Are you Ashy yet?

From Today's First Reading:
Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the Lord, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly; Gather the people, notify the congretation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep, And say, "Spare, O Lord, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'
Then the Lord was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.
Jl 2:12-18

If It Makes You Happy

can it be bad?

Well, of course. Recently I was reading on a Catholic blog where the author confessed to loving the Oscars. This author is a very good and holy woman and it makes her so human to me when she confesses loving a television show or enjoying a good beer with her husband from time to time. So I find it refreshing when she offers people a chance to "let down their hair" and say yeah, they watched the Oscars to see who wore what, etc.

The only problem is, the vast number of responses she got seemed to be looking down their noses at her. They stated that all the fashions are always immodest (which most were not if you watched the show this year, but then again modesty is totally subjective). They said they did not want to give Hollywood any attention because they didn't watch the films because of questionable content and because of the secular nature of Hollywood.

Rants like the comments I read have a place, on your own blog. Most of these women were looking for a chance to publicly toot their own horn about what a moral and good Catholic they were in a very public forum. The question wasn't do you or don't you watch and why. It was, if you do watch, which dress was pretty, which acceptance speech made you cringe.

This blog is mine and is my soapbox and pedestal, so I'll say here what I would not say there. When someone asks a question, you should answer the question they asked. You shouldn't go off and promote something else for your own agenda in their space. We all spend so much time complaining about politicians doing this, well, folks, let's not bother with the specks in others eyes at risk of ignoring our own vision is impaired by a log!

I think what really bothers me by the comments I read on that post and by comments I read at places like Celebrity Baby Blog where people feel free to criticize someone's c-section or breastfeeding, is that these people who are being holier than thou are sinning. It's called pride. When we turn something like a question about what you enjoyed on a television program into a platform for why we are so moral as to not watch that show and we don't do it from our own blogs, one has to wonder, why do we feel the need to express that where we know it will get read by more people. The pride of these (mostly women) to extol their virtues is something they should supress. They should pray hard before they post and ask themselves, why am I responding in this way? Maybe an examination of conscience will follow.

I know few people read this blog, so I'm posting here to get my own thoughts out. I could certainly put this in the comboxes at the blog where the responses were, but I don't think I will.

And after all, let's not forget that the internet where we post all these things is also the source of mass pornography and unfortunately causes many more break-ups of marriages than Hollywood movies these days and one awards show. We should maybe rethink that if we aren't going to watch tv because of possible objectionable content, maybe we shouldn't be surfing the web either.

Now, an olive branch. I pray for all those who are feeling the need in their hearts to show their piety publicly like the Pharisees, may God change their hearts and allow them to see that they are not doing His will by prostrating themselves at the feet of the Internet. May they learn that kind words and prayers are better weapons to change hearts and that their quiet and example will encourage more to examine their souls.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

From Today's First Reading

"Thus says the Lord: Remember noth the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers. The people I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise. Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob, for you grew weary of me, O Israel. You burdened me with your sins, and wearied me with your crimes. It is I, I who wipe out, for my own sake, your offenses; your sins I remember no more."
Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25

Heavenly father, help me not to dwell upon the past. Help me to ask your forgiveness for all things and that I may forgive all done to me. Ready my spirit for the trials ahead of lent, your son's passion, death and resurrection. Amen.

The Well Deserved Break

In the past few months our family has been through some trials. A lot of trials. But we have come out stronger and love each other more.

In May, I get to be a Mommy again! William Christopher will be born toward the beginning of the month. I am thrilled to have another boy. We were expecting a girl, but funny how that worked out because we could not decide on a girl name and already had a boy one picked out from our pregnancy with Joey.

I have about 1001 ideas for this blog which is neglected more because of my other blog where I get to talk about all things Catholic and Mommy. But here we start again...

So, I have to Admit

I'm a little disappointed with a lot of conservatives after the election.

Not the politicians so much as the people I know personally.

I am hearing a whole lot about people wanting to move to Canada. Uh, duh, you want to move TO the source of socialized healthcare? And, seriously, you really think anyone will miss you and that your vote meant so much that you are indisposable? Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya on the way out, coward. You cannot make a change when you aren't here. And you're not helping anyone, least of all yourself, by moving to another country, where you have no vote their either!

And then there are the people who are flying in the face of Christianity and Christian charity by behaving like sore losers. I've seen a few putting, "He's not MY president" bumper stickers. Well, then, maybe you do need to leave, and how exactly did you vote without citizenship?

I put a status report on my facebook page after the election that said this: Disappointment is human. Bad sportsmanship is un-American.

If you are unwilling to work with others whose opinion differs from your own on some issues than you will get the world NOWHERE. We can have all the hurt feelings and all the wounds we like, but if we don't pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and get going, we'll be in the same heap four years from now!

But most disconcerting to me is the sour grapes people are serving up to the national Conservative leadership. I was so proud to see, on election night on NBC news, NY Governor David Paterson (D-NY) and former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) sitting across the table from each other and saying that this election, no matter who won, was historic and that tomorrow, regardless of the winner, they would stand behind him as Americans standing behind the President of the US. This lit up con blogs about how people will never follow that "terrorist and Muslim".

The following day, I listened on NPR as Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), a Catholic senator, stated that he was so proud to be in Topeka, KS on that historic day. He mentioned that as he was in the land where Brown v Board of Education started he was so proud to be part of a nation that could put some ugliness of the past aside and move forward in healing. When asked about the GOP's future, he spoke of a growing support for pro-life work, not just for the unborn, but all life. His resolve was firm, but he wasn't going to not support his president-elect.

I am one of Newt Gingrich's friends on facebook and saw some very ugly comments posted on his page by his other "friends" but they couldn't bring Newt down. He stood by his convictions that a UNITED States of America was what was most important. That the Republican Party cannot fall back into the negativism of Karl Rove. That we are all Americans and can disagree with one another, but should not harbor hatred toward each other.

I guess I expected more from people. But no matter what I still agree with Anne Frank: Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.