NFP Conversion Stories Carnival

What a good idea! Check it out at Wheelbarrow Manor.

Worth a Thousand Words

Cherry Blossoms at Full Bloom in Kyoto.
From Kyoto Daily Photo. Click through to see the other great photos at that blog.

Voting Still Open in 2008 Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards

You've got 9 days left. Check out the sidebar to see the nominees and vote.

A great way to find those quality "little blogs" that we don't hear about otherwise.

Until I Get Back ...

I am going out of town and will have spotty computer access at best. So until Tuesday, I leave you with this, which Susan sent after observing that I have a penchant for them. She is right!

A man dies and goes to heaven...

Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works.

"You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was."

"When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay," the man says,"I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."

"That's wonderful," says St.Peter, "that's worth three points!"

"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."

"Terrific!" says St.Peter. "That's certainly worth a point."

"One point! Well, I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."

"Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.

'Two points!"

Exasperated, the man cries."At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the Grace of God.

"Bingo, 100 points! Come on in!"

Worth a Thousand Words

In a French Cafe by Edward B. Gordon

Any long time readers know that Gordon is a favorite of mine. He recently posted his 500th painting! Click through on the link to see more of his paintings.

Oh, Nathaniel Hawthorne, You Crack Me Up!

I must say that I am reaping the reward now for pushing myself to continue to listen to The Scarlet Letter.

I really have been dragging my feet but then got to the part where Arthur Dimsdale sees the meteor and that it makes a huge "A" in the sky. Hawthorne then gives a mini-dissertation about the things that people imagine they see when they are looking for portents or have guilty consciences. He is delightfully down-to-earth and I wind up laughing my head off at some of his sarcastic comments. I should have remembered that from his introduction ... but I forgot ...

MacBook Air Parody

So very funny ... via Tom, who surfs all the geek sites so I don't have to.

Worth a Thousand Words

Daffodil taken by Hey Jules

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Dallas native Monsignor Michael Duca appointed bishop of Shreveport

Monsignor Michael Duca of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas has been appointed bishop of Shreveport by Pope Benedict XVI.

Mr. Duca, a Dallas native, has served as rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas since 1996.

Read the whole thing at the Dallas Morning News

Well, I am sure that I extend sincere congratulations to Msgr. Duca on being named bishop and the good people of Shreveport are in for a real treat as he is a wonderful man.

On the other hand ... Tom wants to know if there is a word for the opposite of schaedenfraude (pleasure at the misfortune of others) ... a word that expresses your sincere happiness for someone but extreme pain for yourself. Indeed. That is how we all are feeling right now.

Honoring Great "Obscure Little Guy" Blogs: Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards

With a distinct sense of humor about the whole thing too ... just read some of the awards categories!

Now this is an awards process I can get behind. Too bad my lackadaisical blog reading didn't get me to The Crescat until after nominations closed.

But, voting begins tomorrow ... so be sure to check then.

Worth a Thousand Words

The Trysting Tree, 1868, Asher Durand

"If I didn't know there is a God before, I know it now."

These were the words of Rose's friend, Mary, in a phone call Rose got at one a.m. this morning, several hours after the sort of accident that every parent dreads to hear once their child begins driving.

In swerving to avoid a mattress that flew at her in traffic, her car spun and flipped and wound up on its side heading straight for a concrete barrier. Thanks both to American engineering and to God Mary is unharmed except for some bruises and aches. I am not going to go into all the details but there is no question in anyone's mind who hears this story that there was Divine intervention.

My heart is full of thankfulness not only because Mary survived unharmed but because she had no passenger in the front seat. That part of the car was crushed and if anyone had survived they would have been severely injured. Rose and Mary carpool all the time. All the time. In fact, it is so unusual for Mary and Rose to take separate cars that we had to stop and reconstruct just why they weren't together in the car.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow ...

I'm Not One for Sweet Cards ...

... I prefer the funny ones.

But this one from Ron Rolling touched me. I think that y'all will like it too. Thanks Ron!

From My Morning Reading: Why Jesus Was More Than A Good Teacher

At the end of his commentary about Nicodemus' night visit to Christ, Sheen makes a point that I don't recall having seen made in just this way.

If there is anything that every good teacher wants, it is a long life in which to make his teaching known, and to gain wisdom and experience. Death is always a tragedy to a great teacher. When Socrates was given the hemlock juice, his message was cut off once and for all. Death was a stumbling block to Buddha and his teaching of the eight-fold way. The last breath of Lao-tze rang down the curtain on his doctrine concerning the Tao or "doing nothing," as against aggressive self-determination. Socrates had taught that sin was due to ignorance and that, therefore, knowledge would make a good and perfect world. The Eastern teachers were concerned about man being caught up in some great wheel of fate. Hence the recommendation of Buddha that men be taught to crush their desires and thus find peace. When Buddha died at eighty, he pointed not to himself but to the law he had given. Confucius' death stopped his moralizing s about how to perfect a State by means of kindly reciprocal relations between prince and subject, father and son, brothers, husband and wife, friend and friend.

Our Blessed Lord in His talk with Nicodemus proclaimed Himself the Light of the World. But the most astounding part of His teaching was that He said no one would understand His teaching while He was alive and that His Death and Resurrection would be essential to understanding it. No other teacher in the world ever said that it would take a violent death to clarify his taeachings. Here was a Teacher Who made His teachings so secondary that He could say that the only way that He would ever draw men to Himself would be not by His doctrine, not by what He said, but by His Crucifixion.

When you have lifted up the Son of Man you will know that I am what I am. John 8:28)

He did not say that it would even be His teaching that they would understand; it would be rather His Personality that they would grasp. Only then would they know, after they had put Him to death, that He spoke the Truth. His death, then, instead of being the last of a series of failures, would be a glorious success, the climax of His mission on earth.

Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen

An Alphabet that Will Make You Smile

Ok, actually it is type treatments ... but let's not get too technical. Just enjoy.



Via The Art Department..

Speaking of Faith is Looking for Catholics' Personal Experiences with the Church

Pope Benedict XVI will be making his first papal visit to the U.S. in April, to help revitalize and strengthen the U.S. church. He will be stopping in Washington D.C. and New York City to offer mass at Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium, visit the White House, and address the United Nations.

We're using the occasion as an opportunity to start a broad-ranging conversation about the rich tradition of Roman Catholicism -- its history, trajectory, and the contemporary issues Catholics are wrestling with. Although we often hear news stories about the Catholic Church, diverse practitioners of the faith have had little voice in telling their stories.

If you are or were Catholic, we'd like to hear your perspectives on what anchors and unsettles you in this vast tradition. We're also interested in the hopes and concerns you have for the church, now and into the future. ...

What do you take solace in and find beautiful about this faith of nearly two millennia and more than 1.3 billion members spanning all the cultures of the globe? What hopes, questions, and concerns are on your mind as you ponder the state of the Catholic Church and its future? ...

Speaking of Faith is a very good look at all sorts of religion, although I don't listen to every podcast. This is your chance to make the faithful Catholic voice heard on a bigger stage. (Via Mark Shea.)

Great American Meatout ... Where Have These People Been?

We've had that for ages ... literally! It's called Friday for Catholics, people.

If you want to find out how the secular world is catching up, you can read it here.

Worth a Thousand Words

Taft at City College - Prof. Schuyler
from the extremely nifty Library of Congress photostream at Flickr.

Worth a Thousand Words

Camellia Bush by Duane Keiser

Prayer Request

For this new widow's peace and for the soul of her husband. As well, please go by and leave her a comment of condolence.