8 Weeks Old

I can't believe that 8 weeks have passed since Finnian's birth. Yesterday, he delighted us with his laughter.

God Knows Just What We Need

I met a wonderful man, today. As my children and I were putting groceries in our cart at Costco, a man came up to me and said, "Do you mind if I ask you a question? Are all of these children yours?" I replied, "Yes and we have one more who isn't here."

The man surprised me by saying, "That is wonderful! I am the father of twelve!"

He then asked, "Can I ask you another question? Are you Christian?"

I replied, "Yes."

He said, "What kind?"

I answered, "Catholic."

He commented that there are no longer a lot of Catholics with large families. I agreed with the man and shared, "We pray that God continues to bless us with children."

The man then turned to my children and said, "You should always be thankful to your parents for being open to life. Be sure you help them."

As I was standing in line to pay for my groceries, this same wonderful man came up to us and placed a box with two gallons of milk on the conveyor belt and gave me five dollars to pay for it. I thanked him and he responded, "Consider this a gift from Jesus."

As I left Costco, the lady who checks the receipt asked me, "Did a man find you and give you some milk?"

Thank you, God! Only you could have known that I was in need of encouragement. Please bless this man for his kindness.

Narnia

I saw this quiz on Alicia's blog and was curious how my family would do. My husband read the books to our three oldest over two years ago. My knowledge of the books comes from watching The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and listening to the first CD in The Chronicles of Narnia CD Box Set. I got 38%. My husband's results are below.

You are 63% a Loyal Narnian!

You are well on your way to becoming a Loyal Narnian! You can use this quiz as an excuse to read the books again.

Are You a Loyal Narnian?
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Catherine got 68% and her younger sister got 83%.

Quiz Time

I finally found the time to take this quiz. I would like to see how two of my children do on it, since teaching them helped me.

You are a 100% traditional Catholic!

Congratulations! You are more knowlegeable than most modern theologians! You have achieved mastery over the most important doctrines of the Catholic Faith! You should share your incredible understanding with others!

Do You Know Your Baltimore Catechism?
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Father and Son

Below is a conversation that my husband and our son had a couple of nights ago (February 6).

Brendan: Are you glad that you're not a bad guy?

Daddy: Yes, Brendan, I'm glad.

Brendan: I am, too.

Saint Claude de la Colombiere

I found this little gem, The Spiritual Direction of Saint Claude de la Colombiere, at the library. It fits nicely with two books that I read last year, The Autobiography of Saint Margaret Mary and Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence: The Secret to Peace and Happiness. Saint Claude de la Colombiere had some wonderful insights regarding Mass, reception of Holy Communion, education of children, and various other topics, including devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Claude de la Colombiere was unknown to me until last year, but he is quickly becoming one of my favorite saints.

Who was he and what did he do? Saint Claude de la Colombiere was a Jesuit priest. He was the "spiritual director" of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. He spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in France and England. He guided numerous souls. St. Claude was canonized in 1995 by Pope John Paul II.

Below are a few of his thoughts that really made an impression on me:

On Holy Mass

God is more honored by a single Mass than he could be by all actions of angels and me together, however fervent and heroic they might be.

p. 3

On Holy Communion

Why was the purity of Mary so great but because she was to bear the Son of God in her womb. If she had not been purer than the angels, it would not have been seemly for the Word to dwell in her; he would not have taken such delight in her, nor would he have brought her the precious gifts with which he filled her at the moment of the Incarnation. In Holy Communion we receive the same Jesus Christ that Mary bore for nine months in her womb. What is our purity? What care do we take to prepare our soul? We sometimes commit faults on the eve, on the day, and even in the very act of receiving Communion. Yet Jesus comes to us! How kind He is!
p. 7

Sunday Musings

I really appreciated our pastor's homily today. He didn't say anything profound, but what he said was so full of truth. Some of his words went to my heart, including the following:

We are exhorted to consecrate our work, each day, to the honor and glory of God.

Your vocation is not a profession. It is a mission. The vocation of marriage is a mission. A vocation to the priesthood is a mission. A vocation to the religious life is a mission.