Easter is the Cause of Our JOY! The Most Important Holy Day For Catholics!

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My Dear Friends in Christ,

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is RISEN! Our sins are forgiven! Let us REJOICE in gladness and thanksgiving for this MIRACLE!

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Blessings,

~ bella

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Cherry Blossoms and A Random Act of Kindness

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Hello dear friends in Christ,
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You know lately it seems that the local, state, national, and global news is simply just depressing. . . It's true, I'm a very sensitive person and when my boundaries are weak, I pick up on this negativity so much that it just drags me down . . . which is not my nature at all.

So tonight during my commute home from campus, I thought to myself, "Just think about the good things around you and anything nice that someone did for me lately that was a blessing!"

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Well of course, being the flower and gardening freak that I am, I first thought of all the precious, delicate cherry blossoms now in bloom in the Carolinas, right next to the powerful splash of purple in the Eastern Redbud trees. I even saw a few brilliant red tulips on campus today, which I cannot grow on the acreage because the deer eat them for treats.

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Well, those thoughts were certainly very effective in lifting my spirits, but then I thought of something else that I forgot to tell you about that happened one afternoon during my spring break visit to my parents in Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ.

One afternoon I stopped in one of the local/regional grocery stores for a few things and when I was checking out, the check-out lady asked me if I had a "Frye's card" (the name of the store). I said, "No, I don't have one because I am just visiting; we don't have a Frye's where I live". Very unexpectedly and totally out of the blue, a tiny, little elderly lady said, "Here, use mine", and handed her card to the check-out lady. I said to the kind lady, "Thank you, and I hope that the blessing you gave me is returned to you too." She smiled at me and said, "You know, I've heard of that happening"! And I said, "It really does!"

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This nice lady saved me $10.00 during that shopping transaction. It was so sweet and pure of an act of kindness. And that just makes me smile! Even more so than the beauty of earth's flowers in spring . . . because it was human beauty!

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There really are good people out there; many of them are you who I read your blogs and you who read mine. In these times, I think that it is just so important that we focus on these little, tiny, wonderful things to keep our smiles going . . . and hopefully it will be contagious and we will be the next blessing of human beauty to another person.

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Blessings,

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~ bella

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Happy St. Joseph's Day - An Italian Traditional Tribute

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Hello my dear friends in Christ,

Well the fun and festivities around the globe for St. Patrick's Day have come and gone. And today a very little known feast day is observed among Italians and Italian-Americans. It is a quiet form of tribute, but is very meaningful. On this day Italians give thanks for prosperity, fulfilled promises and/or to simply share with those who are less fortunate. Here is a brief explanatory background of this feast day:

In Italy this day is known as "La Festa di San Giuseppe". St. Joseph is the Patron Saint of Sicily and in many American-Italian communities. On this day people show their gratitude to St. Joseph because back in the Middle Ages, there was a servere drought, so the people prayed to St. Joseph for rain with an oath to honor him with a large feast if their prayers were answered. The skies opened up with rain, a famine was prevented, and the people of Sicily kept their promise by preparing a massive banquet for St. Joseph. Everyone participated, including the needy.

The good news does not stop there. On this day, it is still tradition for Italians to give food to the poor and needy, in addition to placing fava beans (the crop that helped prevent starvation during the drought) on altars created for St. Joseph.

The altar is commonly 3 tiers high to represent the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and is covered with white linen fabric. Flowers, limes, wine, cakes, cookies, breads, candles, and a special Sicilian pastry called "Zeppole" are also placed on the altars. No meats or meat-filled dishes are allowed either on the altar and people are not allowed to eat meat during the dinner, because this feast takes place during Lent. Bread crumbs are commonly used in some of the recipes in order to represent saw dust, since St. Joseph was a carpenter. Many people will wear red.

A very special food made by Italians is called "Cuccadati" which beautiful bread loaves that are decorated in designs symbolic of a crown of thorns or other spiritual symbols of the Church. These cover latticework known as La Vastedde, along with lemons, limes, oranges, bay leaves, and myrtle branches.

In the United States, St. Joseph is honored in larger metropolitan cities where there is a high population of Italians. . . New Orleans, especially, because it is the port where many Sicilians entered America. Buffalo, NY, New York City, Chicago, and Kansas City also have public and private St. Joseph's altars constructed. A parade also takes place in New Orleans.
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an immense St. Joseph's Day altar in New Orleans, LA, USA
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Here is another beautiful explanation with photos of outstanding St. Joseph altars. In this web-site, the author explains in extreme details, the contents and their meanings of the food and wine items on the altars. It is highly recommended reading to understand the dedication to this Feast Day tradition: http://annachupa.com/StJo/index.html

and here is a link to a "Virtual St. Joseph's Altar": http://www.thankevann.com/stjoseph/

Buona Festa di San Giuseppee !!

Holy Card Image reprinted from Holy Cards for Your Inspiration blog http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com

Blessings,

~ bella

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Happy St. Patrick's Day Especially to All of My Irish Friends and Family Members

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Hello dear friends in Christ,
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As the grass becomes greener this spring time of year, many Catholics and non-Catholics remember St. Patrick today.
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Here's to all of you and to my Irish friends and family members:

HAPPY ST. PATRICK's DAY!

"Irish" blessings t'ya,

~ 0'bella

For a beautiful prayer from St. Patrick, I recommend reading the post from Esther on her Catholic Mom in Hawaii blog. It is quite beautiful and inspirational. Her blog link is posted in my sidebar on the right.

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Horses and Heaven

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Hello my dear friends in Christ,

It is nearly 3:00 in the morning and I just can't sleep. After the death of my most precious horse companion-friend, Ace, yesterday, I feel like a living zombie (if there even is such a thing). Today before he was buried, we clipped strands of his mane and tail to have a few bracelets tastefully braided.

I wrapped a blue rosary around his right front hoof and asked our Lady to watch over him. (Later I realized how perfect 'blue' was for Ace due to all of the blue ribbons he won when he was in Hunter/Jumper competitions before we adopted him). My husband said, "I didn't know that horses were Catholic (trying to cheer me up) . . . and I said, "Mine is." We'll plant a tree over him when the time is right.

I'd like to thank Esther, Reenie, Kathy, Sally, Janice, Adrienne, Maryann, and Danielle, my blogging friends, for their immediate sentiments of sympathy to me. My tears flooded with gratitude for their caring concern for me.

But I wanted to just talk about my prayers that I said tonight before (trying to get to) sleep:

I am feeling this emotion of sadness, Lord, and yet I feel so SELFISH because there are so many FAR WORSE situations and issues in this world that are taking place right now. I am so sorry, Lord, if I am being selfish.

Yet, on the other hand, Lord, I believe that you gave us our emotions to feel, and to love, and to mourn, and to feel joyful. So I think that if You gave me these emotions, that it must be OK to feel them.

Lord, I truly do believe that you gave Ace to me. You love me and all of Your children so much, that You would do anything for our happiness, including the sacrifice of Your son for our eternal life with You in Heaven.

You gave me a love for horses upon my conception or even before the human thought of my conception! You strengthened that love throughout my younger years. You instilled in me, my own special dream . . . the goal of living on a country acreage with horses someday. Dear Father, I KNOW that You gave Ace to me and my son. He was a gift from You. Because of Ace's need for pasture, we found this lovely acreage that we know he enjoyed in the last 5 years. Father, I thank You for him and the years that he had with us.

Once again, Father, please forgive me for my sins and please help all the souls here on earth who suffer from loss, whatever that may be.

~ bella

P.S. If you care to see photos and a poem (author unknown) for Ace and how it all came about, you can find it on the 2 posts on March 15th, on my "La Bella Vita" blog at http://bellavita-bellasblog.blogspot.com

Buona Notte' (Good Night)

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Request to Join Me in a Good Deed for Lent

My Dear Friends in Christ,

I would like to ask you for some help regarding SOCIAL JUSTICE that the Catholic church is one of the strongest advocate for. Below is my post from today that I have on my other blog about Italian cuisine. It is in response to a negative ad campaign currently taking place on the part of Denny's restaurants here in the USA, in which Italians and Italian-Americans are depicted as mobsters.

It will only take a few seconds of your time to e-mail the company to pull the negative stereotypical advertisements. This would be a wonderful good deed to do for Lent to help stop the wrongful depiction of good people in this country.

Many thanks are extended to Janice T. Mancuso for granting permission to re-print this announcement excerpted in her e-newsletter "Tutto Italiano", here is her link: http://www.jtmancuso.com/.

From my blog:

"Would Black African-Americans tolerate prejudice and negative stereotypes in advertisements? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! An ad with that negative type of betrayal would be confronted IMMEDIATELY. So why should Italians and Italian-Americans have to continue to be mis-represented in the media ? WE SHOULD NOT!!!. . . . Please join me and others concerned about negative ethnic bashing of Italians and Italian-Americans by telling Denny's restaurants and other institutions that misrepresent people, that Italians are not mobsters. . . . . Italians and Italian-Americans are decent, educated, kind, and spiritual people who contribute positively to society and are sick and tired of the Godfather and Soprano humor and false drama that is out there!"

Please read on:

Italian Americans Protest Stereotypes in Denny's Ad Boycott Threatened If Commercial Is Not Pulled

WASHINGTON, DC - February 24, 2009

The Sons of Italy Commission for Social Justice (CSJ) is calling for a boycott of Denny's to protest the stereotyping of Italian Americans in the company's new national ad campaign, "Serious Breakfast." The CSJ isthe anti-defamation arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America, the nation's largest Italian American organization. Denny's is the largest family restaurant chain in the U.S. The CSJ has criticized one of the commercials in the series for its portrayal of three men who appear to be Italian American gangsters, discussing murdering "Benny" as they wait for their breakfast at a Denny's restaurant. The CSJ called for the commercial to be permanently removed from both television and the internet. In response to the CSJ's complaint, Nelson Marchioli, Denny's president and CEO, said the company had reviewed the commercial and found "no ethnic stereotyping, just fun and humor." "This is an unsatisfactory reply," says CSJ National President Anthony Baratta. "The Godfather movies and The Sopranos television series have helped make violence and criminality synonymous with Italian Americans," he says, "And the Denny commercial perpetuates this stereotype. That is not funny." If Denny's refuses to archive the commercial, Baratta says "Italian Americans can and will enjoy a 'serious breakfast' at a restaurant that does not insult them. Denny's should know that Italian Americans are the nation's fifth largest ethnic group, and to offend us will only hurt Denny's bottom line."

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Baratta urges all concerned to contact Nelson Marchioli at: Denny's Corporation, 203 East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29319; (800) 733-6697 or directly at (864) 597-7781

Email: nmarchioli@dennys.com

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The Sons of Italy CSJ is the anti-defamation arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the largest and oldest national organization for people of Italian descent in the U.S.

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To learn more about the CSJ, visit us on the Web at http://www.osia.org/ or contact us via e-mail at csj@osia.org.

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Sons of Italy News Bureau Press Release

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Please pass this message on for social justice concerns.

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Grazie,

Blessings and Amore,

~ bella

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Catholics Believe in Fasting During Lent

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Many people simply cannot understand the whole concept and behavior of fasting. They think, "Why in the world would anyone want to deprive themselves of food, or at least a decreased amount of food during one's day"? During the Lenten period, Catholics imitate Christ's own fasting for forty days in the desert and His resistance to the temptations of Satan that He encountered in the desert. When we humbly imitate Christ in our own self-denial, we purify our hearts, and our heavenly Father is pleased with us. Our souls receive spiritual benefits when we refrain from a variety of food, drink, and other negative temptations.

When Catholics fast during Lent, we do so as a willing penance for our offenses against God. We go beyond simply asking for forgiveness in our prayers or through the Sacrament of Penance. If we feel that little hunger pain by eating twice a day instead of three (or more) times a day. . . we can offer up that discomfort and share in Christ's suffering, thus helping our souls a little bit more as well.
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The glory of these forty days

We celebrate with songs of praise;

For Christ, by whom all things were made,

Himself fasted and has prayed.

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Alone and fasting Moses saw

The loving God who gave the law;

And to Elijah, fasting, came

The steeds and chariots of flame.

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Then grant that we like them be true,

Consumed in fast and prayer with you;

Our spirits strengthen with your grace,

And give us joy to see Your face.

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Hymn, The Magnificat, February 27, 2009, p. 371

Today, Lord, grant me Thy grace to fast in a way that is pleasing to You.

Blessings,
~ bella

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Denying Ourselves During Lent: Personal Sacrifices and Fasting

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Holy Card image re-printed with loving permission from "Holy Cards for Your Inspiration"

http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com/

"If anyone wishes to come after me,

he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world

yet lose or forfeit himself?"

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Luke 9:22 - 25

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Lenten Prayers

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.image of a holy card from my personal collection

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Dear Friends in Christ,

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Let's begin our 40 days of Lent by increasing our prayer time.

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Dear Lord,

During these forty days time of Lent

give me strength to turn away from worldliness

and lift my our eyes to You.

Grant me the required discipline

to make a daily commitment to drawing closer to You.

Help me recognize the many opportunities that you offer to me

to draw ever closer to You each day.

Help me remove myself from my busy-ness

in order to spend time with You.

Help me turn off the noise around me

so I can listen to You.

In its place, lead me to Your Word

in Sacred Scripture, art, and music.

Lord, let me never forget Your suffering and Passion

and what you sacrificed for my salvation.

Amen.

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God of all compassion, Father of all goodness,

to heal the wounds our sins and selfishness bring upon us,

you bid us turn to fasting, prayer, and sharing

with our brothers and sisters.

We acknowledge our sinfulness, our guilt is ever before us:

when our weakness causes discouragement,

let your compassion fill us with hope and

lead us through a Lent of repentance to the beauty of Easter joy.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

.Amen

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Gracious Savior,

You have given us this season of Lent

so that we might open ourselves more fully

to your saving grace and new life.

By our fasting, prayer and almsgiving,

may we realize anew that we rely on You in all things.

Your gift of grace makes all good things possible,

including our desire to reject sin and return to you.

Grant your people a spirit of reconciliation this Lent

so that we may forgive one another as you have forgiven us.

.Amen

3rd prayer re-printed with permission from "Catholic Mom in Hawaii"

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Ash Wednesday and Lent

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Dear friends in Christ,

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Today is a most holy day, one that all Catholics around the planet unite together to begin our 40-day journey of repenting our sins, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, sacrificing, and doing good works. Pope John Paul II said that Catholics who fast and pray together as one body, are a most effective weapon against the power of the devil.

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Today, I join with all of you in this wonderful spiritual opportunity to improve our souls, to continue the fight against evil in this world, and to grow in faith ever closer to our Heavenly Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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Blessings,

~ bella

Through all your days . . . keep the Lord in mind, and

suppress every desire to sin or to break His commandments.

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Perform good works all the days of your life, and

do not tread the paths of wrongdoing.

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Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, and

God's face will not be turned away from you.

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Give to hungry some of your bread, and

to the naked some of your clothing.

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Whatever you have left over, give away as alms; and

do not begrudge the alms you give.

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At all times bless the Lord God, and

ask Him to make all your paths straight and

to grant success to all your endeavors and plans.

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Tobit 4:5, 7b, 16, 19a

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Catholics Believe in Sanctifying Grace -- What Is It?

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holy card image re-printed with loving permission from "Holy Cards for Your Inspiration"

http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com/

. ". . . and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. amen"

Hello dear friends in Christ,
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How many of us can remember all of the teachings that were presented to us when we were younger regarding our Catholic faith? I know that I simply cannot pull it all out of my brain, even though what I learned didn't even scratch the surface of the depths of our Catholic Faith! I can't explain why; I just can't remember it all! My mother said it's because only so much could have been taught to us as children because our little minds could not grasp it all. I don't think that we as adults can grasp it all either; but it is such joy to learn more and more each day!
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I remember that I was taught with the Baltimore Cathecism and I cannot forget the words that my classmates and I (in parochial school) would continually say:

"God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in Heaven. To save our souls, we must worship God by faith, hope, and charity; that is, we must believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart. We shall know the things which we are to believe from the Catholic Church, through which God speaks to us."
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But without that being constantly spoken or heard, those words set aside years ago. I'm so glad that they have been brought to my attention once again. The new Catechism states the same, but in different words. Yet as children, in the Baltimore, we MEMORIZED those words.
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I've been thinking about 'sanctifying grace' lately, what it is and why we need it so very much. Sanctifying grace:

• is a free gift from God, through Christ's death;


• is supernatural;


• we need it for our salvation (to return to God as mentioned above);


• we cannot enter Heaven without it;


• it 'confers in our souls' a new life; a supernatural life that allows us to share in God's life;


• we are not born with it because we are born with original sin;


• we receive it freely through the Holy Spirit;


• when we are Baptised in the Catholic Church, through which our souls become holy and pleasing to God;


• and we become adopted sons and daughters of God;


• God lives in our soul through the Holy Spirit;


• we lose it through mortal sin (1-an act of grievous nature, 2-which we fully know to be mortally sinful, and yet 3-we commit anyway, with full consent of our will);


• without it God is lost from our souls and the devil gains our souls;


• without it we are enemies of God and cannot enter His kingdom of Heaven;


• without mortal sin, we are in a state of grace, necessary to enter Heaven;


• the Holy Spirit lives within us in the state of sanctifying grace and we have a new nature;


• and we become temples of God;


• yet due to original sin, we will still have the tendency to sin, through human imperfection;


• yet it strengthens our will to avoid further sin;


• which then, in turn, expands our heart and influences us to do more good,


• which brings us increased merit for heaven; without sanctifying grace, we can gain no merits;


• by doing so we are increasingly attracted to God;


• we increasingly know and love God;


• if we lose it, we can only regain it through the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) by confessing our sins to a Catholic priest with true contrition, sorrow and a firm resolve and commitment not to repeat the sin; and finally, by making an act of perfect contrition (a prayer of sorrow for offending God because He is infinitely good and worthy of all our love.)


• if in the state of mortal sin, we cannot receive Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (Communion), even if we made an act of perfect contrition);

These points are just a few of note on the ever-important concept of sanctifying grace and should give each Catholic serious pause in thinking about what state our souls are in at each moment in our lives.

Blessings,

~ bella

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Thankful Thoughts This Thursday

winter's peaceful beauty

Hello my dear friends in Christ,

I was prompted moments ago by the power of the Holy Spirit, to just STOP . . . and take a brief moment to thank our Father for the many blessings that He has given me in the past week:

the rainfall yesterday

my wonderful students

my fulfilling job of teaching others

a cup of tea

my loving husband

my furry animal companions

the clean air in the countryside

my mother's soft hand-crocheted afghan blankets

and most especially for our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit

Our Blessed Lady

the angels and saints and my guardian angel

and for our beautiful Catholic faith.

Blessings,

~ bella

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True Love

Amore (love) to all on St. Valentine's Day!

I really wasn't sure about the origin of Valentine's Day and even if it really had anything to do with saints and the Catholic Church at all. So I did some research, not very in-depth, just directly from some web-sites. From what I found, the traditional day that we celebrate love is not originally a "commerical" secular holiday for selling chocolates, valentine cards, roses, perfume, jewelry, wine, or romantic dinners and getaways! That's the fun spin-off stuff of a very real designated feast to honor a saint (or more as you will soon read about)!

There really was a St. Valentine, or two, or even seven Valentines who were martyred in ancient Rome and elsewhere. The Catholic Church has a list of recognized saints which actually lists SEVEN St. Valentines! Of those, Valentinus the Presbyter and St. Valentine (Bishop of Interamna, Terni, Italy) are listed among the saints. One of the St. Valentines was persecuted for helping Christians and for marrying Christians when the order of the day mandated that assisting Christians was against the law and punishable by the law. He was ultimately beheaded, as were all of the Valentines martyred for their TRUE LOVE for the Catholic Faith and Christ!

The first feast of St. Valentine was declared by Pope Gelasisus the First in 496. Some say that the French tradition of associating a day in the middle of the month of February with the time when birds begin to mate was selected for the feast of St. Valentine's Day . . . ah-h-h-h LOVE BIRDS!

The traditional Catholic calendar still includes the Feast of St. Valentine and a priest's vestments are often red on this day. Red is the color of blood, which is not only what the Sts. Valentine shed for their love of our Lord, but more importantly what our Lord shed FOR EACH OF US for His magnificant, unselfish, PERFECT LOVE and desire for us to live with Him in eternity.

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Faith, Hope, and Love . . . and the greatest of these is LOVE!

Have a beautiful, faith-filled, loving day and evening,

~ bella

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Thankful this Thursday for Persecution and Suffering

Holy Card image re-printed with permission from "Holy Cards for Your Inspiration" blog

http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com/

Hello my dear friends in Christ,

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You are probably thinking, "What is she, nuts?" To be thankful for being persecuted for living for Christ? Yes, that's right . . . today was a day from h--l with a very, very difficult student threatening me to do something dishonest and unethical for him regarding one of my classes that I teach. I've never received a threat letter before in my life and so I forwarded it to my Dean and Associate Dean and asked for their assistance in handling the matter.

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On my commute home, I once again needed to hear some inspiration! So I plugged in my Father Corapi CD on the Consecration of Jesus through Mary. I didn't know which of the 3 discs I was going to listen to. . . I just grabbed one. Low and behold it was the same message that I listened to last week . . . I guess I need to hear this repeatedly for it to sink into my long-term memory! Once again it was a reminder of the Beatitudes: Blessed are those who suffer for Christ! He said the way to Jesus is through the CROSS, since He too suffered due to sin.

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Father continued to say that if someone is causing you and me suffering in our lives, that we should PRAISE GOD . . . it means that the devil is trying hard to bring us down as we grow in our Faith! Father said you must be doing something right and standing for what is right, when this happens to you. I need to be reminded of this so often.

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So gee, thanks to this young adult student of life!! And even more PRAISE to God! It thrills me that my journey is heading more towards where I truly want to be!

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Are you being persecuted in some way by some thing or someone? If so, Father Corapi's advice will be very helpful to you during your trial.

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Well, I'm off to get some sleep for the evening; lots of work awaits me tomorrow -- grading all those tests that I gave Tuesday through today. Phew!

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Blessings,

~ bella

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Our Lady of Lourdes & Prayer for Australia

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

Good evening dear friends in Christ,

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This Wednesday, February 11th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The beautiful church in the photo above is my parish blessed to be named Our Lady of Lourdes. Our parish will celebrate our new parish fellowship hall with a potluck dinner for parishioners that evening in conjunction with the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, but SADLY I cannot attend because I will be teaching my night class during which I will be giving my first exam of the semester.

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So I'm posting the photo above because I won't be able to blog on Wednesday. I'd blog a bit more, but I have to work on the exam for Wednesday's class.

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I wish you all a blessed and peaceful evening.

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Please join fellow Catholic blogger-friend, Margaret in prayer for Australia and her citizens, for the fires to end and for the safety of the Australian people in danger of these fires. Let's pray also for the souls that have already perished in this disaster.

blessings,

~ bella

holy card image re-printed from http://www.catholic-forum.com

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Giving Thanks This Thursday For:

My new bloggin' friends:

Jenny

Squelly

Esther

Cheryl

Dan

Colleen

Kate

Matthew

and . . .

Margaret from Australia!!!!

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. . . it's been a blessing to have you alongside of me during this journey. Have a wonderful First Friday of February, tomorrow everyone.

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amore',

~ bella

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Love to Jenny!

Hello my dear friends in Christ,

I was given a precious gift today through the pure grace of our Lord. Quite simply, the gift is Jenny. I want to publicly send her my gratitude for her uplifting words to me.

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It is so interesting to me, Jenny, that my Confirmation name is "Jenny" due to one of my beloved friends in Catholic school. To the nuns dismay, there is no St. Jenny (however, you certainly were saintly to me today). So I took the name of Guinevere to associate with Jenny. However, lately I've thought my saint is truly Genevieve (therefore both are listed in the side bar).

So before I tuck in for the night, here's sending a big hug to you . . . you are precious to me!

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Blessings and pleasant rest to all,

~Bella

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Admonishing a Sinner

Image from private blogger granting written permission to reprint

Dear Friends in Christ,

When I started this blog last fall, I never imagined that I would ever encounter another Catholic blogger's harassment. Lately, the level of negativity she has directed towards me has reached a point that I had no other choice but to engage in one of the "SPIRITUAL ACTS OF MERCY" - - - to admonish the sinner (see complete list of Spiritual Acts of Mercy in the sidebar).

However, the devil knows the weaknesses of humans and takes over in those areas ..... he is working amidst us through this particular blogger who has harassed me twice in just 24 hours directly through my personal e-mail address!

So what does the Catholic Church teach us regarding the "admonishment of sinners"?

Quoted directly from "The Catholic Community Forum" by Father Albright, he states that "admonishing a sinner" is:

". . . the most loving thing we can do is tell people the truth, and try to save their soul. . . in certain situations, there comes a point when nothing we say or do will help. Some conversions are not intellectual. Our words and thought processes will not convince. Once you have clearly made your point in charity and sincerity, all that is left is to pray (and fast) for his (the sinner's) conversion . . . . If we lose someone in our life, we lose also the chance to help them grow and to grow ourselves because of them. . . It is true that, as we grow close to God and stand firm in faith, people we know and encounter - even friends - will be turned off. If they are living sinfully or inauthentically, they will shy away from "too much religion. . . "

As I said before and will always say, THE DEVIL CANNOT STEAL MY JOY nor THE LIGHT OF CHRIST IN MY LIFE!

.

One final note that I was so profoundly reminded by Father Corapi in his CD "Consecration to Our Lord Through Mary", . . . in which he reminds us of what Jesus said in His Beatitudes "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED". Father Corapi also says to PRAISE GOD for those that persecute you as a disciple of Christ.

Much love and blessings to my beautiful friends in blog-land,
~Bella

I'll pray the following prayer to St. Michael as much as I have to:

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Prayer to St. Michael

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Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

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Amen.

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Knowing My Demons: My Weaknesses and Temptations

Hello Dear Friends in Christ,

It is a constant struggle, but I am continually trying to improve areas of my life that really need some help . . . so that I can live with a higher quality of life and one that is more pleasing to Christ.

This weekend's Mass homily was very pertinent to me regarding HAVING THE FAITH to believe that I really CAN eliminate some of the demons in my life that continually take over me. Our parish priest said that there is a difference between POWER and AUTHORITY. Jesus had both the power and the authority to call demons out of others and He demonstrated it during His life. Yet people doubted this. His response to them was that they did not have faith. Jesus was teaching us that we FIRST must HAVE FAITH. Therefore, I KNOW, (but sadly need to keep remind myself), that if I strengthen my faith with the help of the Holy Spirit, I have the ability to overcome my demons, my weaknesses, my temptations.

Often I've just given up and thought, "I just can't change this bad habit", but I realize that my failure has largely been due to the fact that I am trying to change a life-long habit without the assistance of God.

Nothing is too much to conquer for Jesus. NOTHING! He can handle my petitions for help regarding work, family, personal bad habits and behaviors, as well as my finances. By the way, each of us needs to have FAITH that He can help us handle getting through this recession.

I need to keep acting and asking in faith, never doubting that I CAN overcome any negative behaviors (weaknesses and temptations). Father Corapi (on EWTN) has said in his numerous messages that the devil KNOWS our weaknesses and our temptations and will continually attack us in these areas. Without Christ, we cannot help ourselves, but continue to engage in the negative behavior or habit due to our human WEAKNESS. These are OUR OWN DEMONS! With our strengthened Faith and conviction, we DO have the power and authority to cast out those demons.

Jesus taught us "You have great faith! Your wish will come to pass!" (Mt. 15:28)

The key thing is that all things are possible with Christ and that FAITH in Him and what He can do for us is absolutely necessary!

Today, I pray for the strength to battle my bad habits and behaviors, and to overcome my weaknesses and temptations, with the help of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Blessings,
~ Bella

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Daffodils

Hello Dear Friends in Christ,

What a beautiful 60 degree day we had here in the Carolinas! I saw the first daffodils this week and our neighbors' Forsythia bushes are beginning to bloom.

It's FINALLY February! Even though the temps will drop again mid-week, it was just so delightful to enjoy the warm sunshine on my face, the clear blue sky, and of course, the cheery yellow daffodils.

Blessings,
~Bella

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Catholic Beliefs About Sin: The Seven Deadly Sins PLUS The NEW Seven Deadly Sins

Holy Card Image re-printed with loving permission for "Holy Cards for Your Inspiration" blog
http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com/

Hello Dear Friends,

A few days ago, I posted on Catholic's belief in living a virtuous life. And as we all know, we are imperfect human beings born with the original sin of our first parents. Despite our Baptism, we continue to sin and offend our Lord each and every day. We just do! Even St. Paul said that he does what he knows he should not do . . . it's the power of evil and of the flesh. There are some people who don't even know what is considered sin against God . . . so here are some basics. Thankfully, Catholics have a special Sacrament, a treasure of the Catholic Church, that we have that will help us return to a better state of grace with God. Catholics also believe that before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we must have repented our sins to a priest. Catholics are not to be in a state of mortal sin when receiving Holy Communion.

Not only are we to obey The Ten Commandments (which include the serious sins that we should avoid, such as "Thou Shalt Not Kill"), these are considered to be mimimum requirements for our salvation.

The Catholic Church believes that sin is any willful thought, desire, word, action or ommission forbidden by the law of God.


THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

PRIDE: Unrestrained appreciation of our own worth.
GREED: Immoderate desire for earthly goods.
LUST: Desiring for impure pleasures.
ANGER: Inordinate desire for revenge.
GLUTTONY: Unrestrained use of food and drink.
ENVY: Sorrow over another's good fortune.
SLOTH: Laxity in keeping the Faith and the practice of virtue, due to the effort involved.

Each of the 7 deadly sins have virtue that act as remedies against the deadly sins and helps us conquer them. Therefore we should do everything that we can to make the virtues an integral part of our life.

Pride is conquered by Humility and Modesty
Envy is overcome by Kindness and Charity
Lust is conquered by Chastity and Purity
Wrath is avoided by Patience and Meekness
Gluttony is overcome by Abstinence and Moderation
Greed is conquered by Generosity
Sloth is avoided by Diligence and Zeal


THE FOUR SINS CRYING TO HEAVEN FOR VENGEANCE

Willful murder (including abortion)
The sin of Sodom.
Oppression of the poor.
Defrauding laborers of their wages.


THE SIX SINS AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

Presumption of God's mercy.
Despair.
Impugning the known truth.
Envy at another's spiritual good.
Obstinacy in sin.
Final impenitence.


NINE WAYS OF BEING ACCESSORY TO ANOTHER'S SIN

By counsel.
By command.
By consent.
By provocation.
By praise or flattery.
By concealment.
By partaking.
By silence.
By defense of the ill done

And here are the NEWLY declared Seven Deadly Sins recently proclaimed by Pope Benedict:

These sins makes Catholics consider more seriously than before the results and consequences of their actions on a GLOBAL scale, as our world has become globalized in interaction and connectivity, and as a result there is a global communal impact of our sins. These newly added sins do not eliminate the original seven deadly sins (made famous by Dante in the Purgatorial sufferings of the Divine Comeday) , but rather adds to them. These new sins are:

Genetic modification
Human experimentations
Polluting the environment
Social injustice
Causing poverty
Financial gluttony
Taking drugs

Acknowledgment and avoidance of committing these new deadly sins calls us to consider the communal effect of our sins on others in humanity. The recognition of these sins clearly demonstrates the development of our beautiful Catholic faith as we, Her sheep, practice and spread our Catholic spiritual, moral, and ethical principles into a society, global in scope, with global implications and consequences. One goal of Catholicism is unity and the return of all of our fallen away brothers and sisters; therefore, the avoidance of these sins will help us prevent further division among the world's peoples.

I don't know about you, my friends, but I think that today is a perfect day to conduct an examination of conscience and get to Confession!

Blessings,
~Bella

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Catholics Believe in VIRTUOUS Living: What Are The Virtues?

Hello My Dear Friends in Christ,

The following verse from the Bible is always recited in my college women's fraternity pledge:

"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Phil 4:8.63

And that verse should always lead us to think about The Virtues and how to live a virtuous life as a Catholic. The Catholic Catechism states that:

"A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God."

If you have been with me since I began this little blog of a blog, you'd know that I started it for numerous reasons, one of which is to strengthen my Catholic faith and in so doing, share my thoughts and insights with fellow like-minded and -souled sojourners on their pathes as well.

Lately, I have been thinking about the Virtues and found a lot of valuable information to help me and each of us. The source is the Catechism of The Catholic Church and is summized as follows:

THE VIRTUES

THE HUMAN VIRTUES

Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good. The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love.

The Cardinal Virtues

Four virtues play a pivotal role and accordingly are called "cardinal"; all the others are grouped around them. They are: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. "If anyone loves righteousness, [Wisdom's] labors are virtues; for she teaches temperance and prudence, justice, and courage." 64
These virtues are praised under other names in many passages of Scripture.

Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; "the prudent man looks where he is going."65
"Keep sane and sober for your prayers."66
Prudence is "right reason in action," writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle.67
It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.

Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the "virtue of religion." Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor. "You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor."68
"Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."69

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Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. "The Lord is my strength and my song."70
"In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."71

Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: "Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart."72
Temperance is often praised in the Old Testament: "Do not follow your base desires, but restrain your appetites."73
In the New Testament it is called "moderation" or "sobriety." We ought "to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world."74
To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one's heart, with all one's soul and with all one's efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole and uncorrupted (through temperance). No misfortune can disturb it (and this is fortitude). It obeys only [God] (and this is justice), and is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (and this is prudence).75

The Virtues and Grace

Human virtues acquired by education, by deliberate acts and by a perseverance ever-renewed in repeated efforts are purified and elevated by divine grace. With God's help, they forge character and give facility in the practice of the good. The virtuous man is happy to practice them.

It is not easy for man, wounded by sin, to maintain moral balance. Christ's gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues. Everyone should always ask for this grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow his calls to love what is good and shun evil.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES

The human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man's faculties for participation in the divine nature:76
for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object.

The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity.77

Faith

Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith "man freely commits his entire self to God."78
For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God's will. "The righteous shall live by faith." Living faith "work[s] through charity."79
1815 The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it.80
But "faith apart from works is dead":81
when it is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his Body.

The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: "All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks."82
Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."83

Hope

Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."84
"The Holy Spirit . . . he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life."85

The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity.

Christian hope takes up and fulfills the hope of the chosen people which has its origin and model in the hope of Abraham, who was blessed abundantly by the promises of God fulfilled in Isaac, and who was purified by the test of the sacrifice.86
"Hoping against hope, he believed, and thus became the father of many nations."87

Christian hope unfolds from the beginning of Jesus' preaching in the proclamation of the beatitudes. The beatitudes raise our hope toward heaven as the new Promised Land; they trace the path that leads through the trials that await the disciples of Jesus. But through the merits of Jesus Christ and of his Passion, God keeps us in the "hope that does not disappoint."88
Hope is the "sure and steadfast anchor of the soul . . . that enters . . . where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf."89
Hope is also a weapon that protects us in the struggle of salvation: "Let us . . . put on the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet the hope of salvation."90
It affords us joy even under trial: "Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation."91
Hope is expressed and nourished in prayer, especially in the Our Father, the summary of everything that hope leads us to desire.

We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will.92
In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere "to the end"93
and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ. In hope, the Church prays for "all men to be saved."94
She longs to be united with Christ, her Bridegroom, in the glory of heaven:
Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.95

Charity

Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.

Jesus makes charity the new commandment.96 By loving his own "to the end,"97
he makes manifest the Father's love which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love." And again: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."98

Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law, charity keeps the commandments of God and his Christ: "Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love."99

Christ died out of love for us, while we were still "enemies."100
The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself.101
The Apostle Paul has given an incomparable depiction of charity: "charity is patient and kind, charity is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Charity does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."102
"If I . . . have not charity," says the Apostle, "I am nothing." Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, "if I . . . have not charity, I gain nothing."103
Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: "So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity."104

The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which "binds everything together in perfect harmony";105
it is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love.

The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives to the Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who "first loved us":106
If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages, . . . we resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands . . . we are in the position of children.107

The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion: Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest.108

THE GIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David.109
They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.
Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.110
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.111

The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity."112

In Summary:

• Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good.
• The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith.
• They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
• Prudence disposes the practical reason to discern, in every circumstance, our true good and to choose the right means for achieving it.
• Justice consists in the firm and constant will to give God and neighbor their due.
• Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good.
• Temperance moderates the attraction of the pleasures of the senses and provides balance in the use of created goods.
• The moral virtues grow through education, deliberate acts, and perseverance in struggle. Divine grace purifies and elevates them.
• The theological virtues dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have God for their origin, their motive, and their object - God known by faith, God hoped in and loved for his own sake.
• There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. They inform all the moral virtues and give life to them.
• By faith, we believe in God and believe all that he has revealed to us and that Holy Church proposes for our belief.
• By hope we desire, and with steadfast trust await from God, eternal life and the graces to merit it.
• By charity, we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God. Charity, the form of all the virtues, "binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Col 3:14).
• The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon Christians are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

References from the C.C.C.:

St. Gregory of Nyssa, De beatitudinibus, 1:PG 44,1200D.64 Wis 8:7.65 Prov 14:15.66 1 Pet 4:7.67 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II,47,2.68 Lev 19:15.69 Col 4:1.70 Ps 118:14.71 Jn 16:33.72 Sir 5:2; cf. 37:27-31.73 Sir 18:30.74 Titus 2:12.75 St. Augustine, De moribus eccl. 1,25,46:PL 32,1330-1331.76 Cf. 2 Pet 1:4.77 Cf. 1 Cor 13:13.78 DV 5.79 Rom 1:17; Gal 5:6.80 Cf. Council of Trent (1547): DS 1545.81 Jas 2:26.82 LG 42; cf. DH 14.83 Mt 10:32-33.84 Heb 10:23.85 Titus 3:6-7.86 Cf. Gen 17:4-8; 22:1-18.87 Rom 4:18.88 Rom 5:5.89 Heb 6:19-20.90 1 Thess 5:8.91 Rom 12:12.92 Cf. Rom 8:28-30; Mt 7:21.93 Mt 10:22; cf. Council of Trent: DS 1541.94 1 Tim 2:4.95 St. Teresa of Avila, Excl. 15:3.96 Cf. Jn 13:34.97 Jn 13:1.98 Jn 15:9,12.99 Jn 15:9-10; cf. Mt 22:40; Rom 13:8-10.100 Rom 5:10.101 Cf. Mt 5:44; Lk 10:27-37; Mk 9:37; Mt 25:40, 45.102 1 Cor 13:4-7.103 1 Cor 13:1-4.104 1 Cor 13:13.105 Col 3:14.106 Cf. 1 Jn 4:19.107 St. Basil, Reg. fus. tract., prol. 3:PG 31,896B.108 St. Augustine, In ep. Jo. 10,4:PL 35,2057.109 Cf. Isa 11:1-2.110 Ps 143:10.111 Rom 8:14,17.112 Gal 5:22-23 (Vulg.).

Blessings,
~Bella

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