Catholics Support All Human Life and Dignity!

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Greetings again for this day!

Please consider looking into the following web-site which supports all aspects of human life from conception to death. Why? This is what our Catholic faith believes!!!

Here is the link for you:

Whole Life Ethic

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Blessings!

Catholics Should Sing Hymns Reflecting Our Faith Alone

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Here's a superb video from "The Vortex" that really educated me further about our Catholic faith. I had no idea what the words of "Amazing Grace" meant in certain parts. I am so grateful for this enlightenment!

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Blessings!

Catholics Themselves Need To Be Evangelized!

Hello dear friends in Christ!

Throughout my life, I can say that there definitely have been periods of time when my faith was weak, when I didn't know the tenants of the Catholic faith as well as I do now, where I haven't practiced my faith, and more. I don't think that I am alone in this behavior. I believe, as illustrated in this version of "The Vortex", that this was because I didn't KNOW my faith because I wasn't TAUGHT my faith, at least completely.

Although I attended Catholic school and also attended Catechism classes while in public school, I was easily caught up in what I thought would make me happy in the "world". I'm not going to be a liar and a hypocrite and say that I don't like nice 'things' anymore, because I still do. I just know that I don't need everything or more of anything but rather know that I need GOD and His Church here on earth for my lasting happiness.

I know that I have family members and friends in the Catholic Church who do not practice their faith in accordance with the Magesterium and who've asked why I know so much more about the faith than they do. My response is that "I taught myself by pouring through Church approved books . . . and can say that it has been, is, and hopefully always will be a daily prayer to strengthen my Catholic faith. So the Holy Spirit has led me to the information that I need to read and learn from. And I am SO GRATEFUL. I also pray for those in my life who have either drifted from or who are weak in the practice of their Catholic Faith. This video validates what I have felt. Do you know other Catholics who need to be evangelized in our very own Catholic faith?

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Blessings!

Beautiful Catholic Podcasts For Your Daily Commute And Spiritual Growth!!

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Hello to all my dear friends in Christ Jesus,

I may never have mentioned this on my blogs, but I have a 3-hour daily commute to work (one and a half hours each way). Now, you're probably thinking that this is a complete and total waste of God's time that he as blessed me with. Quite honestly, it is quite a good time for me to spend with the Lord and our Lady in prayer. I drive a fairly fuel-efficient Honda Civic that we lovingly call our "Iddy Biddy Blue" car. I have my Rosary hanging from the rear-view mirror and it is one of the first things that I see each morning as I embark upon my day.

I usually begin my driving time with my morning prayers and follow the recommended prayers of adoration, prayers of gratitude, prayers for forgiveness, and finally prayers for requests. After this good morning hello to God, I proceed to say my Rosary. I may stop through a drive-through to pick up a cup of caffeine so that I don't fall asleep driving.

Then I plug in my earbuds from my handy-dandy little iPod and listen to my downloaded Catholic podcasts. The iPod is truly a wonderful technical innovation and tool that has helped me to learn more about and to strengthen my Catholic Faith! I am so grateful for this blessing of a gadget in my time-crunched schedule. Without it, three hours of simply driving would definitely be an absolute and complete waste of God's precious resource of time!

So I thought it would be nice to share the names of the Catholic podcasts from which I receive spiritual and Catholic nourishment. I found all of these through iTunes which you need to sign up for a free membership online. Several of these on my list below have not podcasted in a few years, but they had already been downloaded onto my iPod and I never deleted them. There may also be some new Catholic podcasts out there either on iTunes or elsewhere that I'm not aware of or didn't find interesting enough to listen to after a couple of episodes. You have to be your own judge of what you want to listen to for your own spiritual needs and growth in our beautiful Catholic faith.

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Here's my list of Catholic Podcasts that I listen to:

American Catholic Radio

The BreadCast

Catholic Answers Live

Catholic Bible Boot Camp

Catholic Exchange's Rock Solid

Catholic Forum

Catholic Music Express

Catholic Podcasts Ministry

Catholic Praise Cast

Catholic Radio International

Catholic Sound Insight Radio Daily

Catholic Spotlight

ChantCast

ChristLife: We Have Been Sent

Daily Bread - Catholic Reflections

Daily Readings from the New American Bible

Divine Office - Liturgy of the Hours

Dr. James Dobbins - Catholic Apologetics

EWTN's Audio Library

Into The Deep

Our Catholic Life

Pray-As-You-Go

Pray-As-You-Go's Review of The Day

Prayer Reflection with Father James Kubicki

Relevant Answers with John Salza

The SaintCast

Verbum Domini

I hope you comment back and let me know what you think of these and if you also have any recommendations for other great Catholic Podcasts that are not on this list! I would really appreciate that!

Blessings to each of you!

The Catholicism Project! How Beautiful!

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This is so beautiful . . . please go to the link at the end of the video for more information!

Blessings!

Tony Blair, His Catholic Conversion, and Anti-Catholicism in England

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Who says Anti-Catholicism doesn't exist?

"Granny told me not to marry a Catholic, Tony Blair tells paper"
(from http://www.guardian.co.uk/)

Tony Blair has revealed that after ignoring a stern warning from his great-grandmother about marrying a Catholic, he now finds his new-found faith has become the driving force in his life as he seeks to clear up the world's religious conflicts.
Speaking to L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's daily newspaper, Blair said today he considers Pope Benedict's belief that God is central to politics, society, economics and culture "brilliant".
Weeks after a packed Catholic conference in Italy gave Blair an ovation for his words about the universality of Catholicism, the pope's newspaper was equally effusive, calling the convert "a gentleman, educated, smiley, courteous in a way few know how to be".
Letting slip the Vatican's possible ambition for Blair, the paper also described him as "a probable future president of the European Union".
With a double page spread at his disposal, Blair served up a mix of anecdotes about his conversion and strong indications of how faith is at the heart of every step he takes.
Starting with his childhood, he recalled how "in one of her rare moments of lucidity, during an illness, my great-grandmother – who was in many ways fantastic – told me,
'Do whatever you want but don't marry a Catholic.' Which is exactly what I did."
Despite ambitions to be a rock star or a footballer when he arrived at university,
Blair said he was soon taken by his future wife, Cherie Booth, who was already an active Catholic on campus.
During his recent speech, Blair said she had been the driving force behind his conversion shortly after leaving office two years ago. Today
he added that conversion was "a path I have followed for 25 years," helped, he added, by a crucial private mass held by Pope John Paul II in 2003.
"It was an episode which really struck me," he said.
Catholicism's universality was its appeal, he added.
"If you are Catholic you can go anywhere in the world and take part in mass in any country."
The last people to understand this, he complained, are British journalists, who are still unprepared for religious, let alone Catholic, politicians.
"It's a shame but that is how it is.
However, I can say that for normal people, as opposed to those who speak on TV or write in newspapers, it was never a problem."
Faith, he added, would help him tackle "the Christian responsibility" of fighting climate change, creating dialogue with China ("They are talking a lot about Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism"), understanding what makes a family strong, and even how to fight poverty.


Going beyond Mr. Blair's grandmother's anti-Catholocism, I highly recommend that you click on the news link above (under the title of the article) and search under 'politics', 'religion' and "Tony Blair' to read the ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC ANTI-CATHOLIC comments left by British commentors on this article. Ignorance.....sheer and utter ignorance about the Catholic Church prevail in England!

Let's Pray for the Conversion of Obama's Heart

Dear Friends in Christ,

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Let us pray today and always for the conversion of Obama's heart towards protecting the life of the unborn, for his understanding of the sanctity of life, and for his conversion away from the culture of death.

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Let us also pray for the strengthening of our Catholic universit's in upholding, teaching, and representing with integrity, the beliefs of the Holy Catholic Church.

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Let us pray for all Catholics and non-Catholics alike to walk away from the culture of death that exists in today's society.

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Blessings,

~ bella

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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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Pope Benedict ENDORSES Use of Internet for Apostolic Spreading of the Gospel and Communion & Friendship with Others

Hello Dear Friends in Christ,

Along with the wonderful announcement that this beautiful Southern state will receive a new bishop, the Holy Father announced yesterday that he fully approves of social networks and the Internet to spread the Gospel of the Lord. Yet, our Holy Father warns us against ignoring of the presence of human beings in our midst for the sake of use in the Internet forum for communication.

Our Holy Pontiff states that we use this modern means, for the sake of Christ's LOVE, that we witness with enthusiasm, the Good News of our Catholic Faith and God's LOVE with our friends and family. This is so incredibly AWESOME!!!

Please click on the following link to read further information from Catholic Culture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=60278

To me, this is WONDERFUL and WELCOME news, because I believe, as does the Catholic Church, that God blessed humankind with tremendous mental abilities to develop the means to improve our human lives in a postive way (and with Free Will, there are far too many humans who use their mental abilities to HARM our lives)! These human mental abilities have now included the development and refinement of the World Wide Web (www), the Internet, the Web, whatever you choose to call this modern day contemporary technology.

And dear friends for your new information and to add to your "Web-Site Favorites" on the Web, here is the Vatican's new web-site on YouTube which will surely provide us with inspirational, educational, and evangelical visual information for the Holy Roman Catholic Church, directly FROM ROME and from the HOLY FATHER, Pope Benedict!

Please click on the following link to watch the videos from the Vatican in Rome, Italy:

http://www.youtube.com/user/vatican/

The beauty of this medium, that I personally have found, is a simple, yet INSTANTANEOUS and recent connection that I have made with two faithful Catholics in ENGLAND!!! Over the last two years, I have developed such a concern for the re-conversion of the Anglican English people to return back home to Catholicism after the heresy of Henry the VIII, Martin Luther and the simultaneous Protestant Reformation of parts of Europe . . . and ALSO for the continuing strength of British Catholics who have undergone so much persecution since the realm of Henry VIII. I have prayed and continue to pray for God's people in England AND Europe as a whole . . . and this medium of the Internet has miraculously helped me connect to those overseas to understand their position and their Faith journey's progress.

God Bless You All no matter where you live on this planet!

Blessings,
~ Bella

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NEW BISHOP for South Carolina and The Diocese of Charleston

Bishop - elect for the Diocese of Charleston, SC, Robert Guglielmone

Dear Friends in Christ!

I know that FOR CERTAIN that God's Hand is ON THIS BLOG! WHY? Because all day long, I have been wondering about what Catholic faith-based topic to chat about today with you. I chose to blog on my foodie blog for awhile and to do most of my weekend household chores while I thought about it.

Then after getting dinner ready, I sat down to watch the nightly news with W.D. and God gave us this awesome news! THIS IS WHAT HE WANTED ME TO POST!!!

This news was just announced on our local nightly news moments ago!

The statewide Diocese of Charleston (the one and only Diocese) in South Carolina and the Vatican in Rome, Italy have just announced our NEW BISHOP! Our former bishop, Robert Baker, who officiated both of my children's Confirmations, was transferred to Alabama in October, 2007, so I have been anxiously awaiting to learn of his replacement.

Robert E. Guglielmone, from Rockville Center, New York will be ordained as our one and only S.C. bishop on March 25th in Charleston, S.C. at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. He will lead approximately 183,000 Roman Catholics in the state of South Carolina.

Guglielmone is a 63 year old native of New York. I would say that from his name, it sounds like he is also Italian! We need more Italians in South Carolina!!

“I must admit that I am a bit anxious about leaving Long Island where I have spent almost my whole life,” Guglielmone said as he was introduced in Charleston. “However, I do trust in the Lord and am very encouraged by the wonderful sense of Southern hospitality I have already experienced.”

He will be the 13th bishop for the Diocese of Charleston since it was established in 1820.

“I am both humbled and grateful that his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI would entrust this awesome ministry to me,” Guglielmone said.

A diocese representative stated that “For a year and a half, we have been praying for you as we awaited news of the appointment of a new shepherd for the Church of Charleston. As the Good Shepherd cares for his sheep, so we know you will care for the church God has entrusted to you.”

For more information please click on the following link:

http://www.stagnescathedral.org/Parish/announcements/bishopguglielmone.htm

More on this wonderful news later!

Blessings & a very sincere BENVENUTO ("welcome" in Italian) to SOUTH CAROLINA!

~ Bella

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Another Catholic Blogger's Thoughts on The Inauguration

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










Hello my dear friends in Christ,

I am always amazed and impressed with the wonderful and insightful thoughts of my fellow Catholic bloggers. I found a new blog "Momopoly" on the day of the Inauguration and I've added to my side bar due to her interesting writing. With that said and with her permission to re-post here on my blog, I share with you her thoughts on the Inauguration, which I so agree with. Thanks and blessings to Kate for her generosity in sharing. ~ Bella

" . . . I'll share a few thoughts on my overall impression. . . .The speech was inspiring. President Obama has always been eloquent. I'm not ever going to argue with that. He comes off as intelligent, propitious, and presidential. Of course, he promised a utopia. But I'm not going to fault him on that. That's what politicians do, especially during fluff speeches like an inauguration address. It's part of the job description - to give Americans something to believe in, a leader to believe in.And I do still believe in America, even though I don't agree with many of the changes the President and the new administration want to push forward as we begin this new chapter in our country.

Yet, as the cameras panned over a series of red-white-and-blue flags blowing in what I imagine was a bitter wind, a lump grew in my throat and it wasn't the result of the hormonal cocktail pregnancy serves up inside of me. It's cliche; it's sappy, but I'm proud to be an American. Very proud. And I feel more than a little blessed to be a citizen of this great nation. I certainly agreed with President Obama when he said we must return to the truths of our founding fathers, that we must remember the God-given promises that all are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. . . .

As President Obama encouraged, "The world is changing, and we must change with it." I hope the administration will heed these words of wisdom. What rang the most true to me is when the President said in the beginning of his speech that, "We have chosen hope instead of fear." Whether you agree with President Obama or not, he is our 44th president. The torch has been passed. We have a new administration.

Our government and individual citizens face new challenges. A lot of Americans are coping with uncertain economic times. We have troops defending our freedom and the freedom of all peoples overseas. There's a lot happening in our homeland and abroad. There's also something big happening this Thursday, and I couldn't help but be reminded of it during our new President's speech. Two days from now a much smaller crowd than the 1.5 million gathered today will be hitting the pavement, bearing the cold, and preparing to defend the life of the unborn. These people come from all walks of life - old and young, men and women. Some are religious; others are not (I've always believed that abortion is at its core a human rights issue, not a religious one). But they all will be joined together in mourning the "slaughtering of innocents" . . . . These people will come together at our nation's capital to March for Life, to fix their eyes on hope rather than the fear that President Obama will move forward with his promises to broaden abortion rights. . . I can't be there on Thursday, but my prayers will be marching heavenward. On all fronts - from pro-life issues to war and peace - I believe we must all do as President Obama urges Americans to do: We must choose hope over fear.God bless America."

A Prayer for Government

Father,

a handful of courageous men in a moment of danger

pledged their lives, fortunes and honor to proclaim a nation

whose citizens’ rights were based, not upon the nod of kingor ruler,

but upon creation at Your hands.

Grant to our administration a ministry of service to all, not the few.

To our Congress, the upholding of public interest

not merely a welter of competingprivate claims.

To our judiciary, a wisdom in interpreting law

grounded in principle, not expediency.

Pour Your Spirit out upon our people

so that they may become active in the affairs of government

that they may not confuse dissent for disloyalty

that they may use their mighty power for

the healing of differences among nations with justice and mercy and love.

Amen.

Source: American Catholic; excerpted from: Catholic Prayers for Every Day and All Day, St. Anthony Messenger Press

Until our next visit, have a blessed day focused on our Lord!

Amore,
~ Bella

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May God Bless America!

http://www.karenswhimsey.com

Greetings to my friends in Christ,

What an outstanding day we have experienced today in the United States of America! What an awesome country we live in! What an incredible display of grace and elegance in pageantry; a dignified and peaceful transfer of power witnessed throughout the entire world.

I know that today my prayers are fervently focused on asking for God's grace in divinely guiding the development of successful policies by our new President Obama and his administration for helping our great country and the American people: primarily to understand the extreme atrocity of abortion and the Culture of Death in today's society, to stimulate and strengthen this weak economy for the sake of those people who have and are losing their homes, who are unable to pay for their necessary medications, nutritious food, and utilities, who are unable to have proper health care, to purchase simple basic needs, and last, but certainly not least in this huge list of issues, to engage in diplomatic measures to bring peace in our world. A tall order, yes, but with God all things are possible.

No matter how you voted, please pray for President Obama and ALL of our local, state, and nationally elected representatives. Please begin, if you have not already done so, to start writing to your representatives about the key issues, rather than passively watching the results of their decisions in policy-making.

One other thought: Let's all collectively join in taking continual responsibility for making this such a great country to live in, let's give more, serve more, be less selfish and self-centered. This is the way our Lord lived and that which we should emulate as Catholics, Christians, Americans, and as human beings. Let's encourage people to stop whining and to engage, rather, in helping to bring about solutions and not more problems. Let's mature more deeply in our Catholic faith and as a result we'll naturally 'grow up' in our everyday lives, including our civic responsibilities.

Blessings,
~ Bella

http://www.karenswhimsey.com
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The Economic Recession Has Hit Us -- God Provides for His Flock

(Permission to re-print Holy Card image from "Holy Cards for Your Inspiration")

http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com

Hello dear friends in Christ,

My father told me that he felt that those of us in education were (more) sheltered from the negative impacts of the recession than those who are employed in business and industry. Financially, this is not true at all. Although my husband and I am most fortunate to have good jobs in the field of education (that we love and believe are making contributions to the improvement of people and society), a 5-day cut in pay for all employees at my husband's university has been announced and begins in December until May. There is no word on what will take place next year.

So we'll just cut back on more unnecessary things, that's all. Yes, this is a bummer, and unexpected, as others have been and are feeling at this very moment in the U.S., but things can be so much worse! Our cups are half full and not half empty. We are still blessed with those things from God THAT MATTER!

• We have God! At all times, we need to deepen our relationship with God, and hopefully this will compel others to do so, along with our own strengthening of our relationship with God.
• We have His Church and Salvation through His Son!
• We have our health.
• We have our shelter, food, water, and heat in the cold months to come.
• We have each other and our precious family!
• We have our jobs.

The list is too long for me to mention all of our little blessings.

DON'T LET THE DEVIL STEAL YOUR JOY!!!! Rejoice in the Lord!

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Recall in Mark 9:14 - 29 that FAITH is the secret to everything and can move mountains and any obstacle! We need to place our fears in the hands of God. Yes, bad things happen to good people, but our Lord and Heavenly Father give us what we need to deal with and endure through these negative things. And even negative things work out for our own GOOD! The silver lining in the dark cloud! We can all re-think our materialistic values (around the world, not just Americans). We can focus on our needs and not our unnecessary wants! We can extend more compassion towards those with even less than ourselves!

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We read also in Matthew 6:25-34

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Do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn't life worth more than food? And isn't the body worth more than clothes? Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren't you worth much more than birds? Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?

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And why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. It is God who clothes the wild grass -- grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won't He be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have!

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So do not start worrying: "Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes? (These are the things the pagans are always concerned about).

Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things.

Instead be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God

and with what he requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things.

So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own.

There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.

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I hope that you have a blessed day and are enjoying the simple things in life that matter so much! But most especially, I hope you are finding incredible joy in your deepening relationship with God!

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Amore',

~ Bella

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God Bless America!

(Holy Card re-print permission granted from "Holy Cards for Your Inspiration"
http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com )

Sweet Jesus,

Bless all of the newly elected leaders

of this great country,

the United States of America.

Guide these men and women

with Your perfect wisdom

and divine will.

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In Your precious name, we pray,

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Amen

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Columbus, Catholicism, and America

Greetings on Columbus Day in the United States!

(or what is called "Discoverers' Day in Hawaii).

Many places are closed for business today, and most public services such as the U.S. Post Office are closed as well.

Today, we honor a devout Catholic for his 'discovery' of America. Now there are some debates that are 'out there' regarding the man and the legitimacy of his 'discovery'. That is not the purpose of this posting today, yet please know that I respect your position if you have that stand.

After some googling on the web, I learned more than I ever knew about this man.

I will cite the following statements from Father John A. Harden's Seven Lectures (2003) on the CATHOLIC DISCOVERY OF AMERICA by Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo - translation "Christ-Bearer" & "White Dove" and born in Italy):

What do we mean by the Catholic discovery of America?

• We mean the discovery of America by Spain, a country that for 700 years had suffered martyrdom under Islam, in defense of the Catholic Faith.
• We mean the discovery of America made possible by the apostolic zeal of Isabella I, the Catholic Queen of Spain. After seven centuries; the Moors were finally driven out of Spain in the year 1491; 1492 came on the heels of seven centuries of martyrdom.
• We mean the discovery of America achieved by the Catholic genius of Christopher Columbus.
• We mean the discovery that was inspired by the Catholic vision of the Franciscans in Spain, without whom Columbus could never have been able to undertake his voyage to what became the new world.
• We mean the discovery of America that planted the seed of the Catholic Faith through the missionaries who evangelized the Americas and, how happy I am to say, and covered with the blood of many martyrs including my own Jesuit confreres.
• We mean the discovery that was blessed by Our Lady of Guadalupe, during the lifetime of Fernando Columbus, the youngest son and biographer of his father, Christopher Columbus.
• We mean the discovery that was seen by the Roman Pontiffs as the dawn of a new era in Catholic evangelization.
• We mean the discovery that should inspire us to preserve, to purify and to promote the faith that so many of our forbearers, since 1492, have labored, suffered and died so that we might be believing Catholics today.

Most Americans do not discuss the "Catholic-icity" of our country's discoverer and motivation behind the discovery of America. This is sad, because we have so much to be thankful for in this country, and especially the Catholic Faith that motivated Columbus and Queen Isabella for that quest.

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