For the Beauty of a Song

In a Paradise
Where all live in bliss
All work will be for Beauty
And all our pay will be in Love
And all the Beauty could be bought
For a Song

I'll sing to the gardner
And he'll plant me some flowers
And ivy green about my bower
For Love of the Beauty of a Song

The gardner will sing
And what joy will it bring
All the sculptors then will shape
And all the artists then will paint
Oh, such Beauty inspired
By a Song

When even-time comes
I'll sing sweetly to my Mother
To show her how I love her
For Love lives in the Beauty of a Song

In a Paradise
Where all live in bliss
All at work will sing
With their voices blent in Love
And all will be serene with the Beauty
Of a Song.

To the Young Maidens

Oh Maidens, guard your hearts! Preserve them well from all impurity, every stain of sin. Let not ugliness reside there. Prepare them well in virtue, for this all vocations require. Guard your hearts from hasty attachment to another; neither let yourselves become discouraged should you be slighted by men. Do not forget that Christ greatly desires you- that to Him your heart, your all, is of the utmost value. Hence, He will entrust you only to one who will draw you ever closer to Him, and that only if it be His Holy Will. Would that we could cultivate such a desire for Him!

The Cathedral

Within the hallowed nave
Twixt the sanctuary walls
Dwells the Calm Who ever beckons
The Silence Who e'er calls.

To the eye of man it seems
A lovely empty space
Yet myriads of angels
Fill the peaceful place.

The statues are the figures
Of the spirits present there-
The saints and all the angels
Who guard the sacred stair.

Relics there are, too
The ancient holy bones
The vestige of the holy ones
Who sit on golden thrones.

The Presence there is mighty
Though a whispered Voice and still;
The One Who made the mountains,
The trees, the skies, the hills.

It is He the hosts adore
With their endless praise and song
Listen, oh! And one may hear
The voices of the throng.

Within the hallowed nave
Twixt the pillars, strong and tall
I gaze upon my Dearest Love
My God, my King, my All!

A Riddle

A common dessert that all have tasted

Not pleasant at all, but not to be wasted

Though it has no sweetness that man can tell

It’s richness lies in knowing one’s faults well

Little by Little (Author Unknown)

This is a poem my littlest brother (and consequently, the entire family) learned to recite when he was four. Now, whenever any of us becomes upset over the amount of chores that must be done, Mom encourages us with it! 

One step and then another, and the longest walk is ended;
One stitch and then another, and the largest rent is mended;
One brick upon another and the highest wall is made;
One flake upon another and the deepest snow is laid.

So the little coral workers by their slow but constant motion,
Have built those pretty isles in the distant, dark blue ocean.
And the noblest undertakings man's wisdom hath conceived
By oft repeated efforts have been patiently achieved.

So do not look disheartened o'er the work you have to do,
And say that such a mighty task you never can get through;
But just endeavor day by day another point to gain,
And soon the mountain which you feared will prove to be a plain.

Rome was not builded in a day, the ancient proverb teaches,
And Nature, by her trees and flowers, the same sweet sermon preaches.
Look not on far off duties, but on duties which are near,
And having once begun to work, resolve to persevere!

Moses' Lullaby

Drift away, my bonny child
Sleep and sweetly dream the while
Fear not, for God watcheth o'er thee,
Fear not, for God loveth thee.

Hush now, baby, if thou wakest
Lest the king thy life he takest
Thou wert born to set thy people free
Thou wert born to set Israel free.

Dost thou know a babe there will be
Who will from Herod's soldiers flee?
That child shall set our people free,
That child shall set all men free.

The Real World

When the phantoms of all that is insignificant in life have been banished, what will we see? How much of what we now hold dear or stress as important will remain, and how much will vanish into dust? When our worldly eyes are no longer deceived or distracted by mere appearance, oh! How our opinions of ourselves, of others, of everything, will change. 

A Lesson for Children

Ah, little Betsy! Only nine years old, and yet so quick and eager to help! Grandmother loved to have her, for her bright eyes were never dimmed with thought of self when asked to do a chore. Nothing was too difficult, long, or odious a task for her. Why, even now, there she is singing at the washtub to make the dishes dance. She must be very thoughtful, indeed, to have already learned that common work done cheerfully is much easier to accomplish than that which is gone about with complaint, slowness, and dread.

Chicago Pro-Lifers- At It Again!

Giant LIFE Balloon Rosary seen by Thousands over Chicago's Downtown

CHICAGO (August 15, 2011) - Just in time for the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, a 75-foot rosary floats skyward from Chicago's Michigan Avenue Bridge claiming the Magnificent Mile for Mary.

A giant rosary floated gracefully over Chicago's busy tourism district on Friday as thousands looked on. The six-foot gold cross hanging from the rosary sparkled in the sunlight as it very slowly ascended between the Tribune tower and the Wrigley building. The rosary of helium-filled yellow balloons bearing the word LIFE then floated down Michigan Avenue over the Hancock Tower and past North Ave Beach. Cameras and cellphones flew into action as people responded to the unexpected sight.

"There was an excitement all around us and there were people in tears at the sight of the rosary. I think we often take it for granted the power of a simple witness to the faith," said a camp counselor.

A passerby tweeted, "A balloon rosary in the air. My faith confirmed :)", while another surprised Chicagoan wrote, "what the... giant balloon rosary, with cross, just floated heavenward from the Michigan Avenue bridge."

The rosary was the craft of 20 imaginative elementary-school-aged girls and their counselors participating in a summer camp at a Chicago Catholic Parish. The girls prayed the rosary in front of the Washington Blvd. Family Planning Associates asking Our Lady for an end to abortion. They then carried the rosary, cross-first, through downtown Chicago's peak traffic to the cheers, and sometimes jeers, of pedestrians and motorists. Homeless people gave high fives, street preachers started singing Gospel songs, and semi-truck drivers shook the streets sounding their truck horns in approval. "I was completely ecstatic the whole time. I loved seeing how many people on a random street corner were thrilled. It is a lot more than we tend to think," said one participant.

One of the girls said, "It was the prettiest rosary I have ever seen. I liked how it would float up and sit and then float up and sit. It looked really pretty against the buildings and the sky." Another camper said, "The best way to describe it was 'beautiful'. I didn't see one frowning face. It evangelized everyone who saw it."

This is the latest of a series of spontaneous acts of joy across the United States involving the yellow LIFE balloons. Sightings of LIFE balloons at prayer vigils, county fairs and flash mobs leave many wondering if the trend will impact this year's March for Life in Washington DC.

See photo post here: https://picasaweb.google.com/104310456403281787387/GiantLIFEBalloonRosarySeenByThousandsOverChicagoSDowntown

Story by Nathan Joel, Photos by Rebekah Smith.

A Modern Mockery

I saw a rainbow a few days ago, which was strange, because it hadn't rained. It was beautifully sunny out, and the rainbow was only visible on one tiny, wispy, insignificant cloud. I reveled in its beauty, and wondering at how good God is to give us so many lovely little things, even when we are horribly ungrateful to Him in return.

My thoughts turned to the origin of the rainbow...

"I will establish my covenant with you, and all flesh shall be no more destroyed by waters of a flood, neither shall there be from henceforth a flood to waste the earth. And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I give between Me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations. I will set My bow in the clouds,and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me, and between the earth. And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, My bow shall appear in the clouds, and I will remember My covenant with you, and with every living soul that beareth flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh." (Genesis 9:11-15)

It is such a comforting thought that God is always ready to renew His covenants with us, even after we have fallen a hundred million times and more.

My happy little reverie was abruptly interrupted as I recalled what the rainbow means to men today. The gay colors of the rainbow have now been usurped for just that purpose: to symbolize gay, lesbian, trans- and bi- sexual lifestyles. The sins which incited God's wrath to send the Great Deluge are the very same as those that are rampant today.

"And God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times, it repented Him that He had made man upon earth." (Genesis 6:5-6)

After the flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a reminder that He would never again send such a punishment, and it is now used as a standard for debauchery. There can be no doubt that satan is behind this modern mockery.

Note to Self: Don't Complain!

Complaining. What an awful, whining sound it is to say that word...

To complain is to refuse God's gift of hardship to us. If He never gave us difficulties, we would have much fewer opportunities for penance! We should thank Him for giving us the means by which we can save our souls, and eagerly take action upon it. How satisfied the devil must be when he sees these gifts turned into more venial sins instead.

Complaining takes away the challenges and lessens the sweetness of life. The things that we don't like, that make us uncomfortable, present to us a challenge to overcome our pitiful, shrunken, selfish souls with courage, selflessness, nobility, sacrifice. To bear unpleasant things well, even small ones, is actually quite a noble thing. Even a small sacrifice has its measure of nobility.

Complaining immediately drags the soul downward, and makes us believe we really aren't capable of bearing any kind of suffering at all. But if we simply hold our tongues and endeavor to make the best of a situation, we find that we really can endure quite a lot, and perhaps even enjoy ourselves in the midst of it all.

One of the things most complained about, I believe, is the weather. It's too hot, it's too cold, there's too much rain, too much snow, it's too windy, "it's nice, but I prefer it a touch cooler"... One would think we could never be satisfied. God chooses the weather every day-- I don't think we should feel too comfortable criticizing His judgment!    

A final word about complaints and rationalizations for not doing chores: One is hardly ever so tired as one believes himself to be.

Pro-Life Flash Mob Surprises "Walk for Choice" in Chicago!

See more awesome videos--including pro-choicers--here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LuxetSacra

CHICAGO - A pro-abortion "Walk for Choice" rally was held in downtown Chicago's Daley Plaza on Saturday, February 26, 2011. Participants of the "Walk for Choice" were protesting HR Bill 3 which limits taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.

As a response to the "Walk for Choice," anonymous teens and young adults organized a "Pro-Life Flash Mob" over the span of a few days. The goal of the event was not to counter-protest, but to give a positive message of joy and life to Chicago.
The youth assembled inconspicuously around the plaza before the rally hiding their giant yellow balloons in black trash bags. When the "Walk for Choice" had assembled, the youth prompted by music coming from a backpack sound system then proceeded to unveil the helium balloons imprinted with the word "LIFE."
These exclusive videos shows the "Pro-Life Flash Mob" taking the "pro-choicers" by surprise with Life, Spirit, and Truth!
As participants of the "Walk for Choice" were asked to wear orange for the event, so the Pro-Life flash mob jovially asks in their sign: "ORANGE YOU GLAD TO SEE US???"

Which side has more joy?

Christian Joy and Labor

“Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!”
---Hillaire Belloc

Ye Catholics who labor and grow tired,
Lift up thy heads- thy souls be fired!
Let us battle temptations as they come-
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!