tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44028984857703955072024-03-15T16:59:29.665-07:00Patti Maguire ArmstrongPatti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.comBlogger416125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-44820420987801334572023-12-07T15:15:00.000-08:002023-12-10T01:38:48.720-08:00A 100 Year Walk with Christ <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZM-QNWr2ot8TBjLz6obJ-jHLUpqNVvVWu4nuVLnfFl-KPtGz8m4LcTTutsbJvkoAVC4tYvYGwJa4CptdBxqQBeOtOe1xPrEpmNZB4Kg7r5Jn58VCo66864w8T_7jKHm8lypXmFzG9dDYAJ01DZpoBDuBNETj-1878yAlKlUNwJI25Dw9OSEIDlNhzxU/s4032/IMG_2301.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZM-QNWr2ot8TBjLz6obJ-jHLUpqNVvVWu4nuVLnfFl-KPtGz8m4LcTTutsbJvkoAVC4tYvYGwJa4CptdBxqQBeOtOe1xPrEpmNZB4Kg7r5Jn58VCo66864w8T_7jKHm8lypXmFzG9dDYAJ01DZpoBDuBNETj-1878yAlKlUNwJI25Dw9OSEIDlNhzxU/s320/IMG_2301.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"><br />On most days, Jim Campagna’s starts the day driving himself tovmorning Mass at either Cathedral of the Holy Spirit or St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Bismarck, North Dakota where he is a parishioner. Not bad for someone who will turn 100 on December 21 this year. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">"I put God first in my life.” he said in an interview after Mass. “I know every day might be my last day, but as long as I’m ready, that’s all that matters.”<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: repeat white; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">When he was born in 1923, life expectancy was 56.1 years for men and 58.5 for women. Antibiotics had not been invented yet—that would happen in 1928 with penicillin— so childhood illnesses and tuberculosis were leading causes of death.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">When the Great Depression began in 1929, Campagna, the seventh of ten children, was only six years old. He’s the only one left now. “We walked about 1 ½ mile to school where I went to first grade. I remember the rough winters,” he recalled.<span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">“A widow lived a mile north of us on the top of a hill and one day Mom told me to go check on her,” he recalled. “I was 6 years old. She was okay and gave me a slice of boughten bread. It was so sweet. Oh, was it good.”<span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Back then, sending a young child a mile away was not out of the ordinary. He was close with his brothers Albert and Reynald who were 4 and 6 years older respectively. In mild weather, the three of them slept up in the barn where a goat would follow them up the steps and sleep with them. Campagna remembers the first prayer he said on his own was after he grabbed a horse’s tail and was kicked into the air. “When I came down,” he said, “I Iost my breath. I prayed, ‘God, I don’t want to die,’ and my breath came back.”<span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">His family moved into town in 1932 when he was in the fourth grade at the public school. He assumes their pastor told his parents the children should be at the Catholic school, so he switched to St. Mary’s school. To earn spending money when he was 14, Campagna would buy newspapers for 2 cents and sell them downtown for a nickel. “I remember if I had 20 cents if felt like a lot,” he said.<span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">When his father died on May 7, 1938, Campagna quit school junior year to go to work. “In Oregon, railroad jobs paid 50 cents an hour,” he said. “I went there, and we worked 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, $30 a week. Boy, that was big money.”<span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">In 1942, he joined the Navy during World II and was a gunner on supply ships. “They called us the armed guards,” he said. “We’d take supplies to the islands and come back. I was on five merchant ships. We went everywhere— Mariana and Marshall Islands, the Philippines, and Guadalcanal. We’d only stay a day or two, take supplies off, and go.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">“One island I remember is Guadalcanal where we saw Eleanor Roosevelt,” Campagna said. “She was the first lady. She came up and got some coffee from the ship and left.” After the Navy, Campagna decided to join the Merchant Marine, working on tankers for 6 years, paid twice as much as he had earned in the Navy. <span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">While home on a visit to Bismarck in 1949, he met his wife who worked with one of his sisters as a telephone operator. “When I met her, she was different than anything I had ever seen,” he said. The two kept in touch through letters. She moved to San Jose, California with her sister. Campagna also moved there and the two of them worked at a cannery, each staying in the respective dorms for men and women. <span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">They married at St. Joseph Church in San Jose in December 1952, continuing work at the cannery for $1 a day until Campagna landed a job with the U.S. Game and Fish on Grizzly Island in the San Francisco Bay area. He was in charge of irrigation to enhance feeding for the waterfowl. Campagna worked there for 16 years but moved back to Bismarck with their four children due to his wife’s illness. “Her perceptions were off,” Campagna explained. “We needed to be closer to family for help. In 1984 she went to Jamestown State Hospital. They took care of her until she died Thanksgiving Day 1993.”<span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Campagna worked with Job Service until retirement in 1988 and has lived in his home in Bismarck since 1984. “A grandson has lived with me for the last 10 years,” he said. “He takes care of everything. He keeps the place clean and makes me lunches. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would make it.” Campagna said he has 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren..<span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Since 1969, Campagna has attended daily Mass. “I go because God loves me and I get to receive him every day,” he said. “I’ve had many trials and tribulations. I need him in Communion to get through the day. God is good to me. He gives me the strength. Without God we can do nothing but sin. With God, we can do all things. I know it, that’s why I’m here.” <span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">When asked what advice Campagna would like to give to others he shared, “Find God in your life because without God there’s nothing.” He said it hurts him to see people ignoring God and caring about finances more than their soul. <span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">“Pray every day, morning noon and night for your salvation,” he advised. “It’s the most important thing you can do.” <span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-51573474742621738672023-11-14T10:53:00.000-08:002023-11-14T10:59:43.572-08:00 St. Faustina’s Prayer to Take Away Worries About the Past and Future<p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXA3KphvtStEUt46_Nl94EIUAjxI9kjpeXAegPaCKeqEVAg8fa_u4XQ-c0YXcrDQkJiqV4befOLwbtKdotaFPjzKxpaH8Mc3desVBwn3tWK4ZNLnhYNFenaCJeOgViV5NqgsvcMPK1hKb0cPn9qaXACdSEzZxIqjypePSfdEu_Y4UfSFTlJJc-uy4ufo/s263/Unknown.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="192" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXA3KphvtStEUt46_Nl94EIUAjxI9kjpeXAegPaCKeqEVAg8fa_u4XQ-c0YXcrDQkJiqV4befOLwbtKdotaFPjzKxpaH8Mc3desVBwn3tWK4ZNLnhYNFenaCJeOgViV5NqgsvcMPK1hKb0cPn9qaXACdSEzZxIqjypePSfdEu_Y4UfSFTlJJc-uy4ufo/w234-h320/Unknown.jpeg" width="234" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Who among us has not worried about the future or been burdened with regrets?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">It was a surprise when I recently began to re-read the <i>Divine Mercy in my Soul Diary</i> of Sister Faustina Kowalski to discover that the second entry in her notebook is a prayer to calm those fears for what may come tomorrow and regrets over what has already been.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a> <div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">O My God<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">When I look into the future, I am frightened,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">But why plunge into the future?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Only the present moment is precious to me,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">As the future may never enter my soul at all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">It is no longer in my power,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">To change, correct, or add to the past.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">For neither sages nor prophets could do that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">O present moment, you belong to me; whole and entire.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I desire to use you as best I can.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">And although I am weak and small,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">You grant me the grace of your omnipotence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">And so, I am trusting in Your mercy,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I walk through life like a little child,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Offering You each day of this heart,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Burning with love for Your greater glory.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Saint Faustina’s prayer is supported in Scripture. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> “Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble,” </span><span style="color: #040c28; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Matthew 6:34</span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span> </span>We may not be saints ourselves— although that is the goal—but our struggles are ones that the saints also prayed to overcome. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">St. Faustina, pray for us that will learn to live in the present for Christ.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">~~~~~~</span></p></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-4091268568310839122023-10-02T07:05:00.002-07:002023-10-02T07:09:30.402-07:00Guardian Angel to the Rescue!<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrdh14HyZJYoXOb2ADiqZTZ-kXYY8z23AbNU6ypWfIHsMPzGn7XTvV8kPNQgpfXykBORm7CYnWMILlVhe7j91zyX4IVe-F7TCXtD2lSCO0Jfpmfd8OZjzU3sY9yPFU8ohTfXdQ1ez2e9LdSDIN2TnOv_mBOP0cJG_VNpqgAEbfIlFMbQBNIL1Kxjl0JM/s200/wrong%20way%20car.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="200" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrdh14HyZJYoXOb2ADiqZTZ-kXYY8z23AbNU6ypWfIHsMPzGn7XTvV8kPNQgpfXykBORm7CYnWMILlVhe7j91zyX4IVe-F7TCXtD2lSCO0Jfpmfd8OZjzU3sY9yPFU8ohTfXdQ1ez2e9LdSDIN2TnOv_mBOP0cJG_VNpqgAEbfIlFMbQBNIL1Kxjl0JM/w400-h238/wrong%20way%20car.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><i><o:p></o:p></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Do angels really guard us and interact with us? Paulie Ruby from Minot, North Dakota shared her story with me in was included in<i> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1932645268/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=raiscathkids-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=e16983c04efadb7d842696b5dc83a113&creativeASIN=1932645268" style="color: #954f72;">Amazing Grace for Mothers</a>. </i>It's powerful testimony that God has given us each an angel to watch over us. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">One foggy morning I heard my son Dan's truck leave and I began to hustle. I was a slow starter this chilly morning and knew my husband would be waiting--not so patiently--for me to begin our own route. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a name="more"></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">We have an unusual family business--garbage hauling. We called it Circle Sanitation (for family circle). Dan had been very instrumental in getting the business off its feet. Later on, my other son, Randy also joined us in this family business. Now, twenty-five years later, even some of the grandchildren help out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">During the early years, I often filled in working on the trucks. On this particular morning, I hadn't gone but a few steps from the house when I froze in terror. The strongest sense of danger I had ever experienced paralyzed me like a statue. I could not move. My mind and heart raced. I had a strong sense that my son Dan was in danger.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">I felt panicked and helpless. “<i>What could I do?</i>” I thought. My beloved Grandmother Frances suddenly came to mind. She was part of a large population of devout German Catholics who immigrated to North Dakota via Russia. Her iron-strong Catholicism was the center of our close-knit family. Her words came to me. "In times of trouble, you can send your guardian angel." Frantically I prayed, to my angel: "Go to Dan. Help Dan!" <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Moments later, I was able to take a step. Bewildered, I slowly walked outside the house to the shop. The whole incident baffled me. I decided I had better not tell my husband since I did not really understand what had just happened. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Ray and I hopped into the truck and drove to our destination. “This fog is really bad,” Ray commented as we passed a car in the ditch. Once again Grandma's influence came through as I recited my mini-prayer, "Jesus, Mary, Joseph please help him.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Gradually, the scary premonition faded as the work day got underway. At then end of the day, we all parked our trucks in the shop and gathered to talk. My son then related an early morning experience. While he was driving toward his route on the four lane highway, wondering when the fog might lift, he was suddenly overcome with a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">strong urge to pull into the other lane. Since there seemed no logical reason why he should pull over, he resisted. Wondering where the feeling was coming from, he looked around for any signs of trouble. There was none but he could not shake the strong feeling to pull over. Dan finally gave in and pulled over. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">No sooner had he done that when a vehicle came driving down the wrong side of the road. It sped by him in the lane he had just vacated. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">I asked him, approximately, what time this had happened? The time of his dilemma and mine coincided. Was it a coincidence? I do not think so. I think the angel, called on at the prompting of my Grandma’s influence, protected my son, Dan, that day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><i>Paulie and Ray Ruby raised their two sons in rural Minot and are very proud of all their sixteen grandchildren.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-52797231398369073832023-09-08T07:25:00.005-07:002023-09-08T07:27:15.835-07:00Why Do So Many People Fear Downs Syndrome Babies?<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Hye8vybTjZH8mNRDx-us0jzKDjz3z1Q2swAjxjWcJfWpeD85M5FJNCYo1YNuMfD4f7FKUAgYRGgbCZ3Nh-uYlF_X-prgnjmao6A-BCtD-q4JPL74-azk2cLcBKDyuvFX2Murf_fhZpRAvPTFcKWGMJn8QMKYEs3VBeRZEt9mdwcnsR-IEyc-JG7rWsU/s425/Nyf%C3%B8dt_med_down_syndrom.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="425" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Hye8vybTjZH8mNRDx-us0jzKDjz3z1Q2swAjxjWcJfWpeD85M5FJNCYo1YNuMfD4f7FKUAgYRGgbCZ3Nh-uYlF_X-prgnjmao6A-BCtD-q4JPL74-azk2cLcBKDyuvFX2Murf_fhZpRAvPTFcKWGMJn8QMKYEs3VBeRZEt9mdwcnsR-IEyc-JG7rWsU/w320-h294/Nyf%C3%B8dt_med_down_syndrom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">What kind of mother threatens her husband to abandon their newborn? In 2015, Ruzan Badalyan threatened divorce if the father, Samuel Forrest, refused to abandon their Down Syndrome newborn. Samuel </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/wife-divorces-husband-because-wouldnt-5114737" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #e0000f; font-family: Cambria, serif; text-decoration: none;">shared his story</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> publicly.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Samuel, a freelance business contractor had said: "I looked at this guy and I said, he's beautiful - he's perfect and I'm absolutely keeping him." But his wife gave him an ultimatum, that she would leave him if he kept their son.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><i><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Monster!</span></i><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> Many pro-lifers cried. <i> If only she had had an abortion, </i>some felt. At the time, I thought, <i>She just needs time to fall in love</i>. And she did. The media later reported that the <a href="https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/parents-downs-syndrome-baby-back-7224675" style="color: purple;">couple reunited</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> I have interviewed several loving parents of Down Syndrome babies, some who originally wanted their baby to die until they all fell madly in love. Too many don’t give themselves the chance. Down Syndrome babies are aborted in 9 out of 10 pregnancies due to a rampant cultural prejudice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Prayed for God to Take Her Baby<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Liz Gary first shared her story “Watch What You Pray For” in the <a href="https://ascensionpress.com/pages/amazing-grace" style="color: purple;">Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart</a> book. She had always feared people with Down’s Syndrome, so she was devastated when an ultrasound showed her unborn son that the condition. “I prayed, ‘God please take this little angel; this is more than I can handle,” she said. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJ6cHYRVBIsSbLg5L9DFmg3tTA0ulNCEDFaMKo61aWfzWSgrQxG2JWvlIhhN9Xcc90AaS38w1YDlDYAs9nTBb0X4YZRT-qs2QlrOmqMC-6NFvQIduH8Xs7uO9MBO44toTIthsN693glfMPUnWMRwEgHVlb19BXjDl1aCDHlN11xe7aRLrY3P92jZhHBQ/s650/20200828020840_5f4852e3c2bf74d8cce15807jpeg.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="650" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJ6cHYRVBIsSbLg5L9DFmg3tTA0ulNCEDFaMKo61aWfzWSgrQxG2JWvlIhhN9Xcc90AaS38w1YDlDYAs9nTBb0X4YZRT-qs2QlrOmqMC-6NFvQIduH8Xs7uO9MBO44toTIthsN693glfMPUnWMRwEgHVlb19BXjDl1aCDHlN11xe7aRLrY3P92jZhHBQ/w400-h209/20200828020840_5f4852e3c2bf74d8cce15807jpeg.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">When it was discovered that her son had an additional fatal condition, everything seemed divinely settled. Three weeks later, however, his heart remained strong. “I could feel him in my womb constantly kicking and moving,” Liz said. “Then something began to happen that I had not anticipated. I began to fall in love with him. Suddenly, all the love of which I was capable welled up within me and cried out for my baby. I loved him so much and did not want him to die.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Liz and her husband Gary prayed for a miracle—to let their baby live. Dustin was miraculously healed of his other fatal condition, and Liz and Gary fell head over heels in love with their son. Later, for the <i>Amazing Grace for Married Couples</i> book, Liz shared another deeper aspect of that story. In reality, she had been miserable in her marriage but the love she and Gary shared for Dustin, overflowed and renewed their marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">When Dustin was thirteen, I did a <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/blog/a-wish-for-death-becomes-gratitude-for-life" style="color: purple;">follow-up article</a> and Liz shared: <i>"</i>Dustin has given so much love, compassion, hope, perseverance, patience, determination to so many. His sister Abby-Lynn and brother Cameron have been remarkable. What an honor it has been to walk this walk!" Because of Dustin, she has been very involved in legislation at the state level in her home state of Louisiana for people with disabilities. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Parents Wished Their Daughter Would Die<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">In the story “Fearing my Daughter” </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">included in the book </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><a href="http://www.scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=772" style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #285287; font-family: Cambria, serif;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories From Everyday Families</span></a></span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">, Tom Mahala admitted that he and his wife initially hoped their Down Syndrome daughter Grace, would not survive the open-heart surgery she needed when she was a few months older.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“If she dies as a result of her surgery the pain will be over for all of us</span></i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">,” Tom admitted thinking. “Those were not the thoughts we wanted, but the ones we had,” he said. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMThZ4QV6h7TmVGnImdnVoOBRo0Q7aJRCpcu5EL_uI5Yt4WjpyfoBmC7gWbJ1JxQbwBNihmdOCg4SxGl3w7QeK_0MKQMXab7jiSWn3SQh5aE_ESywMsoP_pZWgzHlMKK3KnUq7rNd5--z7T5W_PJTsEfL733RsZqIKp6FxEz3w_64yAqBSRM_bBS-8ZY/s650/armstrong-LIZ2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="650" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMThZ4QV6h7TmVGnImdnVoOBRo0Q7aJRCpcu5EL_uI5Yt4WjpyfoBmC7gWbJ1JxQbwBNihmdOCg4SxGl3w7QeK_0MKQMXab7jiSWn3SQh5aE_ESywMsoP_pZWgzHlMKK3KnUq7rNd5--z7T5W_PJTsEfL733RsZqIKp6FxEz3w_64yAqBSRM_bBS-8ZY/w400-h280/armstrong-LIZ2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Bonnie’s motherly love soon grew strong. </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">It did not hit Tom until he was taking Grace to her surgery. “As I held Grace prior to her surgery, and eventually walked down to the operating room with her, my heart swelled with emotion. Suddenly, I couldn’t imagine losing my little baby girl and my heart ached for the pain she would have to go through. When I laid her on that operating table and they began to administer anesthesia, I prayed and cried for my little angel! I didn’t want to lose her!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">After Grace emerged successfully from the surgery, she became the heart of the Mahala family. Now, if God offered to cure Grace of Down Syndrome, Tom said he would say, <i>No thanks!</i> “She is perfect just the way she is,” he said. “Through Grace, our hearts have grown. Her brothers constantly hug and kiss her and tell her they love her. The boys were gifted athletically, while Grace, who cannot even run or jump is gifted in love.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Depressed<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Leticia Velasquez, author of </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><a href="http://aspecialmotherisborn.blogspot.com/" style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Cambria, serif;">A Special Mother is Born</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">, became depressed when her little</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> Christina Maria arrived. The delivery room fell deathly silent. “We regret to tell you that this child has symptoms consistent with Down Syndrome.” Leticia was told. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">She already had a premonition that would be the case and was ready with a response, “She’s my best chance at getting a daughter to Heaven, and I consider her a special blessing from God.” But watching the other newborns in the nursery and comparing Christina’s weakness to their vitality, brought about self-pity. Almost immediately, Leticia’s family and friends encircled her in love and prayers. Another mother of a Down Syndrome baby offered support and a friend sent an</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><a href="http://www.elizabethministry.com/" style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Cambria, serif;"> Elizabeth Ministry</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> package for special babies, with the CD and book set: </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-Miracles-Hide-Bruce-Carroll/dp/1582290717" style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Cambria, serif;">Sometimes Miracles Hide, Stirring Letters from Those Who Discovered God’s Blessings in a Special Child</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> by Bruce Carroll. “That was a constant companion, reminding me that regardless of how inadequate I felt, God had indeed chosen me to mother Christina, and that she would be my means of attaining holiness.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Abandoned Son<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">My friend Evi came to my house one afternoon to show me an adorable little Down’s Syndrome, newborn boy. His mother, a friend of Evi’s, could not imagine taking care of such a child. Evi was going to adopt him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">The mother visited Evi a couple of times during the first couple of weeks. She mostly ignored her baby on the first visit. On the second visit, the mother watched him and Evi insisted the mother at least hold him. By the third visit, the mother told Evi that she wanted her son back. A few weeks later, I heard that the mother could not understand how she had ever wanted to give him up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">So why do so many people fear Down Syndrome? They haven’t opened their hearts and minds to see that God wants to bless families and our culture with children whose gift is love. As Christie Hockel Davenport, a young lady with Down Syndrome told me for a <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/interview/pro-life-advocate-with-down-syndrome-being-loved-is-what-makes-people-happy" style="color: purple;">National Catholic Register article</a> last year, “Being Loved Is What Makes People Happy.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">And doesn’t our world need more love and more happiness? If only more people understood this gift of love from God.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">~~~~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999px; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out my latest books<i>:</i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/products/holy-hacks" style="color: #954f72; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none;">Holy Hacks</a><i>; </i><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/products/what-would-monica-do" style="color: #954f72; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none;">What Would Monica Do?</a><i>; </i>the humorous and inspirational children's books:<i> </i><a href="https://holyheroes.com/products/dear-god-i-dont-get-it" style="color: #954f72; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none;">Dear God, I Don't Get It</a><i>; </i><a href="https://holyheroes.com/products/dear-god-you-cant-be-serious" style="color: #954f72; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none;">Dear God, You Can't Be Serious!</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999px; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999px; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-41526293341592605422023-04-12T06:45:00.002-07:002023-04-12T06:46:20.032-07:00 Defend Us From Bullies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZes6fECoMrmHDqjmquVE5CTIB-PM-iTbmnjDkmD9iaFDffH1blmkF3p2k54JBbeJT1D6ZEI5u-vwTCaDeNYomTPACQK-IqtvQI5jjLl7J3vRKNFLuie5hM049phpqaPtcRLCNzf5CpgAmECSl2Ck9C3s4fgP-viMX_Ybs8A4636MRZUbekvc4q-oE/s2048/image000000.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZes6fECoMrmHDqjmquVE5CTIB-PM-iTbmnjDkmD9iaFDffH1blmkF3p2k54JBbeJT1D6ZEI5u-vwTCaDeNYomTPACQK-IqtvQI5jjLl7J3vRKNFLuie5hM049phpqaPtcRLCNzf5CpgAmECSl2Ck9C3s4fgP-viMX_Ybs8A4636MRZUbekvc4q-oE/s320/image000000.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bullies are gunning for the righteous and innocent. Consider that they went after Jesus despite his miracles right before their eyes. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.15pt 7.6pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.15pt 7.6pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Our faith teaches us not to fear and to pray for our persecutors. Yet, self defense is consistent with our faith. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.15pt 7.6pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Nellie Edwards told a story as part of the </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><a href="about://"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Cambria, serif;">Amazing Grace series</span></a></span><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> of how her oldest son, John Paul once was called upon to defend his younger siblings against a couple of daunting bullies. He is now the homeschooling father of nine children striving to instill in them, the courage to defend both their faith and others. He shares his own insights at the end of the story’s telling.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.15pt 7.6pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.15pt 7.6pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Raising a family in a town rife with gang crime was a constant concern for Nellie and her husband. In 1994, their town in central Washington state made national news for having more violent crime per capita than New York City. In 1996, seeking a safer place to raise their eight children, they moved to a small town in North Dakota across from the city park. On their first Fourth of July holiday there, many out-of-town visitors had arrived, among them some rowdy boys recklessly driving through town, raising dust and alarm. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.15pt 7.6pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.15pt 7.6pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">With his younger brothers and a few friends, John Paul had started a game of basketball while waiting for dusk for the family fireworks. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.15pt 7.6pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Suddenly, something whizzed by John Paul’s ear, and he turned around to see that a couple of out-of-town boys (about eleven and thirteen years old) were lighting bottle rockets in the center of the park with no concern that someone might be injured. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 14.75pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.2pt; text-indent: 0.2pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Nellie shared: </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 14.75pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.7pt; text-indent: 0.2pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">As we had taught him, John Paul looked out for the younger children, so he approached the boys. He politely asked, “Would you please light your rockets over at the abandoned school grounds?” The boy with the lighter looked at him with a grin and lit the next one, dropping it as before so JP (as we sometimes call him) took him by the shoulders and said, ‘I’m not asking anymore. Move on’” Perhaps since sixteen-year-old John Paul was a head above both boys, they did as they were told, but not without yelling expletives as they ran away. </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.8pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.8pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">They called out, “We’re going to get our big brother, and he’s going to kill you!” In less than five minutes, the same van that had been menacing the town all morning pulled up to the edge of the park. Out climbed three boys, whom our son judged to be between eighteen and twenty years old. The largest strode quickly toward John Paul with fists clenched. He cursed at him for, as he put it, “telling my brother what to do” and slugged John Paul in the face. </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.5pt 0.0001pt 54.8pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.5pt 0.0001pt 54.8pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Just as the other two began to close in on John Paul, he remembered that he knew how to defend himself. Though it had been nearly two years since he had learned Taekwondo, he blocked the next punch and delivered a blow to his aggressor’s mouth. Down went the bully, minus a front tooth! </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.7pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.7pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">He got back up and made for his van, saying, “I’m going to get my dad!” In just a few minutes, sure enough, came the bully’s father. He showed up and demanded that John Paul pay for his son’s tooth. The boy’s father refused to listen and kept yelling at him to pay up! </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.85pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.85pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">We called the sheriff and explained what had transpired. The deputy came and interviewed John Paul. He had already discovered the identity of the others and told us that we should be proud of our son—that he had done well to protect the younger children. The deputy commended him for his heroism. </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.85pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.85pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">While we encourage our children to follow the Gospel’s admonition to “turn the other cheek,” the Church does teach that since our bodies are sacred, they are deserving of being defended from aggression. </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.85pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.85pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">There will always be bullies; but in this case, the bullies we sought to escape in Washington had prepared John Paul [ by having him learn self-defense] for the bullies in our new home, thus proving Romans 8:28: “In everything God works for good with those who love him.” </span></i><o:p></o:p></p><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.2pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">I contacted the now grown and married John Paul before publishing this story. He added this additional information. “After several minutes of me being berated by the father of the bully, I simply asked him, ‘How old is your son?’ He replied, ‘Eighteen, why?’ I explained that his son had just assaulted a minor. At that point, the Dad walked away, and we went back to playing basketball until the deputy sheriff arrived."</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out my latest books<i>:</i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/products/holy-hacks" style="color: #954f72; font-style: italic;">Holy Hacks</a><i>; </i><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/products/what-would-monica-do" style="color: #954f72; font-style: italic;">What Would Monica Do?</a><i>; </i>the humorous and inspirational children's books:<i> </i><a href="https://holyheroes.com/products/dear-god-i-dont-get-it" style="color: #954f72; font-style: italic;">Dear God, I Don't Get It</a><i>; </i><a href="https://holyheroes.com/products/dear-god-you-cant-be-serious" style="color: #954f72; font-style: italic;">Dear God, You Can't Be Serious!</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0.4pt 7.55pt 0.0001pt 54.35pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-23961214218497880662022-12-04T07:12:00.006-08:002022-12-05T19:58:00.563-08:00The Miracle of Theresa Rose<p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 13.95pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.25pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJGAg1jnYnMxuNU27CjIOYTe1DQCrTHW5wJPOgH78YWfgWIm-YTzWnBjxZKnEN--NMm98fM29DVSxjIXO5xTJUmFGXtaLKBzQNtJR98_cRpBToNDs2VTt3787StRmdm8eHJg9YYLlp0OKZTvYI5e02XCXd7LmNpt1WH96kZWzNCytTzifSd7SFw04/s615/baby-pink-rose.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="615" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJGAg1jnYnMxuNU27CjIOYTe1DQCrTHW5wJPOgH78YWfgWIm-YTzWnBjxZKnEN--NMm98fM29DVSxjIXO5xTJUmFGXtaLKBzQNtJR98_cRpBToNDs2VTt3787StRmdm8eHJg9YYLlp0OKZTvYI5e02XCXd7LmNpt1WH96kZWzNCytTzifSd7SFw04/w400-h266/baby-pink-rose.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />“<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.65pt;"></span><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.65pt;">She’s alive!” the doctor announced, his voice filled with the same relief that Kathryn Rossi felt. But no first cry echoed through the delivery room. “I need a breathing tube!” the doctor shouted. <br /></span><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.65pt;">As her baby disappeared behind a wall of doctors and nurses, Kathryn and her husband, Robert, clasped hands. Please, the couple prayed, our baby needs a miracle.</span><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.65pt;"> </span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.3pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.2pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Kathryn and Robert had been overjoyed when they learned they were expecting their fourth child. Their three older children were just as thrilled. “I feel like I’ve won a million dollars!” nine-year-old Anna exclaimed as Maria, six, and Thomas, four, beamed. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Yet, as blessed as she felt, Kathryn also felt achy and exhausted. Then, at twenty weeks, a routine blood test to check for chromosomal defects came back abnormal. Her doctor ordered an amniocentesis. Helpless and scared, Kathryn turned to prayer. “Watch over my baby,” she prayed. Then, calling upon the saint noted for her love of children, she pleaded, “St. Therese, I need your help…” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.15pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Immediately, Kathryn felt calm. And the night before the test, Kathryn felt reassured that St. Therese had sent roses as a sign that her prayers would be answered. To Robert, it was just a fluke. The case of entirely white paper towels they had bought did not have entirely white rolls after all. The roll Kathryn opened had roses on it. Tears sprang to her eyes. “They say when St. Therese hears a prayer, she sends a rose to let you know,” she said. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.6pt; text-indent: 17.7pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Yet, the amnio results were not what they had hoped for. “There is a problem with the placenta,” the doctor began, </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.45pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.3pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">explaining that it was not delivering the proper nutrients to the baby. There was no way Kathryn could carry the baby to term. They would wait as long as possible, but the doctor cautioned that most babies with this condition were born too small to survive. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.3pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“No!” Kathryn sobbed. She longed to believe it would turn out all right, but there was nobody to tell her so. Between ultrasounds, Kathryn would lie in bed, searching for some sign that her baby was still OK. Meanwhile, family and friends began sending flowers and cards. And though Kathryn had not told the story of St. Therese and the roses to anyone but Robert, in every bouquet, on every card, there was a rose. Even the ceramic angel her mother-in-law gave her was holding a rose—a surprise to even Robert’s mom since the box had showed the angel’s hands empty. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.05pt;"><i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Could it be? </span></i><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Kathryn dared to wonder. Is God sending a message through St. Therese, letting us know our baby will live? But as Kathryn lay in the delivery room while doctors fought to save her baby, it looked doubtful. Any infant born at just 25 weeks would be dangerously tiny. But at fourteen ounces, Kathryn’s baby was even worse off. She was only half the size she should be at that stage. And her lungs were so underdeveloped, she could not even cry, much less breathe. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.6pt 0.0001pt 63.45pt; text-indent: 18.2pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“She’s here,” the doctor said. “That’s a miracle in itself.” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-indent: 18.25pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Yes,” Kathryn said. “We’ve come this far.” Then she announced: “I’d like to name her Theresa Rose.” “It’s perfect,” Robert agreed. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.25pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">But the doctor had grim news. “She’s got a tough fight ahead,” he said, ticking off a myriad of serious medical problems. Her chances of surviving were a mere five percent, and that was assuming she survived surgery.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 8.7pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.3pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.3pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Surgery?” Kathryn asked. She learned that as soon as little Theresa Rose was stable, they would need to close a major vessel in her heart. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 17.9pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Just thinking about them opening her baby’s tiny chest was unbearable. Kathryn placed a statue of St. Therese beside her. “You’ve brought her this far,” Kathryn prayed, “Please, see her through the rest of the way.” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.15pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">On the day of the surgery, Kathryn tucked a picture of the saint in a nurse’s pocket. “Her guardian angel,” she explained to the nurse. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.4pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.05pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">At two weeks old, Theresa Rose was the smallest baby the surgeon had ever performed this procedure on. It seemed impossible. But after the surgery, he announced, “She did great!” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">There would be more surgeries to remove fluid from Theresa Rose’s brain and to prevent her retinas from detaching. Looking at her daughter, Kathryn worried, “How much more can her little body take?” But then her eyes fell on the statue of St. Therese. “I really believe in my heart that you’re hearing my prayers,” Kathryn wept. “All the roses I’ve gotten…it’s no coincidence. Please, God,” Kathryn begged, “let me know I’m right.” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.3pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.05pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">The next morning, the doctor was shaking his head in astonishment. “I don’t believe it!” he cried. “All of Theresa Rose’s vital signs show marked improvement. There’s just no explanation,” he marveled. But there <i>was </i>one, Kathryn knew. Looking at the statue of St. Therese, she closed her eyes and breathed: “Thank you.” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.5pt 0.0001pt 63.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 17.95pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">With every day, Theresa Rose grew stronger. Finally, after four and a half months the doctor announced, “You can take your daughter home.” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.4pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.45pt; text-indent: 18.15pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Here’s your million dollars,” Kathryn cried, handing Anna, Maria, and Thomas their baby sister.</span><i style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><sup> </sup> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.45pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.3pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.15pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Over the coming months, Theresa Rose bloomed just like her name. Today, about to turn four, she’s a happy, healthy little girl. Watching Theresa Rose giggle and play with her big sisters and brother, Kathryn’s eyes fill with tears. “Her name says it all,” she sighs. “Theresa Rose is a miracle.” </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.45pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.3pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.15pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.45pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.3pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.15pt;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: right;">This story was written by Elise McKeown Skolnick as part the 101 stories in</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> </span><a href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjD7OOOneD7AhWgyZQJHX-zACEYABAAGgJ5bQ&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESbeD2fuI6I3hDNgZGWv3QGuadCQR_C8Q14Hg4RfMQN0DTR9MmyX8wwIz2q8zYUq2uwVNWy--itXwn2g6bF5wj18Mdkh6Lw_KyTfw5_eo64Wkxge2nlIz9aqW5jhiJLx1Dau7JRLdgRrbxKguq8WU&sig=AOD64_0SqcBVsjgkIsbDgTYUwABuRdcwGw&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjf2NqOneD7AhVejokEHfoMBFcQ0Qx6BAgGEAE&nis=8&dct=1" style="color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">Amazing Grace for Mothers</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 7.45pt 15.55pt 0.0001pt 63.3pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.15pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out my latest books<i>:</i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://ascensionpress.com/products/what-would-monica-do" style="color: #954f72;">What Would Monica Do?</a> and </span></i><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><br />Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-33575887908382330912022-10-02T20:59:00.005-07:002022-10-02T21:05:12.359-07:00Artist’s Eyesight Healed Through St. Lucy<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB230qin40bCkK-WyXOg4zp_gAxrFh9j4-KQ6X4fXi3AiyuB0TIGXm7zmTVleoX0TKzJkL7VLzvp1XOgK4l7YGXbRY-VmkrAgIkGBOtqh70GBC_C_ekGuAEtpoRErpZy59xHwMgSmbZ4foleGeOcxYbE3iEwpvvoUgCTFZdNqlW86_t5h8wqH83wH/s1299/St.%20lucy%203.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB230qin40bCkK-WyXOg4zp_gAxrFh9j4-KQ6X4fXi3AiyuB0TIGXm7zmTVleoX0TKzJkL7VLzvp1XOgK4l7YGXbRY-VmkrAgIkGBOtqh70GBC_C_ekGuAEtpoRErpZy59xHwMgSmbZ4foleGeOcxYbE3iEwpvvoUgCTFZdNqlW86_t5h8wqH83wH/w308-h400/St.%20lucy%203.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> A black blob clouded Jill Metz’s vision in her right eye—a troubling development for an artist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Metz </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">was not one to panic, so she did nothing at first. After all, sometimes problems go away on their own. But after a couple of weeks, the black blob had not dissipated and interfered with her even reading.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">This convert to the Catholic faith in 2010, is a mixed media artist, combining </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">several mediums to create layered art. Shortly after her conversion, Metz felt an inner nudge to create portraits of saints. But just as she was doing with the black blob, she tried to ignore the feeling, hoping it would go away.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">I had lots of doubt,” she said in an interview. “My work did not translate into portraits.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">But the following year, a friend who owns a Catholic radio station asked Metz to paint a saint for a fundraising auction. “I could not say no to that,” Metz admitted. “The only saint I really knew was Mother Mary so that’s what I planned to paint. But in prayer while I was painting her, I kept hearing in my spirit, over and over, ‘Lucy.’ Her name kept coming up.” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Not knowing who Lucy was, Metz looked her up and discovered she is a patron saint of blindness. Meanwhile, the painting did not seem to look like the Blessed Mother. “I knew it was Lucy,” Metz said. “I was so naïve that I thought saints had wings, so there are wings in the portrait. Angels did appear to St. Lucy, though.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Metz gave the painting to her friend and around a week later the eye problem began. After two weeks with no improvement, Metz went to an urgent care doctor. That doctor had no idea what was causing the problem but was very concerned and got her into a specialist right away. That doctor too was stumped. The plan was to begin weekly steroid shots in the affected eye, not knowing what else to do. Metz coincidentally had an appointment for a check-up with her regular optometrist in a week and a half, so she would keep that and begin treatments there. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">St. Lucy Intercedes<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“On the way home from the appointment, I felt a peace and God telling me, ‘Remember St. Lucy,’” Metz recalled. “It felt like she was in my life for a reason.” When she arrived home, Mertz told her husband that the Holy Spirit was prompting her to ask St. Lucy for help with her eye. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">He was a life-long Catholic but had never prayed a novena—9 days of prayer in imitation of the first novena in which the apostles and Blessed Mother prayed from Ascension Thursday to Pentecost Sunday. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">They began right way asking St. Lucy to pray for healing. Within a few days, the blob changed into a perfectly shaped heart. Mertz saw it clearly when looking onto the graph paper she was given to keep track of the size of the blob. By the time she went to her appointment on day 12, the blob was gone. Her vision was clear by then, despite never having received a single treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">The doctor was astounded. “What happened,” she wanted to know. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“I asked St. Lucy to heal me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> “It’s a miracle!” the doctor said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Thus began a special friendship between Metz and the saint. “I love St. Lucy so much,” Mertz shared. “She is my girl.” It also began Metz’s openness to painting the saints. She does this using the layered mixed media style with as many as 10-15 layers in her textured images of saints.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfWawj29fAdMwctjBpw1X-xxAjIk03ZybjXgBfA_gMS_wOJfzSLD1JH-n59CU4Jco9Uq4h5ExASOY9VfoVfeplUpcUlRurn2VkM5KdpXDl0--Q7LdePl4nR3OKmjz8W1Ar7XaHIWRW5m8KPAgsKlqwJN6Y0PpbayaoZzJQ5MVtOIdhRiJZ0vaCzdt/s3710/JM%20head%20shot%202022.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3710" data-original-width="3632" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfWawj29fAdMwctjBpw1X-xxAjIk03ZybjXgBfA_gMS_wOJfzSLD1JH-n59CU4Jco9Uq4h5ExASOY9VfoVfeplUpcUlRurn2VkM5KdpXDl0--Q7LdePl4nR3OKmjz8W1Ar7XaHIWRW5m8KPAgsKlqwJN6Y0PpbayaoZzJQ5MVtOIdhRiJZ0vaCzdt/s320/JM%20head%20shot%202022.png" width="313" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Sacred Inspiration <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">From the quiet of her country home/studio in the middle of a cornfield in Indiana, Metz begins with prayer and enters into a relationship with the saint she is painting since they spend a lot of time together. Her website: </span><a href="https://www.truoriginal.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Tru Original</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> reveals the extent of her sacred inspiration and includes a blog with personal insights. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv93q8e1q7kiedxU0LbCve-MKZlh7AKu2TaT3sbrYqvXziHVNuLA0D-ulKvHKvWlgupYRONzTtyajcCCWA2Y8FCcknpPNy1Bgnu0aIKtx5csr9wsuwav9broZ-Wnb3zqqMhL4U-uc3ZZf0HRtzYt-xOD6sJCv7hrAs3NXCVuAcjlCxqIyFp3j99wUp/s1500/studio%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1211" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv93q8e1q7kiedxU0LbCve-MKZlh7AKu2TaT3sbrYqvXziHVNuLA0D-ulKvHKvWlgupYRONzTtyajcCCWA2Y8FCcknpPNy1Bgnu0aIKtx5csr9wsuwav9broZ-Wnb3zqqMhL4U-uc3ZZf0HRtzYt-xOD6sJCv7hrAs3NXCVuAcjlCxqIyFp3j99wUp/w323-h400/studio%201.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jill's home studio</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">When I enter into a time of creating with the Holy Spirit, I enter into a sacredness. I understand that it’s not from me, but I’m a conduit of creation—an empty channel allowing myself to be used by the Lord.” Sacramentals, candles blessed with an exorcism prayer, and sacred music help to create a holy mood in her studio. “I just pray—talk to our Lord—and he tells me what to do,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Sometimes there is a wrestling. Painting the rays on the portrait of St. Faustina, Metz kept hearing that they were not good enough. She later felt it was part of her own struggle accepting God’s mercy herself. “There was the healing of what she was doing in my heart. To embrace what those rays, I needed to accept them in my heart, accepting mercy,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“With every icon, the saint shares their heart like I share my heart,” she said. Her fourth icon was of St. Monica, the mother of the great doctor of the Church St. Augustine. St. Monica had prayed for his conversion for 17 years during the Fourth Century. “God goes before us and St. Monica appeared in my life at a time I needed such consolation,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">When Ascension Press was searching for just the right cover for the book: </span><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/products/what-would-monica-do" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">What Would Monica Do?</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> they landed on Mertz’s portrait of St. Monica. Roxane Salonen had written the book as inspiration and comfort for those carrying the cross of a loved one away from the faith. The life of St. Monica is interwoven throughout it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Metz’s rendition matched our research of what Monica may have looked like given the characteristics of the Berber people of North Africa in the Fourth Century. Jill had no preconceived idea of what Monica looked like, but simply followed her usual ritual of prayer, opening herself up to wherever God led, and asking for the intercession of the saint. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> The artist and authors are thankful that the meeting of literary and artistic creations have come together in the spirit of St. Monica and forged a special friendship between us. “It fires me up,” Jill said. “We are going to go after our children and bring down the graces of God upon them.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">St. Monica, pray for us!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out my latest books<i>:</i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://ascensionpress.com/products/what-would-monica-do" style="color: #954f72;">What Would Monica Do?</a> and </span></i><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://" style="color: #954f72;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 18.666666px;"> </span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-86137417523657740892022-09-07T15:52:00.007-07:002022-10-02T21:15:29.596-07:00 Miraculous Event by Our Lady of Nazareth<p><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6yF6Msg9TmRmI4SOy6GVhYrZrk6_U03jsiO1lJZgrYBIdPU1v2qprP9eEJ6Ted3wHZvLleoYFQQfHjBp_KiLyL_472ZST5CIyAxF8hBUM_eJ8zmO1jKuS1YLLRldK-347f0s0J7OTzGG_usy2RrUciYGA-hL6JLbWje8KY8rglAzybt7fSBskOyk/s351/fuas.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6yF6Msg9TmRmI4SOy6GVhYrZrk6_U03jsiO1lJZgrYBIdPU1v2qprP9eEJ6Ted3wHZvLleoYFQQfHjBp_KiLyL_472ZST5CIyAxF8hBUM_eJ8zmO1jKuS1YLLRldK-347f0s0J7OTzGG_usy2RrUciYGA-hL6JLbWje8KY8rglAzybt7fSBskOyk/w305-h400/fuas.jpg" width="305" /></a></b></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Through my husband’s brother who recently retired, we’ve learned a bit about geography and about a devotion to the Blessed Mother we had never heard of. He recently moved to the Portugese town of </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nazaré, a beautiful town where many other Americans retire amid stunning natural beauty with sheer cliffs jutting above the Atlantic Ocean. There, is a magnificent Church dedicated to a miraculous event attributed to the Blessed Mother. <span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> On the feast of Our Blessed Mother’s birthday, September 8, Our Lady of </span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Nazaré</span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">is one of her feast days that mark a miracle that occurred in this town. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">According to the Legend of Our Lady of </span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Nazaré</span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">,</span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> one misty morning in 1182, the sheriff—possibly a knight templar—Dome Fuas Roupino, was out hunting. He chased a deer up a hilltop when it suddenly jumped over the edge. It happened so quickly, and the sheriff’s horse was moving so swiftly and with such force, that it too was headed into the void. At that moment when a split second can feel like slow motion, the knight, called out to the Blessed Mother to save him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">In that instant, the horse turned away in what seemed to be a supernatural way, thus saving the life of the knight. Subsequently, the chapel <a href="https://www.travel-in-portugal.com/attractions/ermida-da-memoria.htm" style="color: #954f72;">Ermida da Memoria</a> was built very near this spot, over a grotto where a small statue of a Black Madonna from Nazareth stood. Today, near the chapel, the imprint of the horseshoe can be seen in a rock.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Later, the <a href="https://www.nazareportugaltourism.com/guide/santuario-de-nossa-senhora-da-nazare.html" style="color: #954f72;">Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazare</a> was built in the 14<sup>th</sup> Century to memorialize that miraculous event. It is located on the hilltop called <i>O Sítio</i>. The church was founded upon the visit of King Ferdinand on a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Nazaré. He had ordered work done on the small chapel and also to build a newer, much larger Church to hold all the pilgrims who were coming to honor our Blessed Mother and the miraculous event. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0o_h5Q2d44qki1NnUj9kToq586QUDg_UMCRg5JFed83sPc81mQ_v1oO_wZ4sq7gqMYzsdsqDAU6f5maLzlyEQxJ1HB41DY3x2LwMfFJ0Hfm0iC98ipGEk-TEF7M6BfBzB7FZXw_N_TUocqTgOba7l5tDGjPmiu8471akdpPwspk6OAaGdDd7J3Yuu/s542/OurLadyofNazare.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="409" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0o_h5Q2d44qki1NnUj9kToq586QUDg_UMCRg5JFed83sPc81mQ_v1oO_wZ4sq7gqMYzsdsqDAU6f5maLzlyEQxJ1HB41DY3x2LwMfFJ0Hfm0iC98ipGEk-TEF7M6BfBzB7FZXw_N_TUocqTgOba7l5tDGjPmiu8471akdpPwspk6OAaGdDd7J3Yuu/w301-h400/OurLadyofNazare.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">The Shrine of Our Lady of Nazar</span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">é</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">, known in Portugal as Nossa Senhora da Nazare, is located in the village of Nazare on Portugal’s Atlantic coast. The village is named after this “Black Madonna” statue of the Blessed Mother and the child Jesus that had been in the grotto. It was brought over from Nazareth centuries before the horse and knight were saved. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Tradition holds that the statue was carved by Saint Joseph. Saint Luke the Evangelist is credited with painting the faces and hands black. This image is still preserved in the </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Chapel of Commemoration, built over the grotto</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">, The statue of Our Lady of Nazareth is considered one of the oldest images ever venerated by Christians. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Every year, from September 8-17, the town, now named Nazare, <a href="https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Our+Lady+of+Nazare+Festival" style="color: #954f72;">celebrates</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Our Lady of Nazaré Festival beginning with a procession and including concerts, folk dancing, bullfights, and fairs.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Our Lady of Nazaré, pray for us!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Check out my latest book:</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <i><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/products/what-would-monica-do"><span style="color: blue;">What Would Monica Do?</span></a></i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Inspiration <span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e;">for those carrying the cross of loved ones who have left the faith.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Other books include<i>:</i> <a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/"><i><span style="color: #954f72;">Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</span></i></a><i> </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families"><span style="color: #954f72;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</span></a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product"><span style="color: #954f72;">Amazing Grace Series</span></a>.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><br /></div><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;"></i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-59325563142750172262022-06-18T22:18:00.006-07:002022-11-07T20:14:34.225-08:00A Mysterious Visitor Brings Last Meal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQS0wJQDT-MNUMF9T9Pg-54UVCJbxsQile1uCbNS31CxmudlIAvC8p-BWcYXFQAhXo05Ks5SlvaL1U5J7j7QVMQDsuUrXC-JPf-1USmecvEieJZLR5RMfQiC0aRoYF3Oq9WdD8h5amVp-mkI8-XwACDByyGWC-pC5P5qpqV7YdWYvii9ihivkR63f/s683/JesusCommunion.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="683" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQS0wJQDT-MNUMF9T9Pg-54UVCJbxsQile1uCbNS31CxmudlIAvC8p-BWcYXFQAhXo05Ks5SlvaL1U5J7j7QVMQDsuUrXC-JPf-1USmecvEieJZLR5RMfQiC0aRoYF3Oq9WdD8h5amVp-mkI8-XwACDByyGWC-pC5P5qpqV7YdWYvii9ihivkR63f/w400-h345/JesusCommunion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Mysterious visitors at dramatic moments often appear and disappear in hospitals. I have interviewed several people over the years who have had such experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Here is Katie Alveby’s touching story of such an event from </span><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/products/amazing-grace-for-fathers" style="color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;">Amazing Grace for Fathers</a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 2.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;">~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">I gazed out into a dreary Wednesday morning. The steady stream of rain was fitting, as if even the sky were crying for my father. <i>Is he still alive?</i> I sighed, wondering if Dad had made it through the night. <i>He must be</i>, I decided,<i> or surely someone from the hospital would have called to let me know.</i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">It would seem to be a big leap from a mere broken arm to the threshold of death, but for my elderly father, it had been but a quick, small step. Dad had lived alone on the farm since December of 2000, when my mother, suffering from Alzheimer’s had entered a nursing home. Seven weeks later, on St. Valentine’s Day, Mom died from a blood clot in her lungs. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Dad was lonely without his wife of nearly 52 years, but he remained relatively active. Then in June of 2003, he fell and broke his right arm. It was never again useful to Dad. He began a noticeable decline. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">In late May of the following year, Dad fell on the floor breaking his left arm--his good one and was taken to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Hi Dad,” I greeted him in his hospital room. “How are you doing?”</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“I’m so confused,” Dad cried. “I don’t know why I’m here.”</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Oh, Dad, you fell and broke your good arm,” I explained.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Oh, oh, oh,” he cried. I could see the hurt in his eyes. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">He knew there was no way he could go back home alone now. A Eucharistic minister stopped by and offered Dad Holy Communion. Dad had always kept God in his life. It made it easier for me to leave him that day. At least I knew he was not alone. He had Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“I’ll be back tomorrow,” I promised. My two brothers and sister would be visiting too. One sister, Chris, lived in Des Moines, Iowa. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">On Tuesday, Dad suffered respiratory arrest and had to be put on a ventilator. On Saturday, it became apparent that Dad would likely need a feeding tube soon. He shook his head “no” when we brought up the feeding tube. Dad made it clear he did not want it. What about the ventilator? Again, he shook his head “no”. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Dad kept hanging on and we, his children took turns at his side. On Sunday, we all gathered together when his ventilator was removed, a decision allowed by the Church. He was awake and asked again if he was sure he wanted it out. He was.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">For the next two days, my siblings and I took shifts at the hospital. On Wednesday morning, </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">e</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">ntering the room, Dad’s breath was labored but regular. I took his hand in mine and cried. My once strong father was suffering so, struggling with each breath. “What are you waiting for?” I cried softly. As much as I would miss him, I wanted his pain to be over.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">My sister, Chris entered the room and together we spoke gently and lovingly to our father. We both wondered what Dad was waiting for. “Maybe there’s someone he’s still waiting for or maybe there’s someone we still need to meet,” Chris surmised. We went to lunch and returned to Dad’s room, believing it would not be much longer.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">At 2:45, a loud rap at the hospital door startled us. “Come in,” we both chimed. A tall dark-haired, thirty-ish looking man, stepped into the room. He had glasses, a beard and mustache and a large crucifix hung from his neck. Holding his clipboard, he asked, “Is this George Robinson?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">We quickly glanced at one another and cautiously answered in the affirmative. “Well, I’d like to give him Holy Communion,” the tall man informed us. Again, Chris and I looked at one another. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“But he’s in a coma now,” Chris explained.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">The man smiled gently, “I will give him only a very small piece.”</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“I don’t know...”Chris hesitated.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Only a particle,” he assured us.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Finally, we agreed that it would be a good thing for Dad to receive one last Holy Communion. The man broke off a very small piece for Dad. I received the remaining host. My sister then received also.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">”This is probably the last meal he will have before he dies,” I commented to the man.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Isn’t it cool that you got to share his last meal with him?” the man said. Then he said he promised to pray for Dad and left.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">A calm came over Chris and me. We held his hands. His breathing became lighter and easier. Then, suddenly, he slipped away. It was 3:23. Chris and I looked at each other in awe. His struggle was over, and it had been so peaceful. I told the nurse who sent for the hospital chaplain. He arrived with a chaplain-in-training at his side. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“Is there anything I can do for you,” he asked. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">“He just received Holy Communion and quietly slipped away,” Chris explained. “I don’t think we need anything else now.”</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">The chaplain looked startled. “Who was it? Who gave him Communion?”</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">I described the man and the chaplain looked even more perplexed. “There was no one scheduled to distribute Communion today,” he said. He again expressed his sympathy and left the room looking very confused.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">We stayed a while longer, so say our final good-byes to Dad. Before we left the hospital, we stopped by the nurses’ station. We had grown close to the nurse on duty, and she had asked us to come say good-bye before we left. When we told her about Dad receiving Communion, she too became perplexed. “I didn’t see anyone distributing Communion on this floor today,” she said. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Chris and I went to dinner together that evening, to process Dad’s passing. <i>Who was that man? </i>we both wondered. Then, we recalled Chris’s statement about still waiting for someone before Dad let go. I was so sad when I arrived at the hospital that day, just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus were sad. Then, just as his disciples recognized him, I recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread and my sadness disappeared</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">. Who was that man</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">? we wondered again. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">An Angel? Jesus himself?</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">The reading we chose for Dad’s funeral had to be the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus had been with us on the last walk together with Dad. We may have parted ways with him on this earth, but we are forever united with him in Christ.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> ~~~~~~<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-37756452709126797572022-03-17T04:39:00.006-07:002022-06-18T22:21:57.729-07:00Happy St. Patrick's Day!<p><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"></span></div><p></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi71plg830NRG88UNUQleTl6RQyfYzbwK5nUgxnB5BmjfU_aaIIE7BatC37gqxmrvGBOAaBKtt_KCc9lWGXQfi6lNAzRnFQpbJDGrqSZB0XZASszaB8jC6tiZ74-kV0OQatB7DORB1Zzczpu3WOQhEWBh9wjOb3pW2lrPo_vO8Ad4NkmMk5Mkn5tm1B=s251" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi71plg830NRG88UNUQleTl6RQyfYzbwK5nUgxnB5BmjfU_aaIIE7BatC37gqxmrvGBOAaBKtt_KCc9lWGXQfi6lNAzRnFQpbJDGrqSZB0XZASszaB8jC6tiZ74-kV0OQatB7DORB1Zzczpu3WOQhEWBh9wjOb3pW2lrPo_vO8Ad4NkmMk5Mkn5tm1B=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, is a religious holiday </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">that has spread into the popular culture – just like the Catholic Irish people have spread throughout our population. More than one in ten Americans are Irish.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Regardless of who your ancestors are, the saints are patrons to us all – related through the One Body in Christ. If you don’t have a drop of Irish blood, don’t let that stop you from joining in the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. After all, St. Patrick was not Irish either. He was born in 387 in Britain, which was controlled by Rome at the time.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">KIDNAPPED!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">As a young teenager, Patrick was kidnapped by a raiding party and taken to Ireland where he was forced to herd sheep as a slave. During this time, Patrick turned to God in a big way – praying and uniting his thoughts and will to God’s own. Ireland was a land ruled by a King and influenced by the pagan Druid practices although there had been some missionaries that had come to the land previously, but without great success.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">After six years, when Patrick was around 20 years old, he had a dream or vision in which he was told to escape to the coast where a ship awaited. He had no money to pay for passage, so the captain angrily sent him on his way. Patrick got off the ship but after praying, the captain had a change heart and allowed him on board.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Upon his return home, God remained at the center of Patrick’s life. He entered a seminary in Rome and became known for his piety. But his next move was positively courageous. He asked permission to return to the land of his slavery. Patrick claimed to hear the voices of the children of Ireland, calling out to him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">On March 25, 432, Patrick and his companions arrived in Ireland. Hearing the Gospel message in their own native tongue had a powerful effect on the Irish people. The Gospel spread rapidly, and he opened schools and churches. Patrick became known for performing miracles which further drew people towards his message of Christianity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">ST. PATRICK OVERCOMES THE DRUIDS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">It was an Easter Sunday standoff between Patrick and Druidism that opened the heart of Ireland’s king and paved the way for Catholicism to really take root. A decree had gone out the previous day that all fires must be extinguished throughout the kingdom until the signal flame would be started at the King’s castle. No fire could burn until the new lighting of the pagan fire, under punishment of death. Patrick went ahead and lit the Easter vigil fire first. King Laoghaire called for St. Patrick to come to see him the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">It is said that the Druids and magicians used everything at their disposal to sway the king – incantations, spells, and warnings. During that time, a cloud of darkness spread over the area. Patrick challenged them to remove the cloud, but all their incantations failed. Patrick prayed and the cloud lifted, revealing the sun’s bright rays.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Patrick was granted permission to preach the Gospel throughout the kingdom. This he did in fullest measure until his death on March 17, 461, forever sealing his status among the Irish as a beloved hero; one who loved them enough to return to the land of his captivity to bring them to Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Legend has it that while preaching, Patrick often used the shamrock – a three leaf clover – to explain the Trinity: three persons in one God. Patrick’s success was spectacular in converting Ireland from a pagan to a Christian land. Although historically, Protestants from England have battled with the Irish Catholics for their turf, the country is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic to this day. This island, west of the country of Great Britain, is home to approximately 4 million people. Politically, the southern 5/6 of the island consists of the state Ireland with the remaining sixth, Northern Ireland, under the rule of Great Britain. According to official government statistics collected during the 2002 census, 88.4 percent of the Irish are Roman Catholic.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">ST. PATRICK’S DAY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Their beloved St. Patrick has followed wherever the Irish have immigrated throughout the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia all places where St. Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated. Ironically, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland but in the United States in New York City on March 17, 1762. Irish soldiers serving in the English military played music and marched through the city. Today, that parade is the world ‘s oldest and largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The United States customs of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with green beer and parades are more American than Irish. In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day has traditionally been a religious occasion beginning with Mass. Shops and businesses (excepting restaurants and pubs) were all shut down on that day. During the 1990’s however, the Irish government began to take advantage of the opportunity to bring in tourism. The cities of Ireland now host parades, sporting events, parades, concerts, fireworks, and theater productions on St. Patrick’s Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone! St. Patrick, pray for us to one day be with you in Heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-62682884459729226292022-03-17T04:03:00.004-07:002022-03-17T04:08:25.528-07:00 Nationally Syndicated Columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez Shares Her Holy Hacks<p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #211d1e; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsmwzsfWbkjLLoCUiTGjqbbSOz7n0OzTQMX42RxIPWZCcJMlfXrG3yirEwPbOXLSfLiA33p-_kWjdbAHhLk9Zu3h0FYNFMebmJfHLa3YcE8I4oRyQXWyXW3orLBf51J3dkfge9iUplLwM1sDlPig8nY7owrgLJXy-TiZTwTzCbWNrKJNkkAy7DBnAJ=s249" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsmwzsfWbkjLLoCUiTGjqbbSOz7n0OzTQMX42RxIPWZCcJMlfXrG3yirEwPbOXLSfLiA33p-_kWjdbAHhLk9Zu3h0FYNFMebmJfHLa3YcE8I4oRyQXWyXW3orLBf51J3dkfge9iUplLwM1sDlPig8nY7owrgLJXy-TiZTwTzCbWNrKJNkkAy7DBnAJ=w261-h320" width="261" /></a></div><br /> <span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Kathryn Jean Lopez, senior fellow at the National Review Institute, a nationally syndicated columnist, and the author of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07TLGB3LD/ref=nosim/nationalreviewon" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #e92131; padding: 0in;">A Year with the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living</span></i></a>. <span style="color: #211d1e;">She contributed ways she lives her faith daily for </span><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/products/Holy-Hacks" style="color: #954f72;">Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith and Get to Heaven</a><span style="color: #211d1e;">.<span><a name='more'></a></span></span><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="Pa11" style="font-family: Palatino; line-height: 32px; margin: 13pt 0in 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #211d1e; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> I pray an Our Father and Hail Mary every time I hear a siren. (Did I mention my office is in midtown Manhattan? I remembered to write this because in the time it took to write this sentence, I heard one.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Pa12" style="font-family: Palatino; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 21pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #211d1e; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I travel a lot and often wind up in a hotel bar/restaurant for dinner. There’s always someone nearby to pray for. I try to do something similar when commuting. Though at a certain point you have to do a general one to cover everyone in your train car, and so forth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Pa12" style="font-family: Palatino; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 21pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #211d1e; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Always, always pray for an Uber/cab driver. I am often coming from or going to a church or something to do with faith, so I stay open to whatever conversation comes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Pa12" style="font-family: Palatino; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 21pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #211d1e; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">In urban settings, I engage in conversation with people asking for money, often learning more than anything else the day could teach me. I try to have packages to give them. On my best days there is a little note saying I wish I could do more; this is something small such as, I will pray for you, please pray for me. I often include a prayer card and something like a $10 fast-food gift card, some wet wipes, hand lotion, beef jerky, or fruit snacks. Other days I may have just picked up lunch or made an extra sandwich on purpose. I try to have some bottles of water, especially in the summer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 21pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> I keep a few prayer cards in my Magnificat to pray for certain people and all priests and friends who have died. Occasionally I accidentally crash a funeral Mass in my traveling and know I’m there to pray for the family.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I often try to have an extra Magnificat or two in my purse to share as often as presents itself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I use prayer cards of certain saints and a lot of Mary as bookmarks to remember to keep the saints with me as I work.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The Sisters of Life have a “Litany of Trust.” I carry copies in my purse and give out with some abandon.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I sometimes email the second reading of the office to myself and even print it out, so I look at it more than once or twice during the day. I try to share bits of it on social media, usually with some image to remind myself and others there is more to life than the current news frenzy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I sometimes screenshot the daily meditation in Magnificat from the app and tweet it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I usually #homilytweet something from daily homilies to drive a point home for myself as much as anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">We’re called to be disciples in the world, wherever we find ourselves. I’ve been at restaurants during the bishops’ conference in November in Baltimore where a table with or without bishops has the most remarkable conversations and the waiter walks away with a book, a prayer card, and definitely prayers. A family can do this too; anyone can.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Overlook no one, and you will be gifted sometimes with seeing the face of God in gratitude and wonder and grace.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>~~~~~~~~</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZZxdonr2-UIgFnWuFAML3Lq21z_jgUyGv49S-izg95GGkWGr2h6VI4ML8mo0cAMMh_rAt4bUxwG9RwCj7Hgq4b09Z1ZSPrU9Qeh8sVq2mrLdiZ-hMox7dWx_n6TX4qxNurBvgeuL1AdwcTrN6mgfrkp0B8ZvlwlM3fhldfndV9Tlcbv8cHH--Lmqj=s650" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="464" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZZxdonr2-UIgFnWuFAML3Lq21z_jgUyGv49S-izg95GGkWGr2h6VI4ML8mo0cAMMh_rAt4bUxwG9RwCj7Hgq4b09Z1ZSPrU9Qeh8sVq2mrLdiZ-hMox7dWx_n6TX4qxNurBvgeuL1AdwcTrN6mgfrkp0B8ZvlwlM3fhldfndV9Tlcbv8cHH--Lmqj=w143-h200" width="143" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br />BiG OVERSTOCK SALE! GREEN for #StPatricksDay. His breastplate prayer is included in Holy Hacks. Buy NOW! Stock up for gifts! "Holy Hacks" only $4 <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/products/Holy-Hacks" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.avemariapress.com/products/Holy-Hacks</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">~~~~~~~~</p><div data-block="true" data-editor="e709i" data-offset-key="8614p-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8614p-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span class="py34i1dx" color="var(--blue-link)" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-28917377404165365872022-02-26T11:48:00.004-08:002022-06-18T22:21:32.810-07:00Fr. Pacwa, Fr. Calloway, Fr. Riccardo Share Easy Ways to Grow in Holiness<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkc2Hd30M3F-bX4mbaVKu939YJb4Y75oksOJFB_uqqDkv1YBlfcOzYKW21mcmkg0ZQMBdJay2_2DPNyz9y2EYAIMIkYbnkpaFoEwm0rO7gkAEvMssoh2HgtqxJmadEnY2COy5jLmYfoeVp5eXjvu7NU35uEiZpron1_3JBDZdzCv7xlt8Aq79_zfT9=s562" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="553" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkc2Hd30M3F-bX4mbaVKu939YJb4Y75oksOJFB_uqqDkv1YBlfcOzYKW21mcmkg0ZQMBdJay2_2DPNyz9y2EYAIMIkYbnkpaFoEwm0rO7gkAEvMssoh2HgtqxJmadEnY2COy5jLmYfoeVp5eXjvu7NU35uEiZpron1_3JBDZdzCv7xlt8Aq79_zfT9=w630-h640" width="630" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span> <span> <span> I</span></span></span>ncrease your capacity for holiness through a closer walk with Jesus.<span> </span>Lent is the perfect time to take this walk with easy, fun, holy ideas to live thoughtfully and deepen your faith.<span> </span>Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Fr. Donald Calloway, and Fr. John Riccardo shared their holy habits in <a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/products/Holy-Hacks" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith and Get to Heaven</a></span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Fr. Donald Calloway, M.I.C., of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, vocation direction and house superior of the Marian House of Studies in Steubenville, Ohio and author of </span><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">many books including </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://bookstore.spiritdaily.com/collections/all-products/products/br-consecration-to-st-joseph-the-wonders-of-our-spiritual-father-fr-donald-calloway"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #954f72;">Consecration to St. Joseph—The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">On all my Christmas cards I write: “Mary Christmas!”</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I pray a Hail Mary for the souls in purgatory every time I pass a cemetery.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Whenever I pass a Catholic Church, I pray a Glory Be and bow my head. </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Whenever I see a Masonic or LGBTQ+ sticker on a car, I pray a Memorare for the driver.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Whenever I see an ambulance on the street, I pray a Hail Mary for the situation.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I often give my upgrades on flights to complete strangers, especially the elderly and women.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I give away rosaries and books on the Rosary.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Whenever someone in public uses the name of Jesus in vain, I add to it, “ ___is Lord, or ___be praised.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Go <a href="about://"><span style="color: #954f72;">here</span></a> for a listing of his many books.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., president and founder of Ignatius Productions and an EWTN radio and TV host contributed his ideas for walking with the Lord. He is fluent in thirteen languages and is bi-ritual, meaning he can celebrate liturgy in both the Roman and Maronite rites.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I use some hymns as my ringtone in my cell phone. I am using the hymn “Al Messiah Qama min bayn al-amwat” (Christ has risen from the dead; a Melkite Easter hymn), and during Lent I used “el Yom Ollika” (The day Christ hung), with Fairuz singing both. These are two of my favorite hymns, and they get me singing them after a phone call.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I downloaded the Bible in Hebrew and Greek into my phone, so I can always look up a passage when I need it.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">In my computer I have a great Bible program—Bible Works, though I also have the Logos program, which helps me in my work here at EWTN as well as in my writing.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">In confession, I frequently recommend that people addicted to pornography use an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a screen background or use a series of them for screensavers. Not many people want their Mother to catch them looking at porn on the Internet.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Fr. John Riccardo, a priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit, author of </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://"><span style="color: #954f72;">Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel</span></a></span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">, and host of the Ave Maria radio show <i>Christ Is the Answer</i>, contributed his tips</span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">. It’s worth mentioning that he signs all his emails: “In His Love.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I make sure I start my day by offering God the first fruits of my time. In other words, prayer needs to come first before anything else. This seems to have the effect of multiplying the time I have for people for the rest of the day, and it also enables me to enter into situations “armed,” if you will.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Take care of your body every day. In other words, find something you can do daily to work out. This eases stress and enables me to get back to other matters with more energy.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ask the Lord daily to show you who is calling out for your time or attention . . . and then do something somehow.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt;">·</span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> * </span><span style="color: #211d1e; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Like many of you perhaps, I am continually trying to find ways to maintain a sense of interior calm in an overly connected world so that all I do, I do well. To that end, please note that I do not look at email on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) or Mondays.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">To order a copy of <i>Holy Hacks</i>, go </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Cambria, serif;">here</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. 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</style>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-30237976183279823902022-01-20T01:23:00.006-08:002022-06-18T22:21:03.217-07:00Show the Devil Didn't Want You to See<p> <b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEnBOt2PqO5hbCaREbqmo6jOkGBGBa9-utn2l5wXUWSzxtEvGIGh-A0yuudUwtHnOBRfy92mf1jGBm_fcLe2jLgBPHSGbPEZF065EPpLW95N7U2SI3CDxutotcZyAjq2skmMYwt7rOiN68ZADz7b0GeQyZQ9bnnf8q4LrCZedwi6Pv8E1thMkuE08Y=s826" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="826" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEnBOt2PqO5hbCaREbqmo6jOkGBGBa9-utn2l5wXUWSzxtEvGIGh-A0yuudUwtHnOBRfy92mf1jGBm_fcLe2jLgBPHSGbPEZF065EPpLW95N7U2SI3CDxutotcZyAjq2skmMYwt7rOiN68ZADz7b0GeQyZQ9bnnf8q4LrCZedwi6Pv8E1thMkuE08Y=w400-h228" width="400" /></a></b></div><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">“My computer crashed this morning—I’ve never had that happened— so can we reschedule?” Dr Richard Gallagher, the world’s leading psychiatric consultant on demonic activity and author of <a href="https://bookstore.spiritdaily.com/products/br-free-shipping-demonic-foes-my-twenty-five-years-as-a-psychiatrist-investigating-possessions-diabolic-attacks-and-the-paranormal-richard-gallagher-m-d?_pos=1&_sid=f54d64942&_ss=r" style="color: #954f72;">Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal</a> was scheduled to be a guest on my TV talk show that day via zoom. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">“Is there a way you can get to another computer?” I asked. “The chief exorcist for the diocese of Washington D.C. Msgr. Stephen Rossetti is scheduled to follow your interview. I had wanted you both on the same show.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">“When I get to the hospital in a little bit, I’ll see if there’s a computer I can use ,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Dr. Gallagher called later explaining there was a computer at the hospital he could use. So, we went ahead as planned. However, problems continued. If you watch <a href="https://www.bek.news/ladiesofanotherview/2021-10-11/" style="color: #954f72;">Ladies of Another View with Dr. Richard Gallagher and Msgr, Stephen Rossetti</a>, it’s clear I’m killing time in the first segment. Even though Dr. Gallagher was unmuted on Zoom, we could not get the sound to work. We ended up in the second segment just putting him on the phone. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Msgr. Rossetti’s interview went off without a hitch but when the show aired thirty-minutes later as it always does, it kept blacking out and there was no sound. Technicians could not figure out the problem. We had to re-air it another day. By then, everything worked fine. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Had the devil caused interference? That’s my guess. It was an especially powerful opportunity since the show is secular, reaching a wide audience with a message the devil certainly did not want people to hear. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Mental Illness Different from Demonic Activity<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9swvakk1YGcn0Ii9gZa0Y5ra-UidK2CIYTcl9evneYxTOLufVqycxKxEs49JVV72_Wdnogp4mLpz814YlwFIFC7JPpx11pbjSzWAl1hQbAxeQ2TsSQsJxqx4ENOr8QEI3DYpDgRst-biN0RgkCAERp1SCCzNHLbI4tdc89VbCbSmM_17NtEf9gMTk=s766" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="766" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9swvakk1YGcn0Ii9gZa0Y5ra-UidK2CIYTcl9evneYxTOLufVqycxKxEs49JVV72_Wdnogp4mLpz814YlwFIFC7JPpx11pbjSzWAl1hQbAxeQ2TsSQsJxqx4ENOr8QEI3DYpDgRst-biN0RgkCAERp1SCCzNHLbI4tdc89VbCbSmM_17NtEf9gMTk=w400-h196" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">As a psychiatrist, Dr. Gallagher recognizes the criteria to look for such as an evil spirit being able to speak foreign languages or having superhuman strength or levitating. “It’s something very different than mental illness,” he explained. “With oppression, you are going to see something completely out of the ordinary that you are not going to be able to explain by mental illness.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">He told the story of Julia—a pseudonym for an actual patient. “She was a [satanic] high priestess and she was, according to the two exorcists who worked with her and then consulted me, the most flamboyant case they had ever seen, and these were very experienced guys…. I had about nine people tell me that she had levitated during the exorcism and spoke foreign languages that she had no way of knowing.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Dr. Gallagher also shared personal experiences. “Our cats went wild one night; this was the day I was going to meet her. When she came to meet me—and I had never met the woman before-- she said: ‘How did you like those cats last night?’ <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">“Perhaps the spookiest thing was I was talking to the exorcist on the phone, and I had to say, ‘Father, I cannot come to witness this exorcism’….The voice I had heard in her possessed trance—which she never remembered, by the way—all of a sudden came in on the telephone even though we knew she was a thousand miles away.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Dr.Gallagher shared that ultimately, the person who is possessed has to choose to turn to God if they are going to be delivered. Julie, in the end, was not willing to denounce the cult. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Msgr. Rossetti<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Next on the show was Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, the chief exorcist for the archdiocese of Washington D.C., a licensed psychologist, instructor at the Catholic University of America, and author of <a href="https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/diary-of-an-american-exorcist?utm_source=Affiliate%20Patti%20Maguire%20Armstrong&utm_medium=Diary%20of%20an%20American%20Exorcist&utm_content=AffiliatePattiMaguireArmstrongDiaryofanAmericanExorcist" style="color: #954f72;">Diary of an American Exorcist: Demons, Possession, and the Modern-Day Battle Against Ancient Evil</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">He shared that exorcists help people from all faiths. Even an atheist came to him recently. Her mother had demonic problems before her, and a priest liberated her. So, when she had trouble, she came to Msgr. Rossetti. “I said to her, I want you do know we are going to be praying in the name of Jesus, and she said okay. That’s how we do things.” He said that the woman walked in an atheist and when she left she told him: “Well, I think there’s something here.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Are there more cases these days? “Well certainly exorcists are swamped—I am swamped,” Msgr. Rossetti answered. He blamed people not practicing the faith anymore. “The faith is our protection,” he said.“If you want to protect yourself, go to Mass, go to confession, hold onto Mary’s mantle.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Msgr. Rossetti warned: “People dabbling in occult stuff is an invitation to Satan.” He noted that curses can sometimes have a real effect, because people are calling on Satan’s power thereby aligning themselves with him. But being in the sacraments and praying offers protection. “They are cursing me like crazy, but God protects me. If he didn’t protect us, every exorcist in the country would be dead.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">For anyone suspecting demonic activity, Msgr. Rossetti tells them to start by going to their parish priest and asking for deliverance prayers over them. Most people are not possessed, he said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Msgr. Rossetti pointed to abortions and any wrongful death as demonically inspired. He also says one of the first signs of demonic oppression is something we are seeing in our country: violence, terrorism, anger, and discord.“We are seeing an increase in violence against the Church,” he noted.“These kinds of things were rare when I was a kid.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Msgr. Rossetti gave a blessing of protection at the <a href="https://www.bek.news/ladiesofanotherview/2021-10-11/" style="color: #954f72;">end of the show</a>, advised us to do reparation for sins and to: “Ask our Blessed Mother to spread her mantle over this country and pray and live a holy life.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span></span></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-82053613337875601332022-01-11T19:52:00.007-08:002022-01-20T01:24:16.826-08:00Conquer the Devil’s Division<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjANPhb5vG46QWIOdvxNIg418e_iliYHMzMmqRe5OzOOUK6SpXYqCQRCtLfjuidazxQbLv4uPn_UB7DDXDIpXteQJc31Kr8Pw4AbFzBAFYAVsV4AFYsdRAAw5WPgEQbpiN_h4QesUbqbrn2_IKq5ZdqEQsxFi9lMdHsHhDetvjCjg6FKvH3DoWOdsPl=s960" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjANPhb5vG46QWIOdvxNIg418e_iliYHMzMmqRe5OzOOUK6SpXYqCQRCtLfjuidazxQbLv4uPn_UB7DDXDIpXteQJc31Kr8Pw4AbFzBAFYAVsV4AFYsdRAAw5WPgEQbpiN_h4QesUbqbrn2_IKq5ZdqEQsxFi9lMdHsHhDetvjCjg6FKvH3DoWOdsPl=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The divisiveness in our culture is contaminating families. Exorcists point to the devil as dividing and oppressing us. I am shocked at some of what I am seeing in families.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> There’s always been evil forces at work since Adam and Eve, but the anti-Christian spirit certainly gained a foothold through the notorious <a href="https://www.catholicleague.org/netflix-features-atheist-ohair-2/" style="color: #954f72;">Madalyn Murray O'Hair</a> who forced prayer out of public schools. Recall that once students across the country began their day praying to God. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">To digress a moment: O’Hair, dubbed “The Most Hated Woman in America” founded American Atheists in 1963 sued her son’s school for requiring Bible readings, took it all the way to the Supreme Court and won her case that same year. Prayer became outlawed in schools. A ray of light is that the</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> very son, William J. Murray, became a Baptist minister and founded the </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><a href="https://religiousfreedomcoalition.org/" style="color: #954f72;">Religious Freedom Coalition</a> Religious Freedom Coalition, defending Christianity from people like his mother. It’s a story of hope amid our cultural unraveling. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The Catholic Church has been a beacon of light, holding fast to teachings on the sacredness of sex and marriage but within have been enough wolves in sheep’s clothing to cause crises in the Church with sin and scandal. And of course, confusion. So even within the pews, what is right and what is wrong has become contentious.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">From an evil perspective, once God and his annoying teachings are out of the way, our culture can portray things like killing babies, distorted sexual behaviors and the occult as good. Satan has risen to power on many fronts, according to every exorcist I’ve ever interviewed, not because he has upped his game but because more people are willing to play it. The world is the devil’s playground while Satan and his minions work tirelessly to keep people from entering heaven, the place they rejected by rejecting God’s authority. Eternity in hell is their final un-resting place where they want us all to join them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The devil wants to convince us that the wrong people are the enemy. What I am personally witnessing in families with loving Christian parents is the divisiveness spoken in Scripture. “They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law,” Luke 12:53. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I once thought that was just describing early Christianity when pagans persecuted Christians, sometimes to death. Or in oppressive countries where Christianity is persecuted. But it’s here among us in the U.S. too. I’m not just hearing about it from a distance, but also seeing it up close in several families with adult children who have rejected values and even cut off communication with parents despite other siblings who dearly love their parents. I find it quite bizarre and most unexpected having known many of these estranged adults as children. Clearly, the unraveling of our culture is also unraveling families. The devil is very real and when he gets God out of the way, he gains an upper hand. It makes sense that ostracizing family members is part of that ploy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Perhaps there are areas needing forgiveness--seems there always are. I cannot know what is behind every story, but I know that the devil divides and Jesus unites. In the end, spiritual protection can best obtained by staying in a state of grace as we pray for others, seeking to love others, forgive always, go deeper in prayer and devotions, put our families, Church, and culture into God’s hands, and trust that “Thy will be done.” Call on Jesus and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy often. Spend time in adoration and entrust everything unto the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Also, the rosary, as so many saints attested to being a great spiritual power, brings our mother into the battle. We trust that our heavenly mother wants to keep her family together. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> A book full of powerful prayers put together by an exorcist is <a href="https://bookstore.spiritdaily.com/collections/spiritual-warfare/products/br-deliverance-prayers-for-use-by-the-laity-fr-chad-ripperger" style="color: #954f72;">Deliverance Prayers for Use by the Laity</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">For 119 titles on Spiritual Warfare, go</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><a href="https://bookstore.spiritdaily.com/collections/spiritual-warfare" style="color: #954f72;">here.</a></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> I</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px; text-indent: 0.5in;">f you question just how real and powerful the devil is in our world, two excellent books are: </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://bookstore.spiritdaily.com/search?q=demonic+foes" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Demonic Foes: My Twenty-FIve Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Posessions, Diabolic Attacks and the Paranormal</a> and </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/diary-of-an-american-exorcist?utm_source=Affiliate%20Patti%20Maguire%20Armstrong&utm_medium=Diary%20of%20an%20American%20Exorcist&utm_content=AffiliatePattiMaguireArmstrongDiaryofanAmericanExorcist" style="color: #954f72;">Diary of an American Exorcist</a>. And for great advice for families is <a href="https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/family-guide-to-spiritual-warfare?utm_source=Affiliate+Patti+Maguire+Armstrong&utm_medium=Family+Guide+to+Spiritual+Warfare&utm_content=AffiliatePattiMaguireArmstrongFamilyGuidetoSpiritualWarfare" style="color: #954f72;">Family Guide to Spiritual Warfare</a>.</span></p><p style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;">~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-46646130885023102542021-12-10T05:26:00.006-08:002021-12-10T05:28:23.004-08:00 Our Lady of Loretto; Miracle of her House<p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO6oUqpQPOZ424p4ra9u4gw6KvA2LLQIWwtnR9o26ZCoa9sPDPeqOxGfLJNIExpQsW7JRE1Ly4JVIJJ1lsjr3LmLylsGeE0KJT15Iq4HM-YIf-w2cEXEseuab1BvETxTyuA5q2JEGefdyiByeGk_Dm8FbVO7jH4M2oR1AQDmRJdWk8LMKYPcJmsVmi=s246" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="205" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO6oUqpQPOZ424p4ra9u4gw6KvA2LLQIWwtnR9o26ZCoa9sPDPeqOxGfLJNIExpQsW7JRE1Ly4JVIJJ1lsjr3LmLylsGeE0KJT15Iq4HM-YIf-w2cEXEseuab1BvETxTyuA5q2JEGefdyiByeGk_Dm8FbVO7jH4M2oR1AQDmRJdWk8LMKYPcJmsVmi=w333-h400" width="333" /></a></div><br /><br /><span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The simple stone house in which the Virgin Mary was born, received the message of an angel at the Annunciation, and lived with the Holy Family, is believed to be in the town of Loretto, Italy. To the marvel of scientists, the House of Loretto disappeared from Nazareth and moved to Croatia and then later to three spots in Italy in a way that defies human explanation. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">According to historians, after thirteen centuries in Nazareth, on May 10, 1291, the house of the Holy Family disappeared overnight, completely undetected, confounding the community. It is believed to have been carried by angels first to the town of Trsat, an area in modern day Croatia. It baffled the townspeople there, for how could a house simply appear overnight? It is remarkable to know that just three years later, Muslim’s invaded the land around Nazareth and ransacked everything. Surely the house would have been destroyed. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (September 8, 1774 – February 9, 1824) reported that among her mystical experiences was a reoccurring vision of the Holy House carried over the sea by seven angels. Historical, scientific and archeological evidence attests that there is no other logical explanation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Four Stops<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Father Donald Calloway, Vocation Director for the Marians of the Immaculate Conception and an author of five books on the Rosary, visited the House of Loretto four years ago. “You get a sense of this being an extraordinary relic and that you are in a very holy place,” he said in an interview. “It’s almost overwhelming, like a spiritual generator.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Father Calloway wrote about the House of Loretto in his newest book </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><a href="https://www.fathercalloway.com/books-and-gifts/consecration-st-joseph-wonders-our-spiritual-father" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">. He explained the path it took before its last resting place in Loretto. The house’s first stop was in Trsat Coratia. Villagers were amazed and noted it had no foundation. After three years, it disappeared again on December 10, 1294, leaving only an outline of the spot it had been. To this day, a monument marks that spot.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">From there it was taken across the Adriatic Sea to the town of Piceno, Italy. It was there for only eight months as robbers began stealing from the pilgrims. In August 1295, the house disappeared yet again and reappeared on a hill near Picano. But the two brothers who owned the land, fought over ownership and also exploited tourists for financial gain. So near the end of December 1295, the holy house was taken to its final location in Loreto. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The History<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">A year later after the house appeared in Loretto, the Catholic Church appointed sixteen envoys to investigate. They visited Loretto, Croatia, and Nazareth. At all locations, the measurements of the house were exactly the same with absolutely no discrepancies. In 1469, The Basilica della Santa Casa (</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Basilica of the Holy House</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">) was built over the Holy House where it still stands today, attracting approximately four million pilgrims annually. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Many saints have visited both before and after it moved. Biographers of Saint Francis of Assisi, wrote that he visited the house in 1220 in Nazareth, and Saint Louis, King of France visited it on the feast of the Annunciation in 1251. Other saints that visited include Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Charles Borromeo, Saint Francis Borgia, Saint Aloysius Gonzga, and Saint Therese of Lisieux.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">An inscription from the sixteenth century on the eastern façade of the Basilica reads: "Christian pilgrim, you have before your eyes the Holy House of Loretto, venerable throughout the world on account of the Divine mysteries accomplished in it and the glorious miracles herein wrought. It is here that most holy Mary, Mother of God was born, here that she was saluted by the Angel, here that the eternal Word of God was made Flesh….”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Scientific Evidence<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0f; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">A scientific study undertaken by Professor Giorgio Nicolini was presented at a conference </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">organized by the “Amici del Timone” Cultural Center in Staggia Senese, Italy<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0f;"> held on April 24, 2015. His talk was titled “The Story of the Incredible Move of the House of Mary of Nazareth to Loretto.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Nicolini pointed out the impossibility of transporting the house over sea completely restored given the poor technological resources of the time. He cited the existence of many documents and eyewitness accounts and noted that the chemical composition of the house’s stones, wood, and mortar are unique to the region of Nazareth and non-existent in all of Italy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Detractors have claimed that a wealthy family had dismantled the house and transported it brick by brick at the request of the Crusaders then rebuilt the house in Loreto. “Such an operation, with the transportation conditions of the thirteenth century, would have been a more miraculous feat than the angelic translation,” Nicolini said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Pope Francis was one of almost 50 other popes who have visited or written about the house. He prayed at an altar built into the house <span style="background-color: white; color: #3e3e3e; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 2019</span>. Then in October, he designated December 10 on the universal calendar as the feast of Our Lady of Loretto. The decree stated that this new feast day “will help all people, especially families, youth and religious to imitate the virtues of the perfect disciple of the Gospel, the Virgin Mother, who, in conceiving the head of the Church also accepted us as her own.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i> </i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-40998786353837005752021-10-31T19:30:00.015-07:002021-11-01T04:39:09.378-07:00The Secret Padre Pio Told Only to Pope John Paul II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CgDmjyicfiw/YX9Q0Qjqo8I/AAAAAAAAEh0/KHRbhRMl-w8s9BmjL40PD9GzY8t3yjZVACNcBGAsYHQ/s313/Unknown-1.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="161" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CgDmjyicfiw/YX9Q0Qjqo8I/AAAAAAAAEh0/KHRbhRMl-w8s9BmjL40PD9GzY8t3yjZVACNcBGAsYHQ/w206-h400/Unknown-1.jpeg" width="206" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span><span>All Saints Day this year is also the 75<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the priestly ordination of St. Pope John Paul II (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005). </span></span><span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">On the eve of this momentous day, I picked up my copy of <a href="https://www.osvcatholicbookstore.com/product/100-ways-john-paul-ii-changed-the-world" style="color: #954f72;">100 Ways John Paul II Changed the World</a> by Patrick Novecosky. St. Pope John Paul's 27 years as pope began while I was in college in 1978, so I witnessed that he did indeed change the world. <span></span></span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I have a portrait of him in my bedroom and often ask his intercession.<span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I was intrigued to read in Novecosky’s book of a meeting that St. John Paul had with another of my beloved saints—St. Padre Pio (May 25, 1887 – September 23, 1968), an Italian Franciscan Capuchin priest who was a stigmatist, mystic, had the gift of reading souls, healing, and bilocation. The two spiritual powerhouses would become friends and first met in 1947, shortly after the future pope, Fr. Karol Wojtyla was ordained. Padre Pio’s fame had spread far and wide after he received the stigmata in 1918 at the age of thirty-one. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Fr. Wojtyla made a week-long pilgrimage to visit Padre Pio in his Italian town of San Giovanni Rotondo. Imagine that day, while unbeknownst to them, Fr. Wojtyla would one day become Pope and beautify his holy friend in 1999 and canonize him in 2002. Or did they know? Some people suspected that on that day, Padre Pio had whispered to Fr. Wojtyla that he would become Pope. The rumor persisted for decades. After his election to the papacy, however, Pope John Paul II clarified that Padre Pio had said no such thing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sojOgZ8YmXY/YX9SAumfhkI/AAAAAAAAEh8/KtIxjtx4BdotRZ34bcUYF44gt1R9VB8IgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1920/fra-Pio-e-don-Karol.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sojOgZ8YmXY/YX9SAumfhkI/AAAAAAAAEh8/KtIxjtx4BdotRZ34bcUYF44gt1R9VB8IgCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/fra-Pio-e-don-Karol.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Instead, the holy Capuchin had shared a secret that he had told no one else. Novecosky quoted from a Catholic Herald article: “When Fr. Wojtyla asked Padre Pio which one of his wounds (from the stigmata) caused him the most suffering, Padre Pio divulged, ‘it is my shoulder wound, which no one knows about and has never been cured or treated.’ …Fr. Wojtyla was the only person that Padre Pio ever told about this most painful and bloody wound.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Novecosky explained further: “During a visit to Rome in 1962, Archbishop Wojtyla learned that one of his polish friends was dying. He wrote to Pio asking his intercession. The letter was hand-delivered to the friar, who reportedly replied, ‘I cannot say no to this request.’ Eleven days later, Wojtyla sent Pio a second letter thanking him for his intercession: ‘The lady who was ill with cancer was suddenly healed before entering the operating room.’”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">According to Novecosky, when John Paul canonized St. Pio in 2002, he noted that the holy friar’s “spiritual fruitfulness can be found in that intimate and constant union with God, attested to by his long hours spent in prayer and in the confessional. He loved to repeat, ‘I am a poor Franciscan who prays, convinced that ‘prayer is the best weapon we have, a key that opens the heart of God.’”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">How blessed we are by these two saints and all the others who can intercede for our intentions. May we follow their holy examples and use that same weapon of prayer to open the heart of God. St. Pope John Paul II, St. Pio and all you holy men and women, pray for us!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span> <span> <span> <span><span> ~~~~~~</span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-42896403922005198512021-10-15T09:48:00.007-07:002021-10-31T21:29:19.738-07:00How a Little-known Apparition in Belgium is Renewing Lives<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><o:p><span></span></o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rfVvO9oWaYc/YWmt58fw7_I/AAAAAAAAEhA/Y01GlZwlonchB6vzdJsBHM0GdQeDWIhowCNcBGAsYHQ/s259/Unknown.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rfVvO9oWaYc/YWmt58fw7_I/AAAAAAAAEhA/Y01GlZwlonchB6vzdJsBHM0GdQeDWIhowCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/Unknown.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0.5in; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> In 1933, as the stage was being set for World War II, our Blessed Mother appeared in Banneux, Belgium. She came as a messenger of peace and mother of the poor; inviting each person to care for his brothers and sisters, the lowliest, and the suffering. I knew nothing of these apparitions until this past June when I witnessed the effects—a divine chain reaction— sparked by the apparitions that inspired a priest who changed the lives of untold thousands. </span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0.5in; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">My husband and I had taken a side trip from our pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe to visit Girlstown in Chalco, Mexico. It is part of 18 different schools in 7 countries run by the Sisters of Mary. They feed the children physically, spiritually, and provide healing opportunities from many issues including past sexual abuse. Children are being renewed in these villages, mind, body and spirit and in turn renew their families and the Church. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The sisters go to the poorest villages finding children who want to come with the permission of their families. To date, 150,000 have graduated and 20,000 more are being cared for currently. When students graduate, they are offered scholarships to universities or trade schools. The goal is that they will then lift up their own families and others has they have been lifted. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrXUlRYTMto/YWmu-iqGOoI/AAAAAAAAEhM/uDlH4rLH3TEGObRkyoqkJXaumgEFOGD8QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1200/Sr.-Yardira-web-921.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrXUlRYTMto/YWmu-iqGOoI/AAAAAAAAEhM/uDlH4rLH3TEGObRkyoqkJXaumgEFOGD8QCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Sr.-Yardira-web-921.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Kevin Wells, a fellow author and friend, had shown me a </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngCiTSH2QmU" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">video</a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> of his time there while researching the biography of the founder, Venerable Fr. Aloysius Schwartz. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;">In Chalco, I glimpsed the miraculous impact of Our Blessed Mother’s apparitions in <a href="https://catholicexchange.com/how-marys-belgian-apparition-speaks-to-us-today" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Banneux</a><span style="color: black;"> through the overwhelming love and joy and sheer immensity of the operation. H</span>er messages had touched Fr. Al<span style="color: black;">, a Washington, D.C. native who often visited the site in the mid-1950s as a seminarian studying theology at Louvain Catholic University in Belgium. In a chapel at the site one evening, he vowed to spend the reminder of his life serving the poor as a servant of Our Lady of Banneux who identified herself as the Virgin or the Poor. He began in Korea with war orphans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif;">“On December 8, 1957, in war-decimated Korea, he looked into the faces of poor children and for the first time saw that ‘eyes burned with a fierce, scared, hunted-animal expression.’” Kevin Wells wrote in the biography<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><a href="https://www.ignatius.com/Priest-and-Beggar-P3830.aspx" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><i><span style="color: #4472ca;">Priest and Beggar: The Heroic Life of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz</span></i></a><em><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif;">.</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal;">“It haunted him, so he worked at its removal.”</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nl0MZ_AZHgg/YWmvZxbuDqI/AAAAAAAAEhU/_dx0tYNFQWYMRfq_0F0eEhJYL3V9dH1IwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Fr-Al-with-korean-children-BW-scaled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nl0MZ_AZHgg/YWmvZxbuDqI/AAAAAAAAEhU/_dx0tYNFQWYMRfq_0F0eEhJYL3V9dH1IwCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h270/Fr-Al-with-korean-children-BW-scaled.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif;">Fr. Al’s vow grew into World Villages and the founding of the Sisters of Mary and an order of brothers who dedicate their lives to the children, bringing the light of Christ into precious souls throughout South and Central America and the Far East. <span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;">Our Lady’s Visit to Banneux<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif;">In 1933, the Blessed Virgin visited two different cities in Belgium. Her 33 apparitions in Beauraing, Belgium received by 5 children, ended on January 3<sup>rd</sup>. Two weeks later, on January 15, twelve-year-old Mariette Beco peered out the kitchen window and saw a beautiful lady glowing in the evening darkness. <span> </span>A woman in white stood in the garden and called to her to come out, but her mother would not let her. She is described as a young lady in the yard smiling at her. The woman was bent slightly forward and wearing a long white gown with a blue sash, and a transparent white veil. Three days later the woman in white reappeared and told Mariette she was the “Virgin of the Poor." <span> </span>The lady appeared eight times in all on January 18, 19, 20, February 11, February 15, February 20, and March 2, 1933. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><a href="https://www.ourladyspromise.org/our-lady-of-banneux.php" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">Our Lady'sPromises.org</a><span style="color: #222222;"> shares a timeline of the apparitions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;">In Banneux, Mary renewed the Beauraing message when she told the children to pray, pray very much, pray always. Through Mariette, Mary asked many times to pray very much. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif;"><br />Miracles and Signs</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif;">In <i>Priest and Beggar</i>, Wells explains that during the second apparition, Our Lady beckoned Mariette to come outside. Her father followed as Mariette ran outside to follow the lady. He watched his daughter thrust her hands into a cold spring which he had never noticed on their property before.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> <span style="color: #222222;">Mary told Mariette that the spring was set apart for her (Mary), for all the nations, and for the sick. Mary had said in Banneux, “I come to relieve the sick” and “I come to relieve suffering.”<span> </span>She also told Mariette, “Have faith in me…I shall trust you…pray earnestly.” (Today, the small spring yields about 2,000 gallons of water a day with many reports of miraculous healings.) <span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif;">“The Beco family did not attend Mass until after the apparitions,” Wells wrote in the article,<span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><a href="https://catholicexchange.com/our-lady-of-banneux-the-village-priest-and-vow-that-changed-the-world" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">Our Lady of Banneux: The Village, Priest, and Vow That Changed the World</a><span style="color: #222222;">. “Her father, a baptized Catholic, had not been to Church in years and had no use for religion. God was not a part of the household. The young Mariette had been enrolled in religious instruction for First Communion but did so poorly that she dropped out of the classes. January 15th, the first day of the apparition, was a Sunday, and Mariette’s family did not attend Mass that day. Despite her living situation, Mary chooses this girl to receive a heavenly message. Many people, including Mariette's father, were converted to Catholicism upon hearing accounts of the apparition.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;">Mariette’s claims were investigated from 1935 to 1937 by an episcopal commission. <span> </span>In May 1942, Bishop Kerkhofs of Belgium approved the apparitions in 1949.<sup> </sup><span> </span>After the apparitions, Mariette married and led a quiet family life.<sup> </sup><span> </span>A small chapel stands where the <i>Virgin of the Poor</i> requested it to be built. Mariette died on 2 December 2011, at the age of 90. <span> </span>Five hundred thousand pilgrims visit the site of the apparitions every year. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif;">According to the <a href="https://www.worldvillages.org/news-events/blog/because-of-mary-fr-al-reached-for-becos/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">World Villages website</a>, Fr. Al had consecrated his life to Mary and offered to suffer for her as Her own Son once did. When he began the Sisters of Mary order in 1964, he asked them to suffer for the poor as well. “The whole drama of the apparitions is to draw the child from her home, from herself, and to Christ,” Fr Al once told a gathering of Sisters. “The way is prayer and penance … This type of love demands great sacrifice, great mortification. He told them that that they must “be a living mirror who reflects Our Lady of Banneux and show the world what she is like and what her thinking is.” </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 3.75pt 0in 13.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;">Fr. Al refashioned his life after the apparitions to change the lives of many tens of thousands of poverty-stricken children. What he accomplished is beyond human efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 3.75pt 0in 13.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif;">Kevin Wells also has been deeply affected by our Virgin of the Poor. He left his job with his family’s business to work full-time spreading the mission of Father Al and World Villages for Children and the message of Our Lady of Banneux. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">To become a part of Father Al’s <span> </span>surrender to Our Virgin of the Poor: </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 3.75pt 0in 13.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://www.worldvillages.org/pray/" style="color: #954f72;">Pray for the poor</a>.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://www.worldvillages.org/" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4472ca;">WorldVillages.org</span></a><span style="color: black;">.</span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"><span> <span> <span> </span></span></span> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fz-bOHt0xVbwwIe2LIkuPofb9TVryz2z/view?ts=613d4fd9" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4472ca;">Watch this video to learn more about Kevin Wells</span></a><span style="color: black;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span> <span> </span></span>To book Kevin as a speaker, visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><a href="https://thepriestsweneed.com/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4472ca;">ThePriestsWeNeed.com</span></a><span style="color: black;">.</span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BaDVTjC3mpI/YWmwhxMrH4I/AAAAAAAAEhk/S0pfym_uT3UPbi5P2uUNxvkKG36HhOrgQCNcBGAsYHQ/s286/Unknown-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BaDVTjC3mpI/YWmwhxMrH4I/AAAAAAAAEhk/S0pfym_uT3UPbi5P2uUNxvkKG36HhOrgQCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h246/Unknown-2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;">~~~~~~~~</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i> </i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-80626136873135471322021-06-11T06:05:00.006-07:002021-06-11T06:08:09.675-07:00 Pray the Rosary! It Drove Communism Out of Brazil<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SV_gZ7_7DjQ/YMNe6sRSRFI/AAAAAAAAEf0/-QAcvjTsWbcbeF7Or2JYhvam_bTJguRAACNcBGAsYHQ/s279/Unknown.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="279" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SV_gZ7_7DjQ/YMNe6sRSRFI/AAAAAAAAEf0/-QAcvjTsWbcbeF7Or2JYhvam_bTJguRAACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h260/Unknown.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The rosary is a spiritual weapon of mass destruction, leaving sin in its wake and laying the ground for miracles, conversions, and victories over evil, attained by Jesus through the intercession of his mother. It is the prayers of the life of Christ through Mary—just as he chose to come to us through his Incarnation. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">There’s a reason that the Blessed Mother told us in many of her apparitions to pray the rosary daily. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Stories of prayers answered through the rosary abound. One of my favorites</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> is how praying it drove out communism in Brazil.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">On March 19, 1964, Catholic women of Brazil picked up their most powerful weapon—the rosary—and drove communism from their country. The oppressive President Joao Goulart had appointed many communists to positions of leadership. Humble, faithful women understood the power of the Blessed Mother’s intercession and formed rosary groups. They showed up at political rallies and drown out speakers by loudly praying the rosary. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The event which took place in the city of Belo Horizonte during a communist rally was written about in Father Donald Calloway’s book, </span><a href="https://www.fathercalloway.com/books-and-gifts/10-wonders-rosary" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">10 Wonders of the Rosary</span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">. President Goulart had orchestrated a rally there, calling for a communist revolution in Brazil. The archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal de Barros Camara, went on national radio pleading with people to live the Fatima message in order to overcome the communist threat. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">“President Goulart was so enraged by the archbishop’s message that he insulted the people of Brazil in a public speech and ridiculed the rosary, saying that it was the communist ideas that would reform and save Brazil, not the rosaries of simple women,” Father Calloway explained.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Those were fighting words that fired up the prayer warriors. They showed up to the rally in Belo Horizonte which was led by the president’s brother-in-law and expected to be the biggest one yet, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Father Calloway wrote: “As it was taking place, more than 20,000 women marched into the streets with rosaries in their hands to engage in spiritual battle! They marched right into the midst of the communist rally and prayed the rosary so loudly that they shut it down.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Six days later, on March 19, more than 600,000 people marched through the streets of Sao Paolo praying the rosary. It was called the “March of the Family with God toward Freedom.” Even non-Catholics joined in. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Within two weeks on April 1, a military coup deposed President Goulart who then fled the country. In thanksgiving for the victory, the people of Brazil organized another march in gratitude to Our Lady and her rosary. It was held the very next day, April 2, through the streets of Rio de Janeiro and called the “March of Thanksgiving to God.” Over one million people participated. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>~~~~~~~~</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i> </i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;">To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-30898773284026722332021-05-01T10:38:00.005-07:002021-05-02T04:25:58.812-07:00A Sports Writer’s Extra Innings After Becoming Legally Blind<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fSB05gsP4ak/YI2RkoyaowI/AAAAAAAAEck/b6R4UBxI0ugoFIPjgKdZ0qTxu_f65Y2cgCNcBGAsYHQ/s275/images.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fSB05gsP4ak/YI2RkoyaowI/AAAAAAAAEck/b6R4UBxI0ugoFIPjgKdZ0qTxu_f65Y2cgCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><i style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> This story by Hal McCoy is taken from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EPZ124/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=raiscathkids-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=27ac35ff13523d9cc54dec577ff3f229&creativeASIN=B004EPZ124" style="color: #954f72;">Amazing Grace for Survivors</a>. The Hall of Fame Sportswriter shared how he managed to keep covering baseball after becoming legally blind. </i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><i><span></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The first time it happened was an August night in 2000. I was walking up to the press box in St. Louis’s Busch Stadium, where the hometown Cardinals were playing the Cincinnati Reds, the baseball team I’ve covered for the</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><i style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Dayton Daily News</i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">for the last 31 years. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Suddenly, everything went blurry in my right eye. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I couldn’t make out the people next to me. I rubbed my eye, figuring the blurriness would go away.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6lJALPAe5Y/YI2RT2FgzaI/AAAAAAAAEcY/olZ0QKzH1RUaAUPWuOQxuPJt_n-Yd6pEgCNcBGAsYHQ/s259/images-1.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6lJALPAe5Y/YI2RT2FgzaI/AAAAAAAAEcY/olZ0QKzH1RUaAUPWuOQxuPJt_n-Yd6pEgCNcBGAsYHQ/s0/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">It didn’t. I managed to report the action that game using just my good eye. To do my job, I had to see everything that happened on the field, from the swagger after a home run hitter’s swing to the spin a pitcher puts on his deliveries. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Back at home, my wife Nadine went with me to a specialist. “There’s good news and bad news,” he said. The bad news is the vision in your right eye is never going to get better. The good news is that there’s only a fifteen percent chance of it happening in your left eye.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">It’s amazing how quickly your body adjusts. My left eye compensated for the right one—immediately. Though I’d lost 50 percent of the vision in my right eye, I barely noticed. By the end of the season I had all but forgotten my problem.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Two years passed. Good years. My three boys were fine men. Nadine and I were as deeply in love as two people can be. In December 2002, I learned I would be inducted into the writer’s wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame—the highest honor a baseball writer can receive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">In a few weeks I would be headed to Sarasota, Florida, where the Reds would begin training for the coming season. One morning downstairs, Nadine was getting ready for work as a math teacher at a Catholic school. I got up from bed and everything was dark and fuzzy. I felt my way down the hallway stairs and into the kitchen. Nadine was a blur. “Honey,” I said, my voice quivering, “it’s here. I got it in my left eye too.” I started sobbing. All I could think of was<i>, My career is my life. What am I going to do?</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Nadine drove me straight to the ophthalmologist. “Look,” he said. “You have your wife, your sons and you’re in good health otherwise. You’re strong enough to handle this, Hal.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I wasn’t so sure. We left the doctor’s office and headed to the <i>Daily News</i>. I had to tell the sports editor, my boss, Frank Corsoe, that I was through.We walked into his office. I handed him the doctor’s report. “I’m going to have to retire,” I said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">“Don’t let this thing beat you,” Frank said. “We’ll help you. Go down to Sarasota with the team next month. See if you can do it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">My first day in Sarasota I went directly to the ballpark. I knew the Reds clubhouse like the back of my hand. I looked around. Now the players were just fuzzy shapes. I stood in the doorway in a daze. Aaron Boone, then the Reds third baseman, came over to me. “What’s wrong?” he asked. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">“I can’t do my job,” I said. “I can’t see. I have to quit.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Aaron grabbed me by my arm. “I don’t want to hear you use the word quit again,” he said. “The guys in this clubhouse will help you any way we can. But you’ve got to help yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I agreed to stick it out a few more days. It wasn’t easy. I would walk through the clubhouse and knock things over. At night, I called Nadine and poured out my frustrations. “Things are going to get better. You just have to believe,” she assured me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">But they didn’t get better. The Reds played day games in Florida. I couldn’t see where the ball was hit or the print on my computer screen. One day it took me seven hours to write a story that normally would have taken me two hours to bang out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I called my editor. “I want you to promise me something,” I said. “If my writing isn’t up to snuff, tell me. I don’t want to be carried.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">“You can do this, Hal,” Frank reiterated. He arranged to get me a laptop computer with enlarged type onscreen. One of my colleagues, Bob Nightengale, wrote a story about my battle. I started getting emails from readers who said they were praying for me. They begged me not to quit, said that without my stories their mornings wouldn’t be the same. I can’t tell you how those people lifted my spirits, especially their prayers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Near the end of spring training I went to Tampa. The Reds had a night game against the New York Yankees. We got there late in the afternoon. I interviewed some players and then walked onto the field. The late afternoon glare was blinding. A <i>New York Post</i> writer, Kevin Kernan, had to lead me upstairs to the press box. I looked at the field. All I could make out were shapes moving around.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I bowed my head. <i>Help me, Lord. Can I do this anymore? Help me see the truth</i>. I looked up. The sunset. The glare disappeared, and the stadium lights were on. I couldn’t believe it. For the first time since coming to Florida, I could make out the players on the field and the words on my computer screen. Not well, but enough to get by. Well enough to do my job. It struck me: The Reds play most of their regular-season games at night under these same arc lights. I would soldier through the few games played in bright sunshine. My press box colleagues would help. I grabbed a phone and called Nadine. “I can do this!” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">At the end of spring training the Reds returned to Cincinnati to start the season. My editor arranged for a driver to take me to the ballpark every game. “Your work has been great,” Frank said. Sometimes I think my reporting has gotten better. Losing my eyesight has made me a better listener. I am more attuned to what players are feeling and to the subtle rhythms of the game. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">[In July, 2003] I was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame. As I stood at the podium, I thought, <i>Maybe God is showing me there’s a purpose in this.</i> So I told the audience what my setback brought home to me: “Don’t ever give up on yourself. Don’t ever give up on something you love.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">In a near-unprecedented sports writing career covering half a century and over 25,000 bylines, Hal McCoy shared his story in, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Real-McCoy-Half-Century-Cincinnati/dp/1939710146" style="color: #954f72;">The Real McCoy: My Half Century with the Cincinnati Reds</a><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>~~~~~~~~~~</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i> </i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #2e2e2e; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span face="calibri, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">Follow Patti on</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pattimaguirearm/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #420178;">Pinterest</span></a></span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">, like her pages at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HolyHacksForHeaven/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Holy Hacks</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-God-Books/408965465853890?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Dear God Books</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Hearted-Families/264110283657354?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Big Hearted Families</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-News-Inspiration/262347720490238" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Catholic News & Inspiration on Facebook</span></a>, and</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Patti-Maguire-Armstrong-Writer-627903954039503/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #320065;">her author Facebook page</span></a>. To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-62274625953855039002021-04-10T20:15:00.006-07:002021-04-10T20:55:20.806-07:00Listening for God, Conference<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CB54RwgVKN0/YHJo0h5sbhI/AAAAAAAAEb8/BZxbfxDx8ikXQZbQ4C4Kzw2D6FHT1LwOACNcBGAsYHQ/s960/Multiple%2BSpeakers%2Bw%2BTomeo%2B%2526%2BPatti%2BArmstrong.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CB54RwgVKN0/YHJo0h5sbhI/AAAAAAAAEb8/BZxbfxDx8ikXQZbQ4C4Kzw2D6FHT1LwOACNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Multiple%2BSpeakers%2Bw%2BTomeo%2B%2526%2BPatti%2BArmstrong.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="color: #075b3a; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 32px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 27px;">Learn How To </span></h1><h1 style="color: #075b3a; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 32px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 27px;">Listen For God </span></h1><h1 style="color: #075b3a; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 32px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://catholicspeakers.regfox.com/listening-for-god-conference?registrants.source=Armstrong#faith" style="font-weight: normal;">Register here for FREE!</a></h1><h1 style="color: #075b3a; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 32px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></h1><p style="caret-color: rgb(6, 6, 6); color: #060606; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 16px; text-align: center;"><strong style="color: #075b39; font-family: "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 28px;">Friday, April 16 - Sunday, April 18, 2021<span></span></strong></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><div style="font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">You are invited to the LISTENING FOR GOD conference. 50+ of the best Catholic speakers will give short talks about hearing God in our everyday lives. Register</span><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><a href="https://catholicspeakers.regfox.com/listening-for-god-conference?registrants.source=Armstrong#faith"><span style="color: #993222; text-decoration: none;">here</span></a> for the free conference. You can also consider a Premium Pass to access all talks and discussions for the rest of the year. I hope you will join us! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 558px;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 0in;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;"> Sample of Talks:</span></i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 558px;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 0in;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Listening For God Through Scripture</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Recognizing the Interior Movements God Gives Us</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Listening For the Will of God</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">The Saints Reveal the Voice of God</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">God Speaks to Us in Suffering</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Forgiveness & Healing in Marriage</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Listening to God in the Voice of the Unborn</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">The Power of the Rosary & How to Pray it More Deeply</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Mary the Model of Prayer</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Hearing God in Difficult Events</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Iconography: Saintly Inspiration</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Listening For God in Silence</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Prophetic Voices in the Contemporary Church</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Recognize the “God-incidences” All Around Us</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Praying the Rosary Like Never Before</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">God is In Her, She Will Not Fall</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Listening For God Through Lectio Divina</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Being Touched By an Angel</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Using a Prayer Challenge To Quiet Your Mind & Jumpstart Your Shattered Confidence</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Finding Hints of the Divine in Novels</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Listening to God Through the Wounds of the Heart</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Hearing a Word from God</span></i><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;"></span></i><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Recognizing God through the Physical World Around You (Based on St. Thomas Aquinas' </span></i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Summa Theologica<i>)</i></span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Symbol; 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border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px none transparent; padding: 0px 11px 0px 10px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="fusionResponsiveContent" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 579px;"><tbody><tr><th class="fusionResponsiveColumn" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px none; font-size: 0px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0; width: 11px;"><img border="0" class="css-fisw11" src="https://ui.icontact.com/assets/1px.png" style="display: block;" width="1" /></th><th class="fusionResponsiveColumn" data-fusion-class="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px none transparent; font-weight: normal; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s; width: 171px;" valign="top"><div data-aqa="block-image" style="overflow: hidden;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 171.890625px;"><tbody><tr><td class="null" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px none; padding: 0px 0px 20px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; 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color: black; width: 579px;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 0in; width: 8.25pt;" width="11"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 0px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 1pt;"> <img height="1" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/47bdc54b-d8b9-41d4-919d-5cf6f70369b4" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2" width="1" /><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style="padding: 0in; width: 418.5pt;" valign="top" width="558"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div align="center"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 558px;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 0in;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">The </span><b><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Listening For God VIRTUAL Conference</span></i></b><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;"> seeks to encourage and inspire Christians in their journey with God. Expect to be energized and motivated to move toward a richer relationship with Christ through...</span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">— Lessons From Powerful Personal Testimonies</span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">— New Scriptural Insights</span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">— Practical Steps For A Deeper Prayer Life</span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">— A Closer Look At The Lives Of The Saints</span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">This conference will highlight how God reaches out to us. You will hear from top Catholic authors, Biblical scholars, evangelists, and theologians to help you rise above the noise and chaos of the world and discern what God is trying to say to you right now. </span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">Note: This event is being hosted by </span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://"><span style="color: #075b3a;">Teresa Tomeo</span></a></span><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://"><span style="color: #075b3a;">Catholic Speakers Organization</span></a></span><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://"><span style="color: #075b3a;">Sophia Institute Press</span></a></span><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;"> is offering a 25% discount on Teresa Tomeo's latest book, </span><i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-size: 14pt;">Listening For God: Discovering the Incredible Ways God Speaks To Us</span></i><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;"> to all those that register for this conference. Learn more when you register at </span><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://"><span style="color: blue;">ListeningForGodConference.com</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #060606; font-size: 14pt;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>~~~~~~~~</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-70601829494123081632021-03-22T21:05:00.002-07:002021-03-22T21:08:11.202-07:00Fulton Sheen’s 50-Year-Old Prophecy About Today<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> <span> <span> </span></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span><span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSPKAPwPQPo/YFloK0I6jkI/AAAAAAAAEbk/cdo_Onw4CW4I1aOR9qvZkK889WbVXiG4gCNcBGAsYHQ/s230/Unknown.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="230" height="381" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSPKAPwPQPo/YFloK0I6jkI/AAAAAAAAEbk/cdo_Onw4CW4I1aOR9qvZkK889WbVXiG4gCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h381/Unknown.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></span></span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;">Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen mesmerized audiences. He was not afraid to speak the truth. More importantly, people were not afraid to hear it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">His inspirational American television series, </span></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Life is Worth Living</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> ran on the Dumont Television Network from February 12, 1952, to April 26, 1955, then on ABC until April 8, 1957. Archbishop Sheen’s talks are timeless and prophetic such as </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-l4_x6yGgk&feature=youtu.be" style="color: #954f72;">one of his talks</a></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> transcribed below that addresses the world we live in today.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Our nation is too full of those who are crying “down”—Down with the Police! Down with the churches! Down with teachers! Down with government! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Can you build anything down? You can’t. It’s time in our nation to change our words. And let’s begin to use the word up. Up from all of this filth. Up from all of this violence. Up from this indifference of courts. Up to eternity. Up, up to God.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">There’s a new kind of violence sweeping our country, our schools, our streets…it involves the destruction of everything that is in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Elitism, a dominant minority that makes a lot of noise and uses violence to influence others. They only know what they are against and not what they are for…destroy property, burn homes, do anything to enforce their will. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Satanism is behind it too. The world is built on order. There is a plan so that scientists are able to discover the laws of the universe. And in discovering the laws of the universe, men find harmony. This harmony had to come from somewhere. The essence of satanism is the destruction of that order. The order of law, the order of humanity, the order of religion, the order of ethics… of anything. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Before the flood in the book of Genesis we read: “And in the days of Noah, there was violence upon the earth.” All of the violence that happens within our country is a fever graph. It points to a decay in our civilization. How are we going to get out? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">I’ll tell you one thing, we have to realize maybe why the eagle is our symbol. The eagle always builds its nest always in the mountain crevices. When the mother pushes the young eagles out of the nest down out of the nest to what must seem like certain death, the mother swoops down the abyss and catches the young and flies up into the sky and repeats the process until the bird has learned to fly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Moses saw that when he wrote, “As the eagle stirs among the young, so God stirs among the nations.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"> Maybe God is stirring us, bringing us to the brink of danger in order that we might begin to examine ourselves and restore the dignity of man and belief in God. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> ~~~~~~~~</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span face="calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"><span></span></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">Follow Patti on</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pattimaguirearm/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #420178;">Pinterest</span></a></span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">, like her pages at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HolyHacksForHeaven/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Holy Hacks</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-God-Books/408965465853890?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Dear God Books</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Hearted-Families/264110283657354?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Big Hearted Families</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-News-Inspiration/262347720490238" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Catholic News & Inspiration on Facebook</span></a>, and</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Patti-Maguire-Armstrong-Writer-627903954039503/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #320065;">her author Facebook page</span></a>. To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-67203655811698714322021-03-08T10:35:00.009-08:002021-04-10T21:01:53.064-07:00 How to Actually Hear God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bW7Tcg9TP40/YEZsL0JYM2I/AAAAAAAAEaY/8UV8Wlx5I18gYJr3OJWZ8DUVxYWFDGtDwCNcBGAsYHQ/s509/istockphoto-1203218980-170667a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="509" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bW7Tcg9TP40/YEZsL0JYM2I/AAAAAAAAEaY/8UV8Wlx5I18gYJr3OJWZ8DUVxYWFDGtDwCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/istockphoto-1203218980-170667a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">I’ve never felt God has communicated directly with me. </span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">I have heard that sentiment from several people. <i>But isn’t that just the way it’s supposed to be?</i> I once thought.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #001320; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #001320; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">Yet</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">, there are all those evangelical types who say, “God told me…” describing a literal conversation. I had answers to prayers and inspirations that I attributed to God, but I avoided claiming that he specifically told me anything. Until one morning…</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #001320; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">It was a usual weekday; waking up and preparing to rouse the children for another school day. <i>What is Cheryl Oris doing?</i> The question popped into my mind. She was a childhood friend I had not seen since our family moved away when I was in second grade. Given my usual active mind, even though I had no curiosity about Cheryl’s whereabouts, the question did not seem unusual.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">These days, you can easily track people down on the Internet….except wait…she’s probably married and probably has a different last name now. </span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">With that dead end, I got on with my day, not giving it another thought. Until the mail arrived that morning. Among the envelopes was one from my sister Colleen which contained a newspaper clipping from a Dearborn, Michigan weekly newspaper. “I thought you’d find this interesting,” she wrote at the top. It had a picture of a woman with her name in the caption stating that she was receiving a teaching award. Colleen had circled the last name and wrote next to it, “That’s Cheryl Oris’s married name.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">Wow! There were no odds. None. The question posed to me earlier that morning was answered in the newspaper clipping. I reprocessed the earlier moment and realized the question had come from outside of me. “So that <i>is</i> you, God,” I said, thinking of other times when heavenly messages had arrived seemingly from outside of myself. One example was in a college social work class, The topic was child abuse. I contemplated how I could <i>possibly</i> feel a shred of Christian love for anyone depraved enough to intentionally harm a child. The command to “Love your neighbor as yourself,” seemed unreasonable in that context. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">Those adults you have contempt for were once the children you have so much love for</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">. That realization came to me from outside of my own thoughts. Child abuse tends to be cyclical so the damage done to a child is frequently repeated in their adult life. Of course it can never be condoned, but I suddenly had a perspective that enabled me to love them as a child of God—albeit damaged and in need of help and legal measures. I could at least now pray for them and feel some level of Christian love. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">There were other such moments that I recalled with new insight. I have come to understand that the closer we walk with God, the better we hear him. It’s about talking with God often, especially in prayer, listening to his word through Scripture, and sincerely desiring to do his will, even when it’s difficult. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">An example of hearing God even when it’s difficult happened over 15 years ago when my husband Mark and I accepted a teenage AIDS orphan from Kenya into our family of 10. We were asked by a missionary if we would take him in. We prayed for God’s will. Every hurdle was overcome so it felt like an internal compass strongly pointing in that direction despite my own fears. On the day that I picked up our Kenyan son from the airport (my husband was on a work trip) a sudden, unexpected feeling of peace washed over me as I drove out of the airport parking lot. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KZ8biLRrr-I/YEZtxpSo3nI/AAAAAAAAEao/958UIGzy8qQyOI-VTg3MsWvAqQCMoH_GQCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mary%2527s%2BWedding.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KZ8biLRrr-I/YEZtxpSo3nI/AAAAAAAAEao/958UIGzy8qQyOI-VTg3MsWvAqQCMoH_GQCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/Mary%2527s%2BWedding.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2019, Immediate family plus 1 brother-in-law</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">Three years later his younger brother joined us. In that case, after some initial resistance, I agreed over the phone with Mark to accept him then ended the conversation to go to morning Mass. I was spacing out and not focused but the words from the first reading suddenly cut through my reverie: “For in you the orphan finds love and compassion…” Hosea 14:3. God was surely speaking to me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">The oldest son is now a medical doctor and the younger one served 4 years in the Marines, works for the government and is getting an MBA. Both were big blessings to our family in ways we could not have imagined. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">I have shared other stories of how God has spoken to me in Teresa Tomeo’s book, </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;"><a href="https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/listening-for-god?utm_source=Affiliate%20Patti%20Maguire%20Armstrong&utm_medium=Listening%20for%20God&utm_content=AffiliatePattiMaguireArmstrongListeningforGod" style="color: #954f72;">Listening for God: Discovering the Incredible Ways God Speaks to Us</a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">. She and others shared their own moments when God spoke to them clearly. It is not about seeking the supernatural but rather about being open to it, which was the inspiration behind my own book, </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;"><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;">. By walking with the Lord in everyday life, we go deeper into our faith and actually expand our capacity for hearing God speak to us. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="color: #075b3a; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 32px; margin: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 27px;">Learn How To </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 27px;">Listen For God at the "Listening for God" virtual conference.</span></h1><h1 style="color: #075b3a; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 32px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><a href="https://catholicspeakers.regfox.com/listening-for-god-conference?registrants.source=Armstrong#faith" style="color: #993222; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Register here for FREE!</a></h1><h1 style="color: #075b3a; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 32px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p></h1><p style="caret-color: rgb(6, 6, 6); color: #060606; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 16px; text-align: center;"><strong style="color: #075b39; font-family: "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 28px;">Friday, April 16 - Sunday, April 18, 2021 </strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.3333px;"><a name="more" style="text-indent: 0px;"></a></span></p><div style="font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><p></p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><span style="color: #075b3a; font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;">Access every talk all year with a premium pass. Learn more when you register at </span><span style="color: #060606; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="about://"><span style="color: blue;">ListeningForGodConference.com</span></a>.</span><div><span style="color: #060606; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(6, 6, 6);"><br /></span></span><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>~~~~~~~~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span face="calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">Follow Patti on</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pattimaguirearm/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #420178;">Pinterest</span></a></span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">, like her pages at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HolyHacksForHeaven/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Holy Hacks</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-God-Books/408965465853890?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Dear God Books</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Hearted-Families/264110283657354?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Big Hearted Families</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-News-Inspiration/262347720490238" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Catholic News & Inspiration on Facebook</span></a>, and</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Patti-Maguire-Armstrong-Writer-627903954039503/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #320065;">her author Facebook page</span></a>. To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-44373080550878266712021-01-30T12:39:00.007-08:002021-03-22T21:09:03.637-07:00 The Jesus Kiss<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><span> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SORmTjsw7Uk/YBXDYc-4WcI/AAAAAAAAEZs/-oIKiU_kS8cIgHjvBqiKCboDHT4gQ1nuACNcBGAsYHQ/s800/altar-boy-priest-religious-ceremony-52163824.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="800" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SORmTjsw7Uk/YBXDYc-4WcI/AAAAAAAAEZs/-oIKiU_kS8cIgHjvBqiKCboDHT4gQ1nuACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h265/altar-boy-priest-religious-ceremony-52163824.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> This story happened 21 years ago between Pbro José Rodrigo López Cepeda and a young altar server named Gabriel. The priest stated on his Facebook page: “It has been published on many platforms is no longer mine. It is of all who make it theirs because the great protagonist is ‘Jesus ‘ in Gabriel and that kiss that many would like to perceive.” Here is what happened in his own words. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> Six months after being ordered, my bishop sent me to run a parish; I had to replace a priest who had been there for over 30 years, so I noticed the coldness of the inhabitants of this place. The task was hard but fruitful and I wouldn't have had this much success without the help of a little boy named Gabriel. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The second week after I got there, a young couple with their very special (Down Syndrome) son introduced me to him. They asked me to accept him as an altar boy. I thought about rejecting him not because he was a child with different abilities but because of all the challenges when I started my ministry at this place. But I couldn't say no because when I asked him if he wanted to be my Altar boy, he didn't answer me, but he hugged me very tight. What a way to convince myself.<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I made an appointment for next Sunday. Fifteen minutes before the Mass, he was there punctually with his red cassock and alb that his grandmother had handmade for the occasion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">I must add that his presence brought me more parishioners because his loved ones wanted to see him make his altar boy debut. I had to prepare everything necessary for the Mass. I didn't have a sacristan or a bell ringer so I had to run from one place to another, and it wasn't until the Mass began that I realized Gabriel didn't know how to help with Mass; because of the rush, I had to say: ′′Gabriel, you have to do everything I do, okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">A child like Gabriel is the most obedient child in the world, so we started the Mass and when we embraced the altar, the little one stayed attached to it. In the homily I saw that the parishioners smiled as they watched me, which made my young priestly heart happy, but then I realized they weren't looking at me but at Gabriel who was always trying to mimic my moves. In short, this is one of the details of this first Mass with my new Altar boy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">When I finished I told him what to do and what not to do and among other things I told him the altar can only be kissed by me. I explained to him how the priest joins Christ in this kiss. He looked at me with his big interrogating eyes without understanding the explanation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">And, without taking in what I told him, he said to me, ′′ Come on, I want to kiss him too." I said to him again and explained why. Finally I told him I would do it for both of us. It seemed like he was satisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">But the next Sunday, when Mass started and I kissed the altar, I saw how Gabriel laid his cheek on it and left the altar with a big smile on his little face. I had to tell him to stop doing this. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">At the end of the Mass, I reminded him: “Gabriel, I told you I'd kiss Jesus for both of us.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">He replied, ′′ Father, I did not kiss Him, He kissed me."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Seriously I said to him, ′′Gabriel, don't play with me." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">He replied, ′′ Really, He filled me with kisses!"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The way he told me filled me with a holy craving; As I closed the temple and said goodbye to my parishioners, I approached the altar and laid my cheek on it asking. ′′Lord, kiss me like Gabriel."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">~~~~~~~~</span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span face="calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">Follow Patti on</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pattimaguirearm/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #420178;">Pinterest</span></a></span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">, like her pages at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HolyHacksForHeaven/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Holy Hacks</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-God-Books/408965465853890?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Dear God Books</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Hearted-Families/264110283657354?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Big Hearted Families</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-News-Inspiration/262347720490238" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Catholic News & Inspiration on Facebook</span></a>, and</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Patti-Maguire-Armstrong-Writer-627903954039503/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #320065;">her author Facebook page</span></a>. To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-73138291297083981582021-01-15T05:33:00.004-08:002021-01-21T02:28:42.086-08:00 #1 Podcast in U.S. is by a Priest<p><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ugip-d0IZh4/YAGY1klsmXI/AAAAAAAAEYw/6IM3XAUfsZYo3PVuTT7rBHc4RS8_QOAtwCNcBGAsYHQ/s284/Unknown.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="249" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ugip-d0IZh4/YAGY1klsmXI/AAAAAAAAEYw/6IM3XAUfsZYo3PVuTT7rBHc4RS8_QOAtwCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h249/Unknown.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">How did a priest with a Bible study beat out every other podcast in the country, even ahead of everything the secular world has to offer? That’s not just hopeful; it’s amazing! <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Within 48 hours of its January 1 launch, </span><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><a href="https://bit.ly/34ll6kz" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="color: #0070c0; text-decoration: none;">The Bible in a Year </span></i><span style="color: #0070c0; text-decoration: none;">(with Fr. Mike Schmitz ) </span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #00233c; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">skyrocketed to the</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> #1 spot on Apple’s Top Shows in all categories and remains there as of this writing. <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #00233c;">Fr. Mike Schmitz is </span></span><span style="color: #00233c; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">a </span><a href="https://media.ascensionpress.com/category/ascension-presents/fr-mike-schmitz/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">longtime podcaster</span></a><span style="color: #00233c; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">who directs the young-adult ministry in the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #00233c; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">“</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">We've been at the top of the charts since Jan 2, and have over 4.3 million downloads and over a quarter million people have signed up for the reading plan,” according to Lauren Joyce, Public Relation Specialist for Ascension Press, publisher and sponsor of the podcast and Great Adventure Bible. “It's a moment for Catholics to be proud, and to engage the larger culture with questions: Why now - with all the suffering in our culture - are more people searching for Scripture? How on earth is a religious podcast doing so well on the secular charts?”</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">In <i>The Bible in a Year</i> podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz, goes through the entire Bible in 20-25-minute daily episodes and also provide reflection and prayer. The podcast format allows users to access it on their smartphones and listen however it best fits into their day. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The reading plan was developed by Catholic Bible scholar </span><a href="https://media.ascensionpress.com/category/ascension-podcasts/the-jeff-cavins-show/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Jeff Cavins</span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">who created the </span><a href="https://bit.ly/3oXIpJ1" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Great Adventure</span></i></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">®</span><a href="https://bit.ly/3oXIpJ1" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> Bible Timeline.</span></i></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">He organized the 73 book of the Bible into the 14 narrative books within 12 periods to help understand the salvation story. In a news release, Fr. Schmitz credited the program with changing his own relationship with God’s Word calling it, “probably the most </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 30pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">significant Bible study that I’ve ever been a part of.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Bible Timeline </span></b><a href="https://bit.ly/34ll6kz" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px; text-decoration: none;"> </span></b></a><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Although Catholics have a reputation for not reading their Bibles, that has been changing in recent years. It’s been a trend reflected in a growth of Catholic Bible studies. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The </span><a href="https://bit.ly/34ll6kz" style="color: #954f72;"><i style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px; text-decoration: none;"> Bible in a Year</span></i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px; text-decoration: none;"> </span></a> <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #00233c; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">podcasts can be accessed immediately, but the huge interest for the <i>Great Adventure Bible</i> means new orders are backlogged until May. I am fortunate to already have one. I’ve been using it ever since 2019 after writing the article, <a href="https://legatus.org/news/catholics-can-fall-in-love-with-the-bible" style="color: #954f72;">Catholics Can Fall in Love with The Bible</a> for </span><a href="https://legatus.org/legatus-magazine-2" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Legatus Magazine</span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">After 12 years as a Protestant pastor, Cavins returned to the Catholic faith in 1995, wanting to ignite the same love for Scripture in Catholics he had witnessed among born-again Christians. “After Bible college, I knew the individual stories, but I wanted to wrap my mind around the whole story,” he explained. When the idea came to him in 1985 to create a color-coded chronological chart based on <i>mnemonics</i>(“memory devices”) to make it easy to understand and remember, he spent the next 48 hours in a whirlwind of activity, not even stopping for sleep. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ELhzF2RcxkU/YAGZOlttgqI/AAAAAAAAEY4/G2vA2Pgf_ZI5zQrNWc0eu9-Z6F69169TACNcBGAsYHQ/s1800/Jeff_speaking_RGB.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1800" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ELhzF2RcxkU/YAGZOlttgqI/AAAAAAAAEY4/G2vA2Pgf_ZI5zQrNWc0eu9-Z6F69169TACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/Jeff_speaking_RGB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Once it was developed, Cavins kept it at his desk for personal use, but whenever staff or other pastors became aware of it, they asked for copies. “I realized that I had stumbled on a key that got people excited,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Cavins returned to the Church in 1995, and the next year introduced his <i>Great Adventure Bible Timeline</i> to Franciscan University of Steubenville where he taught. That same year, fellow professor Dr. Scott Hahn teamed up with him to film “Our Father’s Plan,” a 13-week series for EWTN Television based on the timeline.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">A Wider Audience</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">In 2003, while Cavins spoke at a conference using his Bible timeline, Matthew Pinto was in the audience filling his notebook with notes. “Oh my gosh, this could change the Church,” Pinto told him after the talk. As the president and founder of Ascension Press, he made Cavin’s </span><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/collections/the-bible-timeline-the-story-of-salvation" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Bible Timeline</span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">accessible on a large scale. It has since helped millions of people read and understand the Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">“There is something in the very DNA written into Scripture that brings about transformation in our hearts and mind,” Pinto explained. “I want people to experience what I have experienced through the Bible. In fact, we are all living the salvation history story right now –from Creation and Adam and Eve, all the way to me sitting in my office today.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">According to Cavins, we can get personal guidance from God using Scripture especially through using the four steps of Lectio Divina: to read, meditate, pray, and contemplate passages. “It’s also a marvelous source for coming to know the theology and the economy of God,” he said. “The economy of God means getting to know the heart of the Father and His plan for your life. Scripture gives us a foundation on which we can trust God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"> </span></i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Wherever a person is on his faith journey, Cavins encourages people to simply “jump in” and read the Bible. “God wants you to know Him even more than you want to know Him,” he said. “The only way our life makes sense is in relationship with God’s stories. You’ll find your story in His story.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">~~~~~~~~~</span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span face="calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">Follow Patti on</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pattimaguirearm/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #420178;">Pinterest</span></a></span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">, like her pages at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HolyHacksForHeaven/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Holy Hacks</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-God-Books/408965465853890?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Dear God Books</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Hearted-Families/264110283657354?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Big Hearted Families</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-News-Inspiration/262347720490238" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Catholic News & Inspiration on Facebook</span></a>, and</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Patti-Maguire-Armstrong-Writer-627903954039503/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #320065;">her author Facebook page</span></a>. To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402898485770395507.post-60781355382206616962020-12-30T04:34:00.007-08:002021-01-21T02:30:04.228-08:00 850th Anniversary of Saint Thomas Becket’s Martyrdom<p> <span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WIZjb4i_PE0/X-xzStFp9qI/AAAAAAAAEYg/coKWBMI_YlgjmhoAHyFyizjIT3jCInI2gCNcBGAsYHQ/s1200/4091.jpg.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WIZjb4i_PE0/X-xzStFp9qI/AAAAAAAAEYg/coKWBMI_YlgjmhoAHyFyizjIT3jCInI2gCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/4091.jpg.webp" /></a></div><span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Today is the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket on December 29, 1170. Thomas Becket was a statesman, a scholar, a chancellor, a priest, an archbishop, and a lion of religious liberty. Before the Magna Carta was drafted, before the right to free exercise of religion was enshrined as America’s first freedom in our glorious Constitution, Thomas gave his life so that, as he said, “the Church will attain liberty and peace.”<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The son of a London sheriff and once described as “a low‑born clerk” by the King who had him killed, Thomas Becket rose to become the leader of the church in England. When the crown attempted to encroach upon the affairs of the house of God through the Constitutions of Clarendon, Thomas refused to sign the offending document. When the furious King Henry II threatened to hold him in contempt of royal authority and questioned why this “poor and humble” priest would dare defy him, Archbishop Becket responded “God is the supreme ruler, above Kings” and “we ought to obey God rather than men.”</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Because Thomas would not assent to rendering the church subservient to the state, he was forced to forfeit all his property and flee his own country. Years later, after the intervention of the Pope, Becket was allowed to return — and continued to resist the King’s oppressive interferences into the life of the church. Finally, the King had enough of Thomas Becket’s stalwart defense of religious faith and reportedly exclaimed in consternation: “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?”</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">The King’s knights responded and rode to Canterbury Cathedral to deliver Thomas Becket an ultimatum: give in to the King’s demands or die. Thomas’s reply echoes around the world and across the ages. His last words on this earth were these: “For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.” Dressed in holy robes, Thomas was cut down where he stood inside the walls of his own church.</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Thomas Becket’s martyrdom changed the course of history. It eventually brought about numerous constitutional limitations on the power of the state over the Church across the West. In England, Becket’s murder led to the Magna Carta’s declaration 45 years later that: “[T]he English church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished and its liberties unimpaired.”</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">When the Archbishop refused to allow the King to interfere in the affairs of the Church, Thomas Becket stood at the intersection of church and state. That stand, after centuries of state-sponsored religious oppression and religious wars throughout Europe, eventually led to the establishment of religious liberty in the New World. It is because of great men like Thomas Becket that the first American President George Washington could proclaim more than 600 years later that, in the United States, “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship” and that “it is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.”</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">Thomas Becket’s death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an essential element of our liberty. It is our priceless treasure and inheritance. And it was bought with the blood of martyrs.</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">As Americans, we were first united by our belief that “rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God” and that defending liberty is more important than life itself. If we are to continue to be the land of the free, no government official, no governor, no bureaucrat, no judge, and no legislator must be allowed to decree what is orthodox in matters of religion or to require religious believers to violate their consciences. No right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions. As I declared in Krasiński Square in Warsaw, Poland on July 6, 2017, the people of America and the people of the world still cry out: “We want God.”</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">On this day, we celebrate and revere Thomas Becket’s courageous stand for religious liberty and we reaffirm our call to end religious persecution worldwide. In my historic address to the United Nations last year, I made clear that America stands with believers in every country who ask only for the freedom to live according to the faith that is within their own hearts. I also stated that global bureaucrats have absolutely no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that wish to protect innocent life, reflecting the belief held by the United States and many other countries that every child — born and unborn — is a sacred gift from God. Earlier this year, I signed an Executive Order to prioritize religious freedom as a core dimension of United States foreign policy. We have directed every Ambassador — and the over 13,000 United States Foreign Service officers and specialists — in more than 195 countries to promote, defend, and support religious freedom as a central pillar of American diplomacy.</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">We pray for religious believers everywhere who suffer persecution for their faith. We especially pray for their brave and inspiring shepherds — like Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong and Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu — who are tireless witnesses to hope.</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">To honor Thomas Becket’s memory, the crimes against people of faith must stop, prisoners of conscience must be released, laws restricting freedom of religion and belief must be repealed, and the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed must be protected. The tyranny and murder that shocked the conscience of the Middle Ages must never be allowed to happen again. As long as America stands, we will always defend religious liberty.</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">A society without religion cannot prosper. A nation without faith cannot endure — because justice, goodness, and peace cannot prevail without the grace of God.</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 29, 2020, as the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. I invite the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches and customary places of meeting with appropriate ceremonies in commemoration of the life and legacy of Thomas Becket.</span><span style="color: #a98860; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(169, 136, 96); color: #a98860; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;">~~~~~~~~</span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">For more inspiration check out Patti's latest book<i>: </i><a href="https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-887-3/Holy-Hacks/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><i>Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven</i></a><i>. </i>Other books include<i>: </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/big-hearted-inspiring-stories-from-everyday-families" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families</a> </span></i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: 14pt;">and the best-selling<i> </i></span><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://ascensionpress.com/search?q=amazing%20Grace%20&type=article,page,product" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Amazing Grace Series</a>.</span></i><span face="calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(169, 136, 96); color: #a98860; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 15.455999374389648px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">Follow Patti on</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pattimaguirearm/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #420178;">Pinterest</span></a></span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #0b0b0b; font-size: 14pt;">, like her pages at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HolyHacksForHeaven/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;">Holy Hacks</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-God-Books/408965465853890?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Dear God Books</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Hearted-Families/264110283657354?ref=hl" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Big Hearted Families</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-News-Inspiration/262347720490238" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Catholic News & Inspiration on Facebook</span></a>, and</span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #161616; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Patti-Maguire-Armstrong-Writer-627903954039503/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #320065;">her author Facebook page</span></a>. To receive articles in your inbox, enter your email in "Feedburner" in right column. God bless you!</span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 21pt 0in 0in;"><span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="color: #293340; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.33333206176758px;"><br /></span></p>Patti Maguire Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17289546250102333337noreply@blogger.com0