Wherein I rant! : Bad Catechism and Confirmation

In plain English.....

It is incredibly sad that many students see the sacrament of Confirmation as a sort of "graduation" from catechism class. After all, they receive gowns, certificates (diplomas) get to walk across stage (along the altar rail), get dressed up, celebrate with family, get to take pictures at the end, and never have to report with their catechism books and pencils ever again. After Confirmation, the Confirmation "CLASS" never again is required to attend "mandatory" class Masses, do homework about the Sunday Scripture, write essays about their "favorite" saints who most of them have no devotion to other than they share a name with a family member, or think about going to church. After all, no one is going to go after them if they don't go to church, and if someone does, they're a "Jesus freak" that is a loser for wasting time on Sundays when they should be hanging out at the local varsity football game. 

Throughout their catechism careers as students, these kids week after week (for the most part) fought their parents on going to class. Excuses being that they don't need any extra schooling, it's boring, and it's irrelevant to everyday life. However, most parents, though they themselves agree with those claims, force their kids to go to catechism for a number of different reasons. Common reasons are:
1. To get that picture of your son/daughter in a red gown that everyone else has in their living room.
2. I suffered through it; they should too.
3. What would happen if my mother (who goes to daily mass and is head of the Rosary Society) found out that I didn't send my kid to catechism.
4. Everyone else is forcing their kids to do it.
 and the mother of all reasons,
5. I want my son/daughter to be able to get married in church.

Since too many parents tend to agree with the idea that catechism, God  and church aren't important things in life, they let their kids treat Confirmation as a graduation and therefore an end of something rather than what it truly is, a beginning of something even greater. 

Confirmation can be summed up in 3 letters: GAP.
G  ifts of the Holy Spirit received- consecration to the Holy Spirit
A  dulthood spiritually- take complete responsibility in conjunction with sacramental grace
P  romises of Baptism renewed and made your own

All three of those points us to a new life in Christ, a spiritual adulthood if I may call it that. Confirmation gives us the tools to handle that spiritual adulthood. Those tools are the sacramental grace of the  7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

• Wisdom

• Understanding

• Counsel

• Fortitude

• Knowledge

• Piety

• Fear of the Lord

Yes, these are VERY important for someone to have!!! Therefore, it is very important that you take your Confirmation seriously because it's your life not mine, and these tools are gifts from above to make your life and the lives of others BETTER! 

It is with these very important tools, that I pray all confirmandi go out into the world and do God's will. Confirmation is the start of a new chapter of your life in which YOU have the reigns to steer your soul on the course of your choosing. Let that course be one in accordance with God's will. I pray that your life story and mine ends with heaven as our eternal epilogue. 

Congratulations on your Confirmation, and may the Lord's work be ever done through your hands.

May God bless and reward you! 

Can You Imagine?

 +JMJ+

"Fratres: obsecro vos ego vinctus in Domino, ut digne ambuletis vocatione, qua vocate estis."     -Ephesians 4:1

"Brethren: I beseech you, I, a prisoner of the Lord, that you might walk worthy of the vocation which you have received." -Ephesians 4:1

What's your vocation? What are you called to do with the life which was given to you?

Perhaps you're called to be a consecrated religious or cleric. Have you considered these options fairly if at all? In my opinion, if you're a girl, you haven't fairly considered the option of religious life as a vocation if you haven't checked out the group called "Imagine Sisters". 

From their website:

"Imagine Sisters is a grassroots, web-based movement to promote young women’s vocations to religious life. Our team is comprised of Sisters, young women, and seminarians from around the United States. We want to show the world the beauty, joy, purpose, and fun of becoming a sister in the 21st century!

The sisters featured on the Imagine Sisters website and films are from orders that have graciously provided our content and support for our movement."

Imagine Sisters isn't just for women to discern the vocation to active religious orders. They're very big on sharing info about contemplative life as well. It's mission is exactly as stated above: "to promote young women's vocations to religious life."  Ladies, I invite you to check out this amazing organization to help you see if religious life is you're calling. May God bless you, and may God bless the Imagine Sisters Movement!

Check it out!!

www.imaginesisters.org

Liturgical Music

On Monday, September 10, 2012 I embarked on retreat with a choral group that I belong to, Kellenberg Memorial High School's Gregorian Consortium. The retreat served a practical purpose because the following morning, the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2012 we went together to Point Lookout Beach to sing at the Town of Hempstead 9/11 Memorial Service. Naturally, as a liturgical choir going on retreat for the first time together, the theme of the retreat was music.

Monday night, we gathered in the retreat house living room and took 5 minutes to write down the names of a few artists whose music reached us emotionally on a personal level and why. We also had to come up with, in lieu of the annual letter of intent, a few reasons why providing liturgical music is important. Then we would all share.

My list was unique, to say the least. The Carpenters, The Bee Gees, L'Angelus, & the choir at St. Ladislaus (my parish). I explained that Karen Carpenter's voice was just enough to make me cry, how the Bee Gees reminded me of my grandfather who I love dearly, and how the power behind the music of L'Angelus was great and how when I think about that band, I see a musical family who seems to have a wonderful example of what Catholic joy is all about.

Then I got to the St. Ladislaus Choir. I said a little something like this:

"So, as some of you may know, I attend Mass that is said in a different rite than all of you. In the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, also affectionately called the Traditional Latin Mass, it's not like the English one because there isn't too much dialogue between the priest and the congregation. It provides a plentiful amount of time to pray and meditate on what is going on at Mass before you because as you follow along you don't have to worry about what to respond and such. It's generally very quiet. However, and this is especially true for Missa Cantata, or Sung High Mass... As for any of you that take Spanish, "cantar" means "to sing". ... Anyway, there is plenty of time for you to be there absorbing the sacrifice that is going on before your very eyes, and to allow the music provided to permeate every fiber of your being. And when you encounter the beautiful music in a way you are encountering the Divine. Because "God is Ultimate Beauty". Art matters because it elevates your spiritual experience by exposing you to the beautiful which is in a sense exposing you to God."

I would like to share that with all of you because many people out there in the Church are involved with or are exposed to Liturgical music ministry in some way shape or form. When we encounter beautiful music, we experience God in a similar way to when we encounter truth and love. Please support those who provide liturgical and religious music to your parishes and in your schools and universities. Whether that be by joining their ranks or making a donation or other contribution to bringing what is beautiful to the faithful.

 Kellenberg Memorial High School Gregorian Consortium

We Are Catholic

Catholic Identity needs to be shared among all those who call themselves Catholic. If you're curious about Catholicism, fallen away from Catholicism or are looking to deepen your Catholic faith, please feel free to contact me, and I can help you find someone or something to aid you on your way! 

How Do You Measure Up?

+JMJ+

Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

How does your life measure up to the lives of others? In the race to have the biggest yet thinnest television set on the block for Sunday football, are you leading? Do you have the most expensive car on the street? Are you living in the biggest house in the neighborhood? Is your boat the newest at the marina? Is your spouse in better physical shape than your co-worker's? Are your kids top of their class? Is your relationship with your spouse better than your romantic neighbor's?

We are constantly bombarded with these questions about how we measure up to others in society. We can so easily be distracted by a desire to be on top of everything! This desire stems from our human narcissism which we have thanks to good old Adam and Eve. (if you know what I mean) The real question we should ask ourselves is how are we living comparatively to  the way God wants us to live.

We are not meant to compare ourselves to other people. If we do that, we can be lead astray from the path which God has personally designed for us. But what does that have to do with coveting your neighbors goods and/or wife?

What your neighbor has, according to Christ, comes with a responsibility. That responsibility is to do God's will with it. Naturally, that gets more and more difficult with the more that you have because the more you have, the less likely you are to give ALL of it away. Now, we know that that does not mean give everything you have to charity, it means that you should use everything you have FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD, by using it to care for physically, mentally, and emotionally, the people of God on earth for "whatever ye shall do to the least of these my brethren ye shall have done it unto me."

Think about it the next time you turn green with envy at the sight of someone else's new iPhone or anything else. Rather than dwelling on how you'd like to have that, perhaps you should assess how you're using what you currently have to serve our Lord.

Lying in the New Testament

I know that we have already covered the seventh commandment, but I would like to share with you a story from chapter 5 of the Acts of the Apostles. It seems to be more about lying then about stealing, anyway. The New American Bible footnote reads "the sin of Ananias and Sapphira did not consist in the withholding of part of the money but in their deception of the community. Their deaths are ascribed to a lie to the Holy Spirit, i.e. , They accepted the honor of accorded them by the community for their generosity, but in reality they were not deserving of it."

So, here's the story…

A man named Ananias however, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. He retained for himself, with his wife's knowledge, some of the purchase price, took the remainder, and put it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said, "Ananias why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to the Holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land? And when it was sold was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God." When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped him up, carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, unaware of what had happened. Peter said to her, "tell me, did you sell the land for that amount?" she answered, "yes, for that amount. "Then Peter said to her, "why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, the footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out."at once, she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men entered they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Acts 5:1-11

Why Hollywood Matters

"Why do pagans make the best Christian themed movies?"

"It's Ninevah. Trust me; I live there."

Share this video with a friend if you believe God is ultimate beauty!
Especially share this video with a friend if "man-hands-mary" almost made you cry because it's so ridiculous!

You know, when it comes down to the people making the movie (towards the end) that didn't want to pay for it, relying on the intercession of St. Therese... I think God might be offended by us not offering everything we can possibly offer for him to work with even if that includes money to hire help. Granted, God is good to rely on to make a movie, but he wants to work through YOU!

Beware the Gypsies!

BEWARE THE GYPSIES! THEY WILL PICKPOCKET YOU!

Thou shalt not steal.

Have you stolen anything?

Committed deceit in gaming, reckoning, buying or selling, in wares, prices, weights or measures?

Bought of such as could not sell?

Willfully damaged another man’s goods or negligently spoiled them?

Run into debt carelessly beyond your power of payment?

A number of people in my family are going on a Mediterranean cruise with Carnival Cruise line later this year in August. I believe the vessel departs from Spain and stops at various Italian and French ports. As they begin preparing this trip in honor of my cousin’s graduation and my aunt’s 50^th birthday, they’re under a lot of stress about paying the bill. On top of that, my family is full of control freaks that just can’t help themselves but teach each other how to pack a suitcase (myself included).

One of the things that people generally don’t think about is getting what you have brought with you stolen. The fact of the matter is that it happens, and in areas of high tourism it happens quite often.

Now, almost everyone has broken this commandment, however not almost everyone is a common thief or pickpocket. For the most part, people steal things when they cut corners, cheat each other, or break something inadvertently and have no intention of either fixing or replacing it.

A lot of people, if we are to point this out, would take it with a grain of salt. They’ll say things like… “It don’t matter anyway,” or “It’s too small to make a difference” or “No one’s going to miss it” and they’ll just get rid of something from someone without  permission. I mean after all “what’s the harm in ‘checking’ to see if Suzy and I got the same answers on the quiz?”

The fact of the matter is that there is harm in that. We are hurting God, hurting ourselves by ruining our relationship with Him and the people around us. Now, some of these sins can seem very small, but they are still sins, and we shouldn’t commit them. Though all sins are forgivable, NONE are negligible otherwise they wouldn’t be sins! Our sins also have a snowball effect which lead to ... you guessed it! More SIN! 

There’s a song called “Two Sets of Jones’” by Big Tent Revival. One couple rooted their relationship in possessions, and another in Jesus Christ. If we root our lives in Christ, and live by his Word (including NOT STEALING and the rest of the commandments in the Decalogue) we will find our happiness. It’s not about the things in life, it’s all about charity, “the greatest” of virtues. 1 Corinthians 13:13

IN CONCLUSION, BE TRUE TO YOURSELF, TO OTHERS, AND TO GOD. HOLD ONTO YOUR INTEGRITY AND YOUR HONOR AND BE HONEST WHEN IT COMES TO POSESSIONS. DON’T TAKE OR DESTROY WHATEVER DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU WITHOUT PERMISSION. FIND BROTHERLY LOVE IN YOUR HEART AND TRY NOT TO CHEAT YOUR WAY JUST TO KEEP UP WITH THE JONES’S. AND, BEWARE THE GYPSIES. THEY WILL PICKPOCKET YOU FOR SURE! 

Modesty

Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery
Have you been guilty of: 
lascivious dressing or make-up
lewd company
reading immodest books
unchaste songs, discourses, looks, words, or actions with yourself or others
or
the will full attainment of impure thoughts or desires? 


All of this is difficult to get away from especially in this society which pretty much spoon-feeds you obscene things every where you go. They present to you smut around every corner and ingrain in you that this is okay. Society holds that lust, and unchaste life is healthy and beneficial to you. It paints chastity, one of the greatest virtues, as this horrible thing, which is obviously completely wrong!!! 


Enjoy this video about the necessity of modesty and understand how it can change our society and the world if everyone practiced it! 

It was Dr. Green in the Clinic with the Syringe

Thou shalt not kill. 


Many people say that this is the easiest commandment to follow, because it's already illegal to murder people right? 


On the contrary, in many cases and in many places it is perfectly legal to kill people. 


For example, capital punishment here in the USA as well as honor killings (such as those related to gang violence or Islam). 


In certain countries. Euthanasia, suicide and assisted suicide are perfectly legal. For instance, here in the USA, assisted suicide is legal in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Montana. This wicked act puts a price on life in terms of suffering, and instead of offering relief, offers permanent destruction of life. 


Perhaps the most deceptive of all mercy-killings is abortion. In an attempt to be "merciful" to the mother to whom a baby would be a burden physicians remove the life from the womb. It is deceptive because of the hidden nature of the act. It takes place right under our noses in clinics all across the world. In addition to that, the propaganda paid for by the abortion providers numbs unlearned listeners and readers of their natural detest for this unnatural and immoral act. That propaganda paints abortion as the only option for pregnant women who are surprised by a pregnancy that they did not "intend" to have, even though they themselves participated act of sexual relations with all its fecundity. However, giving birth to a child that depends on you is the correct option! Here in our society we are blessed with many programs to make an adoption process easier for you if the child should be in danger in your hands. 


So, "thou shalt not kill" is a a more difficult commandment than we all thought, because it happens right under our noses. We need to pray, and speak out against these evils so that we may not share in the blame for those horrid acts come judgement day. So that when the Lord asks you what you did to help those who depend on you the most in matters of life or death you can be prepared with an answer, do something today to defend life itself, the most beautiful gift that GOD has given to all of us! 

YOU ARE MORE

Monday's the start of a brand new work week, and despite of whatever you did in your last work week out there in this world which can seem dark and horrible, you mustn't look back on your past sins, but you must confess them and forget them. You  must never return to them. Enjoy this video.

Recognition

"Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be long-lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee" 

Have you honored your parents, superiors, or masters according to your just duty?
Have you deceived them or disobeyed them?
Have you failed to respect the elderly?


For most of us in life, we always have someone to answer to. Whether it be our parents, teachers, bosses, leaders, bishops, abbots or abbesses must obey those to whom we owe due reverence. We must respect their experience. Their hard earned experience was gained from the number of times they've "been around the block " so to speak. Their experiences can be the key to living a happy life! LEARN WISDOM!


In the instance of parents, motherhood and fatherhood, are very important vocations. To be a mother or father involves every grain of your being.They are called to be mirror images of God's love.  We are called as sons and daughters to respect and love our parents as our natural caregivers and to respect everything that they do for us for the sake of their love for us. 


As Mothers Day and Fathers Day approach, show your parents that you appreciate them! Pray for them to your heavenly Father; saints like St. Gianna, St. Monica, and other parent saints, as well as ask for our heavenly mother, Mary's intercession. 


May God Bless our Parents and Superiors and may the Holy Spirit guide them in all that they do! 

L'Angelus, the Next BIG Sensation!

I LOVE THIS GROUP!!! THEY ROCK!!! DELICIOUSLY CAJUN WITH A SWINGING COUNTRY TWANG!! NOT TO MENTION AN IDEAL REPRESENTATION OF EVERYTHING A GOOD BAND SHOULD BE!!!

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

St. Faustyna Kowalska 

On October 5, 1938, a young religious by the name Sister Faustina (Helen Kowalska) died in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow, Poland. She came from a very poor family that had struggled hard on their little farm during the terrible years of WWI. Sister had had only three years of very simple education. Hers were the humblest of tasks in the convent, usually in the kitchen or the vegetable garden, or as a porter.

On February 22, 1931, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appeared to this simple nun, bringing with Him a wonderful message of Mercy for all mankind. Saint Faustina tells us in her diary under this date:

"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord
Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing,
the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening
of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one
red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord;
my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After
a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the pattern
you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'"

Some time later, Our Lord again spoke to her:

"The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous;
the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These
two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at
that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the
Cross....Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for
the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him."

Courtesy of www.ewtn.com

Try to be MERCIFUL as God is infinitely Merciful!!! 

Sabbath

The Third Commandment:

"Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works; but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; thou shalt do no work on it, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. For six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all the things that are in them, and rested on the seventh day, therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and sanctified it."

I'm sure that almost everyone has been to family parties that are exact replicas of the party held exactly one year earlier. Have you ever noticed that conversation topics repeat over and over again? Well, in my family, one of the topics that comes up every New Years Eve is vacation time. When exactly we are planning our days off is a big ordeal so that we can all take the same days off, spend them together to do all sorts of things meanwhile aggravating everyone with all our comedy at each other's expense.

Have you ever come home from a big "family vacation" absolutely exhausted... and in need of a vacation?  Its the feeling of getting home and going right to bed because you have work tomorrow, and just spent your entire time off partying and adventuring all over creation. Truth is we need some time off from all the LABORA that we do in our daily lives.

God knows we need the rest. That's why he gives you a day off every week! Even though circumstances may force us to work on Sundays, God tells us it is important to rest ourselves and invites us to do so  in Him! St. Augustine of Hippo once said "My heart is restless, O God, until it rests in Thee." Predicting and preceding our eternal rest in heaven, God invites us to weekly go to Mass and to kneel in prayer receiving Him in His infinite COMFORT and MERCY. 

Two thousand years ago, the eternal bridegroom made a date with you every week of your life! Keep it!, and let God who is all love enter into your heart and give you His comfort and his mercy this way you may rest in Him. 

Holy Hour for Vocations

On Friday April 13, 2012 at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York a couple hundred people gathered adore our Lord, Jesus Christ, Whose body, blood, soul and divinity is present completely in the Eucharist. 


Graces were ever flowing as people aged from infancy to elderly who gathered at the Seminary said the rosary, received the Sacrament of Penance, adored the Blessed Sacrament, sang in exultation of their Lord, and received Benediction. Afterward, they shared a meal together, and gathered for some fun, joy, and fellowship around the bonfire and in the gymnasium for some friendly dodge-ball. 


It was absolutely incredible to see the love of Christ that dwells in the great number of youth that gathered there on Friday night. 


The next Holy Hour for Vocations is in September and will be held in the Parish of St. Ignatius in Hicksville, NY. 


For more information, visit   http://www.longislandpriest.com/


God Bless! 

"He Who Has No Name"

If you've ever seen the film "The Ten Commandments" which is popular around the Paschal season for its annual appearance on the television network, ABC, an something that we notice is that whenever a child if Israel is asked who their God is, they say, "The God of Abraham" or one of his descendants. This is because they do not know the name of the God which they worship. The story of Moses continues to when Moses is before God present in the burning bush. Moses asked God what his name was so that he may say who sent him. God told Moses that his name was YAHWEH, which translates, I AM WHO AM, and that if he was to be asked who sent him, he is to reply that "I AM" sent him.


What this means is that God is infinite being. It seems rather confusing, but God is all being. (along with all truth, all love, and all beauty).


This gives significance to Jesus' words in John's Gospel. "Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I AM." 


The Second commandment reads "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain."


The Jewish people, even today, will not even write the name of God. It's abbreviated, YHWH or G-D. They do this out of respect for God and His holy name. 


In his epistle, or letter, to the Philippians, St. Paul demonstrate that this goes for the most Holy Name of Jesus. (the name above all other names.) He writes "ut in nomine Iesu omne genu flectat calestium et terrestrium et infernorum. et omnis lingua confiteatur quia Dominus Iesus Christus in gloria est Dei Patris." which translates, "That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father." 


God warns us that he will punish those who use the Lord's name irreverently. So, it is very important that we are reverent in all uses of the Lord's name and that we say it only with the love and affection of our whole prayerful hearts. 


We must realize that we can NEVER talk about God "behind His back" He is always listening, and what we say can and may offend Him, and why would we ever want to offend such a good a God as the one who created all of us!? 


Take some time today to think about how often we use the Lord's name. Is it exclusively in prayer? When we talk about God is it reverently or are we irreverent at times? 


Go to your desert place with the Lord and spend some quiet time in humble adoration of his infinite goodness, and meditate on God as infinite being using his name, I AM. 


God Bless you all! 

A Ten Post Journey

For the next two months, I will post a blog about each of the 10 Commandments given by Yahweh to Moses on Mt. Sinai. 

Currently, the Jewish people are in the middle of celebrating their Passover season. Beginning on the evening of Friday, April 6, 2012 and ending on Saturday evening, they celebrate the night that the angel of death passed over the houses of their ancestors and slew the first born male Egyptians according to the word of the pharaoh. 

After the children of Israel fled Egypt and escaped Pharaoh's chariots and horsemen through the Red Sea, they came upon the holy mountain, Mt. Sinai, where it is said that God dwells. "And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, in the very top of the mount, and he called Moses to the top thereof." (Exodus 19:20) 

There of the top of the mount, God issued the 10 Commandments. 

"Locutus quoque est Dominus cunctos sermones hos: Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus qui edui te de terra Aegypti de domo servitutis. Non habebis deos alienos coram me. Non facies tibi scupltile neque omnem similitudinem quae est in caelo desuper et quae in terra deosum nec eorum quay sunt in aquis sub terra. Non adorabis ea neque coles ego sum Dominus Deus tuus fortis zelotes visitans iniquitatem patrum in filiis in tertiam et quartam generationem eorum qui oderunt me. Et faciens misericordiam in milia his qui diligunt me et custodiunt praecepta mea."

TRANSLATION

" And the Lord spoke all these words: I am the Lord thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting, the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation of those that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of those that love me and keep my commandments." 

Have I doubted in matters of faith?

Have I murmured against God at your adversity or at the prosperity of others? 

Have I believed fortune-tellers or consulted them?

Have I gone to places of worship of other denominations?

Do I put my worldly things before God?

Does what God wants for me not a priority in the decisions I make every day? 

Have I failed to keep one or many of the Commandments because of what is going on around me? 

Do I consider what I have more important than who I am? 

Have I let things other than God take precedence in my life? 

Do I fail to give God his due time in my life? 

These days, there are many things that people generally put as a higher priority than God. Whether it be work or school or sports we have many excuses that we don't have the time to devote to God that we should set aside! Though doing all the things we do is not a bad thing, as long as we do it ad majorem Dei gloriam, we must realize that we need to set GOD's will as a precedence. 

On her deathbed, St. Therese of the Child Jesus said these words. "Père, tout ce que vous voulez, mais ayez pitié de moi." Which translates,  "Father, everything you will, but have pity on me."  

In the the Lord's Prayer, we say "Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra." Which translates, "Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven." 

St. Faustyna asked God that if by her suffering more people would learn of and be aware of His infinite compassion, that He inflict more pain on her. 

The whole point is that if we love God enough, we will keep him at the top of our priority list and then and only then may we be able to deal with all the countless other cards He has created to deal to us. His will, should take precedence to all other things including our feelings. According to St. Faustyna, in that God is our Lord, we must trust Him to rule over our lives. Once we trust and love Him enough, we can put our lives in his hands and trust in his will, that he has a plan for each of us, and though we may suffer we should trust in His compassion and wisdom because we can be sure that He knows the way through this life. If that's not being at the top of the list, I'm not sure what else can be. 

Veni, Sancte Spiritus Consecrate This Blog

Prayer before Work

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum cord fidelium et tui amoris in eis ignem accende.

V. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur.
R. Et renovabis faciem terrae

Oremus- Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti spiritus illustratione docuisti, da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere et de ejus semper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen


TRANSLATION:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle them in the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy spirit, and they shall be created
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray- O God, Who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of Consecration

Heavenly Father, we hearby consecrate this blog site to Thee and to Thy Mother, Mary most holy. That through Her intercession the writer and readers of this blog may receive the grace of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost by growing in knowledge of our faith due to the media created on this site. Amen.