Slice of Heaven from 2007 awards

These are the blogs I should add to my sidebar blogroll. I've read and enjoyed them regularily in 2007. I thank them and ask that God may bless their New Year!

In fact, let me create my own award here....I'll call it A SLICE OF HEAVEN FROM 2007! That sounds cheesy enough! This award honors those blogs we regularily visit and enjoy...the ones that *sweetened* our year! PASS IT ALONG. (And what's more Catholic than a trappist monk fruit cake slice?)

First, of course, and from my sidebar, Catholic Family Vignettes where Kimberly always has something engaging to post. The same can be said of Father Z at What Does the Prayer Really Say. Then there are great ideas at By Sun and Candlelight, history lessons and Catholic thoughts at Tea at Trianon , A Marian focus at Castle of the Immaculate , videos at Catholic TUBE, fun at Laura the Crazy Mama, gardens and wit at St. Fiacre's garden, heartwarming at Small Treasures, for laughs, June Cleaver after a sixpack, just as it says at Family Centered Life, charm at Minnesota Mom, a great mix at Recapturing our Catholic Patrimony, and something thoughtful at Against All Heresies, much to enjoy at Waltzing Matilda, GREAT pictures at Hallowed Ground, introspection and more at A Third Way, because I know her, Life with small blessings, because it always delights me, Pondered in my heart, because this young momma is further along than I was at her age, Lady in Blue, because she celebrates her children, Snowy Days, because she's so honest, Catholic Momma : Keeper of the Monkey House, because I like to check in on Tom and all things Aussie, Aussie Coffee Shop, because it doesn't look like every other blog, A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars, because he is our future, the Seminarian at Per Te, Sancta Maria, humor at Salve Regina, photos and more charm me at Cottage Blessings, and finally, for now, across the "pond" for tea with the UK's, Catholic Mom of 10.

THANK YOU BLOGGERS FOR THE COMMUNITY YOU HAVE HELPED CREATE!

Christmas Memories

Dead fish

Christmas vacation has started here and little ones are watching SpongeBob cartoons. It is the cartoon of their generation and I must admit my husband and I have laughed watching it.

Me to bigger boys: "If your vocations are to the married life, do you think you'll want your kids to watch SpongeBob because it was from your childhood....you know, like how I showed you the Jetsons?!"

2nd son: "Mom, by then I'm sure there will be a CSI : Bikini Bottom!

He's right, by then they'll have exhausted all other locations!


By the way, The WIGGLES have a great Christmas video called Santa's Rockin'...very Catholic as they included a focus on the Baby Jesus, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a Catholic church with nuns in habits!

Straight No Chaser Christmas A Cappella

Where are all the Nativities?

Here's a Christmas tradition to share...but it's a secret, don't tell our neighbors!


On Friday, the kids will each make a certificate. A 1st prize, a 2nd prize, a 3rd prize and a 4th prize scroll to honor neighborhood decorations. They will really go "all-out" in decorating their awards. (The kids will reach into a hat for 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th place designations.)


Then, this weekend , with Christmas carols playing we'll drive around in the van under stealth of night and place awards in mailboxes. I have my own little job. I write thank you notes. These notes say something to this effect....

Thank you neighbor for displaying your outside Nativity this Christmas. We are grateful to see Jesus and the Holy Family recognized as being the most important "decoration" of Christmas. May God bless you for your witness!


Last year we were able to give out a half dozen thank you notes. This year I have seen only one Nativity, other than ours in our neighborhood. Where are all the Nativities?


PUT IT OUT THERE CHRISTIANS!


O come, O come Emmanuel.....

The Incarnation ~ The Word made flesh!

We're so close to Christmas, to the Incarnation! There's a story I heard a while back that has always stayed with me...

There was once a man who didn't believe in the Incarnation or the spiritual meaning of Christmas, and was skeptical about God. He and his family lived in a farm community. His wife was a devout believer and diligently raised her children in her faith. He sometimes gave her a hard time about her faith and mocked her religious observance of Christmas.

One snowy Christmas eve she was taking the kids to the Christmas eve Mass at church. She pleaded with him to come, but he firmly refused. He ridiculed the idea of the Incarnation of Christ and dismissed it as nonsense. "Why would God lower himself and become a human like us?! It's such a ridiculous story!" he said. So she and the children left for church while he stayed home.

After they left, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As he looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump, something hitting against the window. And another thump. He looked outside but couldn't see. So he ventured outside to see. In the field near his house he saw, of all the strangest things, a flock of geese! They were apparently flying to look for a warmer area down south, but got caught in the snow storm. The snow had became too blinding and violent for the geese to fly or see their way. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just fluttered their wings and flew around in circles around the field blindly and aimlessly. He had compassion for them and wanted to help them. He thought to himself, "The barn would be a great place for them to stay! It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm."

So he walked over to the barn and opened the barn doors for them. He waited, watching them, hoping they would notice the open doors and go inside. But they just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. He started whistling and calling to them. Nothing. He shouted, jumped up and down, waved his arms. They didn't pay attention. He moved closer toward them to get their attention, but they just moved away from him out of fear. He went into the house and came back out with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on. Starting to get frustrated, he went over and tried to shoo them, run after them, and chase them toward the barn. They only got scared and scattered into every direction except toward the barn.

None of his attempts to get them into the barn succeeded. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where there was warmth, safety, and shelter; nothing he did could make them enter the one place where they could survive. Feeling totally frustrated, he exclaimed, "Why don't they listen to me! Why don't they follow me! What's wrong with them! Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm! How can I possibly get them into the one place to save them!" He thought for a moment and realized that they just won't follow a human. He said to himself, "How can I possibly save them? The only way would be for me to become like those geese. If only I could become like one of them! Then I could show them the way! Then I could save them! They would follow me, not fear me. They would trust me, and I would lead them to safety."

He stood silently for a moment as the words that he just said reverberated back to himself in his mind: "If only I could become like one of them -- then I could show them the way -- then I could save them." He thought about his words, and remembered what he said to his wife: "Why would God want to be like us? That's so ridiculous!" Something clicked in his mind as he put these two together. It was like a revelation, and he began to understand the incarnation. We were like the geese -- blind, gone astray, perishing. God became like us so He could show us the way and make a way available to save us. That is the meaning of Christmas, he realized in his heart.

As the winds and blinding snow abated, his heart became quiet and pondered this epiphany. He understood what Christmas was all about. He knew why Christ had to come. Suddenly years of doubt and disbelief were shattered, as he humbly and tearfully kneeled in the snow, and embraced the true meaning of Christmas in humbled prayer.

And He's humbled Himself again...to be with us Our Lord becomes Eucharist. St. John Bosco said, "The longer you stay away from Communion, the more your soul will become weak, and in the end you will become dangerously indifferent." We all know those dangerously indifferent types, some of them we love dearly. May their hearts enter into the Warmth & Safety this Christmas...coming HOME for Christmas!

I love you, gentlest of Ways, who ripened us as we wrestled with You,

You, the great homesickness we could never shake off,

You, the forest that always surrounded us.... Rainer Maria Rilke

The Miracles in the image - Our Lady of Guadalupe

I am very fond of Our Lady under this title!

Here are some truly fascinating facets about this miraculous image. I will list a few, but see the LINKS below for the scientific reports. It now seems hard to find but Johnnette Benkovic interviewed Dan Lynch on her EWTN show, The Abundant Life on these miraculous findings and it is a riveting show....if you can find it.

The Image of Our Lady is actually an Aztec Pictograph which was read and understood quickly by the Aztec Indians.

1. THE LADY STOOD IN FRONT OF THE SUN

She was greater than the dreaded Huitzilopochtli, their sun-god of war.
2. HER FOOT RESTED ON THE CRESCENT MOON

She had clearly crushed Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent moon-god.
3. THE STARS STREWN ACROSS THE MANTLE

She was greater than the stars of heaven which they worshipped. She was a virgin and the Queen of the heavens for Virgo rests over her womb and the northern crown upon her head. She appeared on December 12, 1531 and the stars that she wore are the constellations of the stars that appeared in the sky that day!

4. THE BLUE‑GREEN HUE OF HER MANTLE

She was a Queen because she wears the color of royalty.
5. THE BLACK CROSS ON THE BROOCH AT HER NECK

Her God was that of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ her son who died on the cross for all mankind.
6. THE BLACK BELT

She was with child because she wore the Aztec Maternity Belt.
7. THE FOUR PETAL FLOWER OVER THE WOMB

She was the Mother of God because the flower was a special symbol of life, movement and deity-the center of the universe.
8. HER HANDS ARE JOINED IN PRAYER

She was not God but clearly there was one greater than Her and she pointed her finger to the cross on her brooch.
9. THE DESIGN ON HER ROSE COLORED GARMENT

She is the Queen of the Earth because she is wearing a contour map of Mexico telling the Indians exactly where the apparition took place.

The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Science1. The image to this date, cannot be explained by science.

2. The image shows no sign of deterioration after 450 years! The tilma or cloak of Saint Juan Diego on which the image of Our Lady has been imprinted, is a coarse fabric made from the threads of the maguey cactus. This fiber disintegrates within 20-60 years!

3. There is no under sketch, no sizing and no protective over-varnish on the image.

4. Microscopic examination revealed that there were no brush strokes.

5. The image seems to increase in size and change colors due to an unknown property of the surface and substance of which it is made.

6. According to Kodak of Mexico, the image is smooth and feels like a modern day photograph. (Produced 300 years before the invention of photography.)

7. The image has consistently defied exact reproduction, whether by brush or camera.

8. Several images can be seen reflected in the eyes of the Virgin. It is believed to be the images of Juan Diego, Bishop Juan de Zummaraga, Juan Gonzales, the interpreter and others.

9. The distortion and place of the images are identical to what is produced in the normal eye which is impossible to obtain on a flat surface.

10. The stars on Our Lady's Mantle coincide with the constellations in the sky on

December 12, 1531. All who have scientifically examined the image of Our Lady over the centuries confess that its properties are absolutely unique and so inexplicable in human terms that the image can only be supernatural!

LINKS

Startling Science...map of Constellations, http://blessyou.9f.com/guadalupe.html

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0592.html

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/our_lady_of_guadalupe_completely_beyond_scientific_explanation_says_researcher/

http://jkmi.com/olgimage.asp

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE PRAY FOR US, PRAY FOR OUR CONVERSION, PRAY FOR OUR RESPECT FOR LIFE....

Advent quote

I love the way St. Leo the Great juxtaposes these extremes -

"The Child, the Lord Jesus Christ...Word in our flesh, Wisdom in infancy, Power in weakness, and in true Man, the Lord of Majesty."

Shadow me

Pssst, follow me...

Here's where I've been lately and MUST recommend.

I've been here and read The Daily Obligations of a Catholic and The Catholic Family - both really moving to me. This is a blog to visit often.

Of course, I've been to Kimberely's and loved watching this on a movie being released this February on scientists not daring to question Darwinism. I never knew all that background info on Ben Stein...did anyone?....anyone???

To lighten it up, follow me here.

A simple Advent craft for all ages

Last year, when the children were 2,5,9, and 11, we did this craft from CHC's A Year with God and their A Catholic How to Draw. My eldest drew the nativity scene. My 5 year old cut out brown construction paper for the stable and glued that on. My 9 year old drew the stones of the path and the marker signs on the side.

This is a Journey to the Manger and the object was to get the children spiritually ready for Christmas during Advent. We decided to use 3 crayon colors. One for the times we did kind deeds. Another for the times we prayed together as a family, went to Mass or Adoration. And the third was for our sacrifices, when we offered up our pain or gave up something we wanted. When it seemed like we were going to get their too soon before Christmas, and I wanted to keep the positive reinforcement going, I added some more stones in the width of the path.

We intend to start another Journey poster this Advent. Today at our First Friday Mass for homeschoolers, Father M. asked the children to read from the bible Nativity narratives and meditate on them as he did when he was a child during Advent. So this year, there will be another colored stone to offer the baby Jesus! And this year we'll make more stones than last year...we'll be wisemen taking this journey all the way through to Epiphany! That will be really Catholic! ;)

A touch of snow

The wonder of this time of waiting....

The quieting effect it has, the AWE...

This baby to be born, the Saviour of the world! Born into a family to share with us the value of family. In this way He gives us a role model for a Mother, a Father and a Child. This Holy child becomes The Hands that then hold us up as we take unsure, challenging steps....and He fills us with joy!

Emmanuel - God with us

The Emmanuel Award "God With Us"
For blogs that "express their love for their faith so visibly and joyfully....Through their faith, lives and spirituality, they bring God to us, they in essence make God visible, 'God with us.'This Award goes to all the faith filled blogs who make evident 'Emmanuel'- God with us, with Joy in their hearts.Please share this Award with Christian blogs that focus on the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior.Peace, JOY & Merry ChristmasMarie & Ginny" Marie and Ginny's blog, A View from the Pew, is a delight!

With thanks to my new friend, WhiteStone Name Seeker, from the UK. The blogshpere has brought so many from so far away together in our shared faith.

In turn, I'd like to nominate a young man discerning a priestly vocation. He has a faith-filled blog called Per Te, Sancta Maria. (Isn't that beautiful? A better name may not exist!)

And there's this prayerful and crafty Catholic at Cottage Blessings - see her wayside shrines.

I love the feeling I get every time I visit Pondered In My Heart.

The images at Hallowed Ground always make me feel the nearness of Emmanuel.

And finally, and only because I've named 5, another source of holy images and words to inspire can be found at Holy Card for Your Inspiration.

O come, O come Emmanuel....