Catholic books

Catholic books, bibles, christmas cards, advent wreaths, religious goods and gifts at your Catholic store

If you didn't get to buy the books you wanted at the Lenten Mission this weekend, make sure to go to the above link and place your order. This is a Catholic homeschooling family that can use your support...so shop around and I'm sure you'll find something you like.

Ralph Martin

Renewal Ministries, renewal and evangelization in the Catholic Church, focusing on Jesus, and grounded in prayer, scripture and the spirituality of the saints, we seek to proclaim Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.



We are blessed to have Ralph Martin with us at St. Joseph's in Wakefield for our parish mission...he was here yesterday and will be here today and tomorrow as well(7-9PM). Yesterday's talk was very powerful and really a confirmation for me of everything that the Lord has been doing in my life...I LOVE that!

Please pray for all who will be in attendance.

YouTube - City of God

time to wake up

USCCB - (NAB) - March 2, 2008:
"Eph 5:8-14

Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”"

Society is in such need of critical thinking at this time. Everything that is put forth through so many venues are merely taken in hook, line and sinker. We need the Light of Truth to show us 'what is pleasing to the Lord'. We need to awake from our sleep and arise from the dead. Satan is gaining territory very fast...our world needs us to do our part as children of Light.

YouTube - They Will Know We Are Christians by our Love

love your neighbor AS YOURSELF!

USCCB - (NAB) - February 29, 2008: "Mk 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”"

Those two words 'as yourself' often go un-noticed or get over looked by good intentioned Christians. We are so busy loving and caring for others that the person who gets the scraps from the heap is often us...and we think that we are doing a great and holy thing. Not exactly. We are to love others as ourselves...which means that it starts with loving yourself (in a balanced way of course). You can't love others if you are completly exhausted, drained and with nothing left. You need to fill yourself up first. Just like the airplanes tell you to do in case of an emergency...apply your own oxygen first and then attend to those near you. So...'fill up' on God's graces by partaking of the Sacraments (the Church is the 'gas station' that the Lord left for us, to keep us going until His return), develop an intimate and personal relationship with Him and allow Him to guide you forward and to show you what you need to do to better care for yourself and then others. That's our whole mission here! Simple...huh?

By the way...I have a small group of friends meeting regularly with me over at 'Spark People'...the group is called 'A Mother's Heart in Motion' and our whole purpose is 'To love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength and others as our selves.(Mark 12:28-31) By taking up our daily cross and following Him. (Luke 9:23)'. We are learning to care for ourselves through diet and exercise, caring for our loved ones through frugality and simplicity and Loving God with our whole hearts through prayer and praise. If you are interested in joining us, let me know and I'll send you an invite.

YouTube - Blessed

teach the gospel

USCCB - (NAB) - February 27, 2008:

"Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”"

You may be wondering how the 'teaches others to do so' may apply to each one of us...we are not priests or teachers...are we? Well the Bible does say "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9)." But we also'teach' by our own actions and inactions. If you aren't going to church then you are teaching your children something. If you aren't standing up for the sacredness of life or the holiness of matrimony then you are teaching those around you something. Like St. Francis of Assisi said "Preach the gospel always, If necessary use words."

Our Ladys Message

Medjugorje Graces: Our Ladys Message 25-2-08 to Marija:
"Our Ladys Message 25-2-08 to Marija

'Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you anew to prayer and renunciation. May your day be interwoven with little ardent prayers for all those who have not come to know God´s love. Thank you for having responded to my call.'"

YouTube - You are My All in All

with our whole heart

USCCB - (NAB) - February 26, 2008:

"But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”"

This is what the Season of Lent is about...turning back to the Lord with our whole hearts. Yes, we should be living like this year round...but in our humanity we stray off...the Church in her great wisdome has set up a little 'wake up call'.

Sunday Mass

St Joseph Home Page

Check out 'Mass this week' at the above link. If you look closely on the third rowe from the front, right center aisle...you will see my family(yep...as if attending Mass with two little ones isn't humbling enough...we now have cameras at church...lol).

Prayer Request

"I'm asking for prayers for Maria. We are in the hospital again with bronchiolitis. She's really been struggling to breathe and is on oxygen and breathing treatments.

Alicia Fazio"

Please pray for my friend Alicia and her baby Maria as well as the entire family...may the Lord extend His loving protection over them.

prayer request

"My aunt’s illness is progressing. Please pray that when the Lord decides to take her, she goes peacefully. She is not afraid to die. Her torment is that she will not see her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren again. Please pray for all of us who love her very much, this is a very difficult time for us.

Luisa Raleza"

YouTube - Marie Bellet in Ordinary Time

easy does it

USCCB - (NAB) - February 25, 2008:

"But his servants came up and reasoned with him.
“My father,” they said,
“if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary,
would you not have done it?
All the more now, since he said to you,
‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.”
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."

The Lord never asks for more then what we can give, or at least not more then His grace can cover. What is the Lord asking from you? Look around your immediate environment, your family, your church. Holly Pierlot's book 'A Mother's Rule of Life' has us doing just that and then formulating a 'rule' very similar to the ones used by religious sisters in convents. This is how the Lord is looking to bless us, through ordinary day to day obedience to His calling.

Prayer Request

"

From Mary Andreyo of Toms River, New Jersey

My son, Matthew for a spirit, mind, body healing. Also, that he can find a job he can handle and close by. Thank you"

Only noticed this prayer request today in our 'prayer book'...will you all please join me in praying for Matthew? Thanks and God bless.

YouTube - DON MOEN - I Need Thee Every Hour

YouTube - Come to the Rivers of Life - Don Moen

no more thirsting

USCCB - (NAB) - February 24, 2008:
"Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”"

This Gospel was so timely for me...you see, all week I've been 'thirsting'...you know...that disquiet feeling deep down that leaves you un-satisfied and dis-content about everything and yet nothing in particular. Then your mind starts going and the 'if only' litany starts...if only I had a bigger house, if only I could manage the one I have better, if only I could lose more weight, if only my kids would listen to me...lol...and on and on. I know that I have a greatly blessed life, one that a huge part of the population would go to great lengths for...yet I manage to be less then joyful about it a great deal of the time. Maybe it is ungratefulness that is at the heart of it all...I don't know. Thankfully I've been on this journey long enough to at least recognize it for what it is...a spiritual drought...but how come? Why now? I'm sure the Lord hasn't moved away from me...but...was it me? Did I move? I am hardly aware of it at all...that's the problem...it's like playing around in the water at the beach and getting distracted...before you know it the current has carried you off quite a bit. My eyes cannot be taken away from Him...He is my spring of water...the minute that I 'disconnect' then I run dry.