"Fire is not put out by fire!" New year's wisdom from two great saints.

Happy New Year! Welcome to the start of another journey on the road to heaven. Want a good start? Use a good roadmap and find wise guides. You can't go wrong with St. Francis de Sales and St. Alphonsus Ligouri. I love them both!

A New Year, A New Project

I've never run ads on my site because Google selects ads according to website content. I knew if I ran their ads, I'd likely see my site linked to abortion mills and Planned Parenthood. So, no ads.

But a few weeks ago I ran into a Catholic ad site that only posts Catholic material. I decided to try it to help pay for the Les Femmes website and the print newsletter. Most of those on the mailing list (priests and others in my diocese) receive the newsletter gratis. A handful of generous donors support the free issues, but since I rarely remove anyone from the non-diocesan mailing list (unless someone requests removal or I haven't heard from them in years) many others receive their issues free as well. Every now and then I get a letter from a reader thanking me for keeping them on the list even though they haven't donated before. Since the Blessed Mother provides enough to pay for the printing and mailing costs I continue that practice.

Happy New Year and My First Resolution of 2016!

To make a pilgrimage to the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception this week walk through the door of Mercy, say the twenty decades of the rosary there, pray the consecration prayer to Mary in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, and seek the intercession of all the saints and angels for a year of grace and mercy from the Lord. And, of course, I will be offering everything for the love of Our Lord, for all my family and friends, for the conversion of sinners, and in atonement for sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, please this year make my heart like unto Thine.

Would you like to join me? Take a virtual tour of the upper church here and the crypt church here.

Happy New Year!

Today is the first day of the new year, with (hopefully) no mistakes in it yet! Have a blessed 2014!

If You Want 2013 to be Truly Blessed...

...put your hand in Mary's. She will lead you straight to Jesus. On this feast of the Somenity of Mary, make yourself her "slave" as she made herself the slavegirl of God. She does not compete with Christ, she does what the Scripture says and "magnifies the Lord." Love and honor Mary and your relationship with Jesus Christ will grow like a fertilized flower. The commandment to honor her comes straight from the Bible. Can anyone think that Jesus didn't keep God's law to "Honor your father and your mother" better than any creature on earth. Mary is the shortcut to heaven. If you love and honor her, you will grow closer to her Son. Guaranteed!

O Mary, conceived without sin, 
pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Happy New Year!

Have You Considered Your New Year's Resolution?

It's that time of year again. Will you make a resolution today and mess up tomorrow? If you really want to make progress in the spiritual life, follow the philosophy of St. Ignatius. Pick something very specific and keep a notebook where you record twice a day how you're doing -- at midday and bedtime. Then keep at it. If you have a problem with speaking uncharitably about a specific person, make eliminating that your goal. And when you've eliminated that sin or fault, move on to another. Picking broad goals like, "I'm going to be more charitable in 2012," will immediately be forgotten. Deciding to say nothing mean about your mother-in-law may be more challenging. As for me, I've decided I'm not buying any new clothes in 2012. I have enough to last me the rest of my life already and it will give us more disposable income to spend on replacing the roof and charity. Now...what will I do in my spiritual life? That's a little harder and requires more thought and prayer.

*** Happy New Year from Les Femmes ***

A friend sent the article below which appeared in his bulletin a few years ago. New beginnings invite us to reflect on the reality of life...and death. Let us all pray in thanksgiving for the time we are given in 2009 and resolve to use it well.

TIME

The old year is past; a new one has just begun, and we are all now one year closer to eternity. For many people this past year, time was no more. One moment they were in time, the next moment they were in eternity. Time is a two sided coin, one side despised and wasted during life, the other priceless and unattainable at the hour of death.

God has given us these days to work out our salvation, but how well do we use them? How often have we observed a man in idle pursuit? If we ask him what he is doing he would reply, "Oh, I am just passing the time."

I remember an old song of many years past. It was called "Standing on the corner watching all the girls go by." Are we just standing on the corners of life watching the days of our salvation going by unused?

To quote Saint Alphonsus De Liguroi:

"O time despised during life, you will be ardently desired by worldlings at the hour of death. The thought that they must very soon appear before Almighty God, to give an account of their lives, fills them with untold confusion and anguish. They will ask for another year, another month or another day to settle the accounts of their conscience, but they will ask in vain. To obtain a single hour they would give all their wealth and worldly possessions, but this hour shall not be given."

Let us therefore exert ourselves to the utmost to accomplish the work of our salvation while there is still time. Do now, what, on the day of judgment, you would then wish you would have done. For at the moment of death, the time of grace will have passed, the time of justice will have come.