More Cake Balls! Yummmm!!

Over the holidays I made tons of cake balls, I used chocolate cake & lemon cake. This time I wanted to try something new, so I used a vanilla cake mix & it was wonderful. When I made the cake I added a few pinches (that's how I measure) of cinnamon & vanilla extract. I always bake the cake the night before, let it cool, cut in in half, and seal it in a Ziploc bag. This makes the cake really soft & easy to work with.

When it came time to prepare I took half the cake, crumbled it in a bowl, and added the frosting. I use a butter cream frosting & this time I mixed it with Amaretto. When adding the frosting, I add a little bit at a time until I'm happy with the consistency.

After that I ball up the cake and put them in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Then it's time for dipping and decorating.

Cake with frosting

Cake Balls ready for the freezer

Frosting & Amaretto

Pretty Easter cups I got from Michaels

Into the freezer they go. In a few days I plan on making a batch with chocolate cake & white chocolate, once those are done, it's off to Kansas they go.

My Day In The Garden!

I woke up this morning and thought a lot about the next 40 days, and all of the things I intend to do and not to do for Lent. I already knew the everyday sacrifice I will be making, but what I would do to help me advance spiritually I was still a little unsure of. Then I went to Mass. I went in early, to discuss my plans with Our Lord, and as I had hoped, by the time Mass was over I knew exactly what I would carry out for this Lenten Season.

On my way home I decided to stop by Home Depot to pick up some flowers, pots, and potting soil. I started planting as soon as I arrived at home and I had a blast. Spending quiet time in the garden allowed me extra time to ponder the coming days. It also made for some good alone time with me and God.

These were labeled "Innocence" & they were pretty, so I bought them

These were labeled "breath of heaven", so I bought them

A tomato plant & 3 red bell peppers

Basil

Our Fountain & the 2 plants I potted today, there will be more soon. This is just the beginning.

My Sweeties putting green

Our statue of Our Lady

Our statue of Our Lady (up close)

Our finally unwrapped BBQ. The first counter top we had we absolutely awful, so we kept the BBQ covered until we replaced it, well, it's replaced. We are so excited that we can finally start using it.

Prayer's For Employment

There are many people who either are, or will be, facing some tough financial challenges. There have been stories on the news of people who are so overcome with fear, doubt, and helplessness, that they have taken their own lives.

The most recent story was tonight. A woman who couldn't pay her rent after losing a job, and was evicted after 6months of trying to make mini-payments, she was found inside the property this afternoon. She had lost all hope.

I was told this while listen to a loved one talk about her day at work.

Please keep all of those who have suffered because of the economic situation the world is in today in your prayers and in your hearts.

Prayer to Saint Joseph

Dear Saint Joseph, you were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary. Look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my anxiety over my present inability to support my family. Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and that I am soon able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care.
Help us to guard against bitterness and discouragement, so that we may emerge from this trial spiritually enriched and with even greater blessings from God.

Amen

Quote Of The Week

It is not difficult to determine what would be the form and character of the State were it governed according to the principles of Christian philosophy. Man's natural instinct moves him to live in civil society, for he cannot, if dwelling apart, provide himself with the necessary requirements of life, nor procure the means of developing his mental and moral faculties. Hence, it is Divinely ordained that he should lead his life ----- be it family, or civil ----- with his fellow men, amongst whom alone his several wants can be adequately supplied. But, as no society can hold together unless some one be over all, directing all to strive earnestly for the common good, every body politic must have a ruling authority, and this authority, no less than society itself, has its source in nature, and has, consequently, God for its Author. Hence, it follows that all public power must proceed from God.

----Pope Leo XIII, On the Christian Constitution of States

Who may receive a Catholic funeral?

Issues:
Who may receive a Catholic funeral?
Who may be buried in a Catholic cemetery?
May a Protestant funeral take place in a Catholic church?

Response:

Any baptized Catholic in good standing has a right to a funeral within the Church and according to her liturgical practice. There are some people to whom the Church denies Catholic funeral rites. Additionally, there are some circumstances in which a Catholic funeral is allowed to a non-Catholic person. Similar guidelines apply to burial in a Catholic cemetery. Finally, given certain circumstances, a Protestant funeral may take place in a Catholic church.

Terms to Know

Catholic funeral rites are the liturgical rites in which the Church "commends the dead to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins." 1 There are three principal components to a Catholic funeral: the vigil for the deceased (sometimes referred to as the "wake"), the funeral liturgy (which often includes the celebration of Mass), and the rite of committal (which is generally followed by the burial). These are outlined in the Order of Christian Funerals.

A Mass for the Dead is a Mass offered for the repose of the soul of any deceased person. "From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1032, emphasis added).


Discussion:

Mindful of the importance of a Christian funeral, the Church prescribes that "deceased members of the Christian faithful must be given ecclesiastical funerals according to the norm of law" (Code of Canon Law, Canon 1176.1). Any baptized Catholic in good standing has a right to a funeral within the Church and according to her liturgical practice.

Catechumens are counted among Christ’s faithful, and as such, have a right to a Catholic funeral (Canon 1183.1).

A baptized non-Catholic may be allowed a Catholic funeral at the discretion of the local ordinary (generally the diocesan bishop or his vicar general): "In the prudent judgment of the local ordinary, ecclesiastical funerals can be granted to baptized persons who are enrolled in a non-Catholic Church or ecclesial community unless their intention is evidently to the contrary and provided that their own minister is not available" (Canon 1183.3).

The Church denies funeral rites to the following people, unless they gave some signs of repentance before death:

notorious apostates, heretics, and schismatics;
those who chose the cremation of their bodies for reasons contrary to Christian faith; other manifest sinners to whom a Church funeral could not be granted without public scandal to the faithful (cf. Canon 1184.1.1–3).
If a dispute arises as to whether a Catholic funeral should be granted a particular person, the local ordinary should be consulted and his judgment followed. Even if the deceased is refused a Catholic funeral, Masses can be offered for his eternal well-being: "A priest is free to apply the Mass for anyone, living or dead" (Canon 901).

May someone who commits suicide receive a Catholic funeral? In the past, people who committed suicide were often denied a Church funeral. This was not a judgment of the deceased’s eternal destiny (indeed, the Church has always offered Masses for those who have committed suicide). Rather, a Church funeral was denied to the deceased in order to avoid giving scandal to the faithful and to emphasize the grave nature of suicide.

As in the past, the Church teaches that suicide is and always will be objectively and gravely wrong. At the same time, today she better understands the psychological disturbances that may influence a suicide and thus mitigate personal culpability. This being the case, those who take their life are now typically provided funerals (cf. Catechism, no. 2282).

May divorced and remarried Catholics receive a Catholic funeral? As with persons who had committed suicide, persons who had remarried outside the Church were often denied a Catholic funeral. Again, this was to avoid giving scandal to the faithful and to prevent the faithful from taking the matter lightly. 2

The Church now generally allows Catholic funerals and burials to those who have divorced and remarried. This discipline of allowing funerals does not change the Church’s doctrine: Divorce and remarriage without an annulment is and always will be objectively wrong. (For more on the Church’s teaching on divorce and remarriage, please see our Faith Fact on the subject.)

May baptized infants receive a Catholic funeral? Even if a baptized child is only a few days old, by virtue of his baptism he is a "member of the Christian faithful" and should be given a funeral (cf. Canon 1176.1). This funeral should normally take place at the parish of the child’s parents (cf. Canon 1177).

May unbaptized babies receive a Catholic funeral? What about miscarried babies? If a child’s parents intended to have their child baptized but the child died before the sacrament could be administered, the local ordinary may allow the child to have a Catholic funeral (cf. Canon 1183.2).

Likewise, a miscarried baby may receive a Catholic funeral, though a family is not required to formally bury a miscarried child. If a more developed unborn child dies and is delivered intact, parents often choose to bury the child. Otherwise, hospitals typically remove the remains as they do with human organs or bodily tissue removed during surgery. (Because most miscarriages occur in the first trimester, the remains are generally minimal and/or incomplete [as with a D & C procedure].) The different ways of laying the child’s body to rest in no way imply that a fetus at an earlier point of gestation is less than a person or less deserving of respect. Every human life is sacred, "from the moment of conception until death" (Catechism, no. 2319; cf. no. 2258).

The same guidelines for funerals and burials of unbaptized children would apply to aborted babies. The Church recognizes the personhood of every unborn child (cf. Catechism, nos. 2270–75). She prays for the souls of miscarried and aborted babies, and commends them to the mercy of God (cf. Catechism, no. 1261).

May an animal receive a Catholic funeral? The Church provides for the blessing of living animals. However, the Church does not have funeral rites for pets. Funerals are reserved to human persons. There is no definitive Church teaching on whether animals will be in heaven; many theologians conclude that only souls made in the image of God (i.e., human souls) will be in heaven.

Who May Be Buried in a Catholic Cemetery?

Like Catholic churches, Catholic cemeteries are considered "sacred places" in canon law (cf. Canon 1205). They are dedicated by the local ordinary (or his representative) to be used for a religious purpose. The designation as a "sacred place" then defines what is acceptable in that place.

Catholic cemeteries are established for Catholics to be buried in consecrated ground. At the same time, the Church desires that the dead be buried, and she has a special concern for the poor. Therefore, others may be buried in Catholic cemeteries at the discretion of the local bishop (see below citations from Ad Totam Ecclesiam and the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms in Ecumenism). For example, it is customary in the United States to allow a non-Catholic spouse or close relative of a Catholic to be buried next to their loved one in the Catholic cemetery without special permission. Or again, the local bishop may allow those without a proper burial place to be buried in a Catholic cemetery.

May a Protestant Funeral Take Place in a Catholic Church?

If the Protestant community lacks a facility for worthily celebrating a funeral and if the local ordinary grants permission, a Protestant funeral may take place in a Catholic church. By the same principles, a Protestant may be buried in a Catholic cemetery.

The Directory on Ecumenism, Ad Totam Ecclesiam (1967), issued by the Secratariat for the Promotion of the Unity of Christians, says, "If the separated brethren have no place in which to carry out their religious rites properly and with dignity, the local ordinary may allow them the use of a Catholic building, cemetery or church" (no. 61).

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity’s Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms in Ecumenism (1993) reiterates and expands upon the 1967 document. It states:

Catholic churches are consecrated or blessed buildings which have an important theological and liturgical significance for the Catholic community. They are therefore generally reserved for Catholic worship. However, if priests, ministers or communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church do not have a place or the liturgical objects necessary for celebrating worthily their religious ceremonies, the diocesan Bishop may allow them the use of a church or a Catholic building and also lend them what may be necessary for their services. Under similar circumstances permission may be given to them for interment or for the celebration of services at Catholic cemeteries. (no. 137)

12-Year-Old Delivers An Inspirational Pro-Life Message

I first saw this video on Marilyn's blog, and I'm glad I did. This little girl is very articulate and passionate in her speech, I was very impressed, and I even became kind of teary-eyed while watching. The 12 year old delivers a powerful message.

A Prayer Of Spiritual Communion

As soon as I read this prayer I wanted to share it with all of you, especially those who have not yet seen/heard it before.



My Jesus, I believe that You are present

in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things,and I desire to receive You into my soul.Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI's Meeting With Pelosi

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican Wednesday morning, but may not have had a meeting of the minds if the two statements from their offices are any indication.
No journalists were at the 15-minute encounter and the Vatican and the speaker's offices have not released any photos. However, according to their statements it appears the pope and the politician attended two different get-togethers.

"His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoins all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development," the Vatican wrote, having released the statement moments before the two met.

Several hours later, Pelosi's office gave her take on the tete-a-tete.
"It is with great joy that my husband, Paul, and I met with his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI today," Pelosi said in a statement released hours after the meeting. "In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the Church's leadership in fighting poverty, hunger and global warming, as well as the Holy Father's dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel. I was proud to show his Holiness a photograph of my family's papal visit in the 1950s, as well as a recent picture of our children and grandchildren."

The pontiff has a long history of urging Catholic politicians to toe the line on abortion, and has said that those who don't shouldn't take communion. Pelosi supports abortion rights and says she's never been denied communion at her church in San Francisco.

In 2002, the Vatican issued a doctrinal note on "The Participation of Catholics in Political Life," which states rather succinctly that politicians who profess to be Catholic have a "grave and clear obligation" to oppose any law that attacks human life.

That note was approved by John Paul II but signed by none other than Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He's now the pope.

The speaker does not share that belief, and even got into a verbal slugfest with American bishops last August after her statements on a news program about the Church's view of when life begins.

"I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And St. Augustine said at three months, we don't know. The point is, is that it shouldn't have an impact on the woman's right to choose," she said at the time on NBC's "Meet the Press."

She then added that the Church has only held the view for 50 years or so that life begins at conception. The remarks earned her widespread corrections by Catholic clerics.

FOX News' Greg Burke contributed to this report.
FOXNews.com

Pictures From Our Anniversary Weekend In San Diego

Saint Rita

There is a Nation Shrine To Saint Rita Of Cascia, and it is beautiful. I hope that someday I am able to go there, hopefully on her Feast Day. That would be wonderful. If you go to the website you can take a virtual tour. Just click on the link above.

This Song's For Paul

On October 3rd 2007, My Sweetie asked me to marry him. We were on the beach and he brought his guitar to play me a song. When he started playing I thought "Oh, how cute cute it's Hey There Delilah" but it wasn't. The music was the same but the words were his own. I cried through the whole thing, and the last line of the song was Paul asking me to marry him. It was amazing.

Last night on the radio I heard another song by the same band, and I thought "that's exactly what I would sing to him".

So, Sweetie, on this St. Valentines Day, I dedicate this song to you.

I love You!

Validation

This is one of the cutest videoes I've ever seen.

It might even make you cry.

St. Catherine de Ricci

St. Catherine was born in Florence in 1522. Her baptismal name was Alexandrina, but she took the name of Catherine upon entering religion. From her earliest infancy she manifested a great love of prayer, and in her sixth year, her father placed her in the convent of Monticelli in Florence, where her aunt, Louisa de Ricci, was a nun. After a brief return home, she entered the convent of the Dominican nuns at Prat in Tuscany, in her fourteenth year. While very young, she was chosen Mistress of Novices, then subprioress, and at twenty-five years of age she became perpetual prioress. The reputation of her sanctity drew to her side many illustrious personages, among whom three later sat in the chair of Peter, namely Cerveni, Alexander de Medicis, and Aldo Brandini, and afterward Marcellus II, Clement VIII, and Leo XI respectively. She corresponded with St. Philip Neri and, while still living, she appeared to him in Rome in a miraculous manner. She is famous for the "Ecstacy of the Passion" which she experienced every Thursday from noon until Friday at 4:00 p.m. for twelve years. After a long illness she passed away in 1589. Her feast day is February 13.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=587

The View

I took my mom to the dentist this morning and while I was sitting in the waiting room I read magazines and watched TV. Unfortunately "The View" started while I was out there. Now, from what I can see Joy is the only original person on the show (besides Barbara) and I can't understand why. Most of the things that come out of her mouth make are either incorrect or just make no sense. I don't mean to Joy bash, but I just have a hard time understanding how people can stand listening to what she says. If any of you out there are Joy lovers or even lovers of The View please explain to me why that is, and what makes her or the show so appealing.

Judd vs. Palin

In one video Ashley Judd pleads for the saving of lives of wolves, and has probably spoken out for other animals as well, but in the other video she is pleading for donations so that woman can continue having the right to KILL their own babies, to take the life of these innocent unborn little people. What kind of a world has this become, when the life of animal if more important or valuable that another HUMAN BEING?

Medical Treatment

Every time I know of someone who has been to the doctor for a medical problem and after I've heard the results that the doctor gave them I turn to the web to do my own research, and I also have other docs around me that I can get info from. Now, my question about that is, do I talk to my friend about what I find, or keep my mouth shut since they usually trust their own doctor's? Also, more and more of us are started to research illnesses on the web and are being accused of self diagnosing. Is that a bad thing? Should we simply listen to what our docs tell us or should we inform ourselves and discuss what we know with our docs?

Please let me know what you think.

Children in Church

It amazes me how different some children act during Mass, some cry non-stop, jump all around the pews and scream at the top of their lungs, and other's are quiet, somewhat fidgety but non disruptive and pretty well behaved. Now, I understand that the fact that I do not have children means that I might not understand how difficult it is to keep them under control, but what amazed me most was noticing that the children in the larger families of our Parish are often more well behaved than the families with 1-2 children. Now, I'm not putting anyone down, I'm just found myself wondering, why?

Asking this question caused me to do a search on tips on children behaving in Church, the article I found is really good. There ideas for infants and toddlers.

Here's the article: http://www.cuf.org/FileDownloads/LayWitness/MA03Kuharski.pdf

Rumors

I was visiting Fr. Daren Zehnle's blog and he posted something about rumors and how someone in his parish had started one about his leaving the parish. Fr. Zehnle makes it very clear that it was a false statement and was bothered by the rumor because it caused those who heard it to become sad and upset.

Reading it made me realize how easy it is for rumors to start, all it takes it someone suspecting something to be true and mention whatever it is to another and it just keeps going and going. I promise to make a conscience effort not to repeat things I hear from others, not matter how insignificant it may seem.

A rumor of any kind can be hurtful, no matter how small, there are always feelings that are hurt in the process.

One of the things that Fr. Zehnle says is "I've said before that no sin will lead us faster to hell than gossip."

How true!!

Octuplet Mom (selfish??)

The story of the woman who gave birth to octuplets about a week ago (link's below) was very fascinating to me, not in the I think she did a great thing kinda way, but it had me wondering what kind of person is this, what is going through her mind? While the news kept asking the question "are the choices this woman made selfish or not?" I had already made my opinion, and in reading the comments from an interview given by the mother on MSNBC, she has proven me right. The decision to have these babies (all 14) was a completely selfish act. What kind of person intentionally brings a child into the world with out a father, a good chance for a healthy life, and the love and care, and attention that they deserve? Read the interview and really pay attention to how many times she says "I feel" or "I wanted", it's amazing how much I this and I that there is in the story. What about what's best for them?

What's your take?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29038814/

"Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the trees."

Our First Anniversary

Our Anniversary was on February 2nd and instead of catching up on things like I had planned on over the weekend, I was kidnapped!!! Just a couple of hours after golfing Paul came home and told me to get dressed and pack a bag, "you're being kidnapped" is what he told me. So upstairs to pack I went, while I was up there he came in to give me an early gift, I was soooooooo excited when I opened it, he had bought me the camera I had asked for, that was a great surprise as well.

We ended up in San Diego near Seaport Village, we stayed at the Manchester Hyatt (gorgeous), and spent most of Saturday walking around Seaport. It is full of cute little shops and we went into almost all of them, ate frozen yogurt & popcorn. We had a great time. Sunday we woke up early had a great breakfast and then we went to walked around a bit and went to Mass. The Church was St. Anne's and it was very cute. The pastor is Reverend Carl Gismondi, FSSP, and all Masses are Traditional Latin Masses, I wish there was one closer to us.

Later that day we drove to Balboa Park, there are many things to see, so we started with the Japanese Gardens and it was simple but very calming. Next was the Botanical Gardens and it was nice, a lot of the plants we had never seen before. After that we stopped by one of the museums for a bit, the lower gallery's had a lot of modern artwork, which I don't really care for, but upstairs was the Masterpiece Gallery and both Paul and I really enjoyed that. The last thing we did was go to the Science Museum and watch an IMAX film on the ocean life, the IMAX part of it was great and we even learned some minor interesting facts, but the message was to much about global warming, I found that to be pretty annoying, but it was still fun. Once the movie was over it was back to the hotel and find a place to eat.

Monday we were up early picked up some coffee and went for a nice walk while everything was closed, made our way back to the hotel for the BEST BREAKFAST BUFFET EVER, and headed home.

It was a great weekend, I love leaving all the worries and stresses of live once in a while to just focus on enjoying each other's company. Since Monday was our actual Anniversary we ordered pizza, watched a movie, and exchanged gifts. The end to a perfect mini vacation.

I have pictures put haven't put them on the computer yet. I'll post them soon.