Today is a holy day of obligation.  On Catholic radio I heard it referred to as a holy day of opportunity!

Today we have the opportunity to go to mass.  If you're uncertain of mass times... you can always go to www.masstimes.org

  

The Assumption

Sitting at the lake

Lake Ontario

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature -- trees, flowers, grass -- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.

~Mother Theresa

There are times when I need clarity.   During those times...I'll sit in an empty church.  In the still and tranquil quiet....I feel His presence and my load seems lighter.

Thomas Merton Prayer

  Feel free to to cut and paste and pray it yourself!

Thomas Merton's Prayer

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

- Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"


Thomas Merton was one of the most influential Catholic authors of the 20th century. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, in Kentucky, Merton was an acclaimed Catholic spiritual writer, poet, author and social activist. Merton wrote over 60 books, scores of essays and reviews, and is the ongoing subject of many biographies. Merton was also a proponent of inter-religious dialogue, engaging in spiritual dialogues with the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and D. T. Suzuki. His life and career were suddenly cut short at age 53, when he was electrocuted stepping out of his bath.

July 4th, 2012

Dear God,

Thank you for our armed forces and for those that have sacrificed or have given up their lives for our freedom.  We pray for our government leaders that they may uphold our religious freedoms....for these religious freedoms that we hold dear....
were the driving force in establishing this great nation of ours.
God bless the United States of America....a country of greatness.

Amen

Are we on Gods side?

Tomorrow starts the Fortnight Of Increased Prayer To Protect Our Religious Liberty from June 21 - July 4, 2012....called for by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

During this period ...we pray for the gift and safety of our religious liberty as Americans.

Pray that the Lord will heal our country and give us another President like this one...

Why I Love Religion

A response to the video "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus". The purpose of this video is to do a response from a Catholic perspective, in a spirit of love, but also with a spirit of passion to defend our Mother the Church. The things that are said are not meant to offend, but we do have to be direct about what we believe and what we stand for.

~Spirit Juice Studios