The WhiteStone Name Seeker

Pro-Life Witness

2008-09-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

"Saturday, 27th September

Oxford Pro-life Witness, prayers in reparation for abortion, and for all unborn babies and their Mothers & Fathers.

At the entrance of the JOHN RADCLIFFE Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford.

We meet outside the Church of St Anthony of Padua (Headley Way) which is just behind where we witness.

3pm - 4pm

Exposition throughout the hour inside the Church and the Rosary/prayers are led by Fr John Saward.

God Bless ~ please keep praying for the witnesses, especially for all the Drs and nurses at the JR involved in anti-life exploits."

Can I also ask for prayers for my fellow homeschooling mum friend who helps organise these events. Without the work of people like her, I think people would forget the massive slaughter of babies in this country.

(I am not ready to reblog here yet-but I hope to return some time. God bless)

2008-09-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

September is the month of the Seven Sorrows of Our Blessed Mother.

Today is her birthday, so Happy Birthday Dear Mother.

I am going to take a break from this blog for a while. I'll coninue my Homeschool blog-but things are too busy to keep two blogs going right now.

God bless everyone.

Been Awarded

2008-09-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact I have barely been online the last few weeks-what with holidays and terminally ill computers-Philip has kindly awarded me this:

I had better start living up to it and get around and see y'all and say something commenterish.

And so pass it on:

1 Ebeth who is profound

2. Adrienne who understands long journeys

3. Karen the gem who speaks plainly and honestly-which I love.

4. Paul-who needs to BLOG already!!! But who remains the commenter extraodinaire on Holy Smoke.

4. Sue who also comments on Damian's blog and who I remember well from Catholic Pages days. I wish she had a blog.

5. Deb who is always thoughtful and kind

6. Rita who stands against the dark

7. Kirk who is new to me but I enjoy his blog

8. Maggie Clitherow a fellow homeschooler in the wild world.

God bless

Light and Dark

2008-08-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

Some people are just holy. You meet them or see them on TV or the Internet and get a sense that they "glow in the dark." Mother Angelica, Fr Benedict Groeschel and Fr John Corapi spring to mind. But I have also met people in every day life who seem to have that genuine holiness about them. There's a Filipino lady who attends Mass at our church. She's small and unnoticeable in many ways-but I get the impression she really glows. Don't know why.

Then there are the quietly holy people. They don't give off as much light but there is a definite flame there and it stays lit sometimes in the most difficult circumstances.

I think these two sets of people are like the the two men in Jesus' parable with five talents and two talents.

Then there's the man given one talent. It doesn't seem fair at first, but he goes and hides it rather than use it properly-so maybe the Master had some idea he was faithless in some way. Then with the talent safely buried they can accuse God of being unjust as the faithless servant did in the parable-and so they feel free to behave as they like.

In fairy stories and the deeper stories of Tolkien good and evil are fairly straight forward and easy to discern. There is no mistaking the difference between elves and orcs; between the innocence of the princess and the wickedness of the witch. Their outward appearance often tells you whose side they are on.

Is it the same in reality? We are warned that the devil can appear as an angel of light-but there are always 'signs'-warnings that he ain't what he appears. Is it the same for people? Do they have signs that warn you even when they appear as 'angels of light'?

To be honest I think they do. They might not immediately appear to be orcs dressed as elves-but there are always little give aways to which we need to be alert. This is the battle ground after all and we are supposed to be soldiers in the Church Militant. Praying for discernment is a huge help because it seems to be one of those prayers God always answers with a 'yes' and a HUGE dollop of the appropriate grace.

A difficulty in the battle against evil can be our own fears of seeming uncharitable. It can seem wrong to think badly of others-especially when there is nothing concrete to pin the bad feelings on.

I've learned the real hard way that over riding discernment-those little red flags that warn of danger is a very bad idea.

But even then God comes to the rescue. He sends in some unlikely heroes to the rescue. I have been grateful for those two talent heroes on more than one occasion. They appear and speak at just the right time and say what needs to be said.

Sometimes the really holy ones can be the ones who are too charitable to speak up and give due warning. I can't begin to tell you how utterly painful it is to hear people admit AFTER you have been put through hell by some family or person; after a huge amount of damage has been done, that they KNEW they were bad news and that your kids were in danger but didn't think they should say anything.

People SPEAK UP!

I have a lot of time for those two talent people. I think Tolkien understood this too. It was hobbits that defeated Sauron in the end rather than the bright and shiny elves.

Sacrament of the Sick

2008-08-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

Who can receive the Sacrament of the Sick? Just how sick do you have to be? In the past it seems to me it was basically for those at death's door- but there seems to be some recognition that chronic illness can be helped with this Sacrament.
I don't know the rules.
Can someone in chronic pain or a sick child not nearly dead receive it?
If anyone knows I would be appreciative.
Thanks

Renewing the Bride in the UK

2008-08-20T00:38:00.001-07:00

From this morning's Office: (Is 61-62)

"No longer called “Forsaken,” your land no longer called “Desolate,”you will be called “My pleasure in her,” and your land “The Wedded”;for the Lord has been well pleased with you, and your land will receive its bridegroom."

Paul OTSOTA wrote somewhere on Damian Thompson's blog about how the Church in England could actually spend its money doing something really worthwhile such as true evangelisation with a TV station, website that actually teaches something good and True and so on.

It hit a nerve with me.

I wanted this blog to be a witness to my new found Faith. I wanted to witness to it all in a straightforward way without becoming some kind of apologist. I'm afraid I am too bad tempered to make a good apologist. I just wanted to be someone who could say clearly that I believe and why I do.

Okay, I haven't made a stella achievement in that area and frankly over the last three months I have been seriously toying with the idea of ditching this blog altogether.

Partly because I am going through a "What the heck does God WANT from me?" phase at the moment.

Meanwhile the First Born is trying his best to get back to America so he can study at FUS and do the very thing Paul is saying needs doing here. But First Born-as much as he would love to be part of a TV station putting out Catholic programmes, especially dramas, can't see that happening any time soon. Nevertheless, he did wonder if one day he might be able to start something small himself.

A great deal could be done at parish level if priests were not afraid to allow it. Fr Lawler in Leeds has, according to a member of his own parish, done wonderful work in renewing the understanding of the Faith and bringing people closer to God and in the process closer to one another. Here was a priest, we are told, not only allowing the renewal, but leading it as a father to his people.

I am sure there are many talented people in the UK who could set the country on fire with Truth. But they are scattered and have no father to lead them.

But if we pray God will raise up priests and fathers for the people and we will no longer be orphans, desolate and forsaken. We will be beloved and wedded and renewed.

I have a new laptop-well sorta new

2008-08-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to see that my old laptop limped through our week away and allowed me to download and save photos and listen to downloaded Catholic Radio programmes. It fussed and groaned a bit-but kindly kept going until we got home.
A few days ago I realised it was terminal when smoke poured out of the back of it; but to my children's astonishment-(and concern: the Computer Wizz thought I might end up in smoke too) it limped on for another day.
So then I was without a computer-having to grab the odd moment on the kids desk top.
But today my reconditioned second hand laptop has arrived. Very nice it is too.
So I can blog again....
Erm...what shall I blog about I wonder....

Anyone know why I am having such a game installing MSM? How can I talk to my friends across the pond when the blooming thing wont install?

I'm BACK!

2008-08-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

I had a week away in a part of the world that was internet-free.
I see that there have been many thoughtful, and quite heart rending comments on my previous post. Thank you to you all.
I have to agree very much with Rita's observation about how Catholic education can never recover while there is the National Curriculum and that deeply creepy organisation Connexions in our schools.
MaggieClitherow spoke of her husband's experience seeing the Precious Blood in a beaker. My children witnessed some pretty dodgy Masses in their time at school too.
Joe points out something I too have noted-many Catholic teachers avoid jobs in Catholic schools because of the 'politics'.
I do not doubt that brave heads do exist. In fact the local Catholic primary school had one such head until very recently. My older children attended that school which I thought was excellent. If he had stayed I may have had my younger children go to that school-but without him, it has already changed.
Like Philip, I too note that children don't seem to attend Mass during the hols. I get the sense from some families they have "better things to do". They simply don't get what the Mass is all about.
Susie's story illustrates how ignorance of the faith is effecting the next generation of teachers, and Adrienne who does know the Faith is left with an impossible task.

While I was away I had the chance to do some reading including some Chesterton. I bought the books from an internet site. I have learned a huge amount over the last 8 years from internet sites such as EWTN. It is the Internet and getting EWTN radio and TV that has brought me Home.
Nearly all the sites are American. THANK GOD for the Catholic Church in America because it is that side of the pond that will renew the Church here in the UK-of that I am sure.

I prayed for you all while I was away.
God bless

Are Catholic schools teaching children to leave the Faith?

2008-07-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

I am on the list of those who get Daphne McLeod's "The Flock". For some time I have wondered if I am doing the right thing. I get an uncomfortable sense about the way things are written and I do not like the support for Christian Order and SSPX. However, I have continued to be on the list because what she says about Catholic schools is indeed what we have experienced as a family and what I continue to see when my children's friends are here.

Mrs McLeod, it seems to me, is quite right when she points out the terrible state of Catholic school education. When she says that children are exposed to sex education and are taught erroneous things about the Church-she is right. When she says "Icons" is terrible-she is quite right.

It's the holidays and so my house is constantly full of other people's teens. My son's friends either no longer practice the faith or are still confused and lacking in understanding about it.
My daughter's friends have either more or less stopped practicing or are in the process of learning to ditch it-at school.

On of my daughter's friends who is what might be called part of an 'insider' family in the Church was shocked to learn during a discussion a couple of weeks ago that Satan actually exists! She is 14 and did not know this.
She attends a 'very good' Catholic school and explained to me a couple of days ago that they were studying St Mark's Gospel and about people in the Church. She listed Liberals, conservatives, fundamentalists and a couple of other political mass media views. I asked her what on earth that meant and she wasn't sure-just that everyone has different views. She doesn't know the BASICS of what the Church teaches and has yet to set eyes on a Catechism but they are teaching her the secular politics of the media view!
On St Mark she said they told her no one knew who he was or if he wrote the Gospel or if he had even met Peter. The whole message she is receiving is that the Gospels are not to be trusted.
How do these teachers KNOW St Mark never wrote the Gospel; never met Peter? Where do their views come from?
Not the Church Father's that's for sure.

It sounds like Spong is teaching her.

She is angry and confused. Hardly surprising really.

I've heard the (LAME) arguments for why I should send my children to school. I have heard the 'support you Catholic school' arguments. I would if there was a Catholic school anywhere near me that was Catholic.
Then there's the "send your children to be evangelists" argument. This is so wicked and lame that it barely deserves an answer. Children are being formed and are not meant to be in the firing line of an anti-Faith agenda. Jesus, as Dr Ray Guarendi points out-never used children to spread His message.
So excuse me if I do not sacrifice my children's eternal future to some ludicrous idea that little ones can evangelise schools!

Meanwhile I have only seen the lone figure of Mrs Daphne McLeod being willing to fight this fight. So despite my concerns-I will continue to support her.

Roy Schoeman in Oxford

2008-07-29T02:02:00.000-07:00

Roy Schoeman will be in England and telling his wonderful conversion story in Oxford.

You can hear him speak at

7pm on 13th August at St Gregory & St Augustine's Church on the Woodstock Road Oxford.

If you can get there I highly recommend it. I have heard Mr. Schoeman's story of how he came from Judaism to Catholicism and it is well worth hearing.

I have his book 'Salvation is from the Jews' but I haven't yet got around to buying 'Honey From the Rock'.

He is a great speaker and very blessed to have been visited by Jesus and His Blessed Mother.

Visit his website HERE and if you can't get to Oxford you can find listen to his conversion story on that site.

Feast of St Bridget

2008-07-23T04:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the feast of St Bridget of Sweden. She is someone I love dearly and I am so grateful for her prayers and presence at times of great trial.

She was a woman whose mighty strength came from her love of God and the many graces He poured out for her. She was a wife and mother, a reformer and prophet. After the death of her husband the good and gentle Ulf she founded her order of St Saviour known as the Bridgetines. The order was a power house of prayer for the reformation of the Church that was in such a serious state in those days with pretty awful popes at the helm.

Bridget and Ulf had four boys and four girls. Two of their boys died very young, so she is wonderful in those situations when you fear the loss of a child as I did at the emergency section of my youngest dd.

Her oldest son Karl fell into bad company and became entangled with Queen Joanna of Naples - a woman who was pretty evil really and caused great pain to all who had to deal with her. Both Karl and the Queen already had spouses but there was a threat they would try and ditch them and marry.

Bridget prayed for her first born that he would not be lost. He died of a fever and I trust he was saved.

So this beautiful saint is the one to turn to when children lose faith or get into bad ways.

Her second son Birger married but was also a companion to his mother as she travelled. Of her daughters three married, Katrin (Karin or Catherine), Cecilia and Merita while Ingbord became a Cistercian. Once she had been widowed Katrin entered religious life also and eventually joined her mother's order and is canonised as St Catherine of Sweden or Verdena. St Catherine of Sienna wrote to St Katrin asking her to intervene with Queen Joanna - who was making things difficult in the great reform of the Church these mighty saints were brining about. Katrin refused because of the situation that had occurred with her brother Karl.

Nevertheless these three great saints worked tirelessly to see the Church renewed. St Catherine of Sienna finally saw the pope return to the Vatican as he should have.

Bridget died on July 23rd 1373 and was canonised on October 7th 1391.

Santa Birgitta ora pro nobis

Rachel weeps in China

2008-07-18T00:42:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago the Catholic Herald actually published a letter that said bluntly that China's one child policy was a great idea and the Church and the west should support it.

I can only hope the person who wrote this stuff is completely ignorant of just what the this policy entails.

Mark Miravelle has written a book called "The Seven Sorrows of China." I listened to him being interviewed by Al Kresta on Immaculate Heart Radio (Click on Kresta in the Afternoon 07/17.08).

Dr Miravelle talks of his visit to China and of the families and bishop who told their secret stories. As the decedent West insists on doing business and making money with China, so mothers have their nearly born babies murdered in front of them.

As the media gets all excited about the upcoming Olympics and the ethics of drug enhanced performance, children are left in the back rooms of so called orphanages where they are expected to die.

While China welcomes tourists from Europe and America you can buy a bowl of fetal soup for 500yen. This soup of murdered babies is supposed to be a health tonic!

The horror that is the lives of ordinary Chinese people beggars belief. In fact Dr Miravelle said one person he spoke to on his return home just refused to believe him saying "The UN would not allow this."

THE UN!!!

That bastion of all things amoral would of course turn a blind eye to the massive abuses in China.

In fact with some help from the British Government I do not doubt it is helping to fund and enable the travesties that go on there.

You can read a great deal of what Dr Miravelle saw and heard in these links.

Please try and find the time to read them. I think these first hand stories are of vital importance.

The Seven Sorrows of China

Part One

part Two

Part Three

Part four

part five

part six

part seven

I really do not understand how we can turn away from all this happening. I don't understand Christians prepared to do business with China. I really really do not at all understand how on earth the Beijing Govt were offered the massive kudos of holding the Olympic Games.

I pray that there will be people like my oldest son who want to tell these stories and make people see what is happening.

God help China.

The Farmer went out to sow...

2008-07-14T10:57:00.001-07:00

Listening to the Gospel and Father's homily on Sunday I must

admit to some irreverent thoughts. In order for God's Word

to grow the soil within us has to be good soil. If we are going to produce good fruit, the soil must be fed to give it that quality that will produce the crop.

Into every life a little rain must fall-but it takes a whole load of manure to produce good soil.

Many of us seem to have to handle a whole lot of ...erm...let's say 'crap' in this life.

Fr John Corapi says that terrible things that happen can work two ways with people. It can make them better people with a stronger faith in God, or it can make them bitter and turn away from God.

We need to be prepared to take up our cross and follow Him. Sometimes that cross can be downright heavy, but He says 'Come to me those who are heavily burdened and I will give you rest.' Often those burdens are made heavy by our own making. We think we can have it all our own way. We see Christ there-arms outstretched-but the eye of the needle we need to pass through is so narrow and that means ditching so much we are rather fond of.

The rich man could be like the young man who didn't want to sell it all and follow Christ, but these days I think many of us have had a wealth of personal opinions and ideas that we were unwilling to ditch so we could come to Christ.

If the Farmer can't find good soil or the soil wont absorb the crap but would rather remain clean and dry then the crop will not grow and people will go hungry.

It's a tough journey for some of us. As I watch the horror story that is the Anglican communion at the moment I pray for those who are looking out to see Christ calling them through that narrow gate.
As the seed falls let it not be on those who look and look but refuse to see.
The readings for Sunday surely speak to those looking to Rome.
May God bless and guide all who seek Him first and may he bring them safely home to His Bride.

Quick Ten Words

2008-07-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I read or heard recently that the average person who claims to be Christian doesn't know the Ten Commandments. I think this is because they are quite difficult to remember if you are trying to remember the whole Scripture passage.
When I taught the children, we did a quick version.

ONE God-no others
His Name is Holy
Keep Sabbath Holy
Honour your father and mother
No murder
No adultery
No stealing
No false witness
Don't covet neighbours wife (spouse)
Don't covet neighbours goods.

I split them into the first three are about God and right worship; 4 is about family and Church and 5-10 are about family and community.

After they had learned them we could do some Catechism.

It's made it easier for me to remember them anyway.

Ignorance is Bleurgh!

2008-07-09T03:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know what Father Melchizedek makes of what is going on with the Anglicans and some Catholic responses to it. There seems to be a sad lack of understanding and even respect for the renewal of the Priesthood of Melchizedek that Christ brought about as He gave authority (yes that word) to the Apostles.

When David sang of Solomon "Thou art a priest forever of the the order of Melchizedek" (Ps 110:4) he was prophesying the end of temporary Levitical priesthood and the re-newing of the priesthood of the father and first born son-the priesthood of the Bridegroom.

Jesus founded His Church-His Bride on the shoulders of Peter and the apostles and he gave then authority to follow His Will. This was not a licence to do as they pleased. All authority is limited and the authority of the Church is limited by what God asks for. Surely that is only right and just.

If a group of people is going to claim to be followers of Christ, one can expect I would think that they follow Christ and not their own wants and opinions. Sadly the CofE has shown itself as nothing more than a club in which the rules for membership can shift and change with the shifting demands of various members of the group.

WHERE IS CHRIST IN ANY OF THIS? He just doesn't seem to get a look in while all the political and personal agendas fly. Paul (OTSOTA) has pointed out on Holy Smoke just how narcissistic many commentators present themselves as being.

In the beginning, Scripture tells us, God made them "male and female". Did He make a mistake? Was he supposed to have made them not equal in His sight but the SAME? God has decided the roles men and women are to have in life and when they are treated with dignity and respect there is nothing wrong with different roles. The priesthood is inextricably tied in with how God revealed Himself as Bridegroom and Father-that is not a woman's role.

While this can be a difficult area of Biblical exegesis and Tradition for the average Joe to grasp. Well, I found it hard to begin with and I reckon I'm about average- I would have thought the intellectuals of the CofE and Catholics should get it. The reason they don't seems to be because they are not looking for Truth. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh-but we are called to seek first the Kingdom.

I hope that those seeking to enter the Church now are doing so because they are seeking and finding the Kingdom. That they are putting Christ at the centre of the their lives and trying to follow Him. If all they are doing is looking for something that serves their personal agendas a little more comfortably, then I don't see them either crossing the Tiber or staying here.

God bless them and guide them.

Send out the life boats and bring in the Anglicans.

2008-07-05T04:15:00.000-07:00

Damian Thompson has covered the appalling and tragic mess the Anglicans are struggling with in some depth. While we are treated to rumours that up to 13,000 Anglicans are ready to cross the Tiber-a rumour that has even made it to EWTN's World Over Live coverage; there seems a great deal of confusion about just what the real problem is within the Anglican loosely held communion. Many people have pointed out that as women were 'ordained' to the ministry -what they call priesthood, it was hardly likely they would never be made bishops. There is already the rather odd-from a Christian point of view- American Episcopalian lady who is supposed to be a bishop.

There are those of us tempted to see the terrible and quite unChrist like situation facing this communion as rooted in their all too ready acceptance of Contraception back at the Lambeth Conference of 1930. Something that Pope Pius XI responded to very quickly with his encyclical Casti Connubii in response to this.

Once you decide to ditch God's law on the unitive aspects of marriage then all sorts of other sins are acceptable. In fact Rowan Williams has written on this when he cleverly approached the question of actively homosexual men being ordained to Anglican orders. Without reference let alone quotes from Scripture, he basically said that as Anglicans accept that their can be a deliberate block to procreation with the sexual act-then other sexual acts must be accepted.

So then once the understanding of the roles of male and female in marriage are undermined and corrupted-then the role of the priesthood as God created it is corrupted. There is no proper role of male and female. They are no longer complementary but the same and interchangeable. Marriage looses its holiness and so then does ordination.

How anyone who puts Christ at the centre of the their lives and claims a 'Catholic' heritage can remain part of such a -well lets be blunt here; this is pagan-organisation is something I don't really understand. I understand the horrible practicalities for those with livelihoods and families dependant on said organisation and I see the coldness from our own hierarchy here in England-but we are called to be God's Servant's first, even when we might lose our heads.

St John Bosco's dream of the great ship ploughing the storm tossed seas comes to mind here. She is attacked on all sides, but She has a flotilla of smaller boats that accompany her to battle against those ships which through weapons of all kinds, including books and tracts at her. Some boats though remain cowardly and in the lee of the great ship until they are sure She has won.

Meanwhile other ships are crushed and sinking.

In this battle and storm the Anglicans face, souls are being lost. Let's not forget that. Some will sink in sheer apathy, but others through being misled and their fear of Truth. There may be a few little life rafts for those who can truly claim invincible ignorance-but I doubt that many can be saved this way.

Seek the Truth and be prepared to face the storm. I don't altogether blame those afraid to jump ship. I found my return to the Church a very difficult journey at times. But I assure you it has been worth it. It's so much better to be free of all that confusion and dishonesty.

So I pray many Anglicans will come home-not because they are 'anti-gay' or 'anti-women' as the media might portray them, but because they are Pro- Truth and Pro-Christ.

Friendship

2008-07-02T08:10:00.001-07:00

When I was young-and that was some time ago-I remember hearing stories about Victorian women who would write to their friends or even to the man they would eventually marry. They would write long letters, often with little illustrations all about their every day life and these letters would pass back and forth for years without the writers ever actually meeting one another.

I write regularly to a friend I have only ever met once. We have kept our friendship without meeting since and bizarrely, in this day an age, we never phone nor email one another. We write snail mail.

I also keep in touch with an aunt this way. We get up to Scotland to see her once a year if possible and I see her then. But for the rest of the time we write-snail mail- as the Victorians would.

I have other friends I love dearly but who live a long way from us now. We phone now and then and email very occasionally. On those occasions when we phone I have to admit we can TALK! It is wonderful to have the chance to visit them and let the children play while we talk and talk and the men o off to look at wooden things or whatever.

Then there are the friends I have actually never met physically. I have only talked to them across a computer screen via blogs or forums and MSN. Last night I chatted for ages with such a friend on MSN. One day I really hope she can come to England. She has been so kind to us and at this very moment my oldest son The Bearded Wonder is staying with her and her family.

It has been a great blessing for me to find friends across the strange world of the Internet. People who are Catholic and actually share with me the same belief in Christ and His Church and love and loyalty for Her pope. It means we don't have to skip around the subject or hide what we believe. Some of you out there that I think of as friends I will probably never meet. In fact it seems a bit odd that my son is meeting my friend and I am not! Even if we never meet I think that does not make the friendship less real.

Friendship must surely be built on communication. What we say to one another, how we pray for one another is just as important, surely as being in the same room.

Okay I know there are times when we need to actually BE there for a friend. There are those special events, those terrible times, and the occasional crisis when we simply have to get there even if it means getting of a train for a few hours to get to the other side of the country. We've all had to do that now and again.

And of course there is the every day kind of friendship over coffee. Those days in the park while the kids play and the grown ups chill and those times when someone turns up on the door step out of the blue with a bunch of flowers.

But what I am saying is there is nothing less in the kindness and sharing of online friends, and this has surprised me somewhat. But it seems to be true.

So God bless all my friends.

SS Peter and Paul

2008-06-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Year of St Paul begins.
Today the Holy Father prayed for Christian Unity.
Peter and Paul were the dynamite of Christ that really got the Church founded.

I am in an awkward position for typing - sleeping baby moment-so here are links and stuff to start the year:

Inside Scoop

VIDEO from Catholic online

Catholic Culture does us proud on this subject.

The CTS offers stuff.

That should get the year under way.

God bless you and may you be showered with graces this year and may many I am praying for be knocked off their horses!

Okay-no more pity party

2008-06-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for the kind words from Karen, Kit and Philip after my last post. I was feeling quite worn out and just a little self pitying at the time. In a really odd coincidence on the same day I made that post I discovered a book that has helped me a great deal.

PRAYING FOR HEALING by Dom Benedict Heron OSB

Meanwhile as my last hosptial appoitment was so bad I nearly left the room in tears I have decided to be pro-active. This is the internet world and patients have access to all sorts of information that we didn't have before. Instead of trying to avoid information in case Iupset my already rude and incaltricent doctors I have decided to get myself fully informed and even look for answers elsewhere.

So today I had my first visit to a Chiropractor.

First visit was free. The Chiropractor took my history and the first thing I noticed was he LISTENED to what I said! He asked questions and listened to the answers. If I asked questions he answered them clearly and did not once try to dodge the question.

He poked and prodded me much the same as the neuros do but with a few extra things I've never had done before. Then hewas a bit bemused.

You see it seems that it could all be .... a trapped nerve!!!!

Now then; I have been in pain DAILY for over five years. I have been using crutches and a $*&$"* wheelchair because I can't walk properly or far. If it turns out this is all due to a trapped nerve that should have been straightforward to diagnose I'll...I don't know.

Even though I would be really, really angry I would also be exstatically pleased because the chiropractor can sort it out. If it IS a trapped nerve I am looking at being able to walk again and be pain free!

PRAY people PLEASE.

He wants to see the MRI done in 2003 so I have phoned my GP and asked for it. I'll let you know how that goes.

One of the things that has struck me is the attitude of the staff at the Chiropractor clinic. The receptionist was kind and polite. The chiropractor himself was polite and greeted me with a handshake. He did not once treat me like an idiot.

What has happened to the culture within the NHS, that patients are treated so rudely; discarded; ignored and generally seen as gettin in the way? And how many die or are killed because treatment is too much like hard work?

I saw it back when I was a nurse and I thought it was awful then, but now it is all over the place. My friend has cancer. Her treatment has been nick named the "Economy Package" because of how she is being treated.

All I can say to anyone going through something like this-try and find the energy to fight back.

The Ones He Didn't Heal

2008-06-21T03:38:00.000-07:00

I was teaching dd her RE lesson yesterday and we happened to be looking at the story of the Centurion who came to Jesus and asked that his servant be healed. He then came out with those timeless words said at every Mass "Lord I am not worthy to receive you under my roof, but only say the Word and my servant will be healed."

He has made it clear in his previous statement that he recognises the authority of Jesus.

Then, because of the faith of this gentile Jesus does as He has been asked.

We see in other parts of Scripture that lack of faith means lack of miracles.

These days whenever I read a story like this I am left a little saddened and wonder about all those people who did not get healed.

Was it simply lack of faith on their behalf?

In my nursing days I did come across people who actually wanted to stay ill. The secondary gains from their illness were so great they resisted all attempts to help them overcome their problems. In His ever polite way, I assume Jesus would leave people like this alone.

But I can't believe it was simply this and lack of faith that prevented-and still prevents- healing.

There has always been some form of medicine of course. God has provided plants and chemicals that over the years have become ever better forms of medication and these alongside increasing knowledge of how the body works and can be chopped up, sewn up, replaced and patched. So God offers healing through the skill of others.

But there are still plenty of us who are ill and are seeing doctors and getting nowhere.

I did not ask for healing to begin with because I had the belief I was meant to be this way and that's that. But then it became less obvious, I suppose, that being like this was any use at all.

So I have prayed for healing.

I do believe God can heal me if He wants to.

And here I am left with a sense that He doesn't want to.

Do I doubt that He loves me? Yes, honestly, sometimes I do. He heals others. I have seen it and heard about it-but so far He has not healed me.

Blessed Margaret of Costello was never healed either. In fact it seems her disabilities were used by God to help Him reach others who were wounded by life and sin.

She granted healing to a woman against her better judgement, as she believed the woman's disability was saving her from various sins she would otherwise be prone to.

Perhaps I am not to be healed because of sins I would otherwise commit.

During a really bad patch recently I was getting very frustrated and told my daughter I wished we could somehow find the money to let me go to Lourdes.

Fat chance!

However, the next morning I received a letter from a friend sending me a little bookmark that said "I prayed for you at Lourdes."

Perhaps I will have to carry this cross for the rest of my life. Perhaps I will not get worse-but chances are I will. Sometimes I am afraid I will not be much of a mother and will not be able to continue homeschooling. I worry that I wont be there for the children when they are adults-and I know all too well the pain of no parental support.

Or perhaps in the end a day will come when God will heal me.

I do know I am grossly unworthy to have Him under my roof-but if He would only say the Word I would be healed.

Ban homeschooling- it leads to intolerance!

2008-06-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

Oldest Daughter is running a little magazine for our homeschool group and she asked me to contribute an article on bullying. She has given me a deadline-she can be like a proper little editor at times!! LOL!

Now I was vaguely aware that for those parents in the UK who are registered as homeschoolers with their Local Authority the most common reason given for pulling a child out of school was bullying, but I wanted to do a bit of research.

I was interested by what I found as I pottered around the net looking at bullying and homeschooling. There are a few very keypad happy people out there who want homeschooling banned. THEY personally disapprove of the system and said parents who homeschool are 'fundamentalist', 'biased' and children brought up this way would be...wait for it...intolerant of others. There was some mockery over a home educated child reintroduced to mainstream education who found a lesbian couple's rather unpleasant behaviour difficult to handle.

I know a lot of homeschoolers. I can assure these dictatorial people that most of the children I know who are homeschooled are very well socialised thank you. Research from the USA and Durham Uni here in the UK would suggest that on average homeschooled children are better socialised than school children.

When it comes to 'tolerance' I have to say that while there seems to be a lot of people out there ready and willing to BAN homeschooling and force parents to send their children to school no matter how damaging that might be to the child; I have yet to meet a homeschool parent or child demanding that schools be banned, no matter how bad those schools might be.
So, I just have to wonder, who the intolerant ones are.

In Praise of Dads

2008-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

When my husband gets home from work, the little ones are in the habit of rushing to the door to meet him shouting "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Even the baby is beginning to join in, toddling after them saying "Dada, dada" as she goes.

The older ones, being teens, are not quite so highly expressive in their greeting, but they do show pleasure at their father's return.

The little ones like to try and be up early to have breakfast with daddy before he goes to work. If they sleep over and miss him the 5yr old Superhero can be quite upset. He in particular likes his 'dad time'. I think it is important for boys to have that 'dad time.'

I don't think it is very easy to be a dad these days. Working close to home is a luxury most men don't have these days, so little ones often find dad is a distant man they see briefly before bed. We are lucky that my dh gets home at a reasonable(ish) time and I keep the little ones up a little so they have time. Dad then puts them to bed and prays with them. It is very important that the children have prayer time with dad.

He leads Grace at meal times.

He has less time with the older ones and this has caused some concerns now and then.They get a bit cross when they want to have time with their dad-and there isn't any. As a result he has had to make a special effort to make the week last out so everyone has time with him.

Meal times are important as all the family sits around the table and we get to talk about our day, ideas and plans. This, too is important dad time.

A great deal is said these days about the dads who are not there for their kids, whether they live with them or not-and yes, we've all seen these dads; but there are dads out there trying to do their best in a society that thinks putting your family first is daft.
So, God bless them and St Joseph pray for them.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

To all you dad's out there. Happy Father's Day!
The children here made cards and put little gifts together for their dad. We had a good day even The Bearded One got in touch from America.

Not much time to blog today so that's all folks.

The art of forgiveness

2008-06-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

I think it was Oscar Wilde who said something along the lines of "Forgive your enemies. There is nothing that annoys them more."

Forgiveness fascinates me, mainly, I think because I don't really know how to do it. I am not altogether sure what it is. My main confusion comes from the point of, what to do with forgiveness that isn't wanted. God forgives us all. He has paid a very, very heavy price for the privilege and yet we are not forced to accept this free and gracious gift. We can forgo the obligation and retire to the pit of hell if we so desire. While the Church does not tell us WHO is in hell, She is wary of saying no one is. While God loves every person He has made with infinite burning love and certainly wants us all in heaven with Him, we don't have to go, and I think it is fair to say a lot of people choose not to. When Our Blessed Mother showed the three children at Fatima what hell was like-it was not empty.

But we are all called to forgive; "Forgive us our trespasses," we pray, "As we forgive those who trespass against us."
So what do WE do with forgiveness that is not wanted?
I am assuming that forgiveness is as much a good for the forgiver as it is for the forgivee. It is about an act of will in which the wounded party decides they do not want revenge, nor even justice-but mercy for the other person.

I think part of my own confusion comes from being told that forgiveness included two things; forgetting and carrying on with the other person as though nothing had happened. Well okay, there are times when forgetting and carrying on are easy enough-those times are when the other person is sorry, or the offence was small or the offence was such that the other person couldn't possibly know how offensive it was.
But it's the BIG stuff I wonder about. Who can forget abuse? I mean for so many the abuse went on over a long period of time and was habitual in the abuser. How can you forget such a huge chunk of life? And HOW is it possible-well it isn't is it?- to carry on with an abuser as if nothing had happened even IF (and it seems to me to be as rare as hens teeth) the abuser is actually sorry.
What does a person do with forgiveness for that sort of thing?

I am of the opinion-and I am still not sure about this-that remembering what happened is not a sin. It is not possible to forget. Living as a victim, blaming it all on the abuse IS a sin. Perhaps it is through the offer of forgiveness not taken that grace to survive is received. But even for the person who accepts grace and works to overcome the abuse there are times when it all just seems to be there again.
Sometimes the anger comes back. I really can't see if that is a sin. Dwelling on it probably is-but there are times when something happens that causes frustration; places that can't be visited; people who can't be trusted-because of the situation.

Then in the end if the abused person wants mercy for the abuser does God give it-or must those who refuse mercy always receive justice?
It seems to me that many people who have abused others and think they can do this with impunity are so sure God will simply let them into heaven that they see neither the need for His mercy nor fear of His justice.

I am not sure what God expects of us-apart from prayer I suppose.

10 People I would like to spend 10 minutes with

2008-06-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Esther has tagged me for this meme.

I am to name ten people I would most like to spend 10minutes with.

I am going to choose people I have never had any minutes with and would like to:

1. Mother Angelica

2. Fr Benedict Groeschel

3. Charlotte Mason- Although reading so much of her work is like spending time with her.

4. G.K.Chesterton- I wouldn't speak I would just listen.

5. Papa Beni. OOOh the things I would like to ask him.

6. Some of the bloggers I have only managed to talk to online. Is that a copout answer? It's true though.

7. The Duggers. I would just LOVE to.

8. My children's future spouses; oh the questions I would ask!

9. I would like to spend more than 10 minutes with some of my ancestors who kept the Faith during the Reformation and the persecution of Catholics that followed. I would ask them about how they survived.

10. Dr Ray Guarendi- well I just had to include him didn't I? :)

My dd would like 10mins or more with her beloved Ainsley Harriot. DS would spend ten days with Stan Lee and knowing my dh as I do I am sure he would like at least 10minutes with Dr Tanya Byron.

Consider yourself tagged. Yes YOU.

Don't do it! Don't have a vasectomy!

2008-06-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

There was a tragic case on the news tonight of a man who wants to reverse the vasectomy he had after his second child was born because one of his children has died. I think he wanted the reversal done on the NHS and has been refused on the grounds that only one of his two children has died.

These situations are all too common. The biggest side effect of a vasectomy that is recognised even by the doctors (who try to underplay other nasty side effects) is it is so difficult to reverse!

No one can be so sure of their future that they can take such drastic action to wound their own bodies so permanently. I have seen so many stories where the man wants to try and have more children-for whatever reason and then finds that even if he can get the reversal there follows massive heartache as infertility remains.

In the story on the news I was wondering how many women are turned away from NHS abortions. Haven't heard of any. This man who wants to father another child will have to find the money to reverse the awful decision he made so long ago before he realised that life happens even to people who don't plan for it to happen.

Vasectomy has been linked in some controversial studies with prostate cancer and it appears there are more studies that show prostate problems and vasectomies do go together. Then there's the link with autoimmune diseases because the man's body builds up anti-bodies to sperm. If that wasn't enough there has been a new study that suggests some dementia's are linked with vasectomies. That research is contentious to say the least.
Contraception is sacrosanct somehow and no matter how much misery it causes; infertility, cancer, depression, general family destruction-it still HAS to be a good thing, doesn't it?

Meanwhile from what I have seen in my quiet corner of the world, more and more people-especially women, are saying to hell with it-out with the horrible stuff and in with a thermometer and a chart.

Those who DO the will of God

2008-06-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

I love the way the Scripture readings at Mass always fit together so well. Four readings; four threads that weave a theme. God offers His People His Law and with it comes a "Blessing and a curse." The blessing for those who obey God and a curse for those who go after other gods (or make themselves gods). We avoid the curses by remembering to take refuge in the Lord as "The Lord is my rock of safety."

Then we hear from St Paul that works of the Law will not save us-Christ has superseded the Old Law; fulfilled it. Then in the Gospel we are told what the Lord expects of us. The Beatitudes have just been preached (as Father reminded us in his homily this morning) and then we hear the words of the blessing and the curse. Jesus is rather clear when he says saying "Lord Lord" and making out we have done stuff in His Name will not get us into the Kingdom. We have to do what He tells us to do-not what we would prefer Him to have told us to do. We can prophecy, cast out demons but if we haven't built our house on HIS rock then it is work in vain. Remember the man who built his house on the sand was just as busy building his house as the wise man up there on the rock-but all his work crashed around him when the storms came.

And the storms came to both houses.

So we have to DO what God tells us to do-not make up an idea of Christ and do what we would quite like it if he said. That's a false god isn't it? And we have to be where He says we should be. Get out of that sand.

Here's a nice big house on a great big rock.

St Peter is buried under here so the rock is rockier than ever.

Jesus chose Simon and changed his name to Peter (Kephas) and said He would build His Church on that rock.

He said to the apostles "He who hears you hears Me and he who rejects you rejects Me."

It is really straight forward when you look at it. We are called to obey the Church. I am grateful to say I no longer find it as hard as I used to. I understand now why marriage is so Holy and contraception so unholy and I even understand why men are priests and ontologically women just can't be-but really I had to give assent before I fully understood. Faith seeking understanding.

Updates

2008-05-28T03:09:00.000-07:00

I've updated the sidebar of the blog. I've added a couple of new blogs such as Friends with Christ and Maggie Clitherow-who for some reason I hadn't added before. Sorry about that!

I have added James Mawdsley's blog and I have just written a letter to the Queen. His plea is a good one and I think the more of us who support his letter and petition the better.

Post Christian-post human

2008-05-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

I am heartened to see so many UK bloggers speaking out so strongly about the horrors of the recent bills that have gone through Parliament. We live in a country where the strong can kill the week and that is legal. The whole understanding of personhood has been abandoned as the strong seek to crush, kill and use those who are vulnerable and have no voice for their own ends.

In Britain we are 'proud' I think to be leading the way in sacrificing our innocents to the gods of wealth and self-seeking wants. Molech/Crom Cruach whatever name you like-he is here and many people, even those who dare to call themselves Christian, worship at his altars.

In the Catholic Herald this week they are saying that the UK is not so much post-Christian these days but post-human. The constant pro-murder, pro-sacrifice of the welbeing of children legislation that is being passed shows a distinct disregard for the sanctity of life.

The thing I find so bizarre about so much of it is the sheer pointlessness of the decisions. Killing babies past 24weeks is pointless. Creating babies and then choosing one who can be harvested for the possible welbeing of another child while killing off the rest is pointless. Creating babies and making animal hybrids even more pointless. We already know that experimenting on human embryo babies has given NO good results and that it is in ADULT stem cells the results are happening.

And there is such a SILENCE here. what response there has been is so muted with perhaps the exception of Cardinal Keith O'Brien-God bless him.

I am so saddened by this-so horrified. I don't want to keep blogging about it because it's so dark and disgusting; but I don't want to be part of the silence either.

"If they do this when the wood is green, what then when it is dry? Then they will say to the hills fall on us and to the mountains cover us."

Like Jerusalem we will reap the rewards. It's just inevitable.

Pray.

"Penance, penance, penance."

Laodicea-dead and gone

2008-05-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

In the book of Revelation there are seven churches that Christ the Just Judge has messages for. It is one of those strange little facts of life that the one we all seem to remember is the church at Laodacea.
Their lukewarmness and apathy was a sin so vile that Christ said he would vomit them out.
And He did.
Neither the town nor a church exist in Laodacea any more.

What did the Laodacean Christians do that was to terrible?
I think they did nothing.

They saw the pagan culture around them and simply lived as part of the culture, going to Mass but comfortable with the increasing horrors of the society they lived in. No one spoke up, no one sacrificed themselves.
We know that killing the elderly, the disabled and abandoning babies to die were common. We know that there were abortions- the Didache (written around 80AD) condemns abortion and potions for contraception.
We know there were Roman cults that included sacrificing children to gain wealth and happiness.
We know that women were treated as a commodity and that they and children could be bought and sold as slaves.

All of this happens today. Just about all of it happens here in the UK.
And there is a church here in the UK- a church in England, in Wales, in Scotland. It seems a liitle cool.

Every single person from the moment of conception has an inate dignity and rights that go with that dignity. The right to life, the right not to be deliberately denied a mother and father, the right to freedoms with responsibility, the right to do what is right.

The Church will be until the end of the age-but Christ NEVER said churches in each city, town or even country would survive.

Where is the church of Laodacia, Corinth or many other places we read of in Scipture?

We live in a country that puts the wants of adults above the rights and needs of children and the Church seems oddly quiet. Why aren't we fighting? What are we afraid of?

I am afraid sometimes. I know a disabled woman threatened with prison for saying a rosary outside an abortion mill.

Whenever we speak up the rights of the unborn or children we are attacked and threatened.

St Michael the archangel, defend us in battle.

So much evil...

2008-05-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

I would like to light a candle, rather than curse the darkness, but my little light seems so fragile against the thick, choking darkness that is loosed on Britain these days. Of course the HFE Bill was passed. Did anyone doubt otherwise? Was that lack of faith or hope on my part? Or was it simply facing the reality of the utter contemptuous corruption of those who have power in this country.
I do not doubt there are Catholics out there who have both the ability and the media savvy to stand up and lead the rest of us to oppose all this evil that is crashing in on us-but for some reason they wont.
While the poor self pitying cripple was wheeled out on the news to say he needed a lot of babies murdered to find him a cure (well, not those words but that's what he meant)-there was no self-assertive cripple to say adult stem cells are working and will do fine thank you.

I tried to fight when it came to the horror of children needing to be adopted by a mum and dad, being sacrificed to political expediency and handed over to unstable families particularly homosexual couples. But what could I write? After I had written to a couple of MPs it came to light that Catholic adoption agencies had been handing children over to unmarried couples and single gay people already. A gay couple would be better than a single actively gay person for crying out loud! What in heaven's name were/are these agencies thinking? Why did they pretend to be Catholic?

My husband worked with a situation in which a couple were allowed to adopt siblings despite the fact their marriage was already very fragile indeed. As soon as the papers were signed the couple split and took one child each so they split the children as well!!!! Social services seemed completely unable or unwilling to deal with the situation.
Another family I have known where they managed to have children with severe behavioural and moral problems but continued to adopt more children. How did they get them?

My fellow homeschooler Amanda works so hard for the Pro-Life cause. She isn't a big name, or a famous blogger-but she does more than any of those people with the tiny resources she has.
God bless her.

I feel powerless sometimes-well a lot of the time. And I am so angry when I look at those who have been given a position of authority in our Church and other Christian communities and DO NOTHING.

I will keep praying and fight when I can and blog about it even if no one reads it.
In the end the Immaculate Heart with Triumph.

I can drive!

2008-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember-though it was so so long ago you may not- that I had our car converted so I could drive it and then the DVLA has to know all about it and they took FOREVER and EVER to send the new licence. I had gotten to the point of thinking I would never drive and would have to rely on taxi's (Ye gods they are expensive) for the rest of my life. But at last I have the licence and I am driving! You have been warned.

Feed the world

2008-05-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

God is very generous. Like a Jewish mother He tends to make a bit more than is strictly necessary so there is always plenty to o around enough to share with anyone who happens to pop by.

The world He made does have the capacity and some to produce enough food to feed everyone and have twelve baskets over-so why is food suddenly so scarce and so expensive? Why are reporters telling us that the days of cheap food are over?

I watched the shocking sight on the news the other night of mothers in Haiti making 'cakes' for their children out of the plaster from their houses because they had nothing to eat. Meanwhile up the road in the local town the market was packed with food no one could afford to buy! Even the wealthier people were living on absolute basics because that was all they could afford.

So what's going on?

Some reports say China has been wanting more food. Other commentators seem baffled by this because China's population is hardly growing, why would they suddenly need to be importing food?

Could it have anything to do with the fact that the Chinese Govt-with British help and funding-have been forcibly aborting their workforce for so long they don't have farmers to grow the rice?

Just wondering.

Then there's the little business of getting greener by making biofuels-not by using chip oil you understand, that's illegal; ask the Welsh-no by using other people's food staples such as Maize apparently.

I have noticed that while bread costs a small fortune here in England the fields are yellow with rape rather than golden with wheat.

Just wondering...

But the news coverage just had to mention that old canard 'population increasing' to explain the starvation faced in the Philipines. Somehow the corrupt government the inability of political regemes to distribute food, the lack of free trade and even the business of biofuel production is nothing compared to those damned brown people having babies.

Housing has become a problem there because the are building on land that they ought to grow food on. Surely that is more about corruption and pure incompetence than because poor people have children.

PYE

My son works with a Burmese girl who has family out there. Her parents are okay, but have lost the roof of their house and her other family members have no house at all any longer. Please say a prayer-they are not as badly off as some people out there; but they are suffering.

But it's not so much the weather that's the hideous problem for the people of Burma (and yes, the people still call it Burma) but their incredibly evil government who will not allow aid to the people are already in the process of stealing the small amount they have allowed into the country.

And where are the UN? Ah yes, watch the action.

Pentecost, the Beginning of the End.

2008-05-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

There was a great spate of End Time books as the Third Millennium approached and dawned. Novels and those rather odd pseudo-factional documentary type books so beloved of Da Vinci code believers filled bookshop shelves taunting us all with an almost gleeful doomilism. Y2K was coming when all computers would crash and we would all be plunged into chaos and death. Volcanoes everywhere were about to blow, followed by earthquakes. Those who might survive that faced the heat of global warming and deep chill of global freezing-caused by something happening to the Atlantic current. Don't ask.

People of all persuasions were muttering and even getting a bit panicky about the idea that we seemed to be entering the...dum, dum, der...End Times.

All of this excitement however was squished by terribly sensible Chestonian types who pointed out that we have been living in the End Times since Pentecost.

So here we are celebrating Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the Church; Mary the mother of the Church and the 11 remaining apostles. The message of Salvation was about to burst forth from the upper room in down town Jerusalem and set the world on fire.

we have been baptised in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and in His Name we are made whole. We can then face the end of the end times unafraid (well, a little nervous maybe). The end of the end times must come, and each day obviously brings us a little closer to that end, not just for the world but for each of us. We must as individuals face death and judgement and the choice between heaven and hell, but we should also be ready in case the Second Coming happens to us. It has to happen to someone doesn't it?

I do believe that Pope John Paul the Great was indeed the 'Spark' to come out of Poland to prepare the world for His Second Coming, as Jesus told St Faustina. It was our beloved John Paul who gave to us the Feast of Divine Mercy as Jesus asked St Faustina. The Pope called us to throw ourselves on God's mercy as most of us surely need to.

In celebrating Pentecost we must remember that this 8th day is a time of grace and as we hurtle towards Judgement (as we must) we can feel Christ is our Hope as we bathe in His Mercy.
So Pentecost isn't just about something that happened so long ago it hardly seems to matter any more-Pentecost is now, the end times are now. We shouldn't get all hung up about it, but neither should we be ignoring it.
We need to be alert and reading the signs of the times- and God knows there are lots of them!

20 years of marriage!

2008-05-08T02:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday DH and I celebrated our China Wedding Anniversary. Twenty years of marriage six kids of eight pregnancies and a lifetime of memories and things to laugh about.

At work one of his colleagues said, "Twenty years! Gosh! That's quite an achievement!"

It's been hard work at times...for both of us LOL! But I think despite some difficulties and sometimes because of them, we have had a great twenty years and hopefully will have another great twenty years.

Our marriage has been very much a 'public' affair. I am not sure how else to word it. DH says we have been given the charism of hospitality, and I guess by the number of people I seem to feed every week he might have a point.

We had a weeks honeymoon in Applecross at the north west end of Scotland. We had applied for two weeks but the hospital wouldn't give me two weeks leave. Shame eh? Anyway as it turned out it was a good job because as soon as we got back my friend called. She was in dire straights and moved in with us that week. She was going to stay a couple of weeks, but stayed a couple of years. We had fun!

Over the years there has been a lot of extras around the dinner table needing hot food and TLC.

Sometimes I just didn't want to do it, but dh was always supportive and helped me remain 'Christian' when I really wanted to be Me oriented.

We worked together for some time at a CAMHS clinic. At the beginning there were some concerns and doubts about a married couple working together on the unit, especially as he was to be my boss. But it worked very well. Hardly any of the children admitted to the unit had anything like a good stable family life and they were often openly fascinated in seeing a couple who could be together all day without screaming and shouting at each other or being violent with each other. One child begged us to adopt him. I went home that night and cried.

We've struggled together through some pretty difficult pregnancies and then me becoming disabled. We've had some pretty scary money problems sometimes-especially when I had to give up work. But we've seen it through for richer for poorer, sickness and health and with God's grace ('cuz that's what makes a marriage work) we'll keep on.

Silent No More

2008-05-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

'SILENT NO MORE' EVENT

Saturday, 10th May12pm - 2pm,

Cornmarket, Oxford. (Right at the top, near Barclays Bank )

This is an event where women who have experienced the pain of abortion speak out publicly. It is a chance for them to share their testimony of how deeply abortion has affected their lives. Just hearing their witnesses is a powerful, pro-life opportunity.

We need supporters to come and stand silently whilst the women speak. There are placards people can hold or just stand there in support.We also need STEWARDS - if anyone can help, please let me know and I'll pass it on to Amanda

If you're unable to attend, please say a prayer for the women to touch many people's hearts and minds.God Bless and many thanks!

You can visit the SILENT NO MORE website.

Breastfeeding to avoid breast cancer

2008-04-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

Sky News carried THIS story today showing that far too many women are unaware that breast feeding their children can help reduce the risk of breast cancer quite substantially. Of course among NFPers this is common knowledge, and I was a little surprised that so few women knew about the link. I would have thought that midwives would have been trained to mention it to new mums to help encourage breastfeeding. Having said that no midwife has ever mentioned it to me.

It might be worth getting the message out that chemical contraception and abortion increase the risk of breast cancer substantially.

My friend who is going through the process with her breast cancer at the moment realises she must ensure her daughter never uses chemical contraceptives. No professional has advised her of this however, even though she is one of the very young (pre-menopause) women to have cancer-a statistic that is increasing. My friend was put on the pill as a teenager because she was having problems, as many teens do. Doctors were very quick to prescribe the Pill despite its awful side effects, rather than looking at other ways to help teens regulate problems with their periods.

So ladies-get off those horrible chemicals and breast feed.

Psychology of abusive parents

2008-04-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

Sky News interviewed a psychologist this morning over the awful case in Austria in which a father had his daughter and some of the children he fathered by her kept in a cellar for years and years. I was interested in what she had to say about the case-partly for personal reasons and partly for (ex)professional ones. My dh still works for CAMHS and it has to be said there are some similarities in the way abusive parents present.

The psychologist said these kinds of parents were very often authoritarian- by this she did not mean parents who have true authority in the home and can set appropriate boundaries for their children's behaviour; but rather a control freak kind of authority in which secrets must be kept. I know parents who would demand absolute loyalty from their children-not healthy loyalty as one would expect from a loving family, but secret keeping-bad secret keeping. Children would be made to feel fear and guilt at the thought of trying to tell anyone else what happened within the confines of the family.

The other thing this psychologist mentioned was the 'respectable veneer' these kinds of parents often clung to.

Again I was struck by this. I too know parents who have done this. They cultivate a sense of being a pillar of society, known in the local community or church as someone 'good'. Under the veneer something rotten lurks of course, and if any whiff of this gets out those parents will usally blame the person who has seen it-cutting themselves off, or even keeping clear of people to avoid being found out.

I have seen families where friends are not allowed to come to the home, where children are isolated from any friends they make at school for fear of any 'secret' getting out.

So, one thing I think I have learned about abusive parents is this; THEY KNOW. They are not ignorant that what they are doing is bad. Healthy families do not ask children to keep secrets like that. They are not afraid that someone might find something out about them and they are not constantly bitter and angry about other people who may or may not have sussed there is a problem.

What fascinates me the most is how boring evil is. Satan is incapable of making anything new; he can only take what is and drain the colour from it, twist it out of shape or break it. I am coming to the conclusion that like Original Sin, all evil is not a 'something' but a lack of something. And I think there is always a deep anger-a fury even, against anyone who might shine a light on them.

I have seen that anger first hand in more than one situation working with or knowing abusive parents. It's something I think social services need to be much more canny about. I am shocked to see families that are rotten to the core being allowed to adopt and foster children.My dh has mentioned a case like that only a few days ago and the results for the child have been utterly dreadful.

Finally the psychologist went on to say she thought a lot more of this kind of abuse went on that we could imagine. I want to disagree, I really do. I want to say, no, it's rare-and I think the extreme cases like this one and the one my dh is working on are fairly rare; but abusive families are not and they need to be.

Dr Ray Guarendi has written about this somewhat in his book Back to the Family. I've mentioned it before. Many of the excellent parents in this book had survived pretty dreadful upbringings and had made an act of the will to NOT behave the way their parents did. It is not inevitable that abused children grow up to abuse, no matter how hurt.

Sometimes cases like this one in Austria may bring back horrible memories for survivors of abuse, but those memories serve only to ensure that act of will remains.

Strikes and that Kipper Tie feeling.

2008-04-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

As the rubbish piles up along our street and the schools close-I am getting that 1970's feeling. I could just see us breaking out the kipper ties and brown jackets with orange overstitiching .

I haven't really been watching the news much so although I knew the strike was happening-I have friends who are teachers-I wasn't too sure what it was all about.

The BBC news yesterday was interesting in the way they covered it. Now, I know quite a few teachers. All of them have a very good grasp of the English language and can string a sentence together without a thick accent. They are quite capable of articulating a position, should they be asked.

However the BBC reporter managed to interview three teachers (I think it was three) all of whom came across as rather lacking in basic educational ability. The idea that these were qualified teachers was rather shocking. But just as they may have persuaded me to have no sympathy with their position at all they flicked across to Ed Balls, a sinister minister extraordinaire. The kids had all come charging into the room at this point so I couldn't hear what he said-but even my son commented on his scary bulging eyes! How does he make his face do that!?

So my rubbish sits on the pavement, and the kids in the neighbourhood are not at school, and while I think nurses have received an equally bad deal on the pay front and they are not striking-the fact that teachers have Ed Balls in charge of them is all I need to offer them sympathy in their plight.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mother Angelica

2008-04-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Mother Angelica is 85 today! Happy Birthday Mother!

I have been watching the Pope's visit to America on EWTN either on TV or because I don't get the time, in bits online. You can catch it all HERE.

She has given us a great gift with EWTN and at times like this; when I know I would not be able to trust the coverage offered by the MSM having her network to turn to is a Godsend.

I receive the little newsletter from the Poor Clares. They have been sending it ever since I wrote asking for their prayers for someone in my family during a rather difficult time. I know God hears the prayers of Mother in a special way because she loves Him so much.

Thanks to her Catholic media has taken off over the USA and that means people like me living in the UK have access to the Truth in a way that was unimaginable when I was a teen looking for answers.

I know that all the stuff I listen to; Catholic Answers, Relevant Radio, Fr Stan Podcasts etc have come from her dream, from her work and her pain.

So God bless Mother Angelica.

The Pain of Infertility

2008-04-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

You might think this is a rather strange topic for someone with six kids to write about. But as it happens I seem to be coming across this terrible pain a lot recently. I personally know the horror and grief of miscarriage and how that messes with your head-and your soul. I am also coming to terms with the difficult fact that I really should not have another baby. Then I am coming across more and more women, open to life, who either cannot conceive, loose their babies to miscarriage or are having to postpone pregnancy indefinitely because of very difficult circumstances.

Those of us with more than the acceptable 1.7 children (and a dog) are well aware of the negative comments and just plain bewilderment from those around us. WHY are we having SO MANY children? Blah, blah, blah... but I have come across something among big families that I think is just as unattractive. I have seen a 'I'm better than you because I have lots of kids' kind of attitude. "If you are a good Catholic you would have more children," and "You must be contracepting" attitude. Bizarrely I had a woman who is infertile herself and has adopted her children tell me from her high and mighty Catholic position that she knew everyone at my parish contracepted. As it happened I know a lot of mothers in my parish who have small families because they have NO CHOICE. I know their stories and I know the pain they have suffered. This woman's judgemental and uncharitable view shocked me.

Christ and His Church calls us to be open to life. That does NOT mean having lots of children; it means having the children God gives us and being the very best, loving and responsible parents we can be.

Some of the holiest, saintliest Catholics I can think of had NO children at all; Alice and Deitrich von Hildebrand (although Deitrich had a son from his first marriage) and Frances and Gilbert K Chesterton.

I am so so grateful to God for all my children, especially my youngest who I came so close to loosing right on the day she was born. I have only had one straightforward healthy pregnancy so I am very blessed indeed to have managed to have six live children. I pray for all those I know who long for a child to hold- God bless you abundantly.

And I beg my fellow big family mums (dads don't seem to do this as much) don't be so proud-be grateful and never assume that others are not open to life. You don't know that.

Coincidentally I have been working through the story of Hannah and Samuel with my son. Hannah was married to a husband who loved her very much, but she had been unable to conceive. Her husband had another wife who had lots of children and like some of the mums of big families was a bit too full of herself about the fact-uncaring of Hannah's pain.

Hannah went to God and prayed and begged Him to hear her. Old Eli the priest gave her his blessing (after being assured she was not drunk) and God answered her prayer. She was the mother of the great prophet Samuel. She gave her son to God as she had promised and God rewarded her; she had other children.

Eli seems to have been a gentle man, but not a good father. His sons were wicked men-not a credit to Eli at all; and in the end through Samuel the gift to a desperate woman, God told Eli there was a price to pay for bad parenting.

Like Hannah we need to remember that our Twinkles from God's Eye belong to Him. Just as she gave Samuel back so we are called to ensure we can give our children back-ready for heaven.

Let us support one another in this endeavour whether we have one child, no children or many.

Horton Hears a Who

2008-04-20T03:18:00.000-07:00

A friend took three of my kids and me to see 'Horton Hears a Who' yesterday. It was great fun and a remarkably true to the tale presentation.

I was a little saddened by the unnecessary snide remark about homeschooling at the beginning-but that was soon forgotten as the film unfolded the story of Horton the elephant who hears the call of the Who and protects the speck on his clover flower, come what may. He is 100% loyal and will not sacrifice the Whos of Whosville to the unbelieving horde around him.

I took my 14yr old, 5 yr old and 3yr old. They loved it and I have to say I think the 16 and 19 yr olds would have too :)

I was interested that a girl who lives with my friend (my friend took her in when her family life broke down) couldn't see the point of the film at all. "It's just an elephant talking to a flower!" she told my friend before she left for the cinema. "Why do you want to see that?"

Pro-life

The Pro-life movement have taken Horton very much to heart. "A person's a person no matter how small" is an important truth. Sadly it seems that Dr Seuss himself did not actually recognise the truth he had written. The man is dead now so he can't speak for himself so I will be cautious about what he meant when he wrote the story. It is true Seuss wrote very clearly about all sorts of issues both political and moral-and I treat some of those tales with caution too-but Horton speaks clearly that a person does not have to be big and powerful to BE a person.

Whatever the answer-it's a fun movie and the fact is "A PERSON IS A PERSON NO MATTER HOW SMALL."

The unchurched the beautiful and the ugly

2008-04-14T01:54:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Drew Marianai on my MP3 player this morning. (Relevant Radio). He said researchers have discovered to their surprise (what planet do these researchers live on?) that unchurched people preferred beautiful, traditional churches to the the modern utilitarian ones.

To quote my 14yr old daughter, "Well duh!"

When we are seeking God, surely we use our senses; sight, hearing, smell, etc. We want to see true beauty so we can try and see a little of God. Why on earth do people think anyone is going to find God in a box?

The church on the left was photographed by UKOK-and is lovely. Those who build it made a genuine effort for the glory of a God they obviously love.

An ugly box church surely also says how those who built it feel about God.

When I invite someone into my home I try and make the place look cosy and welcoming. We clear away the clutter of homeschool and kids (well we try) and get the fire lit (in winter). No one wants to come into a home that is as cold and clinical as an operating theatre do they? What makes those who commission and build ugly utilitarian churches think anyone will find them attractive places to find and worship God?

Perhaps they don't think God is there-if the building is just a warehouse for the hopeless on a Sunday morning well a box will do. If it's just a meeting place for a few songs and a sermon before the REAL deal of coffee and cakes over a good social, then a box will do.

But many of these hideous churches actually cost a huge amount of money. I don't get it.

Peter Kreeft on his website has an downloadable lecture on beauty. ALL architects should be made to listen to it.

we need to remember the Temple of Jerusalem was a stunningly beautiful and magnificent building, stars across the ceiling a garden of Paradise around the walls an embroidered into the great curtain over the Holy of Holies. Gold was everywhere.

Mother Angelica understands this and the church she build for the Love of Her Life shows her great love and Who she knows should be given the very best we have.

The first act of worship recorded is that of Cain and Abel. The brother who gave God the very best he had was acceptable.

Our churches are part of how we evangelise. They need to stand out as holy places so that those who are seeking will find. AND they need to be open.

Pro-life

2008-04-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Please offer your prayers:

Traditional Mass for all the unborn babies, and for all those involved in abortion in the Oxford area.

Saturday, 26th APRILHoly Mass - 3pm,

at St Anthony of Padua Church, Headley Way, Oxford. (Parking available)

Afterwards we will have the pro-life witness as usual at the entrance to the John Radcliffe Hospital.To commemorate the anniversary of the abortion act 1967.

Please try and join us on this important date.Refreshments available after the witness in St Anthony of Padua Church Hall.

Jesus was an embryo

2008-04-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

On 31st March we celebrated the Solemnity of the Annuciation, when the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and asked if she would consent to being the mother of the Messiah. She gave her Fiat-her yes to God and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. At that moment The WORD was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. The word became a zygote. He was a single celled person with all His DNA written into Him. He already had His bloodgroup, eye colour and so on written into Him.

He began to form more cells. Jesus grew in just the same way as we all grew from day 1.

It is a week later and today could be called Holy Implantation Day.

Jesus implants, snuggling into the womb of His blessed mother. (And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus).

Without these hidden days we would not have had our Messiah and He could not have saved us.

Remember this when scientists and media pundits tell you it's just a few cells. It doesn't hurt to experiment and destroy them.

All those children are being murdered. Every child is a made in the image and likeness of God because He creates and we procreate. God came to us as fully human and fully divine and He grew as any man will grow from zygote onwards.

Oh hell

2008-04-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

As the Feast of Divine Mercy has come and gone Fr Dwight has some concerns which I think are valid. Far too many people are not at all concerned that God is a Just Judge. The message of Divine Mercy is NOT, God is a big softie and so long as we are nice all will be well. The message clearly states that those who do not throw themselves on the Mercy of Christ will have to face His justice-and that has hell as a very real possibility.
Those who do love Christ's Divine Mercy do so because we are all too aware of sin in our lives and in the lives of people we love.

Thinking you have a "Get Into Heaven Free" card-as my sister calls it, is very likely a bad idea.
It goes with that little rhymn:
Mr Smith was very good
He went to church each Sunday
But Mr Smith-he went to hell
for what he did on Monday.

Many of us have friends and family who we see are far from God and we are worried about them. it isn't easy to say-or face up to-but some of the people we care about might very well end up in hell. I am sure most of us would not want to see even our enemies end up with such a fate. The tradgetdy is beyond comprehension; that a person made in the image and likeness of God could so shun that image as to turn from Him forever and suffer the misery of eternal hatred.

I pray all the time for a friend who I fear for who died in bad circumstances. I pray for two people who I can't say I love, but I still don't want them to end up in hell; they abused their children.

I have a friend who seems not so much to be agnostic (and miserable) but actually afraid of God. She's had two abortions.

Another who has lapsed from her Catholic faith-after a horrible 'Catholic' upbringing and later an abortion.

The list goes on.

I don't want any of these people to have to face God's justice; I pray for His Mercy.

It's because sin is so real, Satan is there and hell is waiting that we turn to God's Mercy.

Frankly the people I know who don't believe in hell don't believe in mercy either.

Stuff about you meme

2008-03-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Maggie Clitherow who says she doesn't know what she's doing-but she seems pretty good at doing it anyway ;)-has tagged me for this meme.

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.

2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What was I doing 10 years ago?

This time 10 years ago I was studying for a degree in British Sign Language Interpreting. I worked odd shifts and nights at a psychiatric unit to afford the childcare so I could study-hoping that as an interpreter I could earn enough money not to have to work full time while I had three children.

On March 25th I learned my dear friend had died of his alcholism. It was a very sad time.

My oldest had his 9th birthday a few weeks later.

Five things on my to do list.

I don't have a list, but I do have a 'Brain Book' where I put all the things I am supposed to remember and thoughts and ideas for homeschool.

It's Sunday evening and the five last things I have to do are:

read story to the little ones

change the babe and get her ready for bed.

breastfeed baby so she sleeps

make a cuppa

sit down with the biggies

Snacks I enjoy

jaffa cakes and choc hobnobs though I try and avoid them because I could easily enjoy them a little too much.

For a real snack: blue cheese and ham on toast, or chedder and marmite on toast, or chedder and Worcester Sauce on toast...

Things I would do if I were a billionaire.

I would by a canal boat and name it Heron's Flight and I would have another which would be a floating chapel for mission work. A lot of people live on the canals these days, especially with the price of housing being the way it is-and may more live and work a good deal of time on the canals. When we spent a week there were no churches within walking distance wherever we moored up! So a mission would be useful.

I would fund a Catholic drama company to make plays, drama series and drama documentaries for children and adults that would teach the faith in a high quality TV and radio way. These plays would NOT be sugary sentimental efforts and the acting and production would be good enough for mainstream TV.

I would set up scholarships so those who wanted to train for the above could do so.

I would train and establish proper marriage prep with NFP and theology of the body for parishes...

A billionaire can do a lot of stuff.
I would have a chauffer so I wouldn't have to struggle with the DVLA over needing a crip-adjusted car!.
And I would buy a house with enough rooms so I could have a classroom-you know all homeschool mums want one really-and a library...

Three of my bad habits. (only 3?)

Forgetting I've said something so I repeat the same thing over and over. Drives the kids mad (hehehe)

Leaving half drunk cups of tea all over the place.

Whizzing the wheelchair down smooth slopes and taking my hands off the wheels. (That is naughty. I have to behave.)

Five places I have lived.
I've lived in two places in Wolverhampton.
I've lived in the nurses home of a psychiatric hospt in Birmingham.
Then in a rented house the other side of the city in Stirchley
And then a bought house in the same street.
Finally we moved to our family home.

Five jobs I have had.

I've been a psychiatric nurse (RMN)

A tutor for young people kicked out of school - worked in a college.

An integration assistant for a deaf child in a primary school

An Avon Lady (I hated that)

A Sign Language Communication Assistant and trainee interpreter in BSL

Five people I feel nosey about and therefore tag :))

Esther
Kit at her Brookside
Ttony in his muniment room
Karen that sparkling ocean gem
Swiss Miss at St Monica's Kneeler.

Divine Mercy

2008-03-26T12:43:00.001-07:00

We are just half way through the Novena of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The nine days cover nine offerings:

All mankind, especially sinners
Priests and Religious
All devout and faithful souls
Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him.
The souls of seperated brethren
Meek, humble and children.
Those who especially venerate the Mercy of God.
Those in Purgatory.
Those who are luke warm.

Jesus spoke a great deal to Sr Faustina while she was in her convent in Kracow. He asked her to have the image of Himself painted with the two coloured rays coming from His heart, red and blue and He asked that the words 'Jesus I Trust in You' be added (Jezu Ufam Tobie). Jesus explained to her, "The two rays denote Blood and Water. the pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. (Diary 299)" It is such an amazing gift of Grace to us. By turning to God and throwing ourselves on His Mercy we can avoid the fullness of His judgement and maybe help others avoid it too.

I am sure most of us deserve judgement. But Jesus said to St Faustina, "By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works." (Diary 742)

Jesus very much wanted St Faustina to speak out about His Mercy. There was an urgency to His message, as the horrors of the Second World War were approaching, but also He told her "You will prepare the world for My final coming." (Diary 429) He told her that time was running out and that we needed to call on His Mercy BEFORE He came as the just Judge.

She was told, "I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming."

Many people (including little ol'me) believe that spark was Pope John Paul the Great who worked so hard to ensure the collapse of Russia's errors and who died on the eve of Divine Mercy, just after hearing the vigil Mass.

There are many beautiful promises associated with the Chaplet and Feast of Divine Mercy which must be linked with the Feast of The Sacred Heart of Jesus given to us through St Margaret Mary Alacoque. We have been offered so much Love. It seems this is not the time to be ignoring it. A time is coming when no one can claim invincible ignorance. Turn to His Love and Mercy now and find comfort for the times ahead.

God bless

The Dairy of St Faustina is something well worth reading.

The Shroud of Turin

2008-03-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

The BBC ran a programme looking at the Shroud with some updated info about why it would seem less and less likely that the C14 dating is correct.

There's an overview of the BBC programme and information about the shroud HERE and HERE.

Personally I find the whole thing fascinating- and I can't help thinking that Ocham's razor would mean this is the shroud of Christ. It looks more and more that way.

He Is Risen Alleluia

2008-03-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone.
It is also the time of the Divine Mercy Novena. God bless

RU-486? Are you daft?

2008-03-20T02:14:00.000-07:00

Here's my monthly reminder that my friend Amanda and her pro-life friends are meeting for their witness in Oxford.

29th March @ 3pm

This is the First Year Anniversary and will be lead by Fr John Saward.

It takes place as usual outside the

John Radcliffe Hospital and St Anthony of Padua Church

Please remember them in your prayers.

Also there will be the usual walk to the the abortion mill on Station Road Kings Norton Birmingham at the 3pm Veneration of the Cross from SS Joseph and Helen's Church on the same road.

Catholic news has reported that a cancer busting drug made in a factory in Shanghai China is so badly made that it has caused massive health problems in patients taking it. This has meant the drug company will no longer buy from that supply. However the baby killing drug RU-486 is made in the same factory and continues to be imported.

I would like to point out that RU-486 is not only used to procure early abortion. It can also be proscribed to mothers who have miscarried a baby and not been able to naturally expel the pregnancy. This drug needs to be stopped surely!

Meanwhile more and more scientific evidence is coming through showing that our drinking water has been poisoned by estrogens coming from the chemical contraceptives so many women are using. Fish are changing sex.

There is even some evidence that girls are reaching pubity earlier because they are ingesting these hormones.

We already KNOW that chemical contraception increases the risk of breast cancer.

SAVE THE PLANET

DITCH THE PILL

Normality-fascists

2008-03-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is a lovely photo of a parent and child signing "I love you" together. It is made up of the ASL alpahbet I, L, U and is used by BSL users as well. Sign Language is a beautiful and richly expressive language that exists in the way it does because Deaf people exist. As I worked for many years within the Deaf community I got to know many families where Sign Language was the first language used and English was secondary.

In this weekend's Catholic Herald Mary Kenny writes that she knew a Deaf family in Dublin with two deaf and two hearing children. She makes the observation that I suspect is inaccurate that they were less noisy than other families in their home. Ha! Deaf people are the noisiest people I have ever met...but I digress.

She goes on to say that she knew many families where parents ..."had a disability, such as deafness, blindness or multiple schlerosis. The main outcome for the offspring, in my experience, is that they develop more patience, more insight and more understanding of the rich variety of possibilities that characterise life."

She goes on to say "But we are moving into an era when the entitlement of disabled persons to have children of their own is being increasingly questioned. Mr. Thomato Lichy, a deaf artist, wishes to have children of his own, who may in turn suffer from inherited deafness: and he is being asked, now, what right does he have to "impose" deafness of any children he may have."

She goes on to say these "normality-fascists" (I like her term) would insist he screened out at embryonic stage any deaf children his wife might carry and have them killed.

I am assuming this is somehow linked with whatever Mac was talking about happened on Radio 4.

It would seem that 'The Media' that thoughtless jumble of incredibly boring people are appalled and even alarmed that a Deaf couple might be pleased to have a Deaf child. It is however, not unusual for members of the Deaf community to feel genuine joy and even relief to find their children are also Deaf. They will grow up with Sign Language and as part of a community in which they can be proud. But it seems those in the Media are not at all interested in Mr Lichy's cultural self-understanding. No. They see a subnormal man saying he is more than happy to pass on his sub-normality to his children.

In some ways I think this is manufactured as only Deaf parents would actually go so far as to say they 'hoped' for a child with the same disability as themselves and this is to do with the unique aspect of the Deaf community in it being a linguisitic group. Other deaf people who are not Deaf with a capital 'D' might not think the same way.

Nevertheless the particular aspects of this couple's life are being misused by the Media to say that disabled people should be screened out, and that those of us who are disabled should not be allowed to have children in case we pass it on.

When I was pregnant with my 4th child a doctor told me straight out that she thought I should not be having children as I am disabled. I have been treated with downright rudeness and agressive shouting from doctors and midwives because I use a wheelchair and am having children.

I have been TOLD more than once to get sterilised.

The 'normality-fascists' want people like me got rid of. They want my little 3yr old daughter to be screened out of existence before she is born.

I have seen hospital staff trained to care for sick children thrown into confusion about what to do with a very sick child in the arms of a woman sitting in a wheelchair. WHY is my need for a wheelchair such an issue to them? Since when did the fact that my legs don't work that well make me a worse parent?

My legs don't work but I would rather be like this and have my sick 3yr old and half blind 5yr old and dyslexic 14 and 16 yr olds than be as 'normal' as those people want us all to be.

The 'normality-fascists' want everyone to be the same, to be cogs in a great meaningless state managed machine. The sheer banality of their secular (anti) humanist vision is astonishing. Perhaps there is a gene for heartless-imaginationless-grunts that can be 'screened out' eh?

Schools complaining they are picking up the pieces of Family breakdown

2008-03-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Just as I was fretting that homeschooling was a bad idea...

As we can't afford to run the car these days, dh goes to work on the train and occasionally buys a paper. He came home with a copy of the Telegraph the other day and the front page carried the headline "Schools 'carry the burden of Britain's family breakdown'". It'sopening pararaph reads

"The demise of the traditional family is breeding a generation

of children who are increasingly relying on teachers to become surrogate

parents, a prominent education leader warned..."

Another article along the same lines was reported online HERE and a link from that article asks what can be done to save the traditional British family? In the comments there are plenty of people who point out the obvious-the common sense aspects of this mess, but it is something that seems to be almost out of control.

As Christians we could stand firm as a sign of contradiction, and do you know, somtimes I think we do a bit. While divorce claims something nearing half the marriages of the UK and USA and living in sin is practically endemic, I do see my Christian friends sticking with their marriages and their children at least so far, not rushing off to move in with the boyfriend.

One of the things that gets mentioned a few times in the comments is that fact that we live in a country where the cost of living is so high that both parents are expected to work in order to make ends meet. Children are left unsupervised, unfed and generally uncared for, wondering the streets or stuck at home in front of the TV or video game.

Those of us who struggle to get by on one wage are penalised by the Govt. However, I have to say, I am more than happy to be able to stay home with the children, whatever the financial strain.

A fellow homeschooler was telling me today how difficult it is for her family to make ends meet on just her husband's wage.

I have to say though neither of us would go back to our working days. We are more than happy to be able to be home for our children (and a lot of other people's too lol). And despite some of the problems we have both faced in the homeschool situation, neither of us would wish to put our children back in school.

It's interesting to note that from what American research shows and the coincidental anacdotal evidence of Dr Ray's book " Back to the Family" (scroll down) that committed Christians seem to make happier families.

Scott Hahn in his book and MP3 series FIRST COMES LOVE points out-if I am remembering him correctly- that staying together in marriage, working through it, and being faithful is humanly impossible. We need GRACE. LOADS of it.

We need more Christ in our schools and families-not less.

Meanwhile God bless Bishop O'Donaghue, effectionately known as POD for facing down the Beast.

California homeschool ruling-will it be UK next?

2008-03-08T04:13:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be aware already that in California there has been a ruling against one family that essentially makes homeschooling illegal for all. It would seen from what the papers are reporting that in fact homeschooling has been considered illegal to some extent in California since the 1950s but presumably no one has had much trouble with this as HSLDA have 13,500 members in that state alone.

It is interestin to note that the case began as a child welfare case when one of the children in this particular family put in a complaint about they way her father was treating her. Instead of dealing with the case of whether the father was or was not abusing his children, it all became about whether the children were homeschooled. Why? Finally it seems that problems that may or may not exist in this one family are supposed to effect everyone. For once I agree with Govenor Schwarzenegger who sees that parents do have a right to home educate if they so choose.

I do not doubt for one minute that this case will have ramifications here in the UK. Ed Balls and the ever wise Barry Sheerman are already casting their Great Eye towards those of us who homeschool. While ignoring the appalling standards of education in state schools; the bullying, violence, disruptive classroom situations and the sheer boredom and ignorance among so many children-they are looking at us and saying our children are at risk!

It will not be long, I fear, before legislation that tries to make homeschooling as difficult as possible is brought in.

Partly, I blame homeschoolers for this.

We have to get off our high horse sometimes really we do. If there are things we are not coping with in teaching our children there is no shame in asking for professional help. I have a Maths tutor come in. I have also had a friend who is an English teacher come in. Her methods, knowledge and skills have been a great help with my children.

If we don't teach our children properly, if we allow poor behaviour and poor social skills we not only hurt our own children- we will lead to other people's children being hurt.

The Govt are looking for excuses to curb home ed in the UK. Education Otherwise is already in a dance of swords trying to protect our rights.

As a homeschooling mum I am not homeschooling because I like it (frequently I don't) I do it because as things stand it is the best for my children. There are no good schools around here.

I am acutely aware that what I do as a mum and how I educate my children can effect them for the rest of their lives and for eternity. I am not only preparing my children with the hope I can help make them fit for heaven-but fit for the journey towards heaven.

They need to be able to be around other people of all ages, to be reliable, honest and committed to the tasks ahead. It's up to me to ensure they have a broad, well rounded education that also ensures they are socially adept and have some thought for other people.

I am horrified when I see homeschool kids who are rude, unkempt, dishonest, aggressive and uncaring of others. Okay, so I see this with kids who go to school too-but somehow I always expected that homeschooler parents would take more care in child rearing. And whether we like it or not the powers that be don't mind seeing this behaviour in school kids-but homeschool kids will be noticed.

School children who haven't learned to read, write or learn are common and everyone groans and shrugs. But if homeschooled children can't read, write or sit and learn something then it will be said it is because they are homeschooled.

This might come across as just a rant-and I guess it is. I just have a lot on my mind about the homeschooling at the moment.

Kindess and flowers

2008-03-06T03:14:00.001-08:00

Adrienne has kindly offered me this award. It is great to have a big bunch of flowers like this.

I would like to pass it on to

Ebeth

Esther

SwissMiss-

Sr Mary Martha especially for that wonderful O.J.Simpson Logic post!

Philip at Carpe Canem

I've only recently discovered Mother's Pride, but I love it.

There are many of you out there well worth a great big bunch o' flowers; so God bless y'all!

Catholic Bloggin'-what's it all for eh?

2008-03-03T07:45:00.000-08:00

I love honest to goodness Catholic blogs. I love learning about my faith and seeing how other people are trying to lead their lives and live their Faith. It can be a great place for support for those of us who live either in a largely non-Catholic environment where we are not really allowed to be Catholic up front, or even where we face snideness and anti-Catholic comments.

My blog is just a place where I can talk freely about my Faith and where I hope I can bare witness to it a bit.

I am sure, in this very quiet corner of blogdom that no one sees what I have to say very much, but even so it's fun to do and I love having the chance to mooch around other people's blogs.

Sometimes on my travels I come across other blogs and websites where there is a marked lack of kindness; where British MPs say things that are arrogant, silly and often untrue; where fellow Christians say anti-Catholic things that simply break the commandment against baring false witness. Fear, pride, dishonesty and spite rule in many of these places, so I leave them quickly and return to my friends in the Catholic end of things.

I visit Fr Ray and learn about the new tests on the Shroud, or have a chuckle with the forthright, but charitable GEM. I love to see the humour of the rocky horror liturgies over at Paulinus site and the erudite and heartfelt thoughts of the man who is On the Side of the Angels.

I read a whole lot of other blogs; too many to mention. I don't always get time to do so in depth -or even all that often, but I love it.

For me blogs are a wonderful way of grabbing information when I'm distracted by children, babies, homeschooling, life.

But we all speak publicly here, even the little people like me and I think we need to remember that. It saddens me and quite frankly angers me when I see bloggers claim to speak for Catholics and then behave in arrogant uncharitable and even less than factual ways. I hate to see spiteful anti-protestant remarks, lacking charity and hardly a good witness, or replies to those who are less intelligent that are rude and pompous.

Fortunately I think this is rare-and anyway I avoid those blogs. Many of you are wonderful witnesses to the Faith, humble and genuine in your approach and a great source of comfort and even motivation for a dilapidated old struggler like me.

Thank You.

Keep Bloggin' on.

Free Will, mitigation and victimhood

2008-02-28T01:18:00.000-08:00

Most Christians accept that God has given us free will to go with our conscience. We are to form our conscience and then make acts of our will in conformity with God's Will. Of course we have a tendency towards sin, even after the Sacrament of Baptism; that scar of original sin called concupiscence.

So we sin.

The mess that people make of their lives often have truly mitigating circumstances. But I truly do not believe that mitigation is an excuse.

There has been a recent case in the news of a man who killed a number of prostitutes. He is now threatening suicide from prison. His girlfriend seems to think she is partially to blame somehow and his family are all rushing to the cruddy MSM with stories of how this poor benighted man was abused as a child and that's why he became a murderer, in a kind of, he couldn't help it, it was inevitable kind of way.

How can someone repent when everyone says, it wasn't your fault- you're a victim?

How can people who are abused rise above what has happened to them when encouraged only to see themselves as a victim?

My older children were hurt by a young man some years ago. He was set on doing serious damage to one of them in a way that still makes me feel sick. Fortunately I found out before it was too late.

I forgive him. He isn't sorry of course, but I see he is the way he is because his father is detached and doesn't 'father' his children and the mother has enabled and colluded with her son's behaviour rather than trying to stop it. It's her behaviour I find hard to forgive because she chose to let her children behave like that and by not dealing with it; by actually enabling the bad behaviour, she allowed her children, and particularly her son to put other children at serious risk.

We are all wounded, broken people in some way. But we are all called to properly fulfil whatever task God calls us too.
I swore an oath when I was young that I would never do to any children I had, what was being done to me. I kept my promise. I am not a perfect parent and I doubt we would make it into the Dr Ray book of excellent parents; but I really don't think a bad childhood is going to stand as an excuse on the Last Day, I really don't.

St Michael thrust your sword into Molech!

2008-02-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

Both Fr Ray and Paul (OTSOA) have posted on the poor mother Emma, who has committed suicide after aborting her twins. The Telegraph carries the story. Shockingly there seems little concern at the almost non-existant standard of counselling this mother was offered either before or after the "procedure".

The babies were 8wks gest like the one in this picture.

So many mothers like Emma go through this, and afterwards there is no one to turn to. One day, not long after I had moved into the nurses home where I would live to do my training I came to the girl in the next room and found her sitting alone in semi-darkness crying. She told me, something apparently no one knew. She had become pregnant some 5 years earlier when she was 16. Her boyfriend had freaked out and she was terrified to tell her parents. So, completely alone, she had gone for an abortion. "He would have been 5 today" she told me. She knew when he was due-mother's do-and his loss had burned a hole in her heart. I sat with her and she cried.

In Oxford every month 20/25 people gather. The next meeting is:

29th March 3pm

St Anthony of Padua Church Oxford.

Also don't foret that there is ADORATION every

Wednesday from 7pm

at SS Joseph and Helen

Kings Norton Birmingham.

For those who can't attend either; light a little candle and say a prayer. Let's get St Michael to cast Molech into the deepest pit. He has too many temples and is doing too much trade.

Living water in the desert.

2008-02-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend has fitted together rather nicely from a 'God' point of view. First I got the out of the blue opportunity to go to adoration for a few minutes and actually pray without distractions and then we found a church that does evening Confessions on a Saturday. So as soon as the Artist got home from work we piled into the car and headed off. We got the times wrong and arrived when Mass was on.
We slipped in at the back.

The church is HIDEOUS. It's one of those in the round, plain brick, things with tiny (and rather ugly) windows high up under the roof. The Tabernacle is hidden away so you can't see it. There's a huge and really horrible iron swirly statue of Jesus behind the altar. But in contrast there was a simple and elegant wooden carving of the Madonna and child and an equally beautiful wooden carving of the saint of the church.
The side chapel is of glass with each panel etched with a scene from the life of the saint, done beautifully and this chapel where the tabernacle would otherwise be hidden they hold perpetual Adoration!
Up on the altar the priest was dressed in traditional vestments and saying the NO Mass with deep dignity and respect.
Here was living water in the desert.
After Mass the same priest came to hear our Confessions. We were the only ones this time but a lady from the Church had advised me to get in quickly as there is usually quite a queue. This means we were there on a quiet night; people DO receive the Sacrament there.
After Confession I went into the Adoration chapel while the biggies looked after the smalls and had a couple of minutes before I was needed by a hungry baby.
So there I was, for the second day in succession-staring up at Our Lord and He stared back. This is a church that has produced a significan number of vocations for the priesthood and religious life.
I am looking forward to going there again and sitting there in the ugly dry desert with the Living Water.

Then when we got home there was a message on the answer machine from Sr 'Mary Kate' saying she had some help for my oldest.
Then the readings yesterday were about Christ meeting the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob and offering her living water. I felt like that woman. I feel I have been offered a mini-retreat when I otherwise couldn't have hoped for one.

Then we got another call from Sr 'Mary Kate'. A lovely, holy priest I knew as a child is offering my big lad some money towards his hope to go to Franciscan University Steubenville.
Keep praying my friends. I am beginning to see a glimmer of hope there!
God bless you all through Lent.

Adoration-just for a few minutes.

2008-02-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

My parish priest is, according to my dh "refreshingly uncharismatic". He seems to struggle at times with his role and certainly with the pastoral side of things; but quietly he is doing great things in our parish. For Lent we have the usual extras of Stations of the Cross, but yesterday there was a day of Exposition to pray for vocations. Apparently Father had a bit of a battle to get people to sign up for it, but he must have achieved the full sheet because it went ahead.

My friend (I have mentioned her before, the single mum) came over and asked if I would like to go. I was able to leave the little ones with dh and we drove to church.

The church was quiet. One lady knelt in a pew, praying and watching. In the darkness of the cool building there was a place ablaze with candle flame. The monstrance and Our Lord stood in the centre of the altar surrounded by candles.

It's a long time since I had the opportunity to adore like this. I said a rosary without interruption! I was able to pray hard-to put a whole load of stuff at the feet of the Lord.

Neither of us had much time. I don't think we spent more than 20mins there-but it was wonderful, peaceful, healing.

If you get the chance to do this-go.

We've finally found a church near by that offers Confession in the evening so we can all go tonight when The Artist finishes work.

China not so cool in Hollywood

2008-02-19T03:14:00.000-08:00

Marie and Ginny have blogged on this. China's economy is growing quickly and Western countries such as Britain and the USA have been quick to cash in on this as wages over there are low. Gordan Brown has been able to ignore the appalling human rights abuses as he cosies up to the poisonous dragon. In the USA Martell have already been badly burned by their enjoyment of cheap Chinese production.

Now that Steven Spielberg has pulled out of the Olympic Games preparation over China's involvment in the slaughter of Dafur in Sudan the MSM has begun to sit up and take notice. I am a bit bewildered by Mr. Spielberg's sudden move as WAY before the Olympics were even offered to Beijing (something else that leaves me bewildered) China had a grim record on human rights abuses. China's own people live in fear and ask the Tibetans about freedom. How about Tiawan? Is that a new problem? Hardly!

We need to pray, we need to protest and we need to NOT WATCH the games. If no one watched the Games think of the loss of advertising revenue. If no one went, they would loose face, kudos and loads of money. Would that sacrifice be too great?

How Firm a Foundation

2008-02-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

I've only just started reading this apologetics novel by Marcus Grodi, so it's a bit early to write a review, but I am loving it.

Interestingly it is giving me an insight into protestant anti-Catholicism that I have never understood. I remember when Scott Hahn talked about his conversion how he talked about his honest belief that Catholics needed to be saved. I was quite shocked at the time. How could anyone-especially someone as obviously intelligent as Dr Hahn-believe something like that?

What I find so fascinating in reading about the beliefs of the characters in the book is how they came by those beliefs. I don't want to spoil the book for those of you who are going to buy it so I will try and talk about this without going into too much detail, but I have been surprised at the similarity in my own faith journey. It must be the same for many of us. We don't get knocked off our horse like St Paul, and get an audience with The Lamb Himself- we get our understanding of the Faith from other people. We are then left to discern just how firm a foundation for our whole life that might be. We are not left alone with that discernment of course, God will guide if we let Him, and I think He expects us to question and seek-or how can we ever be sure the Faith we have is True?

I have seen many anti-Catholic apologists online who are seem lacking in charity-to put it mildly. Yet Dr Hahn, and many other Catholic converts say they too were anti-Catholic in all charity. I could never understand HOW they came to believe this, if they were truly followers of Christ. In the book Marcus Grodi explores some of this, and the stories are believable, I think because he has based them on real stories. I am getting a better understanding and perhaps it will make me a little less irritable when I see anti-Catholics spouting what I always assumed they could not possibly believe was true, in the future.

Dr Hahn was genuinely seeking the Kingdom though, and I reckon he found it . Even so, I love the conversation he had with his mum when she asked "But you could be wrong couldn't you?" And he replied, "Yes mum, I could be wrong."

It is something that still bugs at me despite the long winded journey of my own conversion, that despite it all, what if I am wrong?

Persistance, Parenting and Persperation.

2008-02-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

Nearly 19yrs ago when I was about to have my first baby, I knew ONE thing about parenting and that was that I didn't know how to do it! Meanwhile somewhere near by another young mum was facing the same fears, and she was more alone with them than I, for she not only had no mother to support her, but no husband either. Her son and my son are friends now and we have both survived bringing them to adulthood. (Just!).

She sacrificed hugely to ensure her son grew up to be the fine, honest and caring young man that he is. She has not so much as had a date since she was left by her son's father. She has brought him to Mass, taught him the Faith and ensured he has stayed on the straight and narrow, even when he has tried to step off it at times. This young man is, quite rightly, proud of his mum.

Even as our boys reach the age of 19, we don't just wash our hands and say, 'You're on your own now.' I have been surprised and a little alarmed at the number of parents with younger children who think I must be pleased to have 'finished' with at least one (and some of them think I only need parent the 3 smalls).

Physcially toddlers are more demanding, what with all those tantrums, time out, and toys; but teens are more emotionally demanding, and while everyone thinks its the little ones that need so much protection, having a 14yr old daughter has taught me a whole lot more about protection.

I have a friend who has 4 boys the youngest is 15 and the oldest is in his twenties. All of them are perfect gentlemen-a rare thing today. They are known in our parish for their reliability, integrity and good sense. She and her husband have worked hard to ensure their children have grown up like this. Families like this don't just happen- there has to be a lot of hard, hard work to ensure those boys learn respect, honesty and the importance of their Faith.

I have just finished reading "Back To The Family" by Dr Ray Guarendi and David Eich in which they looked at 100 of America's "Excellent" families. The first thing that struck me, in reading about these families was the genuine humility of the parents. Not one of them put themselves forward for this label -they had all been chosen externally, mainly by teachers. I think just about all the families had faced at least one crisis, but they had come through. They coped because they were prepared to support one another and because long-term consistant, persistant discipline. They didn't give up, no matter how tough it got.

Interestingly all the families were Christian. When Dr. Ray wrote about the faith the families had that held them together and rooted their values he had problems with the publishers. But it was clear from reading the book that Grace was running through these families. As parents our ultimate goal is surely to get our kids into heaven. We need to work very hard to do this and use every ounce of grace available to us.

Parenting is about persistance and persperation and sometimes (often even) downroight exhuation-but in the end I want my children to be like the adults in that book. If my kids don't make it to heaven, how will I?

Lent balm

2008-02-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

Some time ago-probably around the time Superhero was born, I got out of the habit of reading Divine Office. I did miss it, but life was just so busy and then more babies came and things certainly didn't get any quieter-just getting a couple of garbled decades of the rosary was sometimes a challenge like climbing Everest.

It's Lent and I have been thinking for a while I just wanted to get back to Divine Office. So I decided to try. I'm using Universalis as it's on the computer and has no fragile pages to be attacked by small people. I can read it in dim light with a baby attached to me and I actually get it done!

Divine Office is balm for the soul. I hadn't realised how much I missed it until I started saying it again. If you get the chance-I recommend it, even if you can only do one session now and again.
I am also going to spend a bit of proper time on Spe Salvi which so far I have only sped read.

And finally I am going to try and fit in reading Marcus Grodi's new novel 'How Firm A Foundation'

Oh, and in case you think you're thinking all that sounds a bit cushy (and I guess it does), yes, I am giving stuff up too....no, not spinach (yuk).

Bloggers of the world..!

2008-02-08T08:36:00.001-08:00

Karen that rare Gem of the Ocean and Esther Aloha! have both kindly tagged me as a blogger of the world.

I am now to tag other blogs from around the world that I enjoy:

SwissMiss of St Pauls Minnasota. Yes I know, Karen already tagged her-but I do too.

Philip of Carpe Canem who being on his hols could be a blogger anywhere in the world.

Ma Beck's Ward Wide Web. Her work helps get people around the world.

Susie the Joyful Catholic who not only has great insight she knows Dr Ray!

Rita's Tigerish Waters are to the West of me

UKOK's place which is somewhere near me I think.

There are so many good blogs.

I have learned a great deal from blog reading. It's a great way for someone like me who has little uninterrupted time in the day to grab snippets of information that is useful, like the post Fr Ray did about bee keepers in Tudor times. It is also where I have met people I can comfortably be Catholic with.

God bless

Parents-take back your responsibility!

2008-02-05T03:19:00.000-08:00

Friends With Christ and other places around the blogosphere have picked up the increasingly sinister and bullying tactics of this Government to undermine the welfare of children through pushing morally abhorant propaganda into the classroom as well as attacking Catholic schools for being 'Catholic'. While the acedemic standards of schools has plummeted so far that Universities have been setting up basic literacy skills sessions for first year undergraduates, and while young people are faced with massive difficulties finding work when they leave school-the Govt is obsessed with sex.

When my children were in school I felt powerless against the tide of stupidity that they were faced with. I spent a lot of time and energy re-teaching them at home, correcting mistakes in science and history or filling in the gaps so they got the context of some events. When it came to sex ed I had to teach the Truth because the Catholic school the boys attended offered contraceptive advice and a film that had a cartoon of a couple having sex while on the black board the words "The Church says sex is for marriage" was the full extent of the Catholic teaching.

Then I spent ages putting right what they were learning from ICONS the RE programme and that peeked with my oldest who was taught to refer to the Holy Spirit as 'She'!!!

Meanwhile most of the parents I knew didn't care that this was the standard of education their children were receiving. It was no worse than anywhere else. The children could jump through the acedemic hoops by doing their homework (regardless of whether that homework taught them anything or not) and sitting exams.

'Caring' parents were those who no matter how badly behaved or utterly miserable their child was at least ensured he got the correct grades at GCSE. If he stopped going to Mass and was getting involved with drinking, telling lies and being dishonest, so what? It wont affect him getting into Uni. These were the parents who complained about every holiday and loathed the summer ones.

The Govt has been able to take over our children's lives because WE the PARENTS have handed our children over!

This quote from Friends with Christ:

"So, it is already late in the day, but how can we rebuild a climate and a culture in which parents recover their primary role as educators of their children? First of
all, I think that quite a bit of personal interest and initiative by parents is necessary; an interest and initiative whereby parents actively seek to build a culture and a way of life for themselves and their families in which they embrace their God-given
mission to form and guide a family."

How can we?

A lot of parents are taking personal interest. A friend of mine has done much the same as I did. She has a tutor to help undue some of the damage of poor teaching in the school and she knows enough about the faith to have kept all four of her boys Catholic so far. The older 3 are in University now and are a credit to her and her husband.

Many of us homeschool-and that choice is increasing rapidly in this country. It is something the Govt is unhappy about and there are moves to either stop us or try and force their propaganda on us. Bizarrely the first thing they want to force on us is...yep, sex ed! Are they just weird or what?

As some of you may have noticed I am a great fan of Dr Ray Guarendi who on more than one occasion has said the 'cult of the expert' has stripped parents of their strength and sense of responsibility. He wrote "You're A Better Parent Than You Think" partly in answer to this. Meanwhile Dr William Coulson is out there apoloising for the devastating effects his work with Dr Carl Rogers had on schools and the monastic institutions of the Catholic Church.

Parenting is about SACRIFICE not 'How does it feel for you'. Even at the height of my career with 'Warm, empathic, non-judgemental, unconditional positive regard' ringing in my ears, I never believed a word of it. While idiots wandered around complaining about 'Catholic guilt', I was nursing a bunch of people with no discernable mental illness who were simply wrapped up in 'How does it feel for MEEEEE' rather than how does my horrible behaviour feel to the other poor sod?

Guilt! Ha!

My generation of parents need to learn from this mess. We have to take back our responsibilities as parents; face up to the mistakes we may have made and try and put things right. We need to remember that if we produce kids who cheat, lie, steal, fornicate, get drunk and throw up in the street etc. that WE have produced those children; we are still parents and we need to do something about it. We need to remember that our children's bad behaviour effects others for good or ill.

There is simply no point in complaining about the Govt trying to nanny our children in the worst possible way if we let them-because we aren't bothered enough.

Conversation with a 4yr old

2008-02-02T04:19:00.000-08:00

I praised the Superhero (4yrs) and the Tornado(3yrs) for the way they are including the Blubbernugget (1omths) in their play.

Superhero: "Mum, when can we have another baby?"
Husband: choke, splutter, "Well, I don't think we..."
Mum (me) "Well, I don't know darling. We will have to consider that."
Superhero: "But God has lots more twinkle's in His eye doesn't He? Can't He give us another one?"
Mum-thinking quickly! "I think we will have to pray about that and ask God what He wants to do."
Superhero: "So we could have another baby?"
Mum. "God might decide He wants to give His twinkles to other people now..."
Superhero: "But we could have another baby."
Mum (weakly) "Possibly."
Superhero nods and runs off.

My poor, and at this point rather pale, husband felt I should simply have said "No" and not offered hope like that. But I pointed out that although it seems as though the obstacles to us having any more children are MASSIVE at the moment- God can do whatever he likes.

Trying to work out what He wants and what is right thing to do...now there's the challenge!!

Marcella, This one's for you :)

2008-01-31T05:20:00.000-08:00

As a child I loved the stories of Don Camillo. But I always got them

from the library. As an adult when I went back for them-they were gone. But good things come to those who wait-and to those who have a computer it seems.

HERE are the stories of this wonderful Italian priest and his not too terrible Communist Mayor opponent.

And there is THIS site too, which I haven't explored very much.

I don't think my favourite story 'The Ugly Madonna' is online as yet-but I will have a look, and if I find it I will let you know.

2008-01-29T06:31:00.000-08:00

Karen the Gem of the Ocean has tagged me for this book meme. A book meme, yippee. My poor dh will sigh and roll his eyes and mutter that oxymoronic phrase "Too many books".

1) Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
Life just seems too short to read Harry Potter books. Although I have seen the less-than-positive reviews too. It's the hype-as soon as anything is hyped I refuse to read it.

2) If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
I think I would like afternoon tea with Don Camillo, Fr Lewis from the Susan Howatch novels of the High Church of England and dear old Fr Brown. I would sit back and sip Earl Grey while they discussed what the Anglican, but oh so nearly Catholic Fr Lewis would call the 'unvarnished truth'.

3) (Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for a while, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
Like a lot of people my first reaction to this was the Duh Vinci Code, but it has been more than taken so I'm going for Middlemarch by George Elliot. I know, I know, what kind of homeschool mum am I to dislike such a classic. But I had to study it for A'level and I loathed it. I would have happily shot Dorothea!

4) Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
I don't think I have done that, although I have helped my son answer questions about Julius Caesar, without actually reading the whole play; Lamb's Tales to the rescue...

But here's one for RITA over at Tigerish Waters I have read Stephen Hawkings A Brief History of Time. It was quite interesting at the time-can't remember much about it other than my being less than convinced by String Theory. But I'm no scientist. I did read somewhere-though not in Hawkings I think- that the first thing to exist in the Universe was sound. I always like to think that sound was God saying 'Let there be..."

5) You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (If you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead and personalise the VIP).

In this case I am going to say what I did for my dyslexic son when I pulled him out of school three years ago aged 13/14 and found he couldn't read; or was so afraid of reading by this point he wouldn't read.
Obviously the really easy stuff is all aimed at little children and although I am sure there must be adult literacy books out there, I was not aware of them, nor where I could get them. I thought my best bet was to start him with something he actually wanted to read and he would move up from there.
I started him with Spiderman Comics because they were visual and had few words per page. From there I introduced him to 'trick reading'; that is I would trick him into reading stuff such as recipes and instructions for video games.
Then he read What Einstein Told His Cook which he enjoyed. Gradually I introduced him to other books and soon he was reading the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
He came a long way in two short years. It was hard, hard going at times though.

6) A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
Ooooh! This is a hard one, Greek, Latin, Hebrew and I love Italian...but right now I think I would actually choose German (not a language I like really) because I would love to read the works of Deitrich von Hildebrand and St Edith Stein in their original language and because there is so much of Dr von Hildebrand's writings that are not yet in English; although the Legacy Project are dealing with that little problem.

7) A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
Familiaris Consortio. I have it as a little book and I think it's the best family life book I have.

8) I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?
I have discovered whole books I can download from the Internet Archive such as Chesterton, Belloc and even a couple of Dorothy Sayers.

9) That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

My dream library would be a large room with a proper fire. There would be huge leather armchairs and a little table for the small pile of books I would be reading then. There would be a coffee machine with a permanent jug full in one corner.
The bookshelves would be floor to ceiling with one of those slide ladders- that would be fun.
Then I would sit in one of those huge chairs, with coffee and chocolate and I would throw a log on the fire and get reading.

The children would have their own corner with easy reach shelves and those big square wooden boxes full of books, a rug and some little soft play stools.
Perhaps those huge bed size leather bean bags for the teens to flop out and read on.
Ah dreams are bliss.

Not sure who to tag at the moment; so all non-bloggers out there who would like to answer this one, feel free to use the combox.

Conversion

2008-01-26T08:52:00.001-08:00

I dare say there are more than a few people who think that
since I came have decided leave the cafeteria for the fullness
of the faith that I am off my trolley. Well I am in pretty
good company on that; St Paul was off his horse.

The process of my own conversion was a long one and there were times I wondered why God didn't just knock me off my own high horse a few times. Well, in fact He did actually, but I had a nasty habit of trying to climb straight back up there.

Paul was struck blind after the horse falling incident and had to go and find someone to heal him. That person was Ananias who understandably treated God's command to go and meet Saul with some healthy trepidation. However he did go and through him Saul was received into the Church and became one of her greatest saints.

Here's another story; it isn't finished yet and could go either way, so your prayers would be much appreciated.

Once upon a time there lived a young lady who became friends with her brother's Catholic girlfriend. The young lady, we'll call her Cally, was a deeply hurt person who made life worse for herself by making some pretty awful choices.

Meanwhile her brother and the Catholic girl married. Some time later Cally too married, but she married a really awful man; a marriage that would only increase Cally's self destructive behaviour.

Nothing improved for a very long time-but throughout it all she remained friends (not necessarily close because she wasn't capable of that) with her Catholic sister-in-law. The SIL had not been a particularly good Catholic but she discovered her faith and was renewed in her commitment. During this time she would make suggestions to Cally that were never acted on.

On returning to the Church the Catholic SIL found herself with some 'good' Catholics who advised her to drop all friends and family who were either lapsed or not Catholic or leading immoral lives. She was also told plainly just how inferior protestant husband's were. Fortunately she realised this was not truly 'good' Catholic behaviour and rather than ditching her less than Catholic friends and family-she ditched this group.

Some long time later Cally reached the point that forced her to reassess her life. She began to turn things around. In order to do this though Cally began, very reluctantly it seems, to acknowledge that if she was ever going to get free of the ditch she had dug for herself, she would need God.

Her SIL has been inviting her to Mass-which she occasionally attends and feels welcome there. She is also learning to pray. Her SIL is quietly supporting her in this. Nothing too in-yer-face as that would frighten her off. Cally is doing things at her own pace.

This conversion is still ongoing and it is very, very fragile. Slowly Cally is turning into a new person who hopefully will find a real relationship with God and go wherever He leads.

She didn't fall off a horse as such, but she did fall-hard; and only then did she start the long process of conversion and healing. God has put people into her life now who are helping her.

Pray for her.

Sex-ed for Homeschoolers; not NICE!

2008-01-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

Under the tyranny of Mediocrity Brown more and more attacks are being made on the santity and rights of the family.
Take a look at THIS!
Frankly this Govt is beginning to really scare me. They are so utterly underhand.
We have a fight on our hands I think. NICE can keep their grotty hands off my children.

One thing I must say; as families, particularly those of us who homeschool-we must be very careful NOT to give fuel to these people.
I'll talk about this more when I have time.

Sex ed for parents and chastity for grown ups

2008-01-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

I was visiting a Catholic forum today and saw a man (presumably Catholic) asking whether he and his wife could now contracept as they had decided to have no more children. It was explained to him that using contraception is a mortal sin-and when he got annoyed that anyone would suggest such a thing, the appropriate Church docs and history were supplied. The man got even more annoyed and stomped off (virtually).

I see this a lot when it comes to the Church's teaching on the sanctity of marriage, it's holiness as a Sacrament and the fact that marriage should be open to life. While the Govt is trying to force their brand of sex ed onto our children-here is a father, who is quite willing to ditch Church teaching when it doesn't suit his 'sexual freedom'. What will his children do?

It's the parents that are the problem here. The parents do not want to be chaste, they want to do whatever they like and they can hardly then say, 'one rule for me, another one for you'.

This is a photo of my youngest being held by her 16yr old brother who is wearing his chastity ring. My 14 yr old daughter wears one too. I haven't forced this on the children; they requested it. Both these children have been exposed to some stuff I really would have preferred them not to have been exposed to-and I am more than grateful I was there, particularly for my daughter, to mitigate the damage.

Parents do a whole lot of teaching sex ed by how WE behave. If we don't care what our children discuss with their friends; do with their friends or look at with their friends, then they are hardly going to be worried are they?

If we allow them to use computers in a separate room or their bedroom; go on MSM without supervision, have mobile phones with numbers on we have no knowledge of-then that shows we aren't paying attention.

If parents allow their daughter's to either dress like they are available or on the other extreme dress like they are ashamed of their femininity (and I've seen that too) then we are not helping them be chaste. Only by teaching them they have no inherent dignity and can be proud of their emerging womanhood can we help them to ensure they demand that respect and dignity from others.

Too many parents make their children grow up too quickly when it comes to sex ed when they are not emotionally ready for it-and another group of parents are so controlling they try to stop their children growing up at all.

I think a lot of what our children will learn about what is good and holy chaste behaviour, they will learn from how we are in our marriages. Mum and Dad need to show kindness, respect and affection to one another. Dad needs to be involved in his children's life and discipline. An old fashioned dad with a bit of 'shot and shovel' to him will make a girl feel safe. A great deal has been written about the role of dad's in the well being of girls and I am sure it goes for boys too as dad needs to be a role model.

My 14yr old daughter is fortunate to have two older brothers who are also of the 'shot gun and shovel' variety. (HEHEHE)

I could write a lot about what I have seen as a psychi nurse working in CAMHS and my dh still works in CAMHS. I could even write some horror stories just from what we've had to protect our own children from, but I'll end with this; Marilyn Manson once said that if parents don't bring their children up, he would.

If we don't teach our children about love, sex and marriage then Ed Balls (oh the temptation to comment on that name) and Gordan Mediocrity Brown will.

Week of prayer for Christian Unity

2008-01-21T04:32:00.000-08:00

It is the week of prayer for Christian unity. As we pray we try and ignore that there are over 30,ooo protestant denimination and groups now, and they are still splitting. We squirm a bit as we look at the schisms that have happened over the last 2000yrs.

LOOK at the icon. That is Christ the Bridegroom; a bridegroom of ONE bride and look what He has done for her. He is whipped and bound and crowned with thorns. His royal robe has been dumped on Him as a mockery and is soaked in His Precious Blood.

Only a few hours earlier He had prayed "And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me.
That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them: that, they may be one, as we also are one. "

But a huge number of the world look at us and do not see that oneness and they don't believe. Why should they? Everyone seems to have Christ in his own image; picking and choosing from Scripture and Tradition what fits himself; making up new ideas that have no basis in either Scripture or Tradition.

*Sigh* I've been there-done that.

So here's a prayer for Christian unity.

Dear Lord,

Break our hearts to help us not break Yours

Change our minds, because we can't change Yours.

Let us Love YOU with all our minds, with all our heart and with all our strength

Because only then can we love our neighbour or ourselves.

Help us see the Cross with it's vertical beam so much longer and larger than the

horizontal beam;

Let us then look up to see what Your will is

instread of at ourselves and what we want.

Our Father who art in Heaven

Hallowed be Thy Name

THY KINGDOM COME (not mine)

Thy Will be done (not mine)

on earth as it is in heaven...

If people prayed the Our Father and actually meant it-imagine what kind of world we could have.

Spreadin' love Award

2008-01-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

Philip has kindly awarded me the "Spread the Love Award" and I am to spread the love around eight others. Now around here the best way I know of to spread love is with marmite spread. Marmite with a touch of champagne no less. So I hand on not only the award but some virtual marmite too. Spread it on virtual toast and enjoy.

I would like to spread this to

1. Marcella-who doesn't blog but can still spread that love

2. Fr Justin,

3, Fr Boyle

4. Fr Mildew

5. Fr Ray Blake - because priests spread so much REAL LOVE with the Eucharist.

6. La Mamma because her pots and pans are BACK!

7. Paulinus

8. Srs for the Gospel of Life

Why homeschool?

2008-01-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Leigh of Mommy Memoir asked in the comments box below why I homeschool.
People write whole books about this sort of thing-maybe I will one day but in the meantime there is a short answer HERE

Pro-Life; get out those beads

2008-01-11T03:28:00.000-08:00

ADDITION! Amanda has emailed me with a petition against care professionals being coerced to perform and take part in abortions. "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to PROTECT HEALTHCARE WORKER RIGHT OF CONSCIENCE BY LAW. " Please sign it fellow pro-life UKers.

Sat 26th January 08
at 3pm

The John Radcliffe Hospital,

outside

St Anthony of Padua Church Oxford

Please come and meet at Headley Way Headington for a peaceful witness for the unborn children. There is refreshment in the hall afterwards.
For those who cannot attend please add your prayers for those who are there, and for the babies killed and their parents.

Amanda Lewin, a friend and fellow homeschooling mum does a great deal to coordinate this. Thank God for her and all who join her.

All you Brummies and anyone else who can make it are most cordially invited to a weekly Eucharistic Adoration

at SS Joseph and Helen Station Rd Kings Norton Birmingham

at 6pm

please note time change (not 7pm any more)

to pray for the pro-life cause and all those who are so hurt by the abortion industry.

SS Joseph and Helen have an abortion mill right at the end of the road. Every Good Friday the PP takes a prayer walk down to the mill and stands there will everyone -altar boys and himself in vestments. Then the walk continues around the block and back to church. The place is busy killing babies even on Good Friday.

For those who cannot be there in person - get out those beads, the greatest weapon of sin destruction- and get praying.

God bless

We need a miracle for this one I think...

2008-01-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is very difficult to know what God wants. Up until recently my oldest son who is 18 wanted to be a priest. In fact he has wanted to be a priest for as long as I can remember-then off he went to Oscott for the day and came back cured of the desire. Part of the problem I think is that for a whole day being offered to all young men with a desire for the priesthood only ONE young man turned up; my son.
While everyone was very nice to him-the day was too intense and he has simply said no way.

Meanwhile he is looking at going to America. Now, I cannot begin to tell you the HUGE difficulties we have faced over this. His trip to EWTN fell through and now he is concentrating on his hope to go and visit Franciscan University Steubenville in the late Spring and he wants to apply to go there.

I would love him to go there. It has strong links with my beloved Maryvale, which is about the only truly orthodox Catholic HE we seem to have in this country.
But the cost for him to go there is astronomical. It's just impossible as things stand for us to see how on earth we could fund him through uni over there. It would be difficult enough to assist him to do a degree here.

I really want what's best for him and his interest in Catholic media would hardly find an outlet here in the UK-but I can't see, right now, how we are going to do this.
So my friends get out those beads and slide a few through your fingers in our direction; that we find God's will in this and that if He does want my oldest to spread his wings in Ohio, that He drops a bucket load of dosh this way.

2008-01-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

It's the Twelfth Day of Christmas-the Epiphany of our Lord. I love these photos posted by Rita on Tigerish Waters.

In the West the tradition is there were three wise men bringing the gold, francincense and myrhh. In the East there has been a tradition of 12 wise men- or maybe it was 12 men but only three of them were wise enough to bring a gift .

It's a bit sad as all the decorations come down-but hey our Ukrainian Catholic brothers and sisters are about to have their Christmas tomorrow so it aint over yet! (Whistling 'always look on the bright side of life, te-dum...)

God bless you one and all.

Teaching our kids about real love, life and sex

2008-01-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

As part of my New Years resolution -or revolution-I am going to post about teaching sex to children and teens every so often throughout the year. I was listening to Teresa Tommeo on my MP3 player as I cooked the dinner today and she was interviewing Dr. Meg Meeker. They were actually talking about depression, but the doctor has written a couple of books which coincidentally you can read a bit about at Friends With Christ.

During their conversation Teresa Tommeo pointed out that this year was the 40th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae. (25th July 1968). Sadly all that Pope Paul VI said would happen has happened-and maybe even worse than he envisioned.

Although, when I was a teen I was given a lot of conflicting information-but mainly told that HV could be safely ignored, we now have the stunning Theology of the Body from Pope John Paul the Great. I have found a whole load of podcasts about this-but I'll check them out before posting links.

Meanwhile on Thinking Love, No Twaddle there is some basic notes on answering the questions of a 4yr old-nearly 5yr old; not in quite the way I think our sinister ministers have in mind.

New Year's Revolution

2008-01-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

It was G.K.Chesterton who said something to the effect of "When people stop believing in the supernatural, they don't turn to the natural, but to the un-natural."

The natural order of things is that parents have a "right and duty" (FC1) to take care of our children. I have an old Penny Catechism and Question 201 asks “What is the duty of parents towards their children?” “The duty of parents towards their children is to provide for them, to instruct and correct them, and to give them a good Catholic education.”

It could easily be argued that parents have had a hard time with this thanks to the shoddy standard of RE in most Catholic schools- but it is the Government that is posing the greatest threat to the rights of parents and the rights and well being of our children in the UK. Tony Blair and now Gordon Brown seem to have a vendetta against the family; supporting family breakdown, gay partnerships and ownership of children, abortion up to birth for disabled children and having disabled adults killed if they are deemed too sick to be bothered with.
Families who try to stick together and care for the sick in their midst are financially penalised.

My husband works with more than one family where dad has a separate address for benefit reasons- where mum and dad would lose out if they actually got married!

Meanwhile as Cherie Blair is up to her elbows in International Planned Parenthood her husband and his Govt have been pushing sex education at teens and younger children despite the consistent lack of results. The more children put condoms on bananas, the higher the teen pregnancy rates go and the higher the STD rates get. Chlamydia is now one of the major contributers to the massive rise in infertility in the UK.

Not content with this Brown and his ilk have been relentlessly pushing for mums to go to work -particularly single mums. This ensures that children have no role model in their lives, no parent at home for them. The the level of alcohol abuse rockets and the sinister ministers in the Govt scratch their empty heads and wonder.

To answer the self made problems they try and force more of the same on us. More sex ed for even younger children; free contraception to ensure more cervical and breast cancer; more abortion- massive doses of hormone to be given to children behind their parent's backs.

Then when a bishop (and God knows this is rare here) begins to stand up for the faith as Bishop O'Donoghue seems to be doing-the totalitarian sinister ministers decide he needs to answer questions.

It's time to fight back. It is time to demand real education in our schools and freedom to educate our children as we see fit. It is time to protect our children and demand the Government back off.

I would like to think the bishops would lead the way-but that's a laugh; it is up to us to each do a little bit ourselves and stand together.
So my New Year's resolution is to start a revolution, with my own kids and offer it to anyone else who would like.

A Happy and Holy 2008

2007-12-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

The new year begins (as always) with the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God.

I thought I would end the year with some FAMILY links. The family is under attack in the UK in new and scarier ways. Jackie reports on more pressure from our sinister-ministers to get sex ed taught to little kids.

She says "So we start the New Year with more of the same! The government wanting to corrupt our little children...well they're NOT getting mine! Even if i have to devote the whole year in the fight for our children's innocence..so be it!" I add my vote to that!

Meanwhile Fr Ray Blake and Paulinus are reporting on the move to make Catholic bishops explain why they want Catholic schools to teach ... Catholicism!

It is the family that is the root of !ny community, of a nation. I am reading the Charlotte Mason Home Schooling series. Book Two is Parents and Children which I have linked with the short summary. Miss Mason writes as a high Anglican and her philosophy works well for Catholic parents whether they home educate or not.

Familiaris Consortio is my favourite encyclical.

The Holy Father has set his sights on the family for the New Year with his message THE HUMAN FAMILY, A COMMUNITY OF PEACE.

St Stephen; 2nd Day of Christmas

2007-12-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas everyone. We have had a couple of pretty sick little ones so my dd (13yr old) said she could beat those Councils around England (and I think a couple in Scotland) who decided to change Christmas to Winterfest - she called yesterday 'Pukefest!'

We did manage to get to the vigil Mass on Christmas Eve and the oldest went back at Midnight as well. Today the men of the house; my husband and the two older boys went to Church for the St Stephen's Day Mass. St Stephen is the first martyr of the Church, a deacon and the patron saint of altar servers. Every year on this day my boys join their fellow altar servers for this special Mass and renew their promises. Next year they will both have earned their silver medals for 10 yrs service.

The altar server's Guild of St Stephen is an important part of my boy's life. I think this is an excellent way of encouraging young men to remain loyal to a service to Christ and His Church. They receive medals as they earn them and must show commitment and dedication in service. I think more could be made of this for the youngsters so that they were more involved in the Eucharistic life-but my boys are proud of their medals and what they symbolise.

I have been thinking about it more recently because of things I have heard on Catholic Radio about how people are encouraged to join groups within Islam-particularly for young men. These groups give them a sense of identity and demand a strong commitment. Okay, they can be a bit spooky too; one man described being hounded by the group leaders when he decided against conversion and began to return to his Christian roots.

One of my muslim friends has told me about the groups within her own local mosque that are obviously strong and designed to hold the converts together. Obviously I am not suggesting that Catholics should follow this pattern completely as the coercive nature of them is frankly unpleasant-but we do have groups within the church that could do a lot more to encourage commitment from young people. After all we do have a Faith worth dieing for and I am sure many young men in particular would be willing to be part of a Faith like that.

"God is good."

2007-12-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

I had a hospital appointment yesterday. I hate them. I had a list of questions about the evoked potentials. I had been told they were all normal, but the sensory ones had been very strange in sensation and I was surprised they were normal and wondered what the difference could mean.
As it happened (and as is usual with me) the results were not normal-they were not there at all. The doctor said he would chase them up. Meanwhile with half my notes missing he asked how i was.
Well, I could tell him that things are improving. For the last few weeks I have managed without any Tramadol and I am only taking analgesia at night. My balance has improved and so has my walking because my leg doesn't drag so much. I still need a wheelchair for distances and crutches - but there is marked improvement. I simply feel better. The fatigue has reduced markedly, probably because I am not constantly trying to keep a balance between how much pain I can stand and how many tablets a breastfeeding mum should take.
Things had begun to improve once my daughter (the 13 yr old one) and I had said a Novena to the Infant of Prague. We are resaying it at the moment. A few days ago I saw a medal for the Infant of Healing-which was essentially the Infant of Prague.

The doctor did the tests. Push this, hold that, squeeze my fingers and so on. I hate them because it just shows up what a crip I am. But yesterday I gripped his fingers in my right hand and I could do it! I could actually feel his fingers in my grip! I have not been able to do that for over four years! I could lift my leg from flat and when he stuck the little pin in my leg I could feel it. Even my reflexes were normal.

I couldn't believe it. The doctor thinks I am healing and that I could go back to having a normal life as this really is-he says-it! He then said "You have suffered a great deal over the last four years, it is time to put that behind you. God is good."

For a doctor in and NHS hospital to say "God is good" is a minor miracle all of its own. We both wished God's blessing and I have an appt for six months time. I am praying and determined to WALK into that hospital.

God really is good.

"...the best place in the world for children..."

2007-12-14T06:01:00.000-08:00

Mac (Mulier Fortis) has commented on yet more curriculum shenanigans designed to make learning as boring and meaningless as possible for our children. She describes the lowering of standards particularly in science where she notes that the old O'level textbooks were of a higher standard than present day A'levels.
On Thinking Love, No Twaddle there is more on this.

Meanwhile Jackie (CatholicMomOf10-scroll down) has been writing a lot about the forced introduction of sex education into even our primary schools and now the Govt are saying pharmasists can hand over the Pill to under 16 yr old girls.

The experts scratch their propaganda filled heads and wonder why despite all the propa...er...education offered to children on how to do sex...safely of course, that they are going out and doing it and yet still managing to be pregant and riddled with disease. Instead of wondering if the problem lies with the education they insist in more of the same-with NO research to back it up.

Of course the science and Maths syllabus is such a mess these days there are few people left who actually know how to do research I suppose-and going by the standard of some medical research that is much the same everywhere.

A great deal of science GCSE is dedicated to such things as 'over population' and 'environmentalism'-which is a politcal message not one based on empirical data.

The Govt, worried about the state of our children who are self harming, taking prozac and more obese than ever before wants to make sure their parents are kept as far away from them as possible. Make mothers go to work or lose benifits; make schools open from early morning until the evening and keep the kids in the institution for as long as possible.

When these children have no adult to go to and so end up looking for love in abusive sexual relationships. But don't worry, the psychological effects and disease inherent in this is of no matter-they can nip to the chemist and get the Pill. The side effects are mild, deep vein thrombosis, depression, weight gain, cramping, migraine, infertility, breast cancer-nothing to worry about. Obviously nothing to worry about as there is no strategy to deal with those side effects.

Parents, who are being sidelined in all of this will of course be expected to pick up the pieces of their daughter's destroyed health and wellbeing I do not doubt.

A 17yr old was recently advised that if she wished to get financial help to continue her studies now both her parents were dead, she had better get pregnant.

Then The Sinister-minister for familiy, schools and interference says "Our aim is to make this country the best place in the world for our children and young people to grow up."

Christmas Meme

2007-12-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

Karen, a glittering gem of the Ocean and the richly scented Autum Rose have tagged me for this meme.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag: Both, and I am afraid I often use neither shoving homemade stuff into shoe boxes and carrier bags.

2. Real tree or artifical: We have an artifical tree because real ones shed and babies get the sheddy bits and it can get a bit unpleasant. We also keep our tree in a cage-a playpen, thus preventing toddler and baby climbing, pulling over on head and other small-person induced catastrophes.

3.When do you put up the tree? My son puts the tree up as soon as we hit Dec 1st. He would put it up earlier if I let him. He's 16 now and still gets all excited about a tree with pretty lights on and do you know- I don't blame him. It is becoming a running joke that the tree goes up almost at dawn on Dec 1st, and it didn't this year because he was at work! People popped over to see us and asked where the tree was. LOL.

4.When do you take it down? Epiphany-once the wise men are headed home

5. Do you like eggnog? Er...no.

6. Favourite gifts received as a child; I received a cuddly Koala once and loved it.

7. Do you have a Nativity Scene? We have a cloth Advent Calender one hanging on the wall. We did have a traidcraft wooden thing too but over the years people have vanished from the set-not sure how. We also have a large nativity scene in the back room made from toilet rolls. We make one most years. This year Mary is in pink at the insistance of my (just turned) 3yr old and we have a couple of pretty scary looking shepherds. The kings are yet to be made. We add a nicely wrapped box under the scene and then the children each make Jesus a present. On Christmas Eve after Mass each of us put the little gift into the box for the baby Jesus.

8. Hardest person to buy for: Usually my oldest, but this year there are a couple of things he needs to get ready for his trip to America so it wasn't so hard.

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received: Well, it wasn't a gift as such, but I had my daughter on Dec 7th and was home for Christmas which was great as she was due Dec 27th and I had thought I might spend Christmas in hospital-but then the whole family went down with D&V and I got it too-horrible with a new C-section let me tell you!!!

10. Favourite Christmas movie: Of course "It's a Wonderful Life" and "White Christmas" but I also love "Muppet's Christmas Carol" (I can't help it) and a made for TV film about a family made homeless just before Christmas and end up sleeping in a huge store-which I am sure was filmed at Jenners in Ediburgh. I can't remember the name of the film, but it was about how home and family are more important than shopping and honesty is more important than wealth. Loved it.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards: Both and hand them out personally when I can.

12. When do you start Christmas shopping? July/August. Don't be horrified there is method in my madness. We have some family members we only get to see once a year, usually at the end of August and I like to be able to hand over the pressies to be saved until Christmas. This means I can buy something suitable for the godchildren and other children without worrying about when and how to post it. Then we go fruit picking and I freeze it all until jam making.
I get the first autumn apples around the end of Sept and start buying in the dried fruit etc around Oct and if I am organised (which isn't often these days) the first cakes and chutneys get made by the end of Oct.
The not-made pressies get bought from Nov and I try and spread the cost.

13. Have you ever recylced a Christmas present: Yes, someone can get use from it, and it seems a waste otherwise.

14. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas: I love Christmas dinner- beef and venison pie cooked with cranberries; hot roasted chestnuts from a paper bag; homemade mince pie with cheese (don't much like shop mince pies); Green & Blacks chocolate.

15. Clear lights or coloured on the tree? Coloured. I like them.

16. Favourite Christmas song: Hymns I love are O Come, O Come Emmanuel (I know it's an Advent hymn, but I love it). Adeste Fidelis - it is better in Latin. And I confess to loving the daft song "Santa Baby" which we have on MP3-the Miss Piggy version.

17.Travel or stay home: Home. Everyone comes to us. We do visits around the time though.

18. Can you name Santa's reindeers? Erm...no...embarrassing-not-very-mum moment
19. Angel on top of the Christmas tree or a star? At the moment we have Spiderman -but I am informed a star will be made. Spiderman keeps falling down, poor dear.

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One small pressie when we get back from Mass and the rest spread out over Christmas Day.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of year: Coca Cola adverts and other people's killjoy misery about Christmas.

22. The best thing about this time of year. The wonder and excitement of children. The lights sparkling in people's homes; the amount of kindness and the fact that those of us who spend so much time walking in darkness get to see a Great Light

Now I tag
Esther
Philip of Carpe-canum if he has time
And Paul on the Side of the The Angels

Will your grandchildren be Catholic?

2007-12-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

Fr Mildew has done a good post on this and I have THIS link to a Catholic Answers Mrs Mcleod did on this subject.

Christmas Shopping

2007-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

It is time to choose those special gifts for those we love and send the cards. Yes, even with the non-consumerist Christmas we try to have I still have to buy stuff. I thought I would recommend some things and places to do your shopping.

First I would like to recommend the beautiful rosary bracelets made by my friend Shana. She made the one in the photo for me after I asked specifically for one with flat beads with different colours on either side so I could be distracted by the children during a decade and still not forget where I was. She's a lovely lady - a homeschooling mum of 8. The rosaries are well made-mine has proved to be baby proof! A lovely Christmas gift.

I also recommend Aid to the Church in Need- they sell a good selection of cards and small gifts, some of which are olive wood items made by the beleagured Christian community in Bethelehem.

Chris Holden at St Anthony Communications is offering a membership of £3.95 a month. Check out his tapes, bookes, CDs and DVDs. I think supporting the little man is good.

I also recommend Family Publications

I haven't bought anything for Christmas from the RNLI but they are a great charity and save many many lives every year.

I also order some extra stuff from the milkman. He is self employed and trying to earn a living to care for his family. I am a great believer is supporting the little man, especially the self employed ones. On this note I will probably buy some stuff from the Deli where my son works.

This does not mean I don't shop at the biggies like Woolies-they employed one of my children too for a while. I am well aware of how difficult some of our older teens are finding it to get a job and the 'biggies' employ a lot of people.

I have bought a lot of fair trade stuff over the years-but I am less certain about it as a system and am holding off this year. Anyway how many sheshem wood boxes can anyone need?

Of course I am avoiding Oxfam and Cafod and Christian Aid the condom pushers.

We make a lot of pressies-mincemeat, jams, cakes, cookies, Turkish Delight, tablet, fudge etc. and we make some of the cards we send as well, but I do still shop a bit.

(Hope Marie and Ginny don't demand the award back )

Happy Advent

Shine a light on his dark materials

2007-12-03T03:39:00.000-08:00

I was surprised and a little disappointed to hear Teresa Tommeo say that Christian parents ARE buying the Pullman books for their children because they feel under pressure to do so.
Honestly-and if a load of people decide eating poisonous mushrooms is fashionable would they buy those for their children too?

I have heard the shallow arguement that those of us who have not read-and will not read- the anti-Christian polemic of Pullman cannot judge them. Oh yes we can. We judge them based on what those who have read them say.
I do not need to eat poisonous mushrooms to know for myself they are poisonous-I trust the witness of sensible people who tell me they are.

The film has been toned down apparently; So what? How much poison do we want to feed our children?
Have a look at Philip's blog side bar
Also read Jimmy Akin's post
And I highly recommend THIS POST on the subject with a thanks to my friend Shana for supplying it.
All this should offer more than enough information to parents so that they spend their money more wisely for Christmas.

I have allowed Harry Potter-although only my oldest has read HP and he hasn't bothered with the later books as he got bored. He also received a copy of the Da Vinci Code from family members who didn't seem to realise what an anti-Catholic piece it was. My son decided to read it because he wanted to be able to answer questions on it-but he found it so badly written he gave up before he got half way through.

Pullman is a so so writer apparently-and I suppose we can be grateful for that. But so many children are given rubbish to read- what my heroine Charlotte Mason would have called 'twaddle'- that they will not be able to see how nasty these books are.

As parents we have a right and duty to educate our children and that means taking due care and attention of what they read.
I see so much about how awful TV is and yet parents let their kids read anything.

It's Advent and yesterday's readings were all about WAKING UP! Let us wake up and put on the armour of Christ and then the little darknesses like Pullman and his books and the film are easily defeated.

"Let nothing you dismay"

Knickers in a twist

2007-12-01T02:04:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it is because I've not had much sleep recently thanks to a sick baby, but that advert by our infinitely lacking in wisdom Government is getting on my nerves.

It shows some young people at a nightclub or some such venue and then they rush home to jump into bed with each other, casually discarding a rather unattractive pair of knickers with the word 'gonorrhoea' beautifully embroidered on them. This is followed by the old cannard "Wear a Condom" as condoms according to this advert are 'essential wear'.

It's just so stupid- SHE SHOULD WEAR HER KNICKERS! then they wouldn't need any fancy embroidery. Keeping her knickers on should be essential wear.

And while I'm ranting-do young people really need such a patronising approach? Are they really so stupid they can't be told along with 'Don't drink and drive','Don't do drugs', 'Don't smoke', 'don't cross the road without looking', 'Recycle' and DON'T HAVE SEX WITH ANYONE WHO IS NOT YOUR SPOUSE.

My teenage children wear chastity rings. They are proud to do so because it is a sign of their dignity and self respect.

Sadly I had to order the rings from the USA-I can't find them available in the UK. Why is that?

2007-11-30T03:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Marie and Ginny of View from the Pews who are passing this award around to Christian bloggers who think the fact that 'God [is] With Us' is a bit more important than maxing out the credit cards.

Emmanuel Award
"God With Us"
In a consumer society it is a blessing to read blogs where the writer's main focus is God. Where they express their love for their faith so visibly and joyfully.In a cynical world it is refreshing to see so many blogs which are generous, giving, who care about others and demonstrate what being a Christian is about, loving God and loving our neighbor.
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 Christmas
Marie & Ginny

I would like to pass this on to

Autumn Rose

Ebeth as she climbs those pillars and I recommend THIS post by her

Therese at her Aussie Coffee Shop has it already...

Totus Tuus family

Rita at Tigerish Waters

There are LOADS of others who could and I am sure will receive this award, and that is a heart warming thought. There are many people out there who want Christ to be the centre of their Christmas-and so He will be

Watching someone go to heaven

2007-11-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

November is drawing to a close and we'll put away the memorial book. All month the book has stood on a special stand in front of the altar at church to remind us to pray for all those of our parish who have died.

My children lit a candle for their grandmother a couple of weeks ago. There are many others they could have lit the candle for but I am sure God is taking care of them all.

Over the years as a nurse I took care of few people as they approached death.

HERE is a priest's story of a lovely death. It seems that he just knew she was going to die that day and went to see her. I like to think God can get around the problems we have here in the UK where chaplains are no longer informed of Catholic's in hospital or homes who need the Sacraments.
The story Father told here implies that this lady went straight to heaven. He spoke of her holiness and of her committment to doing the will of God. She had fought the good fight it seems so this is not a case of what my sister calls a 'get-into-heaven-free' card.
How wonderful to hear a story of someone so ready to go home-and so filled with joy as she took her last breath.

Why did God do that?

2007-11-23T01:31:00.000-08:00

My 16yr old has a Wii. He has just bought the game "Endless Ocean".

I have to say it's a rather beautiful game. He is the diver and swims around meeting all kinds of marine creatures, learning about them. Even the music is good-which has surprised me. Good ol'Nintendo.

Now most of the creatures are beautiful and graceful and we watch them to the fine music of a Sanctus or Amazing Grace-but some of them are just...well, butt ugly! It's not just the angler fish, which is just funny to look at there's the Goblin shark;

Why did God do that?

He also made a fish called an Asian Sheephead Wrasse-which has a rather uncanny resemblance to Gordan Brown (we have named the one in the game Gordan in his...erm...honour).

It seems to me that the fish in the light where the fingers of God stream through from above are all pretty and colourful, dancing among the coral and rocks, but the deeper and darker it gets the uglier and scarier the fishies look. Is this meaningful in some way?

Is God trying to tell us the longer we spend in the dark, the uglier and scarier we get?

Just wondering...

For the children

2007-11-22T09:29:00.000-08:00

Amanda has emailed me twice now and I'm only just catching up.

First:

Pro-Life Rally

Saturday November 24th

3pm

The John Radclife hospital, outside St Anthony of Padua Church

Those of us who can't be there will add our prayers to theirs.

She has also sent me THIS LINK about the awful plight of disabled children in Bulgaria.

Please check out the link and sign the petition to ask the PM to bring with up with the Bulgarian Govt.

Ideally I would like to see adoption opportunities set up so families from Bulgaria and other countries such as the UK can offer proper homes to these children.

Anyway we pray and hope.

Honourable Fatherhood

2007-11-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to MP3 downloads from Catholic Radio about the role of father's in the home and the general state and view of fatherhood as a whole in Western culture. Steve Wood does a lot of programmes about fatherhood-very good stuff.
There are three rules

Put God first

Then your family(wife and children)

then anything else.

He points out that many men get things in the wrong order and put work or their own needs first. The programmes help to give father's a focus and reminder of their role which has been so undermined by feminism and the selfish culture of today.

So many children grow up without a father at all, or with one of those detached father's who comes home for dinner, but hardly interacts with his children. How many times do I hear on Dr Ray Guarendi's phone in programme that dad leaves all the discipline to mum?

It is interesting that most mums, chatting together or phoning programmes are only too happy to submit to their husbands as per Eph 5 as he takes on the role of priest and father of the family. A father who leads as head of his family is a father who brings his children nearer to God the Father. Isn't that wonderful?

But what about those who have been so abused they cannot 'honour father and mother'?

Sr Mary Martha in her blog once said there is a special place in puratory for parents who don't do their job properly-and I do not doubt there is a certain place in hell too.

Charlotte Mason insists that a mother (and I am sure she means father's too) must give what she calls a "thinking love" to their children. We need to think about the love we give and how we give it. Discipline and routine for our children comes from us-the parents. If our children behave badly, become bad people even-isn't at least some that down to us?

I'm rambling sorry. It's just I seem to be coming across so many poorly parented people these days; sad, lonely and desperately selfish in their brokeness.

A friend of mine talked about the children she has fostered today and it brought back memories of my own work with children in the mental health system.

I will never understand parents who will not love their children, or who are so lacking in thinking love that they collude with and enable bad behaviour.

A father is given the beautiful task and all the graces he needs to help his bride, the mother of his children bring up their treasures for heaven.

God have mercy on those who wont.

The importance of family

2007-11-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

MY children got out a couple of DVDs to watch, Flushed Away and 'The Pursuit of Happyness'. We watched the latter film over the last couple of nights. It is based on the true story of Chris Gardener and his son. Dad is doing his utmost to keep his family together and take proper care of his son, but their dreadful financial situation leaves them on the streets. They have to sleep rough until they are rescued by Rev Cecil Williams (who plays himself in the film). He runs a Church and a shelter. According to Mr Gardener that church serves a million meals a year to those who have nowhere else to go.

Gardener gets himself an internship-unpaid- at a stock brokers and works his socks off, eventually gaining that happiness for himself and his son.

When the film came out the media here in the UK - like the BBC were quick to call it a 'rags to riches' film. It isn't. It is a film about one man's utter commitment to his son. He spends a lot of the time running-always trying to fit everything in around his son. His son's needs are paramount.

But one of the things that struck me more than once as we watched this film was just how alone Mr Gardener was. He appeared to have no friends and no family willing to step up to the plate when things became so so difficult for him and his 5yr old. Where were they?

His wife leaves.

He never knew his own father and the film gives the impression he has no mother to speak of either although the real Mr Gardener speaks well of her. She apparently tells him "You can only rely on yourself." A sad and lonely sentiment and yet very true for so many people.

He is determined to do for his son and be for his son, what his own father had not been to him.

Family is important. Parents have a duty to their children for the whole of their lives, offering love and support. Children have a duty to their parents and to their siblings.

As Christmas approaches I think 'family' is on my mind more and I wonder what it is that makes some people so unwilling to give of themselves, to share within their families. My sister has phoned me recently struggling with her bitterness I think as she meets grandparents who are so proud of their children and grandchildren-who babysit and help out.

Chris Gardener worked hard and he has made a life for himself and his children. I hope that life includes taking good care of each other.

Family war stories

2007-11-10T07:08:00.001-08:00

Like most families we have stories about the wars handed down to us. My grandfather lost his arm in WW1 thanks to a canon wheel. He learned to swim, play snooker and do all sorts of things with only one arm. He died before I was born. My gran and her sister my great aunt lived together in a little bungalow and we would take my aunt to Mass each week-but gran would never come.
She had stopped going after the war. I am not sure whether it was after the first or second world war, but she despised war and blamed the Church for supporting it. Her only brother died on the last day of the WW 1 -shot somewhere in the trenches in France only a few days after his 16th birthday.

It was not legal for a 15 yr old boy to be out at the front of course-but by the end of the war there were few men left and lads were allowed to sign on without much in the way of background checks being done. Jack's death stayed with my aunts and gran for the rest of their lives.

My aunt Eileen had been a priest's housekeeper for many years and had been engaged. Her fiance was killed.

In WW2 my uncle was in the engineering corps and was among those who entered-I think it was Belson-at the end of the war and had the task of burying the piles and piles of bodies the Nazi's left. He never talked about it so I don't know the details.

Now we know those who have served in Iraq.

Tomorrow-we remember and pray

I was sent this song via Sr Mary Kate; I Am the Mom

2007-11-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Guy Fawkes-not yet forgotten

2007-11-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

When I was a child we remembered the 5^th Nov as ‘Guy Fawkes Night’ and we had a fairly good idea of the story behind the bonfires and fireworks. I was quite a bit older when I learned how much of the story had been embellished as anti-Catholic propaganda but that only added a little spice to the celebrations; we Catholic kids could support poor old guy.

Later it was referred to as ‘Bonfire Night’ and although there was the occasional effigy of Guy nothing much of the story was heard.

Now it is simply ‘fireworks night’ and little more than an extension of the noise and ‘party’ of Halloween. It isn’t even pagan. It’s simply meaningless, devoid of it’s historical content and merely a good way to get people to let off fireworks and shout a lot in the streets.

The story of what it is really all about is told by Jamie Bogle HERE.

As it happens my ancestors were involved, probably on the periphery of the plot. A rather famous family in Warwickshire had stayed Catholic despite the persecution and injustices meted out to them. My family were their bailiffs. They too remained Catholic, so I claim linage with one of the few recusant families in England. None of my family were executed over the plot, but they continued to suffer under the policies of the Stuart and then Hanover reigns. They paid the punitive ‘Catholic tax’, having to live like dhimi’s in the now protestant land.

After emancipation in 1829 my family built a new Catholic church to replace the one Henry VIII and his minions stole.

Sadly, they are gone-but the fact that these families held on to the faith throughout gives me hope as the new persecution gets under way.

These are a few of my favourite saints...

2007-11-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

We have a short litany of 'family saints' at the end of morning rosary. Each of the saints has a meaning and a special place in the heart for someone in the family-or they are very much admired.
There are others that we turn to for various reasons, who have been there through difficult times.

St Bridget or as she is really called Birgitta of Sweden is someone I love a great deal of course.
Also her daughter St Katrin of Verdana who is the patron saint for mums who have miscarried our babies.
St Francis of Assisi and his spiritual son St Padre Pio are close to my older boys and have a special place in my heart because of one of my miscarried babies.

St Joseph, a model of fatherhood.
St Thomas Aquinas for his love of God in the Tabernacle and his humble love of learning.
St Helen for her strength and perseverance.
St Teresa of Avila-who was a contemporary of St Bridget.
St Edith Stein,
St John Bosco.
St Josephine Bakhita
We love the saints of Lindesfarne and Iona, especially the rather obscure St Ronan of Iona who stood by St Wilfred at the Council of Whitby.

Many of the English Martyrs especially St Margaret Clitherow.

St Gerard Majella who helped me through my last pregnancy.

There are those not yet saints;
John Paul the Great,
Blessed Margaret of Costello- a fellow crip.
Ven Matt Talbott- as I have lost a dear friend to his alcoholism; he died aged 39. I have a close family member now in AA and she is doing well. I also have other friends in AA. In fact I think I know more people who suffer with alcoholism than any other illness.

Finally we love St Michael and each of us has a close relationship with our guardian angel.

There are many others I could mention-but I am so rushed at the moment; hopefully things will quiet down soon.

Happy All Saints

2007-11-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Church was packed this morning. That's a good thing to see. We were relegated to foyer land as there was no room in church.
The school was there and Father reminded the children-most of whom do not attend Mass-that this was their home, a place they had a right to attend and no one should stop them. Good for him.

We had hardly any trick or treater's last night.
The children had made lanterns out of pumpkins-one of which was called George, my 4yr old said. The other two remained sadly nameless.

Now I know there are those who don't like pumpkin lanterns for All Hallows Eve, but we love the warm orange glow, and my 16yr old is quite artistic and can make pictures by takind off the skin and letting the light glow through the flesh.

We have begun our Nov prayers for our dead friends and family. We do so with the hope of God's mercy. It's good to be Catholic.

,,,,,,

Not much time to blog at the moment. Helping the oldest to get the final bits done so he can go to EWTN in January. Very exciting-and a bit scary.

Must make cuppa for the Maths tutor...(yes we have a Maths tutor-I know my limitations LOL)