the magic trick

My elder son got a magic trick in a fast food place kids meal a while back. He was showing me the trick. I said, Amazing! How did you do it?

"Mommy, a magician never receives his magic."

The bad mother of the year award goes to....

Me. I made the elder boy cry tonight. Over baseball.

In my defense, he was extraordinarily tired. Since I live in Metro NY, I only get to watch the Phillies when they play the Mets. They were on MSG (Madison Square Garden) Network before bedtime and I wanted to watch an inning before bathtime. When we finally ironed out that the New York team was not the Yankees, even though their uniforms were grey and said "New York" on them, he said he thought he might like the Mets. I proceeded to inform my son (partly kidding) that he can be a fan of any team in MLB but three: The Red Sox, the Mets, and the Braves. He said he thought he'd like the Mets anyway. I told him no (I am responsible for his immortal soul!). My mother and I tried to get him to think about the Yankees and his favorite player, Derek Jeter. No success. A third time, the poor boy insisted he liked the Mets. I told him he couldn't.

The lower lip quivered and the waterworks began. I was mortified. I scooped him into my lap. I tried to tell him I was only kidding. Mommy was trying to be funny. "IT"S NOT FUNNY MOMMY!!!!!" he screamed into my face. I'm sorry, I said. I promise that I will love you, even if you decide that your favorite team is the Mets. After I reassured him of my love a few more times, he asked me to please change the channel. I asked him if wanted to watch the Yankees game instead. He said yes. We watched one batter and he asked to change the channel. We wound up watching "Lingo" on the Game Show Network for 10 minutes until bathtime.

He went to bath time happier. Chuck Woollery is a very soothing person.

ok, another quiz

Hat tip to Tony at Catholic Pillow Fight

I thought for sure I'd be more of a book snob....


Name the era, and you can name every artist from
it. You've got an eye for design and a knack
for feng shui. Color schemes, architecture, and
objt d'art - these are all your forts.
What people love: You're the perfect person to shop
with.
What people hate: They have to clean their house
whenever you come over.


What Kind of Elitist Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

bad blogger, bad bad blogger

I know, no posts lately. My excuse is that CCD starts next week and since I have no secretary, I have been very busy. And I am tired. So to bed I go.

Viva il papa!

Sadly, I do have a huge ego.

But I am working on it. HT to Barb

Your Element is Fire

Your power color: red Your energy: hot Your season: spring Like a fire, you are full of power and light. A born leader, you easily draw people toward you. You are full of courage and usually up for anything dangerous. You have a huge ego and love to be the center of attention.

What Element Are You?

Happy Birthday Bubba!

Today is my younger son's Birthday. He is a 2 year old picture of his daddy. He likes Elmo and imitating his big brother. His favorite thing to do is to wrestle with his daddy and big brother. He likes being read to and coloring and he can count to 10 and say the alphabet. We call him Bubba because he was a roly poly bubba chunk baby (10 lbs 1 oz! Scheduled C-Section-I did not have to push him out!) and "bubba" sounds a little bit like "Baby." He is my daredevil-he jumps down the steps and off the couch. He is a sweet little monster and we're so glad God sent him to us.

What have you done for your priests lately?

I haven't posted on the subject of "gay" priests myself before, though I have commented in a few different places over the last few months.

If you don't know, teams are visiting seminaries all over the US right now asking specific questions of the seminarians about homosexuality in their seminaries. The pope is considering a document which would ban all men who have homosexual tendencies from the seminary. All of this, and I know you will correct me if I am wrong, is in response to the scandals in our dioceses.

Will banning men who have had a same sex attraction (SSA) keep our kids safer? Will this action make our priests holier?

I think, as others like Amy Welborn (open book-see sidebar) and Tony from Catholic Pillow Fight (see sidebar), feel that there is an important distinction to make. Men who have embraced the American culturally "gay" lifestyle (having a same sex partner, one or multiple, supporting "gay marriage") have shown an unwillingness to abide by the church's teaching about sexuality and ought not be permitted to enter the seminary. There are also men who have maybe felt an attraction, have never acted upon it, perhaps have sought counseling and prayer to keep those feelings in check. These men have embraced the Church's teachings and ought not be denied entrance into a seminary.

I think you could also say that men who have had multiple female partners, who have shown no regard and/or true disdain on the church's teachings about ANYTHING really ought not to be admitted to the seminary. We've got enough problems with the laity's lack of education of or unwillingness to embrace the Church's teachings without a confused or belligerent clergy messing it up further. Some of the clergy are already messing us up--let's take care of those guys first before we think about ordaining more of the same, OK?

What makes men holier is prayer. What will make our priests holier is the laity making sacrifices for the sake of our priests and praying for them. So many of us are quick to accuse our priests. "What's the matter with those guys?" "Aren't they supposed to be better than us?" "They just don't make 'em like Monsignor so and so anymore." Well, what have you done lately for your parish priest(s)? Said a Rosary for Father lately? Did you fast for your parochial vicar who said something in his homily you disagreed with?

Served by a diocesan priest? When was the last time you asked St. John Vianney to pray for him? Did you even know that St. John Vianney was the patron saint of diocesan priests? Served by the Benedictines? Franciscans? Jesuits? Have you tried talking to St. Benedict, St. Francis, or St. Ignatius on their behalf?

My point: ALL OF US (the CHURCH) are responsible for encouraging one another to grow in holiness. Your priest is praying for you. Are you praying for him? He can't stay holy on his own. He needs the help of the Lord, but he also needs our help. Pray for the priests of your parish right now. Before you head to the comment box.

What kind of Cross are you?

HT to Der Tomissar


You are the Corpus Christi Crucifix: The cross that
bears the body of Christ is the most venerated
of all the crosses. It hangs in the most sacred
places in the world and inspires the faithful
to contemplate the suffering of Christ.


What Kind of Cross are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

More on the Matrix vocation poster

Upper Canada Catholic had a link to this Indianapolis Newspaper article for more info on that way cool Matrix vocations poster (see the awesome "Welcome to the real Church" button from Tony at Catholic Pillow Fight for a taste) . You can call the rectory at the parish of the priest pictured (yes! a real priest, not a model in the poster!) to order, but from what I understand they are on a serious backorder. But I'm getting mine for the office! Now if I can only find where to get that Gladiator poster. If anyone knows, let me know.

And can we come up with some good posters for vocations to the religious life? I'm not looking for "Charlie's Angels" nuns......but that might not be such a bad idea. Young nuns in the full habit posed like Charlie's angels. It certainly gets you talking....

I know I'm being irreverent. I do not mean to offend.

:)

But the Novus is the only Ordo I know

I have read on a lot of blogs, and I'll admit, I mostly read the "conservative" ones, how inferior the Mass which came out after Vatican II is to the Tridentine Mass. I am intrigued by the Tridentine Mass and I will go to one soon since I promosed Der Tomissar I would offer it for his intentions as a belated birthday gift. (As an aside, should I buy a chapel veil before I go to the indult Mass?)

I read in another blog's comment box that it is practically impossible to offer a respectful Novus Ordo Mass. To which I say, the pope does it all the time.

And I will readily admit I have been to a few NO Masses where it was questionable whether or not the Mass was valid. But I have the fortune of living in a very orthodox parish where we hear the truth from the pulpit wether we like it or not. Where Tha Mass proper is not mucked around with (Usually).

And I will say it: I like Marty Hugen's, the St. Louis Jesuits' and David Haas' music generally, though I prefer "Lift HIgh the Cross" and "Faith of Our Fathers" to "Lord of the Dance" and many other songs we sing at Mass regularly but we do sing the Sanctus and Agnus Dei in Latin and the Kyrie in Greek during Lent. And i do like "Lord, by your Cross and Resurrection..." Memorial Acclamation better than "Christ has Died..."

I guess what I'm getting at is: What is the big deal? Let's not get rude and call me stupid. I would like to be educated. Discuss.

Funny how life works

On the heels of the ectopic prgnancy comes the younger boy's second birthday party. He doesn't turn 2 for 2 more weeks, but this weekend is the only weekend that there is no Football at the DH's university, so he can be at the party.

I'm not doing as badly with the loss of this child as I did with the other 2 ( I have been pregnant 5 times), and I can think of a few reasons for that.

I sort of knew for a few days that this might be coming. The worst pain of my life which I endured on Wednesday helped me prepare, too in some weird way I don't think I could possibly explain.

And the fact that I received the Sacrament of the Sick before the surgery helpd me in a huge way. The grace I received from the Sacrament helped me deal with the fear of the surgery (there was none) and I knew that that child(ren?) would be in Paradise that day. I mourn the loss of the baby. I feel today LIke I had a C-Section, but there is no child to nurse, to kiss or cuddle. I just don't feel as depressed about it as I did the last 2 times.

I also can't help but feel like God is trying to tell me that the 2 boys He gave us is enough. I don't think it was God's will that I endure the pain or that my child died. God never willed anyone to die. You can thank Satan, and Adam and Eve for that. I believe that this preganancy could have taken if God had wanted it to. Are those divergent statements? I don't know. It's too early to make those kinds of decisions.

As for baby names, we prayed about it together and separately. I was given a boy name and DH was given a girl's. Could it have been twins? we'll pray again and I'll let you know what we come up with.

Oh, one should never post on percocet. I'm afraid I've rambled, though I have edited a bit (I know: THIS IS EDITED????)

UPDATE: I believe that we were having twins. I'm calling them Rosie and Andrew. This is NOT tragic. That just means I have 4 babies praying for me and not just 2. I can use all the grace I can get-CCD starts next week!
Viva Christo Rey!

The kid had no sense of direction

Supposed to implant himself in my uterus, but stayed in my fallopian tube.

I had emergency surgery yesterday to remove the ectopic pregnancy. My tube had ruptured and I was bleeding into my abdomen. It was pretty painful, but I am doing much better now.

The folks at the parish have been great. One of the secretaries drove me to the doctor since I started to have pain while i was there. My DH met me there. They sent me to the hospital to have an ultrasound, then to the ER for blood tests and surgery prep. No one told us anything until they said I was going to the OR and I was like, "um, WHY???" I kind of knew it must be ectopic, but no one told me until the truly wonderful ER nurse broke the news. They arranged a priest to come see me for anointing and my DH prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet with me and I was very calm going in. The surgery took about 3 hours, maybe less and I felt sore, but much better after I woke up. I got to come home last night and everything.

Prayers for the little one we lost wopuld be appreciated. It is my firm hope that he is in heaven with Our Lord right now. When we come up for the name of this little guy (we'll pray about it together tonight), we'll post it. He joins his older brother and sister, Joseph and Mary, in Heaven.

Please also pray for the folks of Louisiana and Mississippi as they get through the next several weeks until recovery can begin. Watch the benefit concert on NBC tomorrow and donate to the Red Cross or to href= "http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/news/katrina.cfm/"> Catholic Charities for the hurricane recovery effort. It looks like Haiti there right now. Comment in Maureen's box to tell her how much you donated to Catholic charities. There's a contest between her and Der Tomissar to see who can raise more money.