The Assumption

Today is Monday, August Fifteenth, the feast of the Assumption. It is also sometimes known as the Dormition, or the "falling asleep" of The Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the day when we celebrate Our Lady being taken up, body and soul into heaven through the power of God. She now reigns there as Queen of heaven and earth, and of all mankind.

If you notice, this is the feast of the Assumption, as opposed to the feast of Our Lord's Ascension. To ascend means to rise up by one's own power. To assume means something that is done to one. God, after His death, burial, and Resurrection, later rose, or ascended to heaven of His own power. Our Lady was assumed into heaven through God's power, and not through any power of her own.

She is the one creature of God who now enjoys the glories and joys of heaven with both her body and soul.

Today, I also received a blog award! A huge thanks to Ruth Schiffmann of Out on a Limb, for awarding me the Liebster Award. (Liebster translates to mean Beloved, so that's even sweeter.) Thank you, Ruth!

The goal of this award is to spotlight upcoming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!

My five choices are:

1.) Kristen at The Cozy Reading Corner

2.) The Writer of The Desert Rocks (I'm shocked to realise I don't know your name!!)

3.) Denise at A Room to Write

4.) Amanda at Old-Fashioned Girl

5.) Miriam at The Twenty-Six-Letter Imagination

Congratulations, everyone, and Happy Feastday!

God bless.

The Fish Eater's Forum

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary

Women for Faith and Family

The Feast of St. James

I really love my saints. They're like my best friends. The only difference between my flesh-and-blood best friend here on earth, and all the saints in heaven, is basically that. They are in heaven. The nice thing is, they're rooting for me to get there, too. :)

Today we celebrate the feast of St. James the Greater, one of Our Lord's twelve apostles. He was a fascinating saint, full of fire and spirit. He is usually called "the Greater", because of the twelve apostles two were named James, and the other was known as James the Less. This was not because the James of today's feast WAS greater. No. He was called that simply because he was taller, or "greater" in stature, while St. James the Less was shorter, or "less" of stature.

He was the brother to St. John the apostle. They were collectively known as "the sons of Zebedee", and later, Christ nicknamed them the "sons of thunder", for they were very, very quick-tempered and impulsive.

St. James the Greater was the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred.

You can read more about him at this lovely blog post here: Roman Christendom, and also at this site: National Catholic Reporter.

For a little exciting news, stay tuned, 'cause there's going to be a contest here! You know my little clay critters? Check out the fellow below:

 

Yep, he's going to up for grabs! Do you want him? Huh? Do you? You know you do!! He's the Writing Buddy.
I'll post more contest details later. For right now, drool. Just drool.

Here's a napkin. Don't forget to clean up after yourselves!!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

That's right, I said SAINT Valentine's Day.


Today is the feast of St. Valentine, or Valentinus, a priest and a martyr. Not much is known about when he was born. However, we do know that his martyrdom occurred on February 14th, 270 A.D, near a gate that was later renamed Porta Valentini in his memory. His burial place is at the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that a girl named Julia planted a pink-blossoming almond tree near his grave, and even today the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship.


During his life the ruler at that time, Emperor Claudius II, declared that unmarried men were potential soldiers and thereby outlawed marriage. St. Valentine opposed this presumptuous act, and continued to marry young couples. When Claudius' endeavour to convert Valentine to paganism ended with Valentine trying instead to convert Claudius to Christianity, the emperor had Valentine arrested and sentenced to death.


Even in prison, Valentine continued to assist the soon-to-be martyrs. His piety was so great that even the jailer respected him, and brought his own daughter Julia to be instructed by Valentine. Julia, a young girl blind from birth, was tutored in the history of Rome. At the same time, Valentine instructed her about God.


As Valentine's execution drew nearer, there was one day where Julia asked him whether or not God truly heard the prayers of those who called on Him. Valentine assured her that He did, whereupon Julia confided that she prayed every morning and night to God, that He might give her sight.

"God does what is best for us if we will only believe in Him," Valentinus said.

"Valentinus, I do believe! I do!" Julia assured him, and kneeling she grasped his hand.

As they knelt, a brilliant light filled the cell and Julia cried out in amazement, for all of a sudden she could see. Valentine cried out in praise of God, and they knelt in the cell together.


On the eve of his death he wrote a last note to Julia, urging her to stay firm in her faith and remain close to God. He signed it, "From your Valentine."


Ever since St. Valentine's time, on every February 14th messages of affection and devotion are exchanged everywhere around the world.


God bless!


A Catholic Life: St. Valentine's Day
Fish Eaters: Feast of St. Valentine

Writing is like Christmas, you know? There's the beginning of the season (the first idea), the growing anticipation (a gathering of inspiration), the celebration of the day (the conclusion of the story). The parallels are beautiful.

Writing gives me the same joy and peace that the season of Christmas gives me. When I go to write, my heart feels at peace, as though I'm listening to the beat of God's heart, and what I write are the whisperings of God's voice.

What I love the best about writing is that I learn so much. For instance, did you know that the first Christmas Card was drawn by John Calcott Horsley in 1843? I thought it was really interesting, and thanks to the Monthly Write Off's we have at our Writer's Retreat, I think I may endeavour to try an Historical Fiction on this. That's the other thing I love about writing. I enjoy the challenge of stepping out of my fantasy comfort zone and trying something I'd never thought I'd try.

Today is the Feast of The Holy Innocents, little helpless babes that died after Christ's birth, when Herod commanded them all to be killed in an attempt to slay little Baby Jesus. It is also the Fourth Day of Christmas.

"On the Fourth Day of Christmas my True Love gave to me
Four Calling Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle doves,
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree."

The Four Calling Birds represent the four Gospels, and the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, authors of the Gospels.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, God gives us the Four Gospels, the Three Theological Virtues, The Old and New Testaments, and His own Jesus Christ.

It's only nine days until Epiphany! Merry Christmas to you all, and soon to be Happy New Year.

Dreaming Up A Story

I'm not one to put all my faith in dreams. However, I will put my faith into the dream that inspires a new story.

I dreamed about this character, who named himself Hero. Ironically, he really did just stroll through my dream, completely fleshed out and fantastic. He's on par with Badger, my NaNo MC. He's this Slovakian boy, newly arrived in America after the death of his parents. As time goes by, it becomes apparent that Hero is not just a boy. He's the person destined to save the world.

I've written out an outline, and an idea of the story I dreamed. I just love it when the story appears in my head like this, with a character that totally excites me and is so completely real. I love it when a story materializes without a struggle. Instead of peeling the story out of my bones, it oozes out of my pores and dances in my fingertips, singing, "Write me, write me!"

How often do you dream a story? This is the second time it's happened to me. My advice, for certain sure, is this: Keep a notebook with you at all times, writers! Inspiration strikes at all times, and sometimes the best things happen when you just wake up.

Also, today is St. Nicholas day. We put out our shoes last night, and this morning St. Nicholas came and put candy and chocolate in our shoes, and one little gift. I got lovely little hair diamonds in my shoe. It was a most welcome gift. I had decided I was going to buy them for myself for Midnight Mass, but St. Nicholas anticipated me, and bought them for me instead. I'm going to wear them for Christmas.

Merry Christmas, writer friends! God bless, and Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Happiness!

Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels.

Every time I think of them, it seems they are God's greatest fairy tale. Don't you agree? Each on of us is born with this incredible guardian, this invisible warrior who watches over us and wakes our conscience when we are about to do something we know we'll regret later. They are with us from the moment of conception, and when we come to die they will be the ones to escort us to heaven, if we so deserve it.

Not only was it the Feast of the Guardian Angels, I also got a story accepted into an anthology called Trunk Stories, publication date yet to be announced. There is nothing quite like the taste of acceptance, to know your story was good enough to be shared with the rest of the world.

That's all for now. I just wanted to wish you all a (belated) Happy Guardian Angels Feast Day, and woo hoo! I'm going to be in print!!!

St Michael the Archangel

St. Michael is one of my favourite saints. He's a fighter, a warrior, the field commander of God's Army.

St. Michael is amazing, because he was just an archangel. He was one of the lower ranking angels in the nine angelic choirs. Lucifer, ever after known as Satan, or the devil, was a Seraphim, the highest ranking angel in all of God's legions. Yet, it was the highest, purest, most perfect angel in the whole heavenly host that fell, and it was the archangel that obeyed God's laws and brought about his downfall. It is a great symbol of humility, that one so low should be brought so high.

Even though he is an archangel, the Greek fathers and many others place him over all the other angels, naming him as "the Prince of the Seraphim."

The name Michael means "Who is like God?" It illuminates his humility, that he refers all his glory, accomplishments, and honour back to God.

He is invoked as the patron and protector of the Catholic Church. He is the Patron saint of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, and police.

Other sites to read about St. Michael:

http://www.catholic-saints.info/patron-saints/saint-michael-the-archangel.htm/
http://www.2heartsnetwork.org/Michael.htm/

Trinity Sunday

Today is the feast that we celebrate the Blessed Trinity.

At Mass, we'd sing "O! most holy Trinity! Undivided Unity! Holy God. Mighty God. God immortal, be adored."

The Trinity is a mystery peculiar to our Faith. What other religion celebrates the mystery of a Triune Deity? What other Faith honours God as three distinct Persons having one distinct Nature?

Many people cannot understand the concept. They can accept the idea of the Big Bang, that the whole world magically came to be through a giant explosion. (Persnally, I thought explosion destroyed, not created.) They can accept evolution. I have a hard time visualizing that somehow, an inanimate bit of sludge gradually became intelligent and over billions of years formed intelligent homo sapiens. Then again, if we took so many years to evolve into what we are now, why have we stopped evolving? As far as I know, Man has been pretty much static for at LEAST four thousand (probably more likesix thousand) years.

If you look in the world around you, so many things mirror groups of three. There are three stages of matter; solid, liquid, and gas. There is father, mother, and children in a family. There is past, present, and future. There are three leaves on a shamrock. There are three stages of life; child, adult, old age. So many things mirror the Triune God. It is amazing.

God bless you all, this holy day, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.