Mine is to read St. Francis de Sales' Sermons for Advent and Christmas. The first sermon is about the witness of St. John the Baptist, the herald of Advent. I began the book at adoration this morning. Wow! Talk about food for thought.
Have you ever wondered why St. John sent his disciples to Christ to ask if He was the Messiah? John knew exactly Who Jesus was. They were cousins, after all, and John knew Jesus from the womb. He also must have met him at least occasionally during their growing-up years, particularly when Mary and Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem, "every year" as St. Luke tells, for the Passover.
Matt Lauer really takes the cake or maybe more accurately the cow pie. My first thought when the story broke was "his poor wife and kids!" He should get the Academy Award for sleaze and hypocrisy in a morning media circus show!
I've never really watched TODAY because I hate all the simpering and snickering on the couch. That's news? But then I don't watch TV much in general and get most of my news off the internet. I read Chronicles which keeps me up-to-date on most of the real news vs entertainment. (Hey, did you hear that Prince Harry is engaged?)
I'm tempted to send her a T-shirt that reads: Have a little cheese with that whine. Although she's already got the cheesy part of her shtick down. It's full of holes!
What kind of people work for this demonic organization? Pro-aborts used to lie and say the baby was "just a blob." Now, they freely admit it's a baby and have no compunctions over murdering the little one after birth. Remember when Barack Obama voted against a bill in Illinois to protect babies born alive following abortion? Planned Parenthood and the Democrats are of one mind on this. They are part of the death culture's killing machine.
Thank God, this patient changed her mind. Fortunately, the shot meant to kill the baby (digoxin) apparently missed the target and the baby was still alive and active. Happy ending: Mom continued her pregnancy, the baby was born and is healthy and safe. God be praised! Visit Pro-Life Action Ministries for more stories of saved babies.
"Live in such a manner that one will recognize clearly in you a person who loves God with his whole heart." St. Francis de Sales
I read this Chesterton quote on Mundabor's blog and found it interesting and thought provoking:
"If a critic tells a particular lie, that particular lie can be pointed out. If he misses a specific point, that point can be explained. If he is really wrong in this or that, it will be on this or that that the insulted person will eagerly pounce. But “malice and spite” are vague words which will never be used except when there is really nothing to pounce on. If a man says that I am a dwarf, I can invite him to measure me. If he says I am a cannibal, I can invite him to dinner. If he says I am a coward, I can hit him. If he says I am a miser, I can give him half-a-sovereign. But if he says I am fat and lazy (which is true), the best I can answer is that he speaks out of malice and spite. Whenever we see that phrase, we may be almost certain that somebody has told the truth about somebody else."
I had a weird dream the other night. My dad who died in 1985 was in it -- very real -- so real in fact that my dreaming self said, "He really looks like he's here; this is the most real dream I've ever had." He didn't say anything, but I've been praying for him and the other folks I recognized in the dream: a deceased brother-in-law, my oldest godchild, and a friend who lives on the West Coast. Very strange dream.
Thinking about Advent, I'm starting to get out the Christmas decorations little by little. We'll put up the tree next Sunday and each night when we light the Advent wreath we'll put on a Jesse tree ornament and read a corresponding Bible passage: the sun, flowers, and a few little stuffed animals for creation; apples for Adam and Eve; a Noah's ark ornament; a little baby in a basket (from my doll collection) for Moses, a bundle of sticks and a (butter) knife for Abraham and Isaac, a ladder (from the mouse house) for Jacob, etc. When our local grandchildren visit we'll let them add the Jesse tree ornaments. But we won't turn on the lights until we finish decorating the tree with our Texas grandchildren when they come a few days before Christmas. What a lovely season this is for celebrating the gift of family.
"Liberalism is the root of heresy, the tree of evil in whose branches all the harpies of infidelity find ample shelter; it is today the evil of all evils." from Liberalism is a Sin by Don Felix Sarda Y Salvany,
Chilton Williamason had an interesting editorial in the October issue of Chronicles titled Who's the Most Hateful of Them All? He, I believe accurately, lays the mounting hatred and divisions in our country at the feet of white liberals who created the "condemnatory category of 'dead white males'" and labeled the white race "the cancer of history."
The law of pater familias in ancient Rome allowed the male head of the family to make all the decisions, even life or death, over the members of the family. Under that law, many babies were exposed on the hills around Rome if they were sick or the "wrong" sex (i.e. girls) or Daddy just didn't want 'em. Today, it's pater or mater familias and the death culture is growing and expanding exponentially to include the already born for any reason or no reason.
"Liberalism is the root of heresy, the tree of evil in whose branches all the harpies of infidelity find ample shelter; it is today the evil of all evils." 
