Happy Birthday USA!

Our great country turns 234 today. May we remember the sacrifices and the blood, sweat and tears that went into making us great.

May we always remember that we are one nation UNDER God. And that if we truly are to be indivisible, we must rest and acknowledge the One who is indivisible. God protect us and guide us into another 234 years and beyond.

Immaculata, Pray for us!!

What's with Beauty?

This was a question that had been troubling me

so I asked my dear Lord, "What's with Beauty?"

He didn't tell me but directed me to another.

He said, "Ask Mary," His most beautiful Mother.

I thought this a bit strange, why would this be?

But I said, "Umm, Mary... teach me about Beauty."

And right then and there it dawned on my soul,

and the words that she taught me made my heart whole.

She said, "Come to adoration and kneel down to pray,

keep your eyes fixed on Jesus whatever you say,

but notice the monstrance all beauty ornate,

it shines with the splendor of the heavenly gate.

Precious jewels and gold fit for a king,

enticing your eye making you sing."

"It surrounds Beauty in beauty so He can be adored -

Child! I AM THE MONSTRANCE I hold up the Lord!

It was my life's sole purpose and it's still what I do,

I gave him to shepherds, I give him to you.

"I show him off to the world for all to see,

always pointing inward so you look past me.

I use my beauty and strength, my gifts and my charm
so you'll only see the divine Child in my arms.

You're captured by Beauty, drawn in to the One

who died and then rose and now shines like the sun."

"Momma," I said, "what do I do with these graces?"

"Be the smile," she said, "that illumines dark places.

Be a good steward of your talents and gifts

pointing toward Jesus so He won't be missed."

And now I'll pass on her final commission.

It goes for me and for you and for every good Christian.
Now it's your turn, consider this your duty:

You become the monstrance- Let's save the world with Beauty!

--(Author: Unknown to me)

Thanks Mom

To my mother:

Thank you for choosing life. Thank you for all that you do and have ever done sacrificing your time and your self and your ambitions for me and my siblings. Thank you for spending time with me when I was little and forming me into the man I am today. You still have a big effect on me, mom, even if you don't realize it. There is nothing that I can say or do to truly express my gratitude for you.

I love you.

The Church as Mother

To fully grasp what I am aiming for as I continue to post and update this blog is to truly come to an understanding of my faith through the eyes and with the full support of the Church. What makes this endeavor easier is because I am operating within the guidelines of the Church. To have that is true freedom.

What I mean by that is this: think about kids on a playground. They are running about and going every which way and they could run off anywhere at anytime with no notice and get lost or hurt. Now think about that playground with a fence surrounding it. There is little to no danger anymore about running amok. There is little chance to get hurt or lost. The freedom that comes with knowing that you are safe is what is truly liberating. I can do pretty much anything as long as I stay within the "fence."

This is not just any "fence", mind you, but the one that gives the most freedom. Granted there are a lot of "playgrounds" out there to choose from and not all of them are truly what they seem. What makes my "playground" different is that it has the "fence" and it has a supervisor, my Mother, to oversee what goes on. It's easy to pick out which one that I am going to go to play at everyday.

(I hope all this playground anology is making some sense. Stay with me, I am going somewhere with this.)

Because I have the consent and the blessing from my Mother, I am able to get the most out of my experience and the most out of my day. My Mother loves me and wants the best for me. I trust Her and I know that She will not lead me on the path of destruction or let me get hurt.

It's good to have a Mom like that.