Catholic Family Vignettes

October 31st marks All Hallow's Eve. For most of us, we fondly remember our childhood...anxiously awaiting the time that we would don our costumes and venture into the cold, frosty evening to beg for candy from our friends and neighbors.

Times have changed. Many families have opted to avoid acknowledging All Hallow's Eve, opting for All Saint's Day celebrations and Fall Festivals at local Protestant churches. While all of these endeavours are noteworthy and laudable, I'm a bit concerned by what I see as a trend to "turn-over" one day of the year to the forces of evil and bow to the pressures of political correctness.

Until recently, I lived for many years in a predominately Protestant community. I've seen the effects of the demonization of All Hallow's Eve. I've been presented with the Jack Chick tracts. I've witnessed the first hand campaign and political pressure that local churches have placed upon officials to suppress the observance of All Hallow's Eve.

Recently, I've watched the Muslim community (with near success) lobby to have both Christmas and All Hallow's Eve suppressed at a local school in Illinois, finally accepting the addition of Ramadan to the holiday observances.

These are not the actions of the satanists, wiccans or pagans.

In the past, it was the practice of the Holy Roman Catholic Church to take a pagan holiday and Christianize it. It seems that the tide has turned. We have now given over this day. Joining the ranks of Protestants and Muslims, our boycott has all the appearance of a surrender. Interestingly enough, the day we have given over, October 31st, isn't the day that satanists have chosen as their "feast"...here is a quote from the Vatican's chief exorcist, Fr. Gabriel Amorth:

"Here it is on Christmas Eve that the Satanists have their orgies. Nothing happens on October 31. But if English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that."

I don't believe I would ever wish any of my children to dress as witches and devils, but it is easy to grasp the point that Fr. Amorth is making. (Remember: this is the same Fr. Amorth who is vehemently opposed to the Harry Potter books. He is intensely concerned with the protection of souls.) From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone." (Catechism, #2116)

So...this year the Knights of the Crusade will be trick-or-treating yet again. St. Joan of Arc will proudly carry her sword. St. Elizabeth of Hungary will gracefully accept "contributions". We are reclaiming All Hallow's Eve. A band of saints with plastic swords and crowns. A powerful witness, nonetheless! Read more!

Un-cool. A play on words. Uncle/un-cool. Several years ago, this was my dear daughter Meredith's pet name for her Uncle.

He is everything BUT un-cool. Incredibly intelligent, articulate and handsome. Rapier wit and artistic as well. A computer genius (he just rescued 7 GB of data trapped in an old computer for five years...all of my youngest daughter's baby pictures.) And I love him dearly.

This weekend, he took time out from his extremely busy schedule to visit with his nieces and nephews, showering them with so many gifts. The most precious gift amongst the toys and trinkets...him. His time.

The visit, though short, so clearly reveals how tight the ties that bind a family together. Each child vied for his attention. Wanted to sit beside him, hold his hand.

Racing to the woods...what fun! He did everything he could to make each child aware of his loving regard for them as individuals. With much sorrow, we said goodbye.

The miles between us are not so very many. Like most people who love one another, what separates us is not space, but time. The promises to "stay in touch" and spend more time together--these good intentions are often only that...intentions. I've not done my part as often as I should to tell him how much I love him. To call him. To email him.

I'm going to change that.

I have one brother. Just one. No sisters. It is my hope that my children will take note, my desire to maintain these ties. That by loving my brother better; they will do the same.

Brothers and sisters...love one another. Stick together.

I love you, brother!

BTW...thanks for the absolutely rocking computer! A 25 in. monitor! The bells! The whistles! It is truly sweeet! But not as sweet as you ;-D! Read more!

The Feast Of Christ The King...what a day to celebrate Gareth's First Holy Communion! Words will simply not suffice. The pictures tell such a lovely story. Here, our young man meets his King at the altar, for the very first time. How small he seemed, as he bravely strode forward. His confidence and excitement were so very touching. His greatest desire now? To serve the Holy Mass! Next week, he will don the cassock and surplice for the first time and will be allowed to sit in choir. May God grant that his enthusiasm remain strong, throughout his life.

A Little White Host

by St. Therese of Lisieux

Oh! we how with each morning’s light

Jesus, the Child divinely fair,

Into a little snow-white host

Transforms Himself, that you may share

His life; and yet with greater love,

He longs to change you into Him.

Your heart His precious treasure is,

His happiness, His joy supreme.

Noel! Noel! from heaven He comes,

To fill your soul with glorious light;

The Lamb of God to you descends,

Now be His pure white host to-night! Read more!

Meet the grandparents, aka the "Grands":

Only they could engage in, with complete enthusiasm, in the carving of an extremely nauseous pumpkin:



The Pumpkin King, aka my dad:



I miss you already, mom and dad! What a great week! Read more!

Happy Birthday a bit early sweetheart!

October 23rd, 1981
12:18 a.m.
8 lbs. 8 oz. and 21 inches long

What a joy it was to raise you, precious girl. May you experience the same joy with your own dear daughters. Dad and siblings send love as well!

BTW: Mom is putting together a slideshow for you, dear. No digital photos...have to scan them all ;-D I'll post it next week. Read more!

This Sunday, October 28th, is the traditional Feast Of Christ The King. On that day, my youngest son, Maximilian, will receive Our King in the Most Blessed Sacrament for the first time.

With great joy, this young man is preparing to receive his Lord! As this week will be rather full, I will be undertaking a "blog fast" for the rest of the week. Time for quiet reflection, a few extra moments with Max and the excitement that will accompany the arrival of the grandparents, the great-grandmother and dear uncle.

Be assured, there will be pictures galore and many happy memories to share. We are postponing the large gathering we had planned for this Saturday. The weather is not going to cooperate...so the bonfire and hayride are a "no go". A quiet family gathering on Saturday will not only suffice, but will help keep the "excitement" in perspective with this Holy Sacrament.

May your week be blessed as you all prepare for this most lovely Feast Day. Here is an excellent article from Spero News on the importance of keeping the traditional date for the Feast Of Christ The King:

For Christ the King
The Traditional Rite places the feast on the Sunday preceding the Feast of All Saints. This is to show that Christ rules as King most fully over the saints.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

By Brother Andre Marie

Sunday, October 28 is the Feast of Christ the King. That is, it is the feast in the 1962 Calendar followed by those who adhere to the “extraordinary form” of the Roman Liturgy. The feast is celebrated on November 25 this year in the Novus Ordo calendar. Why the difference?

The Traditional Rite places the feast on the Sunday preceding the Feast of All Saints. This is to show that Christ rules as King most fully over the saints. He “triumphs in all the Saints and in all the Elect,” to use the exact words of Pope Pius XI, who instituted the feast in 1925. At the same time, the prayers of the Old Rite emphasized the reign of Christ in society, here and now. The pope wanted the laws of nations conformed to the Kinship of Christ. The New Rite, which also keeps the feast on a Sunday, puts it on the last of the liturgical year. Some have inferred from this change, and from the New Rite’s removal of certain prayers for the reign of Christ over nations (and not merely the hearts of men), that Christ’s Kingdom should be seen as a future, eschatological reality, not something to be actually implemented in temporal civil society.

When he instituted the Feast of Christ the King, Pius XI did so specifically to memorialize the true teaching on our Lord’s social Kingship. He promulgated the feast in his encyclical Quas Primas, where the doctrine of Christ the King was wonderfully summarized. We would do well to give that magisterial work a read, the better to understand the feast and its doctrine.

Pope Pius XI said that “Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ.” In my humble opinion, it is because that message went largely unheeded — Hamish Frasier called the encyclical “the greatest non-event in the history of the Church” — that we now live in an insufferable geopolitical hell. We can’t say we weren’t warned.

To those who say that Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world and, consequently, religion and politics must be separated, Pius addressed these strong words: “It would be a grave error, on the other hand, to say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs since, by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the Father, all things are in his power.”

After saying that our Lord’s dominion extends over all men, believers and non-believers, the pope goes on: “Nor is there any difference in this matter between the individual and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society. ‘Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved’” (Acts 4:12).

Michael Davies, in his brief study, The Reign of Christ the King, summarizes the Church’s traditional social doctrine: “The Church’s teaching is that the State has an obligation to render public worship to God in accord with the teachings of the True Church, the Catholic Church, and positively to aid the Catholic Church in the carrying out of her functions. The State does not have the right to remain neutral regarding religion, much less to pursue a secular approach in its policies. A secular approach is by that very fact an anti-God and an anti-Christ approach. This unequivocal teaching was summarized very clearly by Pope St. Pius X, who, in his encyclical Vehementer Nos, condemned the principle of the separation of Church and State as ‘an absolutely false and most pernicious thesis.’”

Inasmuch as the Kingship of Christ has existed in nations not ruled by monarchs, a true Christian social order can be established in our American Republic. In the period roughly contemporary with that of our War between the States, there was a Catholic republic in Ecuador headed by Venerable Gabriel Garcia Moreno, a man called “the greatest Catholic statesman since the Middle Ages.” (Our Lady of Good Success, in her seventeenth-century revelations to Blessed Mariana of Jesus, prophesied him as a “truly Catholic president” who would receive the palm of martyrdom.) Moreno’s motto was to the point: “freedom for everyone and everything except sin and evil.”

The 1930’s Austrian republic of Pius XI’s close collaborator, Engelbert Dollfuss, provides another example, as does Antonio Salazar’s Republic of Portugal.

What would it look like if we had a Catholic America where Christ ruled as King?

If the U.S. becomes a Catholic nation (a nation in which the vast majority of the citizenry is Catholic), then the constitutional system would allow us to enshrine certain Catholic principles in the law of the land. On the positive side, the federal Constitution would recognize the most fundamental papal teaching on the matter of politics, namely, that all power is from God, not from the people. (This is true no matter how leaders are actually chosen.) Additionally, there would be laws that protect the family, such as a tax system which does not penalize, but, rather, rewards parents with large families by giving them tax breaks. Marriage would be recognized to be indissoluble and (as if it needed to be said!) exclusively between one man and one woman. Government would respect the principle of subsidiarity, which would make for smaller, less intrusive, bureaucracy. On the negative side, abortion, birth control, pornography, and sodomy would be outlawed.

Because ours is a federal system, the states themselves can implement such a social order in their respective constitutions. Thus, for example, Rhode Island could fully recognize the social rights of Christ the King, while the other states still lagged behind. This was the case in the Catholic cantons of Switzerland, each of which was a confessional Catholic State.

We must be realistic, but we must not lose sight of the ideal. A lot will have to happen to make all this possible, and it will likely be implemented only very gradually, as Dollfuss attempted to do in Austria (before the Nazis murdered him). Besides the grace of God, we will need enough of our countrymen to embrace the Catholic Faith to bring about our Lord’s full Kingship here. For that to happen, the bishops, lower clergy, and faithful will have to believe and profess all the truths of the Faith more boldly. An elite of clergy, religious, and faithful will have to live the interior life deeply, fortified by an authentic liturgical piety. All the while, it will take Catholics with fortitude to combat the unfortunates who oppose Christ’s reign — those inside and outside the Church.

As Joseph de Maistre pointed out, we must not repose our hope in a written constitution (we haven’t used the one we have now for decades!), but in men who have formed their consciences according to the teachings of Holy Mother Church. We can begin by getting to know the teachings of the popes in this matter and impressing them on our children.

Where Christ is King, Mary is Queen, and since she is the “Dawn” who precedes the coming of the “Sun of Justice” — as the Immaculate Conception heralded the Incarnation — she must pave the way for Christ’s rule. October, the Month of the Holy Rosary, is a queenly Marian preparation for Christ’s Kingship. That is the way it happens in the Church calendar and that is the way it will unfold in time. With the grace of God and the weapon of the Holy Rosary, we will clear the way for Christ the King!

Cor Iesu adveniat regnum tuum. Adveniat per Mariam! Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come! Thy kingdom come through Mary!

Brother Andre Marie, M.I.C.M, Saint Benedict Center




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Indian Summer...highs today will be right around 80 degrees...

That all changes tomorrow. The forecast for Tuesday: high of 55! So long, Indian Summer...

Here are a few "October highlights".

Before the children decided to carve not just the pumpkins, but the gourds as well:



The carving begins:



Meet the Pumpkin Gang:



Look what we found hidden in the brush pile...we didn't plant these! A lovely surprise!



The last of the October tomato harvest:



Bringing in the herbs and pepper (I'll be drying and freezing herbs forever!)



And look who I found peeking through the fence (we've fought these "beauties" all summer...somehow, I just don't mind this guy!)

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235.

That was today's attendance for the 9:00 a.m. Traditional Mass. Amazing! Monsignor John Cody was today's celebrant (Fr. Lutz is in Denton, Nebraska for the tonsure of seminarian Michael Connaughton) and in addition to regular parish members as well as a few other visitors, there were more than forty Boy Scouts, leaders and parents.

Most of the Scouts and parents had never attended the Latin Mass--it was such an encouraging sight. These young men, armed with the Ecclesia Dei guide to the Latin Mass, were so reverent and well-mannered. May God bless them all!

Remember to keep in your prayers the Boy Scouts and their leaders. Though my own sons are not Scouts (only because we are fortunate enough to be able to provide within the context of the family many of the experiences the Scouts offer), we support them in any way we can. My husband was a Scout for many years.

This organization has struggled for years to maintain its commitment to assist in the formation of young men of character. They have kept in place policies to exclude atheist, agnostics and avowed homosexuals. They have also remained firm in their intent to keep this organization the "Boy" Scouts and not the "People" Scouts. The Supreme Court has repeatedly (thus far) upheld the rights of the BSA to exclude atheist, agnostics, homosexuals and women. Nonetheless, the attacks keep coming:

Philadelphia Raises Boy Scouts' Rent $199,999 Over Gay Ban

Many organizations (like the United Way) have reduced and even refused to continue funding the BSA due to their refusal the budge on issues that strike at the very core of this organization. A few quotes to encapsulate what the Scouts are about:

Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law
A Scout is: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

As early as 1908, Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell wrote in the first Scout handbook that, "No man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His laws."

"The Cub Scout and Boy Scout programs were designed to meet the emotional, psychological, physical, and other needs of boys between the ages of 8 and 14."

"Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed. The conduct of youth members must be in compliance with the Scout Oath and Law, and membership in Boy Scouts of America is contingent upon the willingness to accept Scouting’s values and beliefs."

God Bless the Boy Scouts of America!
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Ah, Friday!

Have I mentioned that our family observes the traditional Friday Fast throughout the year? Abstaining from meat for one day a week has been more that just a practicality, though it has been easier to apply than the "substitution of other penitential practices" which doesn't always happen. The "meatless" day provides a day-long reminder of what we have gained through our Lord's sacrifice. Every meal requires thoughtful reflection and preparation. Peanut butter instead of ham. Tuna (not lobster!) instead of roast beef.

No meat on Friday. Simple. No. Meat. On. Friday.

There are so many creative and outstanding recipes to assist those who wish to abstain from meat on occasion. I've decided to skip "creative"; our Friday meals are always the same (cue dramatic music): The Soup Of Suffering.

What is The Soup Of Suffering? Well, for our family it is their very favorite soup. Mom's homemade Loaded Potato Soup. Without the "load". This particular soup is very popular with all my friends and family...dripping with cheese, sour cream, crispy crumbled bacon, green onions or chives--choose your topping--we have it! And fresh baked herb bread. Are you hungry yet?

Minus all the toppings...it's just potato soup. Good. Filling. Boring.

When my son, Joseph, expressed (as only a grumpy, hungry child can!) just how much he missed the bacon with this soup, it was a very good time to talk about suffering and sacrifice--giving up bacon is really a small sacrifice, a very little suffering.

The Soup Of Suffering. One family's version of sacrifice.

Which brings us to last night's dinner.

So...what happens when mom (who remains on auto-pilot most of the day) puts crumbled bacon and cheese on your potato soup? Well, then, it's time for the "substitution of other penitential practices." The children come to the table and observe the lovely repast before them:

Zachary: "Is that bacon on the soup?"

Michael: "It's Friday!"

Joseph: "I can't eat that, Mom!"

Max: "It's Friday? Ah, man!"

Abi and Rylee: "Eeewww yuck! We hate potato soup! It's white!" (so is vanilla ice cream and sugar, but no aversion to those!)

"OK, guys...let's see...we'll pray the rosary and add a few extra prayers...eat up!"

Michael: "I can't do that, Mom. I'd rather not have the bacon."

Joseph: "I want to keep Friday holy."

These are exact quotes. So...bowls of unadorned soup were quickly substituted.

Now we know who the real teachers are...

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Six years of blessings. We praise God for you...your sweetness, your generosity and your fearlessness delight your loving family. God bless you, Charlotte! Read more!

The community of Portland Maine will be taking a vote tomorrow evening to approve making available oral contraception and other "reproductive services" to 6th grade students.

Richard Veilleux, Executive Director of the Portland Maine Assembly on School Based Health, states: "It's really about giving kids the services they need to keep them safe and healthy and in school..."

(I think we can safely read that as: "It's really about keeping attendance up so we don't lose our funding")

He further states: "There are young kids who will be having sex unsafely and it's important that the community be able to decide to keep these kids safe."

(I think most parents are currently laboring under the delusion that it is their right and responsibility to keep their children safe...not the community. This is more of the faulty "it takes a village to raise a child" mentality!)

Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research Council believes this is nothing more than "greenlighting" sexual behavior amongst children and states: "This is a perfect example of the soft bigotry of low expectations." Additional statements from Yoest regarding the upcoming vote in Portland: "This is exactly the wrong response." "To respond with contraception to curb teen sexuality is tragic." "This policy is a cleverly written fig-leaf to circumvent parental involvement in their children's life."

This School Based Health plan would allow children to seek services confidentially. Parents will sign an initial consent form to enable their child to obtain school health services. Remember when we all went to the school nurse for a band-aid? Now "reproductive health" is on the list of services offered. Once the parents sign giving their consent, students may obtain all services confidentially.

View the CNN video here.

Protecting children, indeed! Seems the average child is in desperate need of protection from programs like the one being considered in Portland, Maine. Read more!

To-may-to, to-mah-to. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.

Perhaps the more likely comparison would be apples and oranges. This is the precise problem encountered when looking at the original Vatican document and those that were released by the Nunciature to the USCCB (continenter vs. stabiliter).

Thank heavens, the Vatican is finally issuing a clarification/directive for implementation of the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum."

Thank you, Holy Father, for your continued "shepherding" of your flock.

Yet another reason to love our German Shepherd! Read more!

Blessings to The Schoolmen and the formation of the Society of Scholastics. The Society website is dedicated to the promotion of traditional Scholastic Thomism. Be sure to click on the press release image for more information.

Remember: "Parvus error in principio magnus est in fine" Read more!

October 14th, 1985 2:32 a.m.

8lbs., 10 oz. - 21 inches long.

Happy, happy birthday, baby! I miss you so very much. Twenty-two years on this earth...time flies!
Praising God for you...you are ever in my prayers. Hope you can come home soon! Love, Mom. Read more!

h/t to Irish-Catholic and Dangerous:

Made you laugh, didn't it?! Read more!