Growing Pains (On a ligther note)

Black Lab-Not D

Wednesday evening we got a new dog.  Boy is our old dog confused!  He just doesn't understand why he is being replaced.  M, our dog, is a purebred, piebald miniture dacshund.  He is 3 years old and extremely laid back.  He is used to sleeping all day during school hours and plays with the kids once or twice a day for about 10-15 minutes, then sleeps some more.

D, our new dog, is a six-month-old, black labra-dacshund puppy.  She has had no training or discipline.  She is rambuncuous and jumps up on people.  She whines to go out and whines to come in.  She had gotten away with this at her old house.  So far she has weed once in the car and once in the house, chewed on a glue stick and a crayon, ticked off M, and jumped on the furniture.



Piebald dacshund-M. lookalike

 M is trying to keep up with D.  M gets between her and anyone else.  He is very jealous and confused.  She (D) will not stay still long enough for him to get a good sniff.  I don't think he's ever had so much exercise in his life.  We let the two out in the back yard.  D just runs and jumps and loves life.  M tries to chase her and assert his 'manhood' but she doesn't care.  D chases M around to get a good sniff of his behind.  M keeps tripping as he tucks his rear end under to keep it away from D's nose.

By Friday, both dogs were exhausted with the effort to play and to assert their place in the "pack."  They are starting to at least tolerate each other.  M still has his own day bed and D lays anywhere she feels like it.  Wednesday night we put her in fenced off section of the garage with a blanket, a training pad, and some water.  She actually behaved herself very well that night.  I was having "Marley and Me" flashbacks, but all went well.  Whe now has a proper kennel bed.  She hops into the kids laps but then hops back off again.  She can't seem to alight anywhere for more than a minute or two.

M has always been Daddy's boy.  D is definitely Mamma's girl.  She is a help to me, too.  She has motivated me to take her for a daily walk.  Hopefully that will kick start my dreamed of weight loss.

A Celebration of the Feast of the Archangels



St. Michael battles Lucifer

 St. Michael, the Archangel - Feast day - September 29th.  The name Michael signifies "Who is like to God?" and was the warcry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against satan and his followers. Holy Scripture describes St. Michael as "one of the chief princes," and leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over the powers of hell. He has been especially honored and invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles.

Although he is always called "the Archangel," the Greek Fathers and many others place him over all the angels - as Prince of the Seraphim. St. Michael is the patron of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police and sickness.
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=308




St. Raphael with Tobiah

 St. Raphael is one of seven Archangels who stand before the throne of the Lord. He was sent by God to help Tobit, Tobiah and Sarah. At the time, Tobit was blind and Tobiah's betrothed, Sarah, had had seven bridegrooms perish on the night of their weddings. Raphael accompanied Tobiah into Media disguised as a man named Azariah. Raphael helped him through his difficulties and taught him how to safely enter marriage with Sarah. Tobiah said that Raphael caused him to have his wife and that he gave joy to Sarah's parents for driving out the evil spirit in her. He also gave Raphael credit for his father's seeing the light of heaven and for receiving all good things through his intercession. Besides Raphael, Michael and Gabriel are the only Archangels mentioned by name in the bible. Raphael's name means "God heals." This identity came about because of the biblical story which claims that he "healed" the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch. Raphael is also identified as the angel who moved the waters of the healing sheep pool. He is also the patron of the blind, of happy meetings, of nurses, of physicians and of travelers. His feast day is celebrated on September 29th.
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=203



St. Gabriel at the Annunciation

 The name Gabriel means "man of God," or "God has shown himself mighty." It appears first in the prophesies of Daniel in the Old Testament. The angel announced to Daniel the prophecy of the seventy weeks....He was the angel who appeared to Zachariah to announce the birth of St. John the Baptizer. Finally, he announced to Mary that she would bear a Son Who would be conceived of the Holy Spirit, Son of the Most High, and Saviour of the world. The feast day is September 29th. St. Gabriel is the patron of communications workers.
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=279

Another Anniversary but NOT a Celebration

Unfortunately it is the tenth anniversary of the approval of the dangerous and deadly RU-486 "abortion pill" (mifepristone) by the FDA under the Clinton administration.  A Lifenews.com article on the drug and its unfortunate effects can be read here.  I read some of the research and statistics on its use in Europe before it was approved in the US.  I could see the disaster coming, but the government doesn't care about the health of individual women or their unborn babies, just their agenda.

Here is moving blog post by a pro-life friend of mine and her experience with RU-486. 

Proverbs 24:11,12 "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.  If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not He who guards your life know it?  Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?" (NIV)

Image from Christian World Shirt Shop from a tee shirt that can be purchased here.

Feast Day-Blessed Herman the Cripple

Ever heard of the Salve Regina or the Alma Redemptoris Mater?  Then you know just some of the work produced by Blessed Herman the Cripple (1013-1054).

"Born with a cleft palate, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida to a farm family.  His parents cared for him until the age of seven, but in 1020 they gave him over to the abbey of Reichenau Island in Lake Constance in southern German; he spent the rest of his life there.  He became a Benedictine monk at age twenty.  A genius, he studied and wrote on astronomy, theology, math, history, poetry, Arabic, Greek and Latin.  He built musical instruments, and astronomical equipment.  In later life he became blind, and had to give up his academic writing."  He was the most famous poet of his day.
http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-herman-the-cripple/

Feast Day:  September 25.

Picture:  http://catholicfire.blogspot.com/2008/09/blessed-herman-cripple-monk-1013-1054.html

Salve Regina:
Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.


O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
http://www.secondexodus.com/html/prayers/salveregina.htm

Alma Redemptoris Mater  can be read here.

Controversy on St. Augustine

Here is an article on a friend's blog about St. Augustine.  I find it amusing that a small controversy stirred up around it.  Only proving to me that protestants are indeed trying to hijack St. Augustine.  Many try to say that Sl. Augustine was not Catholic nor supported the Catholic Church.  The facts that St. Augustine was a priest and bishop of the Church, that his great works "Confession" and "City of God" are Catholic apologetic works through and through, that St. Augustine supported the magesterium and the papacy, seem to escape them time and time again.  St. Augustine was a passionate supporter of the Church founded by Christ on the Rock, Peter.  No matter how protestants try to rationalize what he said, they cannot seriously prove that St. Augustine was anything but Catholic.

The Best Pro-Life Blog to Date

Baby eight weeks after conception

Please all pro-lifers who might read my blog and have never discovered "Little Catholic Bubble", please read Answering Sophie: Mother Teresa vs. Margaret Sanger.  Her answers are wise.  Stop reading and go over there now. 

God Bless.

Catechetical Congress

Archbishop Aymond

Today I attended a catechetical congress with several catechists of my parish.  In fact, there were 13 people from our little church.  I attend the conference every year.  Every single time I come home with a new sense of purpose, and a new goal in mind.  This year my goal is to give the children the best I can give.  They deserve the best.  Many don't have anyone at home to nurture them or to listen to them.  Some don't get much attention.  Many come from broken homes.  Even though we catechists only see them for about an hour on Sunday, we must make it clear that we are open to them and that we care.  We must be their source of hope, and they must see God's love in us.

This is the message I brought away from hearing our keynote speaker Archbishop Greg Aymond of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  He gave us renewed energy about our ministry as catechists.  It is a ministry he said, attested to by the church's choosing us.  He pleaded with us to continue our education as catechists, then chuckled that he is probably "preaching to the choir" since over 200 of us were there on a Saturday morning listening to him.  He gave us good advice on understanding our students' world, and adjusting our teaching style, approach, and vocabulary accordingly.  We have a lot riding on what we say and what we model for those children.  It is up to us to build up our relationship with God, so that we can be a good example for the children's relationship with Him. 

If you are a catechist, and your diocese offers such conferences, I encourage you to go.  Don't miss this wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth and networking with other catechists.  I also enjoy seeing what the vendors have to offer.  I always come away with some gems for my class.  I must finish up my preparation for class...