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Thursday, April 17, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Prayer to the Powerful Babe
O, Jesus, True God,
Beginning human life
In the womb of Mary,
I come to You in Your first moments,
O powerful Babe.
Mother Mary's "Fiat"
Brought the Father's Will to Earth,
Wrapped in the stuff of Man,
Purity's Flesh emerging as cells divide.
I come to You, God-Man,
In Your holy beginning,
Awaiting, with all creation,
The formation of Your Sacred Heart
In Time.
O, Happy Fruition,
O, Incarnate Son,
In Mary's virginal womb,
Bless with inner healing
The whole of my life.
Bring to my concupiscence
Conformity to the Father's Will.
I am the least in my Father's house,
But by my spiritual visitation,
My willing presence,
In the nascent Being of the Christ,
One, so small and mean as me,
Can find a home
As the Heart of Jesus
Is formed and fired.
O, powerful Babe,
O, pure and holy Fetus,
I trust in You
From Your beginning
As Prophet, Priest and King,
To bring me,
And all creation,
To a happy end.
Amen
©Joann Nelander 2011
All rights reserved
Monday, February 24, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
A Prayer of Abandonment
God has created me to do some definite service. God has committed some work to
me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission—I am a link in a
chain, a bond of connection between persons. I have not been created for naught. I
shall do good. I shall do God’s work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth
in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep the commandments.
Therefore I will trust in God. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve God; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve
God; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve God. God does nothing in vain, but
knows what all is about.
~ John Henry Newman
Monday, December 9, 2013
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – a fitting tabernacle to hold the Word made Flesh
Teresa Monaghen, of Pro Sanctity and Fr. John Sianchuck, C.Ss.R., a Ukranian Byzantine priest do a great job of explaining the Western and Eastern understanding of this great mystery.
Take a listen to the discussion posted above, that Bruce and I had with Teresa Monaghen, from Pro Sanctity and Fr. John Sianchuk, C.Ss.R., a Ukrainian Redemptorist priest discuss the difference and similarities of Western and Eastern understanding of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (34.7MB)
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Immaculate Conception,
“490 To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.”132 The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”.133 In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.
491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God,134 was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
- The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.135
492 The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”.136 The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.137
493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”.138 By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. ”
Friday, November 1, 2013
Let us make haste to our brethren who are awaiting us - St.Bernard
From a sermon by Saint Bernard, abbot
Let us make haste to our brethren who are awaiting us.
Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning.
Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. We long to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the blessed, to join the assembly of patriarchs, the ranks of the prophets, the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble company of confessors and the choir of virgins. In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints. But our dispositions change. The Church of all the first followers of Christ awaits us, but we do nothing about it. The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent. The souls of the just await us, and we ignore them.
Come, brothers, let us at length spur ourselves on. We must rise again with Christ, we must seek the world which is above and set our mind on the things of heaven. Let us long for those who are longing for us, hasten to those who are waiting for us, and ask those who look for our coming to intercede for us. We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their happiness. While we desire to be in their company, we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no danger in setting our hearts on such glory.
When we commemorate the saints we are inflamed with another yearning: that Christ our life may also appear to us as he appeared to them and that we may one day share in his glory. Until then we see him, not as he is, but as he became for our sake. He is our head, crowned, not with glory, but with the thorns of our sins. As members of that head, crowned with thorns, we should be ashamed to live in luxury; his purple robes are a mockery rather than an honor. When Christ comes again, his death shall no longer be proclaimed, and we shall know that we also have died, and that our life is hidden with him. The glorious head of the Church will appear and his glorified members will shine in splendor with him, when he forms this lowly body anew into such glory as belongs to himself, its head.
Therefore, we should aim at attaining this glory with a wholehearted and prudent desire. That we may rightly hope and strive for such blessedness, we must above all seek the prayers of the saints. Thus, what is beyond our own powers to obtain will be granted through their intercession.
[audio http://lionslair.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/audio-post-2013-11-01-03-36-37.mp3|titles=Audio Post]
The Saints Crowned in Glory
The Saints are longing for us,
Longing that we share their glory.
No harm in such ambition,
Says Bernard.
This glory is to be spread abroad
By God's sovereignty
And generosity.
This glory is none other
Than the glory in which the Father
Robed His dying Son.
It is now reflected in His Saints,
Who in life picked up their cross,
And followed Him upon their knees.
The battle they fought on Earth now is ours.
They continue with us,
The Church Triumphant,
Pleading for the Church Militant.
Blessed are those who were poor in spirit,
Who were merciful, loving their enemies,
Who mourned and who were persecuted,
Who were pure of heart,
And sought peace
Through the wood of the Cross.
Blessed are all those gathered
To the Father's bosom.
Blessed are they and generous,
Interceding for the saints,
As they look for us to follow in their steps.
Brothers and Sisters,
Radiant in glory,
Beam forth Christ.
All happiness to His Saints
Rewarded now and forever.
All glory to the Father,
The Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen!
By Joann Nelander
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sistine Chapel Close up and Spectacular - Vatican Virtual Tour
Virtual Tour of Sistine Chapel complements of the Vatican and apparently done by Villanova. - Click,and drag to navigate. Lower left has + & - for zooming in and out.
Sistine Chapel
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Voter's’ Voice–Michael Taylor–Congress Must Act
August 8, 2013
Dear Friend,
The Obama Administration’s contraceptive/abortifacient/sterilization mandate will begin to be enforced against nonprofit religious schools, charities and health care providers on January 1, 2014. In the weeks to come, Congress must decide whether to address this problem before that deadline.
Members of Congress should continue to be urged to co-sponsor the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (H.R. 940, S. 1204), and to work for its approval in the next "must-pass" bill needed to keep the federal government operating. Government must not force Americans to violate their religious and moral beliefs on respect for life when they provide health care or purchase health coverage.
Congress is now in its summer recess (August 5-September 9). The recess presents special opportunities to contact your Members and urge their support for H.R. 940/S. 1204. Members will be in their home districts and states. They will be learning what is important to their constituents, and this will influence their actions when they return in the fall. Please consider taking one or more of the following actions:
- Meet with Members in their local offices.
- Ask questions at town hall meetings.
- Step forward to talk with Members at county fairs and other public events listed on Members’ schedules.
- Write letters-to-the-editors for local papers and newsletters in response to stories or editorials related to conscience rights.
- Participate in radio and TV call-in shows. Members and their staffs read the local papers and track local media.
Always be polite and respectful. Full contact and scheduling info can be found on Members’ web sites at: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.
Of course, if you have not yet sent e-mail messages to your Representative and two Senators urging support of H.R. 940/S. 1204, you can do so by clicking on the link below. A note: You also will be able to send a separate message to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) using his special Speaker’s web form.
Some background. Under the new health care law, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requires most health plans to cover “preventive services for women,” including drugs and procedures that many citizens find objectionable for moral and religious reasons. These objectionable items include sterilization, FDA-approved birth control (such as the IUD, Depo-Provera, ‘morning-after’ pills, and the abortion-inducing drug Ella), and “education and counseling” to promote these to all “women of reproductive capacity,” including minor girls. Under the final rule released by HHS on June 28, the mandate allows only a very narrow exemption for a “religious employer,” chiefly aimed at what HHS calls “houses of worship.” Other religious organizations offering education, health care and charitable services do not qualify for the exemption. The mandate will be enforced against them beginning January 1, 2014, under an “accommodation” that only changes the way the objectionable items must be provided to all employees and their dependents. There is no exemption or delay for individuals, or for businesses owned and operated by families with moral or religious objections.
Thanks for all you do in support of life!
Michael Taylor
Executive Director
Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/link/target/nchla/Mt629RzE3.aspx
Thursday, August 1, 2013
The Simplest, Most Direct Argument for God's Existence | BrandonVogt.com
William Lane Craig is one of the sharpest Christian apologists today, especially on questions about God's existence, Jesus' Resurrection, and objective morality. The Evangelical philosopher travels around the country giving workshops and lectures, but he's best known for his public debates with well-known atheists and skeptics. (You can watch many of them online through his excellent Reasonable Faith website.)
During these debates, Craig has a very short time to make a clear and compelling case for God. One of his favorite arguments, on which he wrote his doctoral dissertation, is the kalam cosmological argument. Christians have many arguments for God, but the kalam has become increasingly popular because it is straightforward, easy-to-remember, and modern physics affirms one of its crucial premises (note: the argument doesn't depend on science, but the latest science strongly affirms it.)
The kalam argument is fairly simple:
1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause for its coming into being.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe has a cause for its coming into being, outside of itself.
Yesterday, Craig released a short five-minute video covering the basic argument. Watch it a few times, remember the in's and out's, and you'll be prepared next time someone tells you, "There's no evidence for God!"
via The Simplest, Most Direct Argument for God's Existence | BrandonVogt.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=COJ0ED1mV7s
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet
BY Matthew Archbold
Composer Gavin Bryars was living in London working on a documentary about
people living in poverty. During the recording, a number of people being
interviewed broke into drunken maudlin ballads and even loud opera. But one
old man, who, according to Bryars, was not drinking, sang a small verse of a
religious song called "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet."
He sang it without irony. He sang it seemingly in childlike faith despite
his dire circumstances.
The recording of the old man was never used in the film and it was returned
to Bryars. When Bryars listened to it at home he found something beautiful
in the old man's singing. He improvised a simple accompaniment to the verse
that built around the man's singing. Shortly after that he took the tape to
the recording studio where he worked. He copied the loop of song onto a
continuous reel. Knowing this would take time he left the studio with the
song playing to grab a cup of coffee.
Out into the studio floated the old man's words, haunting
and faith-filled:
Jesus blood never failed me yet-
never failed me yet
Jesus blood never failed me yet -
there’s one thing I know
because he loves me so
Jesus blood never failed me yet -
When Bryars returned he noticed something odd. "When I came back I found
the normally lively room unnaturally subdued," said Bryars. "People were
moving about much more slowly than usual and a few were sitting alone,
quietly weeping."
He didn't understand why until he realized the tape had been playing the
entire time he'd been gone and was causing a strong reaction in people.
"This convinced me of the emotional power of the music and of the
possibilities offered by adding a simple, though gradually evolving,
orchestral accompaniment that respected the tramp's nobility and simple
faith," he said.
Bryars added a swelling orchestral accompaniment around the man's voice and
recorded it on Brian Eno's label in 1975. Since then, the song has moved
millions. Including me.
I can tell you that the first time I heard it I was picking up my brother
Kevin from the train station. Going through chemo at the time and suffering
seizures at odd times he wasn't able to drive so the family would drive him
in to work or the train on a daily basis. As I lived in Philadelphia and
only came up during the summers, I was glad to help when I could.
So there I was waiting for him and flipping through radio stations when I
heard this old man's warbling voice. In the beginning I couldn't even
understand what he was saying but it soon had me transfixed. My brother came
off the train and climbed in the car. Normally, he launched right in with
jokes but he heard the song. We both sat in the car for twenty minutes
listening. We didn't talk. We didn't drive. We just listened. We shared that
moment.
So now I share it with you.
A sad note, the tramp (as he came to be known) died before he could hear
what Bryars had done with his singing. I find it beautiful as millions of
others have. I'll let you decide.
The first three minutes are completely without music and then the
orchestration slowly builds around it.[youtube=http://youtu.be/E1lnSi7QWY8]
Saturday, February 2, 2013
What about the Temple and Today, Jesus and Ed Koch
On May 21,2012, in a speech, introducing Timothy Cardinal Dolan at the Manhattan Institute – Alexander Hamilton Award Dinner, Edward I. Koch said:
I was a congressman and then mayor when I first came to know Terence Cardinal Cooke. Of the four cardinals I have known, he was the most beloved by the public. He was a very gentle man and perceived early on as a saintly figure. Indeed, Cardinal Cooke is currently being considered by the Vatican for sainthood, and I have given testimony in the Vatican’s extensive inquiry into such a designation.
Having much to do with our friendship, I recall when Cardinal Cooke opened a Fifth Avenue door at St. Patrick’s Cathedral that had been closed for 100 years. He asked me to stand with him when he unlocked the entrance. As the sunlight poured through the open door, he said, “Mayor Ed, this cathedral belongs to you. ” (I could never get him to call me Ed. When he said “Mayor Ed,” I could hear the neighing of horses, there being a very popular television show at the time featuring a talking horse called “Mr. Ed,”) but at that moment, I did indeed feel as though the cathedral belonged to the cardinal and me.
Ed Koch may have felt as though the cathedral belonged to the cardinal and him, but today marks the day the Lord of that cathedral and all others, arrived on the scene and was recognized by waiting, holy hearts. May God bless the soul and eternity of Mayor Ed, the Cardinal, NYC, the city of my birth, and the world.
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
“And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), and thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed’” (Luke 2:33-35).[1]
The feast marks the day Jesus was carried in the arms of His mother, to be presented according to the Law of the Old Covenant into the Temple. Sarah Ciotti writes:
It celebrates the holy convergence of Jesus the Messiah with His people who faithfully waited for His coming. Traditionally, the feast is celebrated with the greatest of joys and thanksgivings. Forty days after the solemnity of Christmas, Mary and Joseph consecrated Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, showing their obedience to God and fulfilling the Mosaic Law. Simeon, a just and devout man, utters a prophecy that Jesus will be the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel. Anna thanks God for the child and talks about him to all who looked to God for the deliverance of Jerusalem. Amid their joy looms the shadow of the cross, the opposition Jesus will face and the sword of suffering Mary, too, will experience.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Graphic Witness -“What I witnessed during my abortion still hits me like a sledgehammer”
How the Nine Days of Prayers Comforted Me While I Fought Demons......
January 19, 2013 By The Crescat
… With the upcoming March For Life, the topic of abortion seems to be every where at the moment. Because of this it’s been on my mind daily. Perhaps these daily reminders is what triggered the event that happened this morning.
My first waking thought hit me like a sledge hammer and I was instantly transported back ten years. I was standing alone in a sterile room wearing a hospital gown. In my hand was the sheet that I had pulled back off the portable suction machine that sat in the corner. Memories I thought I had drown bubbled up despite mentally wrestling with myself for years to un-see them.
What I am about to write next is horrifically graphic. I’d been debating with myself all day whether or not I should share this memory or just stuff it back down in the murky recesses of my addled brain but then I was reminded of something Elizabeth Scalia wrote.
And somehow, I can’t imagine that any of our elite female voices — the ones who, in every election year, can be counted on to take up the fake “war on women” mantras and tape PSA’s about “keeping abortion legal” because it “empowers women” — have any sense of the realities of these under-inspected, under-reported hell-holes, where the only ones being empowered are the profiteers.
And a hell hole it was. There is no way to advocate what I am about to describe. None. There is no reason, no exception, no situation in which what I saw could possibly be rationalized away as a “reproductive right” or an acceptable choice.
**** If you’re post-abortive what you are about to read might be too graphic and upsetting.****
I encourage you only to proceed with great caution. Please know I don’t write this to cause you any pain. I write this post so that people who advocate abortion can read what it is exactly they are advocating.
The vacuum. Read the rest here
Today marks the beginning of the 9 Days of Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage sponsored by USCCB.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Great Atrocities Demand Remembrance and Hope
From Catholic Sistas:
The response to great atrocities, whether the Holocaust during World War II, the Rwandan massacres, or our own American Abortion Holocaust must be to remember. As Wiesel said, “We must remember the suffering…[and] struggle to invent a thousand and one reasons to hope.” The stories, especially those of hope, not only respect the victims of the past, they give courage to new generations fighting to overcome the darkness of the present.
Stolen name replaced by number,
Savaged soul and broken heart.
Hell, a people to encumber.Blind eyes outside in darkness.
Dead souls dismissed the human face.
Stolen name replaced by numberRising from the ashes,
Pledging nevermore.
Hell, a people to encumberYad VaShem, the vault of memory,
Yad VaShem, the ground of tears
Stolen name replaced by numberShoah: families, children.
Here named, remembered, mourned
Hell, a people to encumberFaces pictured in the silence.
Tears cried forevermore.
Stolen name replaced by number
Hell, a people to encumberCopyright 2011 Joann Nelander
(experimental Villanelle)
Rose before dawn,
Nestled life in bud.
Sun of mother-love withdrawn.
Rose before dawn
Life, so sweet, soon gone.
Red flower, the color of blood.
Rose before dawn
Nestled life in bud.Copyright 2011 Joann Nelander
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Dialogue between Christ and a Muslim
Robert Reilly, acclaimed author of THE CLOSING OF THE MUSLIM MIND, imagines a scene in Heaven: a Muslim catechized by Jesus Himself.
via Dialogue between Christ and a Muslim.
By Robert Reilly
Scene: Before the heavenly Throne.
Muslim (upon seeing Christ): “Is this a dream?”
Christ: “No. Something much better.”
Muslim: “I didn’t expect to see you here far above everyone. I thought you were coming back at the end of time to break the Cross, as we Muslims believe.”
Christ: “No, I’m not coming back to break the Cross. Rather, I was broken on the Cross, which is why you’re able to appear before me today.”
Muslim: “But we believe that the all-powerful God would not allow one of his prophets to be treated that way. That is why we refuse to believe you were crucified. It was some other man, or a shadow.”
Christ: “But I am not simply one of the prophets. I am God. I chose to allow myself to be treated this way to fulfill what the prophets foretold of the Suffering Servant.”
Muslim: “But God can’t do that! He can’t suffer and die.”
Christ: “Who are you to limit what God can do?”
Muslim: “But we are the true defenders of God’s absolute omnipotence. God is whoever is all powerful."
Christ: “So, right is the rule of the stronger?”
Muslim: “Yes. God decides because He is the strongest.”
Christ: “And He can decide anything?”
Muslim: “Yes, anything, and whatever He decides is just.”
Christ: “He is not bound even by His own word?”
Muslim: “No, not by anything.”
Christ: “But I am the Word. I am true to Myself. Pure will and power are arbitrary, tyrannical. I would be a despot.”
Muslim: “But we were taught that God cannot be confined by our human ideas of justice.”
Christ: “From where did you think you got those ideas of justice in the first place, if not from Me?”
Muslim: “I don’t know. Islam tells us to submit without questioning. The great al-Ghazali taught us that, ‘the mind. . .once it testifies to the truthfulness of the prophet, must cease to act.’”
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Christ the Redeemer by Andrea Mantegna, 1493
Friday, December 21, 2012
Prayer to the Powerful Babe
O, Jesus, True God,
Beginning human life
In the womb of Mary,
I come to You in Your first moments,
O powerful Babe.
Mother Mary's "Fiat"
Brought the Father's Will to Earth,
Wrapped in the stuff of Man,
Purity's Flesh emerging as cells divide.
I come to You, God-Man,
In Your holy beginning,
Awaiting, with all creation,
The formation of Your Sacred Heart
In Time.
O, Happy Fruition,
O, Incarnate Son,
In Mary's virginal womb,
Bless with inner healing
The whole of my life.
Bring to my concupiscence
Conformity to the Father's Will.
I am the least in my Father's house,
But by my spiritual visitation,
My willing presence,
In the nascent Being of the Christ,
One, so small and mean as me,
Can find a home
As the Heart of Jesus
Is formed and fired.
O, powerful Babe,
O, pure and holy Fetus,
I trust in You
From Your beginning
As Prophet, Priest and King,
To bring me,
And all creation,
To a happy end.
Amen
Copyright Joann Nelander 2011
All rights reserved
Monday, December 10, 2012
DVD - Peace Through a Woman
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Weaned Child
I am the weaned child,
Upon Your knee.
Forgetful of time,
I curl Your hair about my fingers,
And tug at Your heartstrings.
My toys, the shiny objects of yesterday,
Lie by the stairs,
By which I began my ascent to You.
Comfort me.
Cuddle me.
Tickle me.
You spend Your universe,
As You had always planned,
Delighting one so small,
The least of the Children of Man.
© 2012 Joann Nelander
Monday, November 12, 2012
Update:Photo Contestant (Me) Needs Your Vote or Vote for My Sister
I've entered Landscape Dreams Photo Contest and I would appreciate your vote.
If you like my either of my entries, please do me the honor of clicking on the picture and vote by hitting the VOTE button:
OR
You might like to vote for my sister, Bernadette Buechler's entry: Sunset Tapestry Over White Sands
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Religious Liberty–Archbishop Aquila
“No one should ever be forced to choose between integrity and charity, or to violate their conscience in business,” the archbishop said.
Tags: Contraception mandate, Religious freedom, 2012 election
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Fully Human, Fully Alive II
When I worked in the NICU many years ago, I held a preemie that weighed less than 2 pounds in my hand just like in this photo (inside an incubator , of course) It was so tiny and fragile. I could see through its thin layer of skin. So amazing was this precious life! It was fully human and fully alive, just very young gestationally.
You know, if I had simply clapped my hands, its little life would have been over. Everyone would call me "a murderer." Yet abortion does end such innocent lives every moment of every day, and no one is found gulity.
This is what we all looked like at 12 weeks in the womb. Legal to kill in all 50 states. Anyone think its not a person?
VIDEO of one of the smallest surviving infants.
