Saying Goodbye

When I first created "Faith Of A Convert" it was a way to help me learn more about my Catholic faith and to help strengthen that faith in me as well as others. In the 2 and a half years I've been doing this blog I have definitely grown in many ways.

I've been wanting to create a place for me to share more personal stories, while continuing to strengthen my faith. I wish to blog more about more personal thoughts, struggles, joys, and loves--the greatest love being my wonderful husband, Paul!!

I hope you will visit my new place, and watch it grow.

"Faith Of A Convert" has been a wonderful place for me and I will miss it, but I'm also excited about my new adventure.

Please join me at: along the way...

Stove Top Fire

Family In Seattle

Last weekend my mom and I went to a family reunion in Seattle to see family we had never met before.

A few weeks ago I joined Ancestry.com to work on my family tree. Once I type in my great grandmothers information a leaf popped up directing me to another members family tree. I was amazed at all the information I had found. This is the Norwegian side of our family, and if I had not found this tree I probably would not have had much luck. I sent the tree owner a message and when she (Anne) answered back she had invited us to a family reunion being held in Seattle, Anne was on her way there from Norway.

Meeting everyone was such a great experience. Anne and her husband Øystein are from Norway and most all the rest of the family is in or comes from Washington. I'm so glad I sent Anne a message when I did.

The day before my mom and I did the tourist thing and went to Pike Place Market and Pier 57 to have lunch. We did not go to the Space Needle or into the city though.

Tell It Like It Is

A Texas parish priest has written a column for the El Paso Times in which he strongly denounces homosexual activity.

“Every single Catholic, out of fidelity to charity and truth, has the absolute duty to oppose (1) the murder of unborn babies, and (2) any and all government attempts to legalize homosexual unions,” wrote Father Michael Rodriguez in an August 2 column.

“Any Catholic who supports homosexual acts is, by definition, committing a mortal sin, and placing himself/herself outside of communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, a Catholic would be guilty of a most grievous sin of omission if he/she neglected to actively oppose the homosexual agenda, which thrives on deception and conceals its wicked horns under the guises of ‘equal rights,’ ‘tolerance,’ ‘who am I to judge?,’ etc.”

“I urge all of the Catholic faithful to treat homosexuals with love, understanding, and respect,” he added. “At the same time, never forget that genuine love demands that we seek, above all, the salvation of souls. Homosexual acts lead to the damnation of souls.”

From REALCATHOLICTV.COM

Quick Question

from This Rock

Q: "Most people who are gay feel that they were born that way and cannot change their orientation. They are rejected by society and faith communities. How can we be more like Jesus and accept those who are rejected?"

A: Accepting sinful behavior in other people does them no good. Pointing out the sinfulness is not rejecting them: It’s rejecting what is evil. We owe each other the truth. Because some people with same-sex attractions feel that they were born with such inclination doesn’t make it so. There is no proof for such an assumption. Such people assume they are born homosexual because they can’t remember ever feeling any other way. What we do know is that for whatever reason these people have not identified with the parent of their sex. The prevailing spin that our culture puts on this dynamic is that the culture must adapt to the needs these people perceive they have—to live as though the behavior that such feelings suggest is good and ought to be the norm for them.

Our culture insists that everyone has a right to sexual gratification. Never mind about context; let pleasure be the guide.

The greatest fallacy in such a proposition is that if anyone suggests otherwise, he is passing judgment and rejecting such people outright—as when you ask how we can be more like Jesus and accept those who are rejected. Jesus never accepted sinful behavior. He did accept sinners who were repentant, and he always loved them—even in their most sinful moments.

What is the context in which Jesus matters to us? What is the most important fact that we know about Jesus in relation to us? It is Good Friday! Good Friday is not only the day on which God revealed more about himself than at any other time in the history of creation, it is also our context as followers of Jesus. It is on the cross that Jesus shows us how to live. It is there that he shows us what constitutes love: sacrifice. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).

That God would love his creatures enough to become one of them and then suffer and die for them is beyond our ability to comprehend fully. Yet to the degree that we can appreciate what it is to suffer, we can appreciate such love. Each of us is given the opportunity for gaining such appreciation through the crosses that he allows us to have. Many different crosses prevent people from engaging in normal married life and therefore, genital pleasure. Homosexuality is only one of these. Only when we look at our human situation in its proper context, the context of Good Friday, can we recognize our place in it. Only through accepting the cross of same-sex attraction and offering it up in response to his self-gift will such a person know the full embrace of his nail-scarred hands.

It is when we accept the cross in our lives and encourage others to carry theirs that we are more like Jesus—not when we water down his expectations of us!

Quick Question

from This Rock

Q: "In a discussion with a non-Catholic, I pointed out that his beliefs were incorrect or unfounded according to Catholic Church teaching. He accused me of being judgmental. But failure or refusal to accept the truth could have eternal consequences. What constitutes being judgmental?"

A: "First, pointing out the truth is not judgmental. Here are a few more examples of what does not constitute being judgmental:

It is not judgmental to make a moral appraisal of whether a person’s actions are sinful or whether the person is likely culpable for them.

It is not judgmental to have a negative emotional reaction to what is objectively evil.

It is not judgmental to bear in mind that a person you have forgiven has committed harmful actions in the past and may commit them again in the future.

One way to avoid being judgmental is to avoid making rash judgments.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: "Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another’s statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved" (CCC 2478, cf. St. Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises 22).

St. Mary Magdalene

She is called "the Penitent".

St. Mary was given the name 'Magdalen' because, though a Jewish girl, she lived in a Gentile town called Magdale, in northern Galilee, and her culture and manners were those of a Gentile. St. Luke records that she was a notorious sinner, and had seven devils removed from her. She was present at Our Lords' Crucifixion, and with Joanna and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, at Jesus' empty tomb. Fourteen years after Our Lord's death, St. Mary was put in a boat by the Jews without sails or oars - along with Sts. Lazarus and Martha, St. Maximin (who baptized her), St. Sidonius ("the man born blind"), her maid Sera, and the body of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin. They were sent drifting out to sea and landed on the shores of Southern France, where St. Mary spent the rest of her life as a contemplative in a cave known as Sainte-Baume. She was given the Holy Eucharist daily by angels as her only food, and died when she was 72. St. Mary was transported miraculously, just before she died, to the chapel of St. Maximin, where she received the last sacraments.

More about this saint: St. Mary Magdalen (Feast day - July 22) Mary Magdalen was well known as a sinner when she first saw Our Lord. She was very beautiful and very proud, but after she met Jesus, she felt great sorrow for her evil life. When Jesus went to supper at the home of a rich man named Simon, Mary came to weep at His feet. Then with her long beautiful hair, she wiped His feet dry and anointed them with expensive perfume. Some people were surprised that Jesus let such a sinner touch Him, but Our Lord could see into Mary's heart, and He said: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved very much." Then to Mary He said kindly, "Your faith has made you safe; go in peace." From then on, with the other holy women, Mary humbly served Jesus and His Apostles. When Our Lord was crucified, she was there at the foot of His cross, unafraid for herself, and thinking only of His sufferings. No wonder Jesus said of her: "She has loved much." After Jesus' body had been placed in the tomb, Mary went to anoint it with spices early Easter Sunday morning. Not finding the Sacred Body, she began to weep, and seeing someone whom she thought was the gardener, she asked him if he knew where the Body of her beloved Master had been taken. But then the person spoke in a voice she knew so well: "Mary!" It was Jesus, risen from the dead! He had chosen to show Himself first to Mary Magdalen, the repentent sinner.

I am Israel

Matthew 6:1-13

1 Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou dost an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.

3 But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth.

4 That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee.

5 And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.

1 "Your justice"... that is, works of justice; viz., fasting, prayer, and almsdeeds; which ought to be performed not out of ostentation, or a view to please men, but solely to please God.

6 But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee.

7 And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard.

8 Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him.

9 Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our supersubstantial bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Call No Man Father

Snack Time

This is now my new favorite snack. It's so simple, but so good.

Spiritual Reading

I just started reading about St. Catherine of Siena and so far I'm really pleased with the writing style of this book. It's an easy and enjoyable read, without being too simple. A perfect choice for spiritual reading while in the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Each chapter starts with a quote and while not all of them are from St. Catherine, this one was, and I loved it so much I couldn't resist sharing.

"To the servant of God, every place is the right place, and every time is the right time."

Quick Question - perfect answer

from This Rock

Q: "One of my friends suggests that we should not applaud the choir after the closing hymn. He says that the song should direct souls to the Lord. I find it unnatural if we don't applaud."

A: The church is not a concert hall and the liturgy is not a performance. We are there to direct our attention to God—not to each other. There is a time and place for everything. The church is for prayer—not performances. If you want to convey your appreciation for the music, compliment the director after Mass.

Obama's Socialism

From an email.

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before,
but had once failed an entire class.

--------------------------------------------

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK,
we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan"..

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided
they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D!
No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering,
blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.

Andrea Bocelli - A Gift From God

Andrea Bocelli tells a beautiful story.

Why I Love the Latin Mass

BTW, I think Michael Voris ROCKS!!



This program is from RealCatholicTV.com

4th Of July Weekend

I was just thinking about how we spend our holiday weekend, so I thought I'd just do a little post. I especially wanted to share this photo with you tonight.

Paul's sister lives in Kansas with her husband and eight children, also there was one of his brothers and another sister. We all had a great time together, and I truly wish we could see more of each other.

On Sunday it rained most of the day, but in the afternoon the sun peeked out for a bit and that's where the rainbow came from. It was neat seeing the kids (adults too) get so excited about it.

I feel blessed to be able to call these happy little people my nieces & nephews. They are all a joy to be around.

(I have pictures, but I have not asked permission to post them, so maybe another time.)

Why Chastity??

Happy 4th

I know this picture doesn't reflect the prayer posted, but I couldn't resist, it's just soo CUTE!!

I found this prayer at Opinionated Catholic.

Prayer for the GovernmentPrepared by Archbishop John Carroll November 10, 1791

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope n., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, n., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state , for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

No Apologies - Spanish Inquisition

Patriotic Beads

Check out Catholic Icing for some great patriotic beading ideas. I love this blog, you can find an arts & crafts project for just about any time of year.

Con Game

This article was written in April, but I still think it's worth posting. It was written by Steve Kellmeyer.

It's time to de-mythologize the Catholic abuse scandal.

The linked column below highlights the following facts (and others besides):

skellmeyer.blogspot.com/2010/04/is-times-changing.html

As the recent Newsweek story pointed out, the Catholic Church does not molest at a rate different from other segments of the population. They don't pay higher insurance premiums, the stats don't support it.

Indeed, according to the statistics produced by the New York Times and Newsweek, celibate Catholic priests actually offend at a rate 5 TIMES LOWER than any other known group.

For every one case of Catholic priest abuse, there are five cases of Protestant or rabbinic abusing children.

For every one case of Catholic priest abuse, there are 2000 cases of public school teachers abusing children.

In Islam, child abuse is actually a moral good. Marrying a a child under ten to a man of 40 or 50 who has other wives is common, accepted, and often perfectly legal.

Thus, for every one case of Catholic priest abuse, there are literally tens of thousands of cases of Muslim abuse.

Furthermore, if you chart the incidence of abuse against the year it happened (as the linked article above does), you'll see that abuse cases began to drop dramatically the same year Cardinal Ratzinger was appointed head of the CDF, and exactly two years after John Paul II became Pope.
By the time the news media began to report on it, the rate had already been crushed into the dust by those two men.

Now, who is to blame for the continuing sexual abuse that takes place in public schools, at rates far higher than in Catholic parishes? Who is to blame for the cover-up and the non-reporting on that much more common and serious abuse?

Over the last fifty years, Catholic priests have produced an average of 220 cases of abuse each year.

Over the last ten years, public schools have produced an average of 450,000 abuse cases each year.

There should be thousands of news stories and media reports on public school and Muslim abuse for every one story of Catholic abuse. Instead, there is virtually nothing on public school sexual abuse and absolutely
nothing on Muslim rates of abuse.

So, while Catholic abuse happens, given the distorted coverage, it is clear a political game is being played here.

Have you been conned by the media and other liberal liars?
So have a lot of other people.

The question is - do you like being conned?

Liturgical Allegory

A cute and quite brillant post by Saint Louis Catholic. You should CLICK HERE and go read it, that is if you like (or LOVE like me) Pride & Predjudice, otherwise you may not find it so amusing.

Quick Question

from This Rock

Q: "If a person asks in prayer for assistance but no answer comes, should the person just give up on the prayers? "

A: We all like our prayers answered yesterday. But the Lord knows the best time. He’s the only one who really knows what time it is. To keep praying is to keep trusting him. To keep trusting him is to keep loving him. St. Monica spent 30 years praying for her son’s conversion. When he finally converted, he became a great saint. But all the while she had been praying, she herself became a saint. Don’t give up on God.

Hitchens vs. Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens (atheist) and Peter Hitchens (Christian)

The heart of the man who lives for God knows peace, joy, and happiness. The heart of the man who lives for the world knows fear, sorrow, and misery.

Why Modesty??

Summer Fashions

From Sunday's bulletin:

Dear Parents and Parishioners,

The fashions for this summer are of grave danger to Christian modesty. Mini-skirts and dresses, short-shorts, and very low-cut blouses are the fashions for this summer. Please remember that we are Christians, followers of Christ, children of God, and temples of the Holy Spirit. We are set apart by God's saving grace. Let us always follow our Blessed Mother's example and ask for her help. If we blend in with the pagan world, what type of witness would we be to our Baptismal promises? Our Lady says, "...and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength." (Mark 12:30) Dressing with these styles for the summer are an offense to God and an ocassion of sin to others. Let us give Glory to God in dressing modestly for Church, work, school and play.

May God bless you!

Amazing Grace & Protestantism (WOW!!)

The Loser Letters

I didn't think I'd make it through the first chapter of The Loser Letters because I thought I wouldn't be able to get around the writing style...but I was wrong. It's actually pretty good & I wish I could say why, but I can't seem to formulate what I want to say, so I'm going to post part of a review that was made on Amazon.com to help give you more insight as to what the book is about. I definitely think you should read it.

"The Loser Letters, Eberstadt's first published work of fiction, draws on a long satirical tradition from Juvenal to The Screwtape Letters. Eberstadt's protagonist, a young woman named A. F. Christian (as in, "A Former Christian"), details the journey of her enlightened abandonment of her "cradle Dullness" (namely, her Christian faith) and her adaptation to atheism. Christian writes excited, star-struck letters to the self-described so-called "Brights" of the New Atheism, in which she gushes about the Brights' superiority while candidly evaluating the weaknesses that limit the New Atheism's ability to win new converts. With this device, Eberstadt delivers a gripping story line with a chilling twist at the end and, in the process, administers a smackdown of the New Atheism."

Blank

Everyday I think to myself "you really should make a post today", but then I can't think of anything to post about. I do go through this once in a while, but never for this long (I don't think). My most recent postings have been very spaced out.

I haven't been doing much reading lately, maybe that's part of it. I tend to post more when I do a lot of reading. Maybe today I'll finish a book I started a while back, and let you know how it is.

I know, kind of a random post, but since I had nothing to post about, I thought I'd post about nothing. LOL!! Did that make sense?

Intolerance

"America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance.
It is not.
It is suffering from tolerance of right and wrong,
truth and error,
virtue and evil,
Christ and chaos.
Our country is not nearly so much overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded…

In the face of this broadmindedness,
what America needs is intolerance."

~ Archbishop Servant of God Fulton Sheen

Eating Healthy

After a full week of eating out and eating really good food that's really bad for you, it's time to get healthy.

So my goal this month is light healthy dinners served around 5:00. Who knows, it might even inspire me to do more posting on my food blog.

Last night we had a spinach salad with pico de gallo & leftover tri tip, along with a healthy pasta salad. Tonight we had marinated chicken & quinoa. We never had quinoa before & really liked it.

I think we're off to a good start.

Been Too Long

Paul and I have been on vacation this week so that's why I have not been posting. We didn't leave town, but we've been spending lots of time just the 2 of us & checking places out in our area that we've never seen.

Things we've done:

Strawberry Festival.

Bike ride to the pier to have lunch, then watched a movie at home.

Japanese Garden at CSULB. (pictures to below)

Toured Rancho Los Alamitos.

Had lunch at "At Last Cafe" which was featured on a recent episode of Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives. It was AWESOME!!

Spent the day in Old Town Temecula, where we did lots of window shopping, ate BBQ, went olive oil tasting (instead of wine), etc. On our way home we stopped at Tom's Farms to buy some produce, and Paul was super excited to find a jar of really BIG dill pickles--it was cute!!

A lot of eating out.

Relax, watch golf, read, play Gin Rummy.

We didn't take a lot of pictures this week, but we have some of the gardens we visited. I hope you enjoy them.

I love this picture!!