I Know It's Alive

One time during Communion I held the consecrated Host in my hand. I felt the Host pulse and saw a glow around it. That is when I knew for sure that Jesus is alive in Communion. I knew the Host was Jesus. It was the coolest thing I felt. And that is why I am Catholic. 

The same God, really?

When people say that people of various religions worship the same God as Christians, how do we know this to be true?

Comments anyone?

New Title, OLOG, K of C

I just changed my blog title and address because the Eucharist is THE reason I am Catholic and will always be so.

I asked my pastor about the OLOG-Revelations connection. There is no official connection because OLOG is the past and Revelation will be the future. Father G's explanation was a lot more detailed except that I forgot all he said. After he explained it all, I felt like saying, "Duh!" to myself.

On Saturday night I accompanied my father to a Knights of Columbus banquet. I have known most of his fellow knights and their wives since childhood. I think what good friends they have been to my father and to me too. Before my mother passed away, she was a dear friend to a number of the wives there. My father and my mother lived in a different state for ten years where they enjoyed their golden years in the sunshine. The council my father belonged to there were also excellent friends and really came through for us when my mother passed away.

The Knights were formed to help the widows and orphans, and the widows are always included. I know a man named - well, I forgot his name - but he died back in the 1970's, and his wife STILL comes to council events. She has not been forgotten, and she is always, always welcome. Once a man joins the Knights of Columbus, his family is part of the Knights forever too.

Lovers

Katie over at the HuMAMAE Vitae blog provided plenty of sources of those who want to study more about the Catholic Church's teaching about Mary's Virginity.

I said in my last post that it's rude to ask a woman if she's a virgin or not. Of course in Traditional Practicing Catholic Land, one would assume that if you're single, you're a virgin, and if you've been married more than 24 hours or even12 hours, you are not.

Anyway, speaking of lovers, I read today Song of Songs verses 2:10-14. That is because on Wednesday, I'll be reading this passage as the first reading at my aunt's funeral Mass. It is about God calling my aunt to heaven. I'm not sure who picked out this reading, but my aunt requested before she died that I read a reading. My cousin-in-charge said to skip over the dove in the cleft or rocks part because "it's too confusing to people."

Here is what I'll be reading in bold.

My lover speaks; he says to me, "Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!

11

"For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone.

12

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land.

13

The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!

14

⁵ "O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, Let me see you, let me hear your voice, For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely."

I think it's a very lovely reading and if only we all could be so assured of God's love and affection for us that we'd stop doing bad things to ourselves.

Are You Still a Virgin?

Asking someone whether or not they are still a virgin is a very personal question. And most of the time, it's none of our business. I'm talking about living in the current Non-Traditional Catholic Land, or in Non-Catholic Land.

So, how do we Catholics know if Mary, our Blessed Mother, remained a virgin? I want to know who had the nerve to ask Mary if she remained a virgin throughout her life with Joseph. We know by our Catholic tradition and by reading the Bible and through Church teaching that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived (by the Holy Spirit). But how do we know she REMAINED a virgin?? Maybe I missed that part in Bible study. And why is it any of our business?

What if Mary and  Joseph had sex some time after Jesus was born? Let's say they did. Whom would have Mary told? I don't think she would have told Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, Andrew, Simon, etc. Is that something you would tell your son's friends? Who said what to whom? Was Joseph complaining to one of his buddies that marital life was missing marital relations? Maybe he was really much to old and didn't have the energy and told someone.

Maybe Joseph was too freaked out that Mary was called by God, and he better not go near her.

If somehow it was revealed that Mary did not remain a virgin, would that be such a bad thing? She was a married woman after all, wasn't she?

Why is it so important to us that Mary remained a virgin?

I'm just asking.

Mary-Our Lady of Guadalupe

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. The priest talked a little bit about how it came to be and why this feast day came to be in 1950.

It is also the 30 year anniversary of my maternal grandfather dying. My uncle was suppose to take me and my cousin to a baseball game, but that got canceled. Mostly I enjoyed being with one particular cousin that day because we were children and not at all close to our grandfather. My mom kept crying and hanging onto me. I was uncomfortable with her grief and clingy-ness. I do remember all of us trooping to Church that day because it was a Holy Day of Obligation.

Today in church, one of the readings was from the Book of Revelations. The first two lines sounded like a description of Our Lady of Guadalupe (sp?). I thought "oh, this is about OLOG." Well, I didn't think OLOG the acronym. Then I remembered that Revelations and the Bible was written centuries before OLOG appeared before J. Diego in Mexico.

Today's feast day is about Mary's body and soul going up to Heaven as if in an invisible elevator.

The day for Our Lady of Guadalupe is in December and celebrates her appearance to Juan Diego. I believe his name is Juan. Now I am going to research OLOG. Luckily, I'm in the library right now, a perfect place for research.

God Bless Everyone.

Joyful Music and Clutter

Hi, it is a sunny day today, so that made this morning's mass all the better since a lot of sunshine came through the windows. My church has a lot of clear glass windows. Yes, it has stained glass windows too.

Before Mass was I was scrapbooking and feeling overwhelmed by all the paper and stickers I have. In my ideal life, I would use it all up and buy no more. In reality I buy more and get annoyed by the stuff taking over my living room.

Today's homily was about hoarding, giving our possessions away, and that relationships are more important. Amen to that. I feel inspired to give things away. After Mass I visited my friend in the hospital. I gave her a wildlife book, and some stickers and paper to play with. Last night I was up until 3:00 a.m. making advent calendars (to give away) trying to use up my Christmas papers. My advent calenders look very, very homemade, which they are.

Our closing hymn was "Sign Me Up." It's a clapping your hands joyful song. I like that kind of music in church.