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To celebrate the 9th Birthday of the RoL Blog, I am posting flashback posts from the first year of blogging. This was originally posted in 2003 on this day April 28, the feast of St. Louis de Montfort

Today is the feast day of St. Louis de Montford. Whenever I hear his name I think of my old parish priest and spiritual director Fr. Louis Marx. I met Fr. Marx in my early 20's after my conversion and he was immensely instrumental in my deepening faith and spirituality.

I vividly remember on one New Year's Eve service, I took his advice and made a general confession of all my sins. (And there were plenty from when I was far from God.) I was so ashamed I could barely get the words out in the confessional but he was kind, understanding and gave me the hope I needed to live my life anew. His deep faith and incredible reverence during the Mass spoke volumes without saying a word. I recall his counsel when I considered a religious vocation and just as he thought, it was not my vocation. Later he gave private classes to Brian and me as we prepared for our marriage.

It has been a few years since I've talked to Fr. Marx, having moved after I was married, yet he is still close to my heart. I owe him so much. He has been a true spiritual father to me and I love him like a spiritual daughter. It make me wonder if he knows how much he's touched my life. I think this afternoon I will write him and tell him just that.

Let's all say a prayer of thanksgiving for the wonderful priests in our lives that have made our lives richer and faith more alive!

(Since today is the feast of St. Joseph I thought I would post a past article Brian wrote for RoL.)

The ideal saint for any husband and father is St. Joseph. Why? Because St. Joseph did what every husband and father is capable of doing - God's Will.

Since God never placed a money tree in the back yard of the Holy Family's home, St. Joseph had to provide for his family by earning his living as a carpenter. I'm sure he experienced good days and bad days and months when work was slow. Yet I can picture him, no matter what kind of day or month he had, as working hard and offering his labors to God.

St. Joseph not only provided for his family by keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table, but also by loving them, respecting them and being part of their everyday lives. Just as he was faithful to his temporal duties within the home, St. Joseph was also faithful to his spiritual duties. In Scripture we are told that he listened to and obeyed God. He followed the Law of Moses, this is evident when he and Mary took the infant Jesus to the temple to be circumcised. I am also quite certain that St. Joseph said his daily prayers, faithfully went to the Synagogue, and celebrated the Jewish feasts. He was a man who practiced and lived his faith.

Since becoming a husband and father my relationship with St. Joseph has grown. I not only find myself learning more about him, but also seeking his help and guidance. I have heard many say and write that the saints are worthy of imitation. I totally agree. However after reading the lives of many saints I have often felt discouraged because they lived such extraordinary lives and did so many amazing and holy things. Yet, when I turn to St. Joseph I see someone who humbly followed the law of Moses, faithfully fulfilled his temporal and spiritual duties, obeyed God and loved his family. In my opinion St. Joseph was ordinary, but the ordinariness that surrounded his life as head of the Holy Family is precisely what makes him so great and so holy.

I encourage all of you, especially husbands and fathers, to turn to St. Joseph and seek his intercession and help. He knows exactly what you are going through in providing for the temporal welfare of your families while at the same time being its spiritual head.

St. Joseph, protector of the Holy Family, pray for us!

Happy Ash Wednesday! Or as it is more commonly known out in public - Happy "hey, you've got some dirt on your forehead" day. ;-) Hopefully most of you decided long ago what you are going to give up or what you are going to do. If you are a procrastinator like myself, then you are still debating what you should do this lent.

If you need some inspiration, Danielle Bean has always had great ideas about what to do for Lent! Two years ago I did the 40 Bags in 40 Days as she suggested. This year she posted 40 Ways for 40 Days. The ideas are excellent covering the areas of prayer, fasting and alms giving. You could surely find something perfect for you. You could even print off her list and cut out each suggestion. Place in a jar and pick one out to work on that day or that week. It could make it a little fun, especially if the kids are involved in picking!

For our kids we are doing the Holy Heroes Lenten Adventure. We purchased the Lenten Adventure Activity Book Set for the kids.

For the younger boys who can't do the older puzzle pages, we purchased the Life of Christ Complete Coloring Pack to help them learn the all the mysteries of the rosary.

You can also sign up for the free Lenten Adventure emails that sends you activities to do with your kids during Lent.

For me personally, during this Lent I want to work on my time management - lessen my time spend on frivolity (hello, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Downton Abbey websites...) and spend more time praying, reading Scripture/spiritual books and teaching my kids about the faith.

I don't want to cut these "frivolous" things out completely because frankly, it's a part of my life and I might as well learn how to moderate it. It reminds me of being on a diet. You can starve yourself and lost 10 pounds but eventually you are going to have to learn how to eat moderately and in a healthy manner. So that is my goal. Learn how to spend my time in a spiritually healthy manner. This can still seem a bit vague so each day during my morning prayer I make one or two mini-goals - a concrete act I can do to get me closer to the big picture.

How about you? What are you doing this Lent? Feel free to share and have a blessed Ash Wednesday!

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Lots of love to all my family and friends (and anyone else who may be be hanging around the blog.) Thanks for listening to me and giving me a chance to step away from the business of life and have a little creative fun online. :-)

Since it is Valentine's I am giving you a treat. You can choose which of these Valentine's you prefer. If none of them are of any interest to you then you probably clicked on this blog by mistake. My apologies. Google is to your left.

Have fun!

I give to you a synopsis of St. Valentine's life from UCatholic.com.

St. Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under Emperor Claudius in Rome [when helping them was considered a crime], Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned. (Continue reading at UCatholic.com...)

I give to you a Valentine Abbey. You can find more at Chad-thomas.com. So funny!

I give to you a post from my newest favorite Catholic Mom blogger Cari over at Clan Donaldson.

Tales from the Kid Ghetto

If you have children, you know what the kid ghetto is. You've been there. Whether you wanted to or no, you've been there.

The kid ghetto is where you're seated at the restaurant when you show up with people requiring booster seats or high chairs.

The basement you find yourself in during family reunions, where your senile great uncle and four nameless adolescent cousins are the only other people hanging out? That's the kid ghetto.

Trip to the mall? The kid ghetto there is that shockingly unsanitary play area you swear you'll never go to, but one day you push your luck one store too many and that's where you end up.

Even church has one. Oh yes, a place as welcoming and forgiving as the church has its own kid ghetto. It's the last five or six rows- the pews aaaaaaalllllll the way at the back of the church, where you're in the liturgical catch-22 of children who can't see what's going on and get restless, but aren't yet behaved enough to be trusted closer to the altar.

You know you're there when all the missals are missing covers and the smell of Desitin and apple juice hover perpetually in the air.

That's where we were today for Mass. Normally, I avoid the kid ghetto, and try to sneak my way into the no-man's land of the middle pews, but since we had to attend the 5:00 p.m. Mass, we knew we had five potential time bombs on our hands. Hunger, fatigue, and an hour of having to stay in the same 3 foot area are not a good mix if you're a kid. (Continue reading at Clan Donaldson...)

The feast day of St. Ann and St. Joachim is coming up on July 26. If you'd like to make a novena to them, today is the day to start!

Both saints have always been very close to my heart. St. Ann is my patron saint and when I was single I would especially pray to her and St. Joachim to find a good man & holy spouse. After I was married I especially prayed to them when Brian and I were dealing with infertility and miscarriage.

Yesterday I found an old box of holy cards and prayer pamphlets and inside was the small prayer booklet I had used all those years. It is called "Good Saint Anne" by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D. Here is the particular prayer I said.

Prayer to St. Anne and St. Joachim

Great and glorious patriarch, St Joachim, and good St Anne, what joy is mine when I consider that you were chosen among all God's holy ones to assist in the fulfillment of the mysteries of God, and to enrich our earth with the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. By this singular privilege, you have become most powerful with both the Mother and her Son, so as to be able to obtain for us the graces that are needful to us.

With great confidence I have recourse to your mighty protection, and I commend to you all my needs, both spiritual and temporal, and those of my family. Especially do I entrust to your keeping the particular favor that I desire and look for from your intercession. (Mention your petition.)

And since you were a perfect pattern of the interior life, obtain for me the grace to pray earnestly, and never to set m heart on the passing goods of this life. Give me a lively and enduring love for Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me also a sincere devotion and obedience to Holy church and the sovereign pontiff who rules over her, in order that I may live an die in faith and hope and perfect charity. Let me ever invoke the holy Names of Jesus and Mary. And may I thus be saved. Amen.

There is also a great Nine Day Novena to St. Anne at EWTN.com.

St. Anne and St. Joachim, pray for us!

(Note: The image of St. Anne and St. Joachim is from Not of This World Icons.com.)

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Blessed Junipero Serra & the Carmel Mission: I can't believe that it is July 1st already! Time just goes too fast! On the plus side, today we celebrate two great feast days, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Blessed Junipero Serra. Living in California, on summer vacations we would often visit the various missions when we were younger. It's funny that years later my parish church is the Mission San Carlos (Carmel Mission.) Brian and I were married here and our children were baptized here. It really is a beautiful Mission and it has the distinction of being where Blessed Serra is buried. If you are ever in the area, you should make a visit. In fact...





Founder's Day: ...if you'll be in the Monterey Bay area tomorrow (Saturday, July 2) stop by the Mission for the Founders Day celebration. There is music and live demonstrations of how things were made during the early days of the mission (ie. food and crafts) and a special Mass at 5:30 PM. (There is a dinner afterwords but you need tickets for that.) It's always interesting and a lot of fun.





Cars 2 is too scary for little kids!: We are big Pixar fans in our house with the favorite movies of the kids being Cars, Toy Story and Walle. Bella used to be obsessed with Cars and had all the toys for it. Now Andrew loves Cars (and inherited the toys) and was so excited to see the new movie for his birthday. Since I am the one who usually takes them to the movies, Andrew was excited to have a daddy date with Brian as his movie buddy. Bella had a treat and was movie buddies with my visiting sister. From what Brian told me, the movie started out okay but it was really violent and should have been rated PG not G. By the last third of the movie Andrew (who just turned 4) got too scared with all the shooting, cars dying and the bad guys trying to kill Lightning. He started crying so Brian had to take him out to the lobby. Bella finished the movie with my sister and she enjoyed it but she is 9 years old. So if you are taking your younger kids to see it, beware.





Is there such a thing as low cal food that's yummy?: I've been trying to eat healthier so I can get off the rest of the baby weight (and then some) so I tried a Weight Watchers recipe for macaroni salad. I'm a little leery of "light" recipes but this was really good. I used bow tie pasta, substituted half the celery with red bell pepper and added a bit more fresh Italian parsley, which gave it a nice touch. It was really tasty. Check it out at Weight Watchers.com Recipies: Macaroni Salad





Summer Reading: Brian purchased the book Poor Banished Children and I hope to start reading it next week. There is an interesting interview with the author Fiorella De Maria over at Ignatius Insight. If I like this book, I'll check out her other novels.

He can't possibly be teething??: How soon can a baby start teething? Matthew is not yet three months but he is drooling and gnawing as if he's teething. It just seems too early for that.

"JFT": My "just for today" goals: First, when things get hectic I'll recall today's gospel reading "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" and I will turn my heart to Christ for strength. Second, I'll get that overflowing basket of clean laundry folded!

That's it for today. Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday! God bless America and watch over our troops.

Today is the feast day of St. Louis Marie de Montford. Here is piece that Brian wrote for RoL.

Recently, I finished reading a book on the life of St. Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716). This apostle of the Rosary, vagabond preacher, friend of the cross and author of numerous works, including True Devotion to Mary, could easily be considered the "patron saint of rejection."

Within St. Peter's Basilica, high up in one of the many columns that support the infrastructure, is a niche which contains a life size statue of St. Louis de Montfort. Whoever sculpted the statute did an awesome job depicting the saint as a humble priest who was a spiritual powerhouse. Whenever I see a picture of the statue, I notice two things immediately. First, under his feet De Montfort is crushing the devil, who has taken the form of a serpent. Second, he is cradling a large crucifix in his left arm.

Throughout de Montfort's life the cross loomed largely. Like His Savior who carried the Cross to Calvary for the salvation of the world, St. Louis imitated and obeyed Jesus who said, "He who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me." (Mt. 10:38).

As I read about the life of St. Louis de Montfort, it became apparent that many of his peers during his own day saw him as an odd priest. For the most part, this was due to the way he lived his priestly vocation. His calling to be a missionary led him to embrace the life of a tramp. It also led him to embrace a life of poverty where he associated with the poor and destitute. It led him to take the Gospel literally and live out his vocation in extreme austerity. It helped him to pray constantly and fully abandon himself to Divine Providence. Through all of this he developed a reputation of being strange and a bit bizarre, even though he was quite the contrary.

His way of life, his approach to living the Catholic faith and his identity as a missionary left him a marked man. Whether it was Lent, Advent, the Easter season or Ordinary Time, de Montfort carried the cross of rejection wherever he went. Of course he gave parish missions and inspired the faithful to live and love their faith, but more often than not, St. Louis was given a cold shoulder and the silent treatment by numerous bishops and fellow priests.

Time and time again, he would enter a diocese to speak with the Bishop to receive permission to celebrate Mass, hear confessions, and preach missions. Many bishops who heard rumors about this strange missionary would immediately send him on his way denying him permission to do anything except leave the diocese.

What is so amazing and striking about de Montfort was his total acceptance of rejection which had become his constant companion. It seems that he was quite at home with the reality that many people, especially brother priests and religious, continuously rejected him and his way of life. Again this did not alter or faze de Montfort. He made sure he kept close to Mary and followed whatever path that she placed him on.

Rejection is quite common. I am sure all of us have experienced rejection and the feelings that are associated with it. Even Christ Our Lord experienced in a most profound way the rejection of others when He hung upon the Cross, dying a slow and painful death. Because rejection, however unfortunate it may be, seems a universal experience the question that remains is how do we deal with it in a manner that will give glory to God? I believe the example set by St. Louis de Montfort suggests several ways to handle rejection.

One of the ways St. Louis handled rejection was by recognizing that nothing ever happens to us without God permitting it. St. Louis understood at the deepest level of his soul that God loved him and that whatever happened to him, including being rejected, did not change this fact. Another way that St. Louis handled rejection was through reflection and meditation upon the "ultimate rejection" Christ experienced on the Cross. The servant is no greater than the Master, therefore if Christ endured rejection why not us? Lastly, St. Louis turned to Mary by praying the Rosary. Through the recitation of the Rosary, Our Lady tenderly embraced St. Louis, consoled him and helped him overcome the rejection he suffered.

I believe if we keep the threefold example set forth by St. Louis de Montfort when experiencing rejection, we would merit great graces. His threefold example of accepting God's Will by knowing God's love for him, his constant reflection upon Jesus Crucified, and the recitation of the Rosary will enable us to handle and endure rejection.

Rejection is never easy to accept and for most of us who have experienced it, it can be downright painful. But now we have a patron saint of rejection whom we can turn to for inspiration and help.

St. Louis de Montfort, pray for us!

God bless!

Here is an article Brian wrote for RoL.

January 24th marks the feast day of a great saint and doctor of the Church, Francis de Sales, (1567-1622).

I always viewed St. Francis de Sales as a humble and gentle man, a man who practiced kindness to a heroic degree. I am sure many would agree with this. However, after learning more about his life, I discovered that he was also a man of great courage. This courage is beautifully illustrated during his stint as a missionary from 1594-1598.

Born in the later half of the sixteenth century amidst the Protestant Reformation, Francis was not expected to become a religious. Being the eldest son of the de Boisy family, Francis was expected to marry, take over and manage the family estate and hold a seat in the local government. Of course none of this came to pass. Instead, Francis heard and responded to His Master's call and was ordained a priest in 1593.

After serving the people of his diocese for roughly a year, Francis volunteered to be a missionary. His mission territory was the region of the Chablias, located near Lake Geneva. This region was considered mission territory for two reasons. First, it was densely populated with Calvinists who were vehemently anti Catholic. Second, those Catholics who lived in the region were few in number and were unable to practice their faith openly for fear of persecution.

Before accepting the assignment, Francis knew the trials and dangers that awaited him. Nevertheless, with the Bible and Rosary in one hand and the Catechism in the other, he entered the Chablias on foot. His resolve and courage to bring the Catholic faith to the people of the region, even when his life was threatened, reminds me of the passage from St. John's Gospel, "...zeal for my Father's house will consume me." (Jn 2:17).

At first, Francis met a great deal of resistance and had little success in converting the Calvinists, but that soon changed. Guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, Francis decided that the best way to reach the Calvinists was by writing and distributing tracts. These tracts explained and defended the Catholic faith and quickly became his chief tool of evangelization.

Overtime, Francis converted the population of the Chablias from Calvinism to Catholicism. In fact, when Francis first started his missionary apostolate there were towns with fewer than ten Catholics. When his missionary apostolate was near its completion, there were towns with fewer than ten Calvinists.

The four years of missionary activity shows how even a gentle and kind man, can be a saint of enormous courage. Let us ask St. Francis de Sales to intercede for us and help us practice the virtue of courage in our daily journey with God.

God bless.

(Here's an RoL article from Brian.)

In this segment of "Faith in Action," I would like to introduce you to a great Jesuit saint, Joseph Pignatelli, who carried, like a great badge over his heart, the virtue of "fidelity."

Joseph was born in 1737 in Saragossa, Spain. At the age of 16, he entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained a priest in 1762. Five years later, Joseph found himself on board a ship with other Jesuits leaving Spain and heading for the Island of Corsica. The enemies of the Jesuits convinced the Portuguese, Spanish and French governments to send the religious order into exile, and they did exactly that. After spending time in Corsica, Joseph along with his Jesuit companions were taken to and dropped off, in Ferrara, Italy. In 1773, Pope Clement XIV, under great pressure, suppressed and disbanded the Jesuit Order. From 1767 to his death in 1811, Joseph Pignatelli's life was full of hardships, misunderstanding and sufferings.

Joseph underwent a slow, dry martyrdom for over forty years, experiencing exile and the suppression of his Order. While watching fellow Jesuits abandoning the Order, either leaving religious life altogether or becoming secular priests, the virtue of fidelity shined like the brightest of stars within his soul. He remained a faithful Jesuit, living his religious vows and the Jesuit ideal, from the time he left Spain to his arrival in Parma in 1797 where he became Jesuit Provincial. Joseph's entire religious life was a sign of heroic fidelity.

In a country where we daily read and hear about contracts being nullified, vows being broken and promises being dismissed, it is rather safe to say that fidelity or faithfulness is lacking in our society. Unfortunately, this lack of fidelity does not only exist in the secular world, but can even be found amongst the lay faithful, which is why I believe the example of St. Joseph Pignatelli is so relevant.

Fidelity is extremely important to one's spiritual life because it is a prerequisite for discipleship. By putting fidelity into practice, we become more faithful to Jesus Christ, more faithful to His Church and her teachings and we become more faithful to the sacramental life and a life of prayer. Fidelity guides and helps us be faithful to our baptismal vows and Catholic calling.

St. Joseph Pignatelli was a man of fidelity. Even in those dark days when the Jesuit Order was suppressed, he remained faithful to his religious vows and Jesuit ideals. Fidelity is important to the life of every Catholic if he or she wants to remain faithful to Christ and His Church.

St. Joseph Pignatelli, pray for us and help us practice fidelity so we can always remain faithful to Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

God bless.

Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese, will be beatified on October 19.

After reading the article We Must 'Cultivate Knowledge and Devotion to the Saints,' Holy Father Exhorts, I knew Brian would appreciate the Holy Father's message. He loves studying the lives of saints and other holy men and women. He find many lessons about living your Catholic faith in the small and big ways. Here's one lesson Brian wrote about this month.

Blessed Marie Celine: Enduring the Cross (1878 - 1897)

Recently I read a book entitled, "Blessed Marie Celine of the Presentation," published by TAN books. After reading the phenomenal story of this Poor Clare nun who died at the age of nineteen, I could think of only one word to describe her life - "faithfulness." Blessed Marie Celine, whose real name was Germaine Castang, was not a mystic nor someone who performed miracles, rather, she was a simple, humble girl, whose life was a litany of suffering.

From an early age, Christ asked Blessed Marie Celine to pick up her cross and follow Him. She carried five major crosses during her brief life. Her first cross came in the form of a disease she contracted at the age of four. It deformed her foot and made it both difficult and painful to walk. Her second cross came in the form of poverty when her family lost their home and possessions due to her father's poor business dealings. The third cross was being separated from her family and placed in an orphanage. The fourth cross she had to bear was the passing of her mother and beloved brother, Louis. The fifth and final cross came when she was a novice in the Poor Clare monastery of "Ave Maria of Talence." She contracted tuberculosis, which took her life.

From what I read, Bl. Marie Celine never uttered the words, "Why me?" or "This isn't fair." Nor did I come across anything that would suggest that she turned her back on Jesus or became self absorbed. Rather, when faced with these crosses, Bl. Marie Celine turned her heart and soul toward Christ and His Mother, clinging to them with all her strength.

Throughout her life, Bl. Marie Celine's faithfulness radiated the light of Christ, while giving her the strength to carry her crosses and dispel the darkness and suffering that surrounded her. Her faithfulness never wavered even during the worst of times. Instead, it remained constant and steady.

Bl. Marie Celine's faithfulness was not kept only within the interior of her soul, but it spilled over into her daily life. For instance, while at the orphanage she was often seen going on day pilgrimages to Marian shrines. In the Poor Clare monastery during the last months of her life fellow religious saw her carrying a small crucifix in the palm of her hand. These are just two examples, among many, which show how Bl. Marie Celine's faithfulness manifested itself under the shadow of the cross.

The life of Bl. Marie Celine should be a constant reminder to us that we are not only called to bear our crosses, but that in bearing them, we should turn our hearts and souls outward, toward Jesus and Mary. If we do this, we will be led to greater faithfulness, which in turn will become a pipeline into the grace and mercy of God.

God bless,
Brian

I was surprised today when I heard that one of our favorite authors Ann Ball died a few days ago. We loved the various saint books she wrote, particularly Faces of Holiness: Modern Saints in Photos (Vol. 1) and Words and Faces of Holiness: Modern Saints in Photos and Words (Vol. 2)

May she rest in peace and may her family be given peace and strength.

Well-loved Catholic author Ann Ball passes away.

Here are two interesting articles about the mystic Fr. Magin Catala who arrived here in Monterey 210 years ago. He is now up for beatification and his story may interest those in CA (particularly San Jose) and pregnant women, as he was known to intercede for them. You can read more about him and his prophesies for California here - California "Holy Man" up for Sainthood after Largely Unknown Astonishments.

Steven at Flos Carmeli has a great post today entitled The Holy Family--An Ordinary Life--The Ordinariness of the Saints I love this piece! It reminds me of something a priest once told me, that God is able to use our faults and weaknesses as means to reaching greater virtue and sanctity. For example, St. Francis de Sales had a fiery temper yet he became known as the "gentle saint".

Steven also makes an excellent point in reminding us that we need to stop trying to be someone else and be the saint that God has called us to be. It is one thing to admire and receive encouragement through the example of historical saints but it is important to draw from it a lesson that we can use in our own life. Not to duplicate their lives but to draw inspiration on how to strive for holiness in our own unique life and circumstances. But Steven says it better than I could so here is an excerpt.

...Too often, it seems, we may do the same with Saints' lives. We look upon their extraordinary accomplishments and then embellish them so that they become not so much role models as distant figures of impossible faith and piety. We neglect their ordinariness. We admire them, but we can come up with an extraordinary plexus of reasons why we couldn't possible emulate them in any way. How often have I heard, "Oh, I couldn't be like St. Therese, she was so holy from such a young age." So who is asking you to be like St. Therese? We already have one of those, and there are those in the world who would maintain that one is more than enough. (I used to be among them--no longer).