Welcoming The New Mass For Human Life

This is from Fr. Frank Pavone's
blog.

Not A Pleasant Read

I've recently read
"Drowning Anna"
by Sue Mayfield
(JHS-HS level)
I did not find this book to a pleasant read; it was, in fact, disturbing. Any book that
begins with a suicide attempt is bound to be disturbing, to say the least!
However, therein lies the book's merits; a book of this nature, on how far bullying
can go, how it can destroy a person, really OUGHT to be unpleasant and disturbing. After all,
such things should not be taken lightly. A light, fluffy book on this subject would have annoyed, no, infuriated me.
Minimal use of bad language, including one use of the "f" word; I, personally, could do without that!


This book was originally published in Great Britain as "Blue".
In my opinion, "Drowning Amy" is a much better title.

Sunday Reading

I'm not talking about the readings at Mass or in the
Liturgy of the Hours. What I'm talking about is my own Sunday reading.
On Sundays, (and that means from Evening Prayer 1 to Evening Prayer 2), I put aside whatever non-Catholic books I may be reading. On Sunday, I read only Catholic books from Catholic publishers, (or the Catholic imprints of mainstream publishers.)
The book can be fiction or non-fiction, but it absolutely MUST be something I'll want to carry into the next week. Dull, dry books are not welcome!
This may seem like a restriction, but it is actually an enhancement of the most beautiful, precious day of the week. And, as a bonus, I find that I enjoy the non-Catholic books all the more for having put them aside for those 24 hours.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Join me and other Catholic bloggers at
Sunday Snippets. Thanks to RAnn for hosting.

Semper Gaudete!: Horn: Setting record straight in dispute | Amarillo Globe-News

Semper Gaudete!: Books I'm Planning to Re-Read

Semper Gaudete!: Books I USED to Love

Semper Gaudete!: Treasures I Found While Looking For The Trapp Family Singers on YouTube

Semper Gaudete!: Let The Buyer Beware!

Semper Gaudete!: Prayer For Peace

Semper Gaudete!: Fr. Joseph Mary's Homily on EWTN

Semper Gaudete!: Singing Along???

Semper Gaudete!: Seek and You Will Find!

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Past Week

Books Read in the Past Week

[Books read for the first time are marked with a #]
"The Story of the Trapp Family Singers"
by Maria Augusta Trapp
(autobiography/biography, Catholic)


"Drowning Anna"#
by Sue Mayfield
(children's fiction)
{older children}
[I'm writing a post about this book, which will
be up one day next week.
Please be aware that I write mostly about my reactions
to the events and characters in a book.]

"First Term at Malory Towers"
"Second Form at Malory Towers"
by Enid Blyton
(children's fiction)

"the teen-ager's guide to
collecting practically anything"
by Norah Smaridge and Hilda Hunter
(non-fiction)
[I passed my teen years lo, these many years ago,
but I love books for teen-agers, and
I love to read about hobby collections.]

Seek and You Will Find!

I was looking for a painting of The Nativity to add to my collection. Sounds easy, doesn't it? After all,there are so many beautiful paintings of this event!
Ah, but I was looking for something a bit different; I wanted a painting with a
cat in it, because of the beautiful legend about how a tabby cat purred the newborn
Baby to sleep and was rewarded by Mary with the "M".
(That's a VERY short version of the story!)
Well, "Seek and you will find."
Here is the painting
I found. I think it is a purrfect addition to my collection!

Horn: Setting record straight in dispute | Amarillo Globe-News

Here is another article about Fr. Frank Pavone.

Horn: Setting record straight in dispute | Amarillo Globe-News

Singing Along???

This happened several months ago, but somehow I never got
around to blogging about it until now.
I was watching the morning Mass on EWTN, as usual. My cat, Winky, was on the carpet.
Well, the Recessional that day was "All Creatures Of Our God and King".
At the words, "Lift up your voice and with us sing", Winky lifted up his voice and
meowed!

Fr. Joseph Mary's Homily on EWTN

Here, as I promised, is Fr. Joseph Mary's homily from this morning's Mass on EWTN.




A couple of times, Fr. Joseph said "Pray for priests" when he meant to say, "Pray for peace". I really believe that The Holy Spirit was giving us a message through Fr. Joseph!

Prayer For Peace

Since His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, is in Assisi today, praying for peace, and has asked us to do the same, I'm going to be just a little bit lazy, and let St. Francis of Assisi write the most important part of this post. :)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

Let The Buyer Beware!

Remember those ads in the back of comic books? Back in the 1960s
I saw one for pieces of cloth cut from hotel sheets, and pillowcases used by The Beatles while they were touring America.
I did NOT buy one of those pieces of cloth, for several reasons.
1: I had no proof that these articles were authentic. Proof, to me, would have been actually
seeing a Beatle using the object in question.
2: A little piece of cloth could disappear very easily.
3: (My main reason) I'd MUCH rather spend my money on their RECORDS than on a piece of cloth!

Another time, my friend Jack (who was almost two years younger than I was) and I came across an ad, again at the back of a comic book, for "Hit Songs". Jack wanted to send for it, but I said,
"It says "Hit Songs", but it doesn't say "By the original artists." For all we know, it could be a bunch of recordings by some kindergarten band."
So neither of us sent for that record.
Of course, the offers may have been perfectly legit.. but then again...!!

Treasures I Found While Looking For The Trapp Family Singers on YouTube

I'm reading (not for the first time) "The Story of The Trapp Family Singers" by Maria Augusta Trapp, and so I decided to see if I could find any of their performances on YouTube. I do have some of their recordings stored on my computer, but I wanted something that I could share on this blog.
Well, during my search, I discovered that "The Sound of Music" was NOT the first movie about them. There was an earlier German movie, "The Trapp Family In America".
However, I wanted to find something by the real Trapp Family, not by actors portraying them, no matter how beautifully.
Well, I found a little gem!



And as if this weren't enough, I also came across, as a wonderful bonus, two clips of
Maria Augusta Trapp with Julia Andrews! And yes, they sing together!

Part 1


Part 2

Books I USED to Love

There are several books I used to love, and I mean absolutely LOVE, but I'm not going to read them again. These were books on astrology, reincarnation, and crystals; all subjects which fascinated me back in my New Age days.
Now, if I want to read about the stars, I'll read a book on astronomy. If I want to read about crystals, I'll read a book about mineralogy. And of course, I now believe in the resurrection of the body, NOT the reincarnation of the soul.
But don't get me wrong. I still believe very strongly in the New Age, and I always will. After all, it's what happens on every birthday, unless, of course, one chooses to emulate Jack Benny!

Books I'm Planning to Re-Read

Sometime in the near future, I plan to re-read:
Books in the series I'm already reading
The "Anne of Green Gables" series
(This time, I will use "The Annotated Anne of Green Gables"
when I read the first book)
The "Emily of New Moon" series
"The Story Girl"
"The Golden Road"
"Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" and "New Chronicles of Rebecca"
Louisa May Alcott's books.
(And there will be a post about two, maybe three, things I
do NOT agree with in "Little Women")
"The Moffats" series
The "Melendy Family" series
The "Joshua Cobb" books
The "Yada Yada Prayer Group" books
The "Ellie's People" series
The "Great Brain" books
The "Bruno and Boots" series
The "Penrod" books
(I love "Penrod", but I'm planning a post about the
racism in the books.)
{I may write those posts before I re-read those books!}
The "Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries" by Tamar Myers
(More for the humor than for the mysteries!)
[and there are some books in this series that I
haven't read yet.]
"Heidi"
"Heidi Grows Up"
"Heidi's Children"
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"
"How Green Was My Valley"
Enid Blyton's
"Naughtiest Girl"
(Again, I'm planning a post
about the first book in this series!)
"St. Clare's"
and "Malory Towers" books.
(That last is NOT a series about a girl
named Malory Towers. It's about a school by that name.
There have been additions, by other authors, to these three series;
maybe someday we'll see a book called "Mallory Towers at Malory Towers"!
Did I say "Near Future"??? Make that "Within the next six months!"
I could add even more books to this list, but instead I'll just say
"Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!"

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

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I'm giving this post top priority.
Semper Gaudete!: Help Keep Fr. Frank on the Virtual Road

Semper Gaudete!: Getting A Bit Ahead of Myself


Semper Gaudete!: Re-discovering a Serial from my Childhood


Semper Gaudete!:
Juggling Series

Semper Gaudete!: New Picture in my Collection

Semper Gaudete!: Mixed Feelings

Semper Gaudete!: Pro-Abortion Priest

Semper Gaudete!: An Artist I've Just Discovered

Semper Gaudete!: Not COMPLETE, But.....

Semper Gaudete!: Blessed John Paul II and the Luminous Mysteries


Semper Gaudete!: Not COMPLETE, But.....

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Past Week

Books Read in the Past Week

[Books read for the first time are marked with a #]

"jazz off-key"
"storm warning"
{"Blog On" series}
by Dandi Daley Mackall
(children's fiction, Christian [Protestant])

"Little Rhody"
"Somebody Special"#
"Secret Friend"#
by Neta Lohnes Frazier
(children's fiction, historical)

"Beany Has a Secret Life"
by Lenora Mattingly Weber
(teen fiction)

Blessed John Paul II and the Luminous Mysteries

In honor of the feast of Blessed John Paul II, and the month of the Holy Rosary, I am presenting this post, adapted and modified from a longer post in one of my old blogs.

When Blessed John Paul the Great added the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary in 2002, I was delighted, absolutely delighted. I had felt for a long time that there was too great a gap between the Fifth Joyful Mystery and the First Sorrowful Mystery. A BIG chunk of Our Lord's life on Earth was missing from our Rosary meditations.
Of course, many choose not to pray the Luminous Mysteries, preferring to stick to the traditional form, and that is their right. I, personally, believe that there will be a time when people will be surprised to learn that the Luminous Mysteries weren't always a part of the Rosary; they fit in so perfectly!

Not COMPLETE, But.....

As of today, my collection
has at least one picture for each Mystery of the Rosary, so now it will
be helpful to me when I pray the Rosary.

An Artist I've Just Discovered

One great thing about collecting pictures based on the Mysteries of the Rosary is that I can never run out of pictures to collect. There are so many classic paintings and new ones are being made all the time. After all, the subjects are inexhaustible.
I recently discovered a contemporary artist by the name of Simon Dewey, thanks to The Passionists of Holy Cross Province, from whom I received a packet of Christmas cards.
I have already added three of his paintings to my collection, and plan to add some more.
Wow! This post has three links in it!

Pro-Abortion Priest

Click here
.
A priest who speaks out in favor of abortion?
OUCH!
This priest is seriously misguided and needs our prayers.

Help Keep Fr. Frank on the Virtual Road

Click here.
Please share this wherever you can.

Mixed Feelings

I have mixed feelings about one of the books I am currently reading.
In "the teen-ager's guide to collecting practically anything" (title is in lower-case)
Norah Smaridge and Hilda Hunter write: "The whole point of making a collection is to end up with something of interest to others."
And here I thought that the point, if any, to a collection is to collect something I, myself, am interested in. I thought that collecting was a hobby, something done for one's own amusement and enjoyment at one's leisure.
This book, however, seems, so far, to be aimed at teen-agers who want to collect for profit.
On the plus side, there are some fascinating anecdotes, and the authors do mention some interesting things to collect. I enjoy reading about collecting just about as much as I enjoy
working on my own collection.
Would I have enjoyed this book when I was a teen-ager? As the saying goes, the jury
is out on that one.

New Picture in my Collection

To be honest, (why WOULDN'T I be honest, anyway???) I
debated with myself before adding this PICTURE to my collection. To me, Jesus looks like a sulky brat in this picture, and Mary and Joseph look ready to ground him for 18 years!
Then again, I must say that the painting has a very human quality.
Besides, how would most of us have reacted? I'm afraid that I, personally, would have said something like, "I'll 'Father's business' you, young man!"

Juggling Series

Right now, I am juggling several book series at the same time:
The Chalet School books
The Ramona books
The Lily series
The Beany Malone series
The Pollyanna series
The Caroline Years
[Little House]
The "Blog On" series
(one to go)
[I may have left out one or two!]
Of course, it could always be worse. I could be juggling balls, or, even worse,
eggs!

Re-discovering a Serial from my Childhood

I've started watching, on YouTube, a serial called "Annette", which I originally saw back in the 60s on "The Mickey Mouse Club".
I wonder if I'll enjoy it as much as, or perhaps more than, I did when I was a little girl.
After all, I am rather heavily into nostalgia.
The serial was based on the novel "Margaret" by Janette Sebring Lowrey, which I recently read.
She also wrote a book which has always been a great favorite of mine, "The Poky Little Puppy".
Ah, yes, I can almost see the heads nodding, and the smiles.
And, honestly, I like "The Poky Little Puppy" better than "Margaret."

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

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Semper Gaudete!: Exciting (I Hope!) Announcement

Semper Gaudete!: Based on the 23rd Psalm

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Past Week

Getting A Bit Ahead of Myself

I decided that my New Year's resolution for 2012 would be to
read at least one book a week that I haven't already read. But then I decided, why wait?
Why not start this week?
Oh, well! I still have 11 weeks to pick another resolution!

Books Read in the Past Week

"Pollyanna's Golden Horseshoe"
by Elizabeth Borton
(children's fiction)

"The House of the Fifers"
by Rebecca Caudill
(teen fiction)
[online, Open Library loan]

"What I Really Think Of You"
by M.E.Kerr
[teen fiction]

"grace under pressure"
"upsetting annie"
{"Blog On" series}
by Dandi Daley Mackall
(children's fiction, Christian [Protestant])

"The Story of a Soul"
by St. Therese of Lisieux
(autobiography, spirituality, Catholic)
[this book had a LOT to do with my conversion]


"Angel Unaware"
by Dale Evans Rogers
(biography, Christian [Protestant])

Based on the 23rd Psalm

I wonder exactly how many hymns there are based on
the 23rd Psalm. I added my own to that probably humongous list back in the 70s:

THE LORD, HE IS MY SHEPHERD

The Lord, He is my Shepherd,
And I am fully blessed.
To green pastures He brings me,
And there He lets me rest.

The Lord, He is my Shepherd,
And His love keeps me whole.
To still waters He leads me,
And there restores my soul.

The Lord, He is my Shepherd,
And I need never fear.
His rod and staff assure me
That He is always near.

The Lord, He is my Shepherd,
He gives me all I need.
He spreads a table before me,
And there He lets me feed.

The Lord, He is my Shepherd,
And He does all things well.
To His own House He'll take me
Forevermore to dwell.

Meter: 76 76

Even though I wrote these verses, this isn't my favorite hymn based on
Psalm 23. My favorite is "The King of Love My Shepherd Is".

Exciting (I Hope!) Announcement

Beginning today, there will be at least one new post on this blog every day.
And no, this post doesn't count.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

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Semper Gaudete!: Angel Prayer

Semper Gaudete!: Great Homily on The Rosary from Fr. Anthony Mary

Semper Gaudete!: This Was the PERFECT Day for It!

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Past Week

Books Read in the Past Week

"Little House In Brookfield"
"Little Town at the Crossroads"
[Little House: The Caroline Years]
by Maria D. Wilkes
(children's fiction, historical)
"Pollyanna's Door To Happiness"
by Elizabeth Borton
(children's fiction)

This Was the PERFECT Day for It!

Today, fittingly enough, I added several more pictures
to my Rosary Art Collection.

Great Homily on The Rosary from Fr. Anthony Mary, M.F.V.A.

From this morning's Mass on EWTN.
VERY uplifting story at the end of the homily.
Click HERE

Angel Prayer

Since today is the feast of our Guardian Angels, I'd like to
share something I wrote in the mid-70s.

ANGEL PRAYER

Holy Angel, sent to guard,
Watch over me night and day.
Guide me when my road is hard;
Keep me on the Lord's pathway.
Holy Angel, be my aid
In the trials this life brings.
Let me see no other shade
But the shelter of your wings.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Join me and other Catholic bloggers at Sunday Snippets. Thanks to RAnn for hosting

Semper Gaudete!: Baby Joseph Has Gone To Heaven

Semper Gaudete!: Little Things

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Past Week

Books Read in the Past Week

"In His Steps"
by Charles Monroe Sheldon
(Christian [Protestant] fiction)
[free Google e-book]

"The Home Has A Heart"
by Thyra Ferre Bjorn
(non-fiction, Christian [Protestant] themes,
anecdotes, recipes)
[October chapter]

"The Bound Girl"
by Nan Denker
(teen fiction, historical)
{One of my favorites, first read
when I was in junior high school}

Little Things

Re-posted from last year
I love this quote from my Patron Saint, Therese of Lisieux, whose feast we celebrate today:
"Pick up a pin for the love of God, and you may save a soul."
How right, how wise! We may not be called to do great things,but we can do the little, everyday tasks for the love of God, and then how great, how valuable those little tasks become.
No work is menial if it is done for the love of God.