local Catholic hospital. The parking facility is next to the hospital, which means that we usually drive up to the fourth floor next to the elevator so that we don’t have to cross much traffic. After disembarking from the car, the twins burst forth, racing to the building. In fact, that is just the beginning of the Great Race.

Since it is winter, they are bundled in bulky, winter jackets with warm, woolen caps, but that does not deter them. Once inside the building, they compete to be the first to push the elevator button. Lately, Michael has decided elevators are scary. Before crossing the threshold, he hesitates, looking down the elevator shaft, and quickly hops across the crack before he runs to the back of the elevator.

The competition between twin boys does not end. Who would have thought it would begin so young? Who is the first in the building? Who is the first to press the button calling the elevator? Who is the first to press the button for the floor? Quick cover the alarm bell before they press that!

Once inside, we count the floors down. As soon as the door slides open, they burst forth and bolt down the hall. They are on a quest, a mission: who will be the first to press the handicap button that opens the next door. Gabriel takes the lead. I can hardly keep up. He smacks the button and yells his self-congratulatory, “Yeah!” as he turns around looking for affirmation. With the doors magically opened, his self-praise reaffirmed by my “Good job!” he smiles a beaming smile and races on with his brother, Michael trailing close behind.

On to the next goal: after dashing down a long sidewalk they pause in front of the sliding doors with a cursory glance behind to see if my daughter and I are close behind before they enter. The valet service greets everyone with a cheerful, “Good Morning,” as they head on to the giant revolving doors with me a few paces behind. “Good Morning,” I reply.

While they are trapped together for a few moments, Michael wants to explore the door, trapping us inside. “Just keep walking.” As soon as the door allows, Gabriel explodes out. With giggles, smiles and legs churning with energy, they whisk past the information desk. “Good morning,” I reply back to the two ladies.

The boys charge past admitting, the coffee shop, the lab, the gift shop, the pharmacy, and more — their energy is not lagging. They turn left, right, and dash down the corridor, never stopping, always giggling, Michael wobbling. They turn right again on to their next destination and wait at the elevator.

You would think that people would be irritated by their rambunctious behavior. On the contrary, people smile in amazement. “Oh, two,” is the often heard comment. Most likely, they are happy to have a digression from thinking about where they are. After all, who is overjoyed to have a blood test, x-ray, or MRI? I’m guessing most people are not there for the joy of seeing a newborn or some other happy event. They would probably rather be anywhere than the hospital. Many are half-asleep in the admitting area early in the morning when this sudden burst of whirlwind giggles comes tearing through.

We are not done with our journey yet. They vie once more to push the up button. Michael hops over the crack and scampers to the back. Then we count the floors as the numbers light up. Once on the seventh floor, we go around the corner to the waiting area, our maze completed. They even compete to see who will shed his jacket first and who will be the first to the push the beads across the wires on the toy.

What’s most amazing about the reaction the boys receive is the smiles they elicit from others. They bring unexpected joy and delight to others. Their mother chose life for them. If I were to relate the circumstances surrounding their mother’s health and living situation, in a cold, impersonal, Planned Parenthood world, more than one person would have advised this mother to have had an abortion. Life, however, may not be perfect, but it is beautiful. For right now, I don’t need to join the Fitness Center; I get my workout every Tuesday and Wednesday with the Great Race.

Published by Catholic Exchange

Mercy for the Asking

2011-01-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

Mercy for the Asking

April 24th, 2009 by Elizabeth Yank

When something happens three or more times in my life, I know it’s God saying, “Wake up!” He might not hit me over the head literally, but He knows if He wants to catch my attention He will have to repeat himself. He is all too aware that I am easily distracted and the best way to catch my attention is to keep putting things in my way. Sooner or later I will have to see the connection.

First, I was given a prayer card for the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I tucked it in my purse and life went on. Then, I was asked to review a book titled, Pope Benedict’s Divine Mercy Mandate. It’s a wonderful book that clearly explains that God’s mercy is not just another devotion. It puts Divine Mercy into perspective.

But God wasn’t finished with me yet. I bought a small picture frame. When I got home, I realized it was too small for the picture I wanted to use. I made an offhand comment to my daughter, “I bet that would be the perfect size for a holy card.”

My other daughter, then, slipped in the Divine Mercy picture. This morning she informed me that her two favorite pictures are “Let the Little Children Come to Me” and “Jesus, I trust in you.” She didn’t call it the Divine Mercy picture, but the saying that is associated with it, “Jesus, I Trust in you.”

That is perhaps one of the hardest things in my life, to trust Jesus, to implicitly trust in God’s goodness, to recognize that He can take the most abysmal situation and turn it around and use it for our good. When we are in the midst of a hopeless situation, it is hard to see the light of Christ, let alone know that He has the power to heal all.

God wasn’t finished with me yet. At the Women of Christ Conference, I heard Fr. Christopher Crotty. What was his message? The mercy of God. What order does he belong to? The Fathers of Mercy. I purchased his audio tapes, highly recommended by an acquaintance. Now I am drenching myself in his message of God’s merciful love.

Years ago I read the biography of St. Faustina. Her message of God’s merciful love is desperately needed in our times. Her message is really God’s message. He is offering us an answer to all our problems; He is offering to heal our wounds. But are we too stubborn and proud to open ourselves to God’s mercy? God’s mercy is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is waiting for us. We need to say, “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.” Let us not be too proud to beg for His mercy.

Published by Catholic Exchange

The Woman I Was Born to Be

2011-01-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

The Woman I Was Born to Be: My Story by Susan Boyle, HC, Atria, 2010. This book was more than an inspiration, it was reaffirming what I always say, "Everyone has a gift." Stigmatized as a young child that she has a disability, Susan fought her whole life to find her gift. It was surprising to learn how much her faith played a part in her life. Entertaining! Absorbing! I found it hard to put down.

Adventures in Knitting and Crocheting

2011-01-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

When my daughters expressed an interest in crocheting and knitting, little did I know how far reaching our society’s cultural illiteracy and pagan values had filtered into even the most benign of subjects!

While scanning the library catalog for titles related to crocheting and knitting, I found two books that gave me pause to wonder about our society’s confused values and warped thinking.

Under the subject “knitting humor” I found the “catchy” title, Yarn Harlot: the secret life of a knitter. Now this book might be quite funny, and obviously the author has quite a following since she has written sequels, but does this woman really understand what a harlot is? Does anyone really want to call herself a prostitute, even in jest? Do words no longer have any authenticity?

I am sure, for whatever reason, this lady thinks she is funny. I guess I would have to read the book. Not to be a stick-in-the-mud, but “harlot” is not a “funny” word. Women who are prostitutes aren’t engaged in their behavior because they recognize their self worth as children of God. Nor do they recognize that they have immortal souls that are precious in God’s eyes. How many have come from traumatic backgrounds of sexual and physical abuse and disturbing neglect?

It is a dangerous world we live in when we invert the meaning of words. When good things become bad or sources of ridicule or bad things are passed off as good—or “What is your problem? Why don’t you get a life?” attitude, then we live in a world of mass confusion. Is there no longer an objective moral right and wrong?

Isn’t that really what the devil wants? To create an illusion, a mirage.

Then there was the other surprise listed in the library catalog under crocheting children’s literature: Crochet: fantastic jewelry, hats, purses, pillows & more. Sounds innocuous enough until you read the book’s description. After wading through the usual hype of why this book is so great and what you will find inside its pages, the reader is excited to learn that “From colorful shoelaces to shimmering amulet bags, these 50 crocheted creations will enchant kids” . . . Just what I want for my child: an amulet bag, not of course, a rosary case!

What is an amulet? Merriam-Webster tells us “a charm (as an ornament) often inscribed with a magic incantation or symbol to aid the wearer or protect against evil (as disease or witchcraft).” Let’s dig a little deeper. What’s an incantation? Once again Merriam-Webster provides the meaning: “A use of spells or verbal charms spoken or sung as a part of a ritual of magic; also: a written or recited formula of words designed to produce a particular effect.” To translate, what we are talking about here is magic, witchcraft, and/or the occult. It’s not just a good luck charm or talisman (which by the way, is still problematic and not just because it is found in many pagan and other non-Christian religions).

What does the Catholic Church have to say about this? If we go to the CCC, we find two entries. “All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. . . . Wearing charms is also reprehensible. . . . Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity” (2117). “Superstition is a departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is manifested in idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic” (2138).

What does this all mean? On even the simplest levels and in the most apparently innocent appearing subjects, faulty thinking like carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, which is deadly, is infiltrating society on all levels.

Not to be politically incorrect, but “man” is a spiritual being. We desire to fill our souls. We need to pose the question, “What are we filling our souls with?”

What should our response be? We need to recognize that words have meaning. We need to use the correct meaning of words. We need to educate our children in their faith, so they won’t grow up believing in this mumbo jumbo. It is not the responsibility of someone else. We as parents are the ones who have the day to day contact with them. Too many people have bought into the myth that I don’t need to educate my child in the faith. I will let my child decide for himself when he grows up. Do we let our children eat whatever they want? Why not let them indulge in a diet of candy and chips? After all, that is what they want. We need to recognize that we live in a post Christian era, where even many adults do not know their own faith. We need to unabashedly reclaim our Christian values. When that happens, people will think it is more “cool” to wear crosses around their necks than amulets.

How Great Our Joy!

2010-12-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

How great our joy! Great our joy! Joy, joy, joy!

Memories Before and After the Sound of Music: An Autobiography, Review

2010-12-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

Memories Before and After the Sound of Music: An Autobiography by Agathe Von Trapp, pbk, 2010.

Memories Before and After the Sound of Music: An Autobiography is the true story of the Von Trapp Family Singers, made famous through the movie/musical The Sound of Music. Told from the point of view of Agathe, the oldest girl and 2nd oldest child, she shares her experiences of what it was like to grow up in the Von Trapp family.

As stated in the title, the story begins long before "Maria" enters the picture. In fact, it begins with how Agatha's first mother met her father, fell in love, married him and together raised their growing family--a child approximately every 2 years.

She talks about her happy childhood when they were living with her Grandmother during WWI in the Austrian Alps on a lake, while her father served as a submarine captain.

Especially interesting was to learn how little remarks can have a profound effect on a child, like her governess talking to her about God, as they were out taking a nature walk.

Sometime after the War, the children and then her mother came down with Scarlett fever. Sadly, her mother died, leaving behind 7 children who loved and missed her dearly.

At a later date, "Maria" entered the picture. Agatha's father eventually married her, even though she was much younger. The story continues up to 2002 with Agatha sharing her happy memories of her family sailing with their father, touring around the world as a singing group, the development of the lodge and summer music camps and the need to breakup the musical group, so they could develop their own talents. The book includes many private family photos.

In seeking to correct the many inaccuracies of the movie/musical, Agatha brings to light a moving portrait of a wonderful childhood from another era. Even though there was great strife in the world throughout her childhood and young adult life--World War I, World War II, starvation, economic insecurites, her mother losing all her inheritance through a bank failure, political instabiliy, etc.--, we see a family that values the beauty and joy of children, willing to sacrfice through hard work and ingenuity to give their children a warm and loving family life.

The story is a stark contrast to the empty values of modern society. Agatha's story is a refreshing reminder that life is never easy, but it does have purpose. The sacrifices and loving attention of the parents are returned a hundred fold to the parents through their children's love and devotion. From the opening pages its hard not to miss Agatha's loving adoration of her parents--not because of things, but because they loved their children, they inspired their devotion. May we as parents inspire such devotion and love. Memories Before and After the Sound of Music: An Autobiography is a heartwarming story that you will find inspiring as well as hard to put down.

A Memory for Wonders: A True Story: Review

2010-12-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

A Memory for Wonders: A True Story by Veronica Namoyo Le Goulard, Ignatius Press, pbk, 1993. I don't know where I picked up this inspiring, true story. But when I did I added it to my vast collection. Since I was bedridden, I scanned my shelves and found this unbelievable story. What is so unbelievable? This is the story of a French girl whose communist parents fled their Catholic, French roots to bring up their daughter in the ideal world, where they alone could influence her and bring her up without the trappings of her Catholic faith, especially her grandparent's ideas. Although they sought to stamp out God in her impressionable young mind, they could not stop God from seeking her out on his own terms. This gripping story will keep you wanting to read more.

Books for Teen Boys

2010-12-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

As a mom, I am often looking for good books that I can hand on to my children. When they become teens, I hope to find books that offer them inspiration and guidance, especially through heroic "characters." Most, but not all, of the books listed here are biographies. I chose these books because the main "character" is always striving to do the right thing and often against incredible odds. Since many of these books are about interesting, real people, it gives us a starting point to discuss the issues presented in them.

Dominic Savio: Teenage Saint (The Life of Dominic Savio: Teenage Saint) by Peter Lappin, many editions, hc, or pbk, OP
Dominic faces many trials after he begins school with Don Bosco.

Grunt Padre by Fr. Daniel Mode, CMJ Marian Publishers, 2000, hc or pbk, 212 pp.
The fascinating story of Fr. Capodanno's heroic life during the war in Vietnam.

With God in Russia by Walter J. Ciszek, Ignatius Press, 1997, pb, or e-book, 433 pp.
Fr. Ciszek survived 23 years of the horrific conditions of the Russian prison camps after World War II. This is his incredible story of hope.

Parish Priest: Father McGivney and American Catholicism by Douglas Brinkley, Harper Perennial, 2007, hc, CD audio book, e-book, 272 pp.
While he is noted as the founder of the Knights of Columbus, this inspiring story of Father McGivney focuses on his tireless devotion of helping those in need.

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life by Tony Dungy, Tyndale House Publishers, hc, pbk, Audio CD, DVD, 352 pp.
Known as the Superbowl winning coach of Indianapolis Colts, this is much more than a success story; it is the story of how his Christian faith influenced the decisions in his life.

Priestblock 25487: A Memoir of Dachau by Jean Bernard, Zaccheus Press, 2007, 197 pp.
In this gripping story, we learn of Fr. Jean Bernard's courageous struggle to stay alive in the Dachau concentration camp.

The Catholic Book of Character and Success or How to Live Nobly and Well by Edward F. Garesche, Sophia Institute Pres, 2008, pbk, 153 pp.
Sophia Institute changed the title of the book, so it is the same book.This is not a biography.
In a world filled with temptations seeking to destroy young people, Fr. Garesche shows them how to gain lasting happiness through a concrete plan for success.

A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio FrassatiA Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati by Luciana Frassati, Ignatius Press, 2001, 179 pp.
His sister offers us some wonderful insights into his Christian character. Because of his parents, he hid his dynamic faith. Like many university students, he was actively involved in politics. Unlike many students, he showed compassion for the poor by helping them through his good works. Always joyful, he was liked by many. More importantly, he strived to imitate Christ in everything.

The Shadow of His Wings: The True Story of Fr. Gereon Goldman OFM Gereon Karl Goldman, Ignatius Press, 2000, pbk, Audio CD, E-book, 345 pp.
After Gereon, a young seminarian, is drafted into the SS, he is persecuted for his faith. This is his amazing story of how he lived his faith.

Updated: 6/9/2010. Added another book.

Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex and Brett Harris, Multnomah, 2008, hc, 242 pp. Audio CD, Kindle. Teens, Alex and Brett Harris, challenge other teens to live beyond the cultural norm of low expectations and little responsibilities. Inspiring! A book that everyone should read and ask, "What are the hard things God is asking me to do?"

Updated: 12/3/2010

Be a Man!: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be by Fr. Larry Richards, Ignatius, 2009, pbk, 196 pp. Fr. Larry Richards challenges men of all ages to be the men God called them to be. Encouraging! Reminds them to focus on what is most important in their lives, beginning with their end goal in life. For a more in depth review, I posted one on amazon.