Praises for Christ the King

I am way overdue for a Praises post! Thanks always to Jennifer for hosting, and encouraging us to count our blessings.

1 Praise God that Christ is our King! At last night's Vigil Mass, Father K. explained that the Solemnity of Christ the King was established as a feast day in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. At that time fascism was rampant in the world, and the Church needed a day to remind us that Jesus Christ is our one true King. Father K. went on to point out that today we need the Solemnity of Christ the King as much as ever. Praise God for the kingship of Christ!

2. Praise God for putting TWO altar servers in our family (so far)! Larry has been serving for a couple of years, and now Curly has joined the fold. This weekend Curly got to serve at the Saturday vigil Mass as well as the Friday morning Mass at school. Last night Father K, along with a teenage altar server with lots of experience, helped guide Curly and another new server through the steps during the Mass. He did a great job at both Masses. As our pastor, Father R., was distributing communion, Curly stood by his side with the paten. When Father R. presented me with the Host and said, "The Body of Christ," I thought I saw a twinkle in his eye. I'm so proud!

3. Praise God for the beautiful weather He has given us this weekend!

4. Praise God for our beautiful niece, who was baptized into the Body of Christ last weekend. I am grateful to God for giving me a second set of parents and another brother when I married my husband, a sister when my brother-in-law was married, a sweet nephew, and now a niece.

5. Praise be to Christ for giving us his mother, Mary.

6. Praise God for my husband, my best friend.

7. Praise God for our new computer! It's WAY faster than our old one, and it has tons more memory. I can fit LOTS AND LOTS of photos on it, and watch many hours of video (as if I had time, ha ha)! Yippee!

7 Quick Takes, Volume 3--What I've Been Doing Instead of Blogging

1. Traveling and Celebrating. Last Friday we hopped in the car for the 9-hour trip South for our niece's baptism. She is the first female grandchild for my husband's parents, and on Saturday she was officially brought into the family of God. Another nine-hour trip on Sunday (during which time I did quite a lot of reading--more on that in Quick Take #4) brought us safely home from a wonderful, whirlwind weekend. Is it just me, or are "whirlwind trips" often the ones you have the fondest memories of?

2. Substitute Teaching. Actually, this isn't much of an excuse for neglecting my blog, since I've only substituted three days in the last two weeks. I'm happy to be earning a little income again, while keeping enough free time to still feel like a stay-at-home mother. The best part is I'm in school with my kids, getting to know their friends and the other families at the school.

3. Watching and Listening to Sarah Palin. I haven't read her book yet, only because it came in the mail two days after it was released, and I had already started another book that morning. I watched the Oprah interview, as well as the ones on Fox News with Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly. I recorded last night's "20/20," where she was to be interviewed by Barbara Walters, and I'm hoping to watch that this weekend.

On a side note, I am somewhat jealous of two cousins of mine (specifically, my first cousin's wife and her daughter-in-law--but I don't bother with technicalities; cousins they are, and therefore family) who attended her book signing yesterday in Cincinnati and had the privilege of meeting her. I hope they'll post pictures on Facebook--hear that girls?

4. Reading Books. So, what am I reading now instead of Going Rogue? This one:



I began following Elizabeth's blog recently, and it's fascinating and inspiring. Of course when I saw that she had written a book about her conversion from atheism to Catholicism, I went over to Amazon and ordered it (along with Sarah's book; Elizabeth's happened to arrive first). The other day while at the auto dealership waiting on some car repairs, I had a chance to read a significant chunk of it. Elizabeth has an incredible story, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

Two other books I have read recently--most of it in the car last weekend-- are St. Louis DeMontfort's True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin (more on this in Quick Take #7) and Trial by Ordeal by Craig Parshall. If you enjoy John Grisham, I would recommend checking out Craig's books. He's a Christian attorney whose wife Janet, is a fairly well-known Christian radio host. Although he isn't Catholic, his books have Chritian themes (no sex or profanity, also a plus), and are as exciting and suspenseful as any national bestsellers.

5. Watching "V" and "Flash Forward," with a bit of reluctance. Truthfully I don't know how many more episodes of "V" I can endure. As much as I enjoy looking at Scott Wolf (Is he the reason I began watching? Maybe. Hubby remembers the show from the '80s, and that's why he was interested) the acting from him and almost all of the other players on the show is mediocre at best. Or maybe it's poor script writing. I'm also a little perplexed about the portrayal of one character, Father Jack, who is a Catholic priest but doesn't seem very priest-like. He has a strange friendship with a leading female character (played by Elizabeth Mitchell from "Lost"), and when the two met, he didn't tell her he was a priest. Now she calls him "Jack." Huh? Not Father Jack? It's not offensive, really; just strange, as if the writers don't quite know what the role of a Catholic priest really is. Plus the concept of aliens suddenly bearing down on the world and expecting everyone to kowtow to them seems a little icky.

As for "Flash Forward," at this point I have a kind of love-hate relationship with that show. In the first episode, everyone on earth blacked out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, and during that time saw a vision of their own future. Or was it REALLY a vision of the future? Those that survived (after all, if you're driving a bus and you black out, you're going to crash and people will die) must decide whether to try to prevent their flash forwards from coming true, or live their lives in order to bring them to fruition. A number of things on the show have made me cringe, though, especially one episode that portrayed two women in a same-sex relationship. That part didn't bother me all that much; it was more the flippant and in-your-face way their relationship was portrayed. Particularly offensive was a conversation they had where lewd comments were made about two prominent American women (I won't say who--I have too much respect for both of them and their positions in our country today) that were in very bad taste and completely unnecessary. I've stuck with the show, though, and I will say that the most recent episode raised some interesting--and dare I say--even pro-life questions. The subject of a future blog? Maybe.

6. Washing Dishes By Hand, since our dishwasher went on the fritz this week. I've also been trying to catch up on some much-needed housework.

7. Praying More--but just a little. My women's Bible study group recently discussed "True Devotion to Mary," and Father L. has been talking to the group about making the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. I bought the book as well as the booklet that contains the meditations and prayers for the 33-day preparation, but I am not proud to admit that I have not been consistent with keeping up with the prayers. I have tried to say the Rosary almost every day, and followed the consecration preparations for several days, but slacked off; for a few days this week I tried to play catch-up, but sadly have let it slide once more. I missed most of Father L's talks because of sick kids and school activities, and I haven't attended any of the seminars offered by our church as well as a nearby parish. I haven't decided NOT to make the consecration, but I don't know if I will be prepared enough by December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Admittedly, I haven't even talked to my family about it, either (Why? I'm not sure--but I guess I should now that I've put it on my blog); but it's something I have been drawn to consider doing, if not this time, possibly in the near future.

I wish I could list one more: Getting More Exercise. Sadly I can't because it's not true. I hope I will be able to include it in my next edition of "Seven Quick Takes!"

Dazed and Confused--it's no wonder we keep going around in circles

Watch this video, and then CLICK HERE too see what Patrick Madrid has to say about it.

It's things like this (who's spewing hate-filled rhetoric??) that make it more difficult to defend the truths of the Catholic faith. I'm sure the person who made this means well, and hopefullly his (or her?) intention is to lead people to Christ. What he and others like him don't realize is that by leading others away from the Catholic Church, they are leading them farther from Christ.

I picked up a book recently called Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli. I hope it will be a good reference for me when those tough questions come up in my conversations with non-Catholics. I am thankful for people like Peter Kreeft, Patrick Madrid, Scott Hahn, Thomas Howard, and others who speak the truth and encourage seekers like me to learn more about my Faith and give me courage to share it with others.

I will pray for this person, and for all others who, because of their ignorance and misconceptions about the Church, lead others into confusion, however unintentionally.

Pro-Life Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries

Today our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the mass shooting at Ft. Hood, Texas today, their families, and also for the shooter. Pray for his conversion, and for Christ to comfort those who have lost their loved ones. And now there's been another shooting in Orlando; let's also pray for those victims, too.

There might be a vote tomorrow in the House of Representatives on Nancy Pelosi's 2,000+ page health care bill. If the bill is passed, it would mean you and I will be forced to pay for elective abortions, and the elderly and terminally ill might be under pressure to end their lives in order to save money. Lord help us. Please follow this link to contact your representative in Congress now.

Today is Friday, when the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary are traditionally prayed. Here are the mysteries with pro-life meditations, posted on Priests For Life's web site.

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES

The Agony in the Garden
Let us pray for mothers and fathers who are in agony because they are tempted to abort a child. May they be given the good news that there are alternatives, and may they make use of the help that is available.









The Scourging of Jesus
As Christ's flesh was torn by the instruments of those who scourged Him, so the bodies of babies in the womb are torn my the instruments of the abortionists. Let us pray that abortionists may repent of these acts of child-killing.




The Crowning with Thorns
Jesus suffered the pain of thorns in His head, and did so silently. We pray for the mothers and fathers of aborted children. So many of them suffer deep grief and regret over a choice they can never reverse. So many suffer in silence, because others tell them it's no big deal.







The Carrying of the Cross
Jesus was not condemned by the power of wicked people. He was condemned because of the silence of good people. Silence always helps the oppressor, never the victim. Let us pray that we may never be silent about abortion, but rather will clearly speak up to save babies from death.







The Crucifixion
As we ponder the death of Christ, let us remember the many women who have died from so-called "safe, legal" abortions. Let us ask forgiveness and mercy for them. May their memory save other women from making this tragic mistake.







Now, more than ever, we need to be united in prayer for the sacredness of life.

Recipe Swap Thursday: Easy Apple Cake

Growing up, I learned a lot about cooking from helping my mother and my grandmother. One of my mother's favorite cookbooks was (and maybe still is) The Joy of Cooking. When I started experimenting with making meals on my own, that was the cookbook I turned to. When I got married it was one of the first cookbooks I had.

Here's a recipe for a fruit cake that comes straight from The Joy of Cooking, and it's one of my family's favorites. Usually, I double the recipe and make two. It's a great one for dessert (yummy with ice cream on the side), but last weekend I made it for Sunday's breakfast because it's kind of like a fruity coffee cake.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
If the fruit is very juicy, reduce the liquid in the dough by at least 1 tablespoon. Sift together:
1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar
Add:
1 1/2 to 3 tablespoons butter
Work these ingredients like pastry (cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs). Beat well in a measuring cup:
1 egg* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Add:
Enough milk** to make a 1/2 cup mixture
Combine with the flour and butter to make a stiff dough. You may pat the dough into the greased pan with your floured palm, or spread it in part with a spoon and then distribute it evenly by pushing it with the fruit sections when you place them closely in overlapping rows. (I usually just spread all the dough with my fingers before I put the fruit on.) Use about:
4 cups sliced pared apples or peaches or sliced unpared plums, preferably freestone blue. (They also recommend guavas; I've never eaten them so I have no idea what they would taste like.)
Sprinkle with a mixture of:
1 cup white or brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 3 tablespoons melted butter
(I usually only put on half the amount of topping that the recipe calls for. If I double it, I just keep the topping measurements the same.)
Bake about 25 minutes.

For Moe, I make these changes due to his allergies:

*1 1/2 heaping tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer beaten with 2 tablespoons water for one egg; 1 heaping tablespoon Egg Replacer to 1/4 cup water for two.

*I use soy, rice or oat milk (Moe's new favorite drink, and it works really well for baking!)










I've made this a lot lately because I've been buying quite a few apples from the farmer's market. I've made this with fresh peaches before, and it's delicious that way, too.

The cake dough kind of has the consistency of biscuit dough. If you're pressed for time, you might get away with using Bisquick and milk, maybe a little sugar, and calling it done. If you make it that way, leave a comment here and let us know how it turns out. Here's the finished product (with apples):
Yum!!

7 Quick Takes, Volume 2

I missed Recipe Swap Thursday (again); but now that it's Friday I thought I'd post a few little tidbits today. Here goes:

1. There is still one more name left for Fallible Blogma's Support a Catholic Speaker Month: Dave Durand. Hurry on over and grab it while you still can! Post a few paragraphs about him and link back to Fallible Blogma. Soon all the names will have links to their respective posts; for now you can check the url's assigned to them and read what bloggers have written. I've already read a few; I wish I had time to read them all!






2. Back in May I posted this recipe for allergy-free cake that I use for Moe. Recently we celebrated his ninth birthday, and he wanted a football-themed party. I tripled the recipe (just like I did with the cross cake), and I got a larger football shape,


and a smaller helmet.


For the football I used a Pampered Chef oval baker, and a round cake pan for the helmet. Easy-peasy!

3. When I was preparing to make Moe's birthday cake, I finally broke down and bought a cake decorating kit, with disposable bags and tips. I should have done that a long time ago! It makes writing and drawing on cakes MUCH easier than when you buy the individual tubes of decorating icing. I need more practice, but slowly I'm getting better. (Although, when I was viewing the pictures we took during the party, I noticed a couple of spots I missed:



















Oh well, nobody's perfect.)

4. So far, the Swine Flu has stayed away from our house, thank the Good Lord! Yesterday Curly woke up with stomach issues and in the afternoon he had a fever. When I called the doctor for an appointment, they told me they would give him a mask to wear. Oh, boy, I thought, here we go. Well, I took him to the doctor today, and they didn't give him a mask; the verdict was it was probably a stomach virus. He's feeling much better now. WHEW!! And we thought he was going to miss Halloween.

5. Speaking of Halloween, I'm curious to know whether or not you celebrate it, and if so, how? If not, do you have an alternative? We have always celebrated Halloween by dressing up the kids, carving pumpkins, and going trick-or-treating. The last few years our kids have chosen the creepiest, freakiest costumes they can find and this year is no exception. Our neighborhood is somewhat quiet, and we've never had many trick-or-treaters come to our house. When we're out and about we don't see too many other people. (All the neighbors are quite generous with the treats, though!) Last year, we went with friends to another part of town where people decorate their houses to the hilt, and sit out on their porches (in coustume) and hand out candy. There were lots and lots of ghosts and goblins milling about, and we had a blast. Our feeling about Halloween is that it's good harmless fun. I know there are many who disagree, but as long as we keep our children grounded in the faith, and make sure we teach them that ghosts and goblins are imaginary, and it's NOT ok to carry around REAL bloody axes and knives, we'll keep on trick-or-treating.


























6. With Halloween comes the carving of the pumpkins, and we always wait until the last minute because frankly, I'm not a big fan of getting my hands in all that goop. Plus my jack-o-lanterns don't look all that great. I will say that last year we had fun carving these:


Unfortunately, our dog ate one of the stars off of the elephant. Figures. I wonder if we had made an Obama O, would she have eaten that?

7. Don't forget All Saints Day on Sunday and All Souls Day on Monday! The kids' school is having an All Saints Day parade Monday. Curly is dressing up as St. Isidore of Seville (green robe left over from when they dressed up as shepherds for a Christmas pageant), and Moe will be St. Francis (brown robe from the other shepherd costume.) Again, easy-peasy.

Have a great weekend!

Support a Catholic Speaker Month: Thomas Howard

A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing the shelves of our local Catholic book store, and I came across this book:
I'm a big fan of the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, and I thought about buying it; in the end, I put it back on the shelf knowing that I had a gazillion other books on my to-read list and I'd better save it for another time.

Then the other day as I was reading some blogs, I saw this post by Anne over at "Imprisoned in My Bones: Releasing My Inner Jeremiah." Anne explained that Matt at Fallible Blogma is hosting "Support a Catholic Speaker Month," inviting bloggers to promote Catholic voices proclaiming the truths of the Catholic faith. She posted some information about Father Larry Richards, who has an interesting and unique ministry (check out the above link to find out more!) I followed the link on Anne's page that took me to Fallibal Blogma's Catholic Speaker Month post. I found a list of over one hundred names, some of whom I'm familiar with and some I'd never heard of. They invite bloggers to choose a Catholic speaker and post a little something about him or her on their blogs. Since it's near the end of the month, most of the people were taken, but there were a few who weren't. Some of the unclaimed speakers were names I knew: Barbara McGuigan and Marcellino D'Ambrosio to name a couple. (I almost picked Marcellino, mostly because his name is fun to pronounce. Both of these people are now taken, but if you hurry on over there are still a few left.) One of the as yet unclaimed speakers was a name that did not ring a bell, Thomas Howard. When I Googled him, I found to my surprise that he is the author of a number of books, including Narnia and Beyond: A Guide to the Fiction of C.S. Lewis, which I almost bought. After a little more reading, I discovered that he is also a convert to the Catholic faith. I was also intrigued by the fact that he was a professor of English and literature for many years before retiring--just like my own father (except my Dad is and always will be a faithful Baptist). I decided to see what else I could find out about him, and post it here.

At first I could find just a little bit about him--that some of his other books include Evangelical is Not Enough, On Being Catholic, and Lead, Kindly Light: My Journey to Rome. As a professor of literature, he is a big fan of C.S. Lewis (he is said to have been a friend of his), and has written several books and articles about his work. I did a little more digging and found out that he also loves Tolkien (as do I), and has taught at least one course on his works and its connection to Christianity. Click here for an in-depth interview with Dr. Howard about The Lord of the Rings.

The more I've looked these last couple of days, the more fascinating stuff I've learned about Dr. Thomas Howard. I found a series of videos on YouTube with Howard discussing his conversion to Catholicism. Here he is giving a simple yet beautiful explanation of the doctrine of Purgatory:

I encourage you to take the time to view the other videos in the series (titled "Evangelical to Catholic," Parts 1 to 5). They range from about 6 to 8 minutes each.

Yesterday I stopped back by the Catholic bookstore and bought Narnia & Beyond. I will plan to read it soon (although I might read True Devotion to Mary first) and when I do I will post a review here. Hopefully I will have a chanve to read some of his other books as well. He's a fascinating and inspirational man and an eloquent Catholic speaker!