On the Feast of St. Ignatius, Reflecting on the Writing of two Wise Jesuits

I've shared one of my favorite books before, Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence. It's a 
very short work composed of excerpts from the writings of two 17th century Jesuits, Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint Jure and St. Claude de La Colombiere, spiritual director of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. This little gem has become a regular companion for morning prayer. I finish it; and I begin again. And every reading is fresh and new. Maybe that just testifies to my aging brain, but, whatever the reason, I love these two great men and glorify God for their tremendous wisdom.

On this feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, I offer this meditation from Fr. Saint Jure: 

Nothing happens in the universe without God willing and allowing it. This statement must be taken absolutely of everything with the exception of sin. "Nothing occurs by chance in the whole course of our lives" is the unanimous teaching of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, "and God intervenes everywhere."....

An Interesting and Powerful Assessment of the Abomination in Paris

Will we profess our faith in our actions or will we run and hide out of fear and human respect? The video is only eight minutes long and worth every second. 

"Persecution of Christians is no longer an accidental bi-product....Let's take the gloves off and evangelize" against this perversion. We need to show how badly this works and tell society how poisonous this is.

"They are doing all they can to remove the freedom of speech from Christians....We need to use the moments that we have left to express the truth in freedom of speech before that is taken away from us....The question is whether we love Jesus enough, whether we love truth enough, whether we love holiness enough to articulate why they matter what they are and how good they are for the human heart."

Olympic Organizers Issue Apology....Sort of....Do You Buy It?

Eric Liddell won the 400 meter race at the 1924 Paris Olympics. What would he have said about the 100th anniversary games insulting Christians and celebrating the reign of terror?

The Paris olympic organizers' apology was just one more insult essentially saying they achieved what they set out to do and, hey, if you stupid Christians took offense....well...you just aren't as enlightened as they are. Here's what the "apology" looked like according to the Epoch Times:

24 Hours after Blasphemous Opening Ceremony, Paris Has Major Power Outage!

Coincidence? Or God's judgment on the city? Jesus is the light of the world. The satanic forces turn all dark, but not where Jesus resides in the tabernacle. Make reparation for the blasphemy at the olympics.

During the power outage in Paris, notice the thing that’s still fully lit: Sacre Coeur Church.

Zoom in on the dark photo.

Incredible find by @GalahadofMalta, especially in context of the Olympics anti-Christian opening. pic.twitter.com/g1KPRzrone

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 28, 2024

Boycott the Olypics with their Poisonous, Satanic Blasphemy!

Wtf is going on at the Olympics opening ceremony? pic.twitter.com/rWIjH8ZVwP

— Harrison Faulkner (@Harry__Faulkner) July 26, 2024

We won't be watching one minute of the olympic games this summer. That the planners thought bringing in a drag queens to mock Christians and ridicule our holiest events, one can only look up for the asteroid. And the mockery of the Last Supper wasn't the only abomination. A drag queen carried the olympic torch. And other "entertainment" had satanic elements.

Pro-Aborts are the Real Dumb Clucks!

One of my chickens died last night, the first loss except for the one who ended up in the Fox's tummy as a teenager. We don't know why Bonnie died, perhaps she was egg bound. Whatever the cause, I'll really miss her. I posted this on my Grandma blog today. 

Poor Bonnie died during the night. For the past few days she's been acting oddly -- didn't want to come out of the coop, limped a bit, seemed to be feeling bad. I picked her up and petted her. she was extra docile. Bonnie was my favorite chickie, so I’m sad today. Silly, I suppose, to cry over a chicken, but I really loved her.

Was Security for the Trump Rally Deliberately Lax?

Kimberly Cheatle, former Secret Service head, leftist extraordinaire

With regard to the shooting in Butler, more and more evidence is coming out that points to a deliberate attempt to invite an assassination. Actually, it looks similar to the libs' strategy on January 6th. Refuse to beef of security and manipulate the narrative.

Love Life, Yes! But this Facebook Meme is Way Off.

Yesterday I posted a Facebook meme with a quote from a saint. Today, I read a meme that means well, but is skewed and wrong. I'm not addressing, of course, the protection of innocent life. We may never murder an innocent baby. But the rest of the meme is head-shakingly wrong.

Reflecting on Facebook Memes

I know a lot of people hate Facebook and social media in general; and I tend to agree. Having said that, though, I just watched with a smile the first steps of my niece's youngest child, and I delight in keeping up at least a little with far-flung relatives and friends. Facebook makes that possible and it truly is a gift of family.

"Life is Like Toilet Paper" and Other Thoughts

I often read articles posted at Beyond These Stone Walls by falsely imprisoned priest, Fr. Gordon MacRae. His case illustrates the evil of ungodly prosecutors, corrupt policemen, and greedy lawyers whose only motivation is money and advancement. (Read this!) 

Senseless Vandalism: Why?

We came home yesterday to see our Camp Kreitzer sign obliterated by attack using an almost full bottle of sweet tea as the weapon. The sign has graced our property for close to twenty years and always gave me a little thrill when we returned home from a trip. It seemed to say, "Camp Kreitzer is still here and all is well." 

Our mailbox has occasionally suffered the slings and arrows of vandalism, but never the sign. And it seemed to me to be a metaphor about what's happening to our country. Senseless vandalism by those most responsible for caring for her. Of course, in that case, we ourselves would be the vandals. We would throw the bottles and fling the door wide open and invite invaders into our home to wreck the place. 

I admit that's a bit of a stretch, but it really made me sad to think that someone probably took delight in destroying something lovely for no reason at all. 

Sunday Meditation: Family Matters

Larry's dad took a terrible two-story fall from a scaffold while painting the house.
He spent months in the hospital, but Larry's Mom made sure he kept up with new babies!

We’ve been visiting family in Wheeling the past few days to celebrate a bridal shower for one of our granddaughters, a lovely event. So many aunts, cousins, and friends reunited for a delightful afternoon. At our stage in life, reunions occur mainly at weddings and funerals.

Our entire weekend was focused on family including departed family members who have gone before us. While we were visiting at my brother-in-law's house, he brought out a large box filled with photos and memorabilia. How many memories of my husband’s family filled that box.

Can There be Peace in the Middle East?

Abraham expels Hagar and Ishmael

How can we understand what's happening in the Middle East? The conflict has raged since the enmity between Sarah and Hagar. Their sons and grandsons, and great grandsons through the centuries continue the conflict from one generation to the next until the horror of today's killing, killing, killing!

Grieving Widow Refuses to Speak to President Bullseye!

Biden calling for folks to put a bullseye on Trump ended up putting a bullseye on Corey Comperatore...and on his family who have to go forward following the nightmare of evil that took place last Saturday in Pennsylvania. Corey's wife, Helen refused to talk to Biden when he called recently. 

Incompetence? Or was it Complicity? Trump Assassination Attempt Failed....For Now.

Remember Benghazi! During the Jihadist attack, special forces were told to "stand down." And so the ambassador and other Americans died, including several agents who defied the stand down order. Their courage is described in the book and movie, 13 Hours. While Obama went to bed for his beauty sleep before a fundraiser, real Americans responded to the threat with courage and selfless love.

Monday Morning Musing -- Too Many Blessings to Count!

It's been a really (and I do mean really) hot summer...which offers a great opportunity. Go out and sit in the sun for five or ten minutes on one of the days when the thermostat approaches 100 degrees and reflect on hell. You really, really don't want to go there! After that, return to the air conditioned house or apartment and thank God for inspiring men to invent all kinds of wonderful things to make our lives easier and more pleasant. 

Sunday Meditation from St. Francis de Sales - Your Cross is a Gift from Almighty God; Embrace It!

Our crosses are a lot smaller and lighter than Christ's.
May we carry our crosses with courage and even joy.

 YOUR CROSS

The Everlasting God has in His Wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from his inmost Heart. This cross that He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own hands to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His holy name, anointed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from Heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God.

                                                                                            St. Francis de Sales

Sometimes the Best Spiritual Director is Charlie Brown

This meme came up on my Facebook page this morning. I had to laugh because it's the same message I've been reading in the surrender novena and in one of my favorite books, Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence. Charlie Brown must have been reading it!

Pretty Is As Pretty Does! Another Head-Shaker from the Trump Campaign and Conservative Republicans

The New York Sun reports that Melania Trump will be hosting a fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBTQ group. This joined to Trump's watering down the Republican platform's abortion position is bad news for Catholics. 

Want to Make Spiritual Progress? Embrace Suffering!

Carl Bloch 1834-1890

An article by Steven Ertelt in the June 27th issue of The Wanderer discussed an interesting point he heard at a men's conference. "Suffering is progress:"

Christ gave us [the example] in the Gospels of patiently suffering His disciples' foolishness, the derision of the Pharisees and the crowds, the agony in the Garden, and ultimately the unimaginable torture of the Passion and the cross. 

All of this, paradoxically, was progress -- progress toward the redemption of all mankind from our sins. Christ thus gives us a template for what we are called to do in life: progress toward holiness, which will lead us to everlasting life with Him in Paradise. This calling, however, is a tall and uncomfortable order, because it inevitably involves suffering.

In other words, stop moaning and groaning and take up your cross. The message is certainly not a new one, but it's one we prefer to ignore.

Unhinged NEA President Shows Why Home Schooling is Growing

NEA president Becky Pringle speech at Philadelphia delegation on July 4
compared to Dwight Schrute from 'The Office.' (YouTube/Screenshot)

Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association (NEA) is a lunatic! She heads one of the most lunatic bureaucracies in the country! Their agenda includes rabid support for abortion (killing future students) and for LGBTQ insanity. They see conservative parents as the enemy and do everything they can to separate kids from their families to the point that some teachers take girls for abortion without parental consent or encourage students to engage in transgender activity. Some schools even have a "transition closet"  where kids can change into clothing to play let's pretend I'm the opposite sex. This is not just one school. They are popping up around the country! (See here and here) The NEA wants parents out of the equation. They believe they own your children! They oppose school vouchers because that gives parents choice in education. Currently, those who opt out of the public system pay twice for the "privilege" of protecting their children from insanity.

Let Catholic History Be Your Teacher. Develop a Catholic Memory!

One of my blog readers sent me this quote from Fulton Sheen about history: 

The English never seem to remember history; the Irish never forget it; the Russians never admit it; the Japanese never make it; and the Americans never learn it.

The importance of knowing history is lost on many people. But is there any greater teacher? Think of the Old Testament filled with the history of the Israelites. Think of God telling them to celebrate the Passover every year. In other words, never forget what the Lord did bringing them out of the slavery of Egypt. And today, thousands of years after that event, Passover is still a major feast for the Jews.

Sunday Meditation! Love the Truth!

Father's homily this morning was well worth meditating on. It stimulated my own thoughts. I don't want to distort anything he said, so consider this my interpretation of what was a really excellent homily. 

What do you think the devil's greatest deception is? What pleases him the most? 

Of Groundhogs and False Shepherds

 "Judas went out immediately, and it was night." John 13:30

Every year I plant a small garden. (Underline the small." This year, as usual, I planted six 
tomato plants a handful of summer and spaghetti squash, three assorted pepper plants and a few herbs in containers. Things were going fairly well and I harvested a few squash and am just beginning to get some fresh tomatoes.

But the groundhog found the garden and he has devastated my squash plants gradually eating the leaves until my formerly lush plants are almost unrecognizable. He does all his munching and crunching in the dark when we are asleep.

Judas did his dirty work in the dark as well. So do the false shepherds hiding in their dicasteries at the Vatican plotting the next document or synod to attack the faith. 

This is nothing new!

God Bless America and Bring Her to Honor Christ the King!

Have a blessed Independence Day!

Will Part of Your Holiday Prep Be to Read our Founding Documents?

Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia - 1787

I'm starting to set up for our 4th of July celebration. We're having three families over to swim and cook out and look forward to the happy laughter of all the children. We'll probably all go over to the fairgrounds later for the wonderful fireworks display that rivals any we've ever seen except for Reagan's inauguration. 

The Power of Storytelling Through Classic Movies

I met Dr. Onalee McGraw years ago through the pro-life movement. Her project, The Educational Guidance Institute recognizes the power of visual storytelling through classic films. The documentary (in full below) emphasizes teaching children in a way that engages their minds and imagination with heroic ideals. The adage says a picture is worth a thousand words. The powerful images in many classic films imprint messages that emphasize truth and virtue. 

Will the Real Pope Please Stand Up!

Are you on the panel to pick the "real" pope? Or is there no contestant at all?

There used to be a couple of fun game shows on TV when I was a child. What's My Line? had a changing panel of celebrities who asked the guest of the night questions trying to determine what he did for a living. If it was someone famous, the panel was blindfolded. Another game show featuring a celebrity panel was To Tell the Truth. Three contestants, each claiming to be the "real" deal, answered questions. Two fabricated their answers and one "told the truth." Both of these game shows were fun and entertained viewers for years. The answers didn't make much of a difference to their lives.