The Women of the Gospels

Before writing book reviews for the blog, I had never read or taken part in a bible study. Though reviewing bible study books are done as an individual, instead of a group, I’ve really enjoyed this way of connecting with the scriptures.

This month I finished Women of the Gospels: Missionaries of God’s Love by Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan, a bible study introducing us to the women mentioned in the Gospels. The guide is one in The Word Among Us Keys to the Bible series. Our parish regularly offers The Word Among Us magazine every Lent and Advent. Making time for myself to read the daily meditation has become one of my favorite traditions during those two seasons. This bible study guide follows the same format as others in the series and can be done by an individual or with a group.

In The Women of the Gospels, the author examines the presence of women in each of the four Gospels, noting their relevance by how Jesus interacts with them and women in general. Getty-Sullivan uses the introduction to set the context, addressing the place and role of women in Christ’s time. She reviews the presence of women as disciples and followers of Christ and what those roles can mean for us today.

In a patriarchal society women often are neglected or forgotten, yet the Gospels portray women in a consistently positive manner. Throughout his ministry, Christ draws our attention to outsiders, yet in the Gospels women are seen as significant and influential. The men who authored the Gospels refers to women as fellow disciples following Jesus.

Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan begins the study with Elizabeth, a cousin of Mary and mother of John the Baptist. Mentioned in the Gospel of Luke, this section examines her devotion of Trusting in God. Other sections focus on Watching and Waiting, Ministering and Witnessing, Sharing in the Cross, Eagerly Spreading the Gospel, and being Devoted to Jesus.

In each section, the author presents us with the Gospel, walks us through the women’s situation at the time, and compares her role in today’s context. A series of thoughtful reflective questions guide the reader thru further contemplation and understanding of the Gospel reading, spotlighting one particular aspect of the woman’s role in Christ’s society for our better understanding. The reader is then led through five questions to discern what you’ve learned this far in applying the Gospel to your own life and relationship with God. How do you see yourself in this woman’s story? How is Christ at work in our own lives? The section ends with a call to Act, to meditate, imagine, learn, pray, with a specific action that you can perform throughout your day.

Though the book is slender, about 100 pages, I really took my time with this study, savoring the sections and activities slowly. It’s fascinating to contemplate in depth how the men who wrote the Gospels viewed and remembered Jesus’ interaction with these women and how we can relate these interactions into our own lives and relationship with Christ today.

When I started reading this book, I was not pregnant, not even trying. However, when writing this review, I went back to re-read the first section on Elizabeth trusting in God. This quote from the Act section reads completely differently now that I'm seven months pregnant. “To prepare for what is to come in your life, place yourself consciously in the presence of God, and picture yourself pregnant with joyous expectation and trust.” I'll be spending the rest of today with the phrase "joyous expectation and trust," very prominently in mind. I wonder what one example from this book will touch your life. Pick up a copy and start it alone or with friends. I'd love to hear what woman from the Gospels reaches out to you.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this title from Tiber River in return for an honest review of the book.

Holier than Thou?

Several weeks ago I attended an archdiocese meeting. Seated at rounds of six with other Catholics involved in their parishes, the conversation started with a time in our lives when our faith made a difference and progressed into what can our parish and archdiocese do to improve our services.

Maybe I’ve been a little bit of a Pollyanna in the rebirth of my faith, because I had a hard time coming up with anything our parish needs to do better. I’ve spent the last eighteen months on Pastoral Council discerning some pretty big changes: improving our Life Teen coordination, expanding our adult faith formation into new classes, and developing the ever-growing resources available via online audio and CDs. I’ve taught elementary CCE for four years, which lead to signing up for some eye-opening FTCM classes on Ministry, the Old Testament and New Testament this past spring.

But that night, sitting around the table with other “good Catholics” I felt like a terrible sinner, being reminded over and over how much I still don’t know, don’t practice, don’t understand. That night I caught a glimpse of how some might feel driven away when others exhibit a superior attitude about our church and faith. I hope Lisa and I never come across like that on this blog. Believe me, if you ever feel that we are coming across as “holier than thou” or “something special,” I hope you call us on it.

One woman embarked on a long rant about how young people today commit the mortal sin of purposefully not attending Mass on Sunday. That’s a sin I’ve committed more than a few times a year with my busy schedule. But that doesn’t make me a terrible person. A sinner, yes. But we are all sinners. God knows this. He has given us His Divine Mercy through the sacrifice of His Son.

I understand that our faith comes with some very specific rules, and that sometimes understanding and accepting these rules is terribly difficult. I know that it’s not my place to question which rule is right and which rule can be bent a little. However, I also understand that these rules are meant to guide us, draw us to a better relationship with God. We are all on our own paths toward God as He calls us, leads us, and guides us. Just in the past four years, I’ve grown a great deal in my faith. I’m really learning so much more depth about what the Church teaches adn why, and I find myself spending a lot of time discerning whether I truly believe in all of those things. What’s more difficult then is that once I know I do truly believe, I must consider what I need to change in my life in order to fully embrace those teachings and beliefs into my everyday living. How do I surrender to God’s will and God’s way every day. It’s new, it’s a struggle, and I’m imperfect.

This life and our individual relationship with God is a very personal continuous journey. Lead others, not with criticism, but with encouragement.

Pregnancy Contradictions

Today, I’ve been pregnant (and forty) for 205 days. As I face down the last ten weeks, I’ve noticed that pregnant women live a life full of contradictions. Here are just a few that I’ve actually heard over the past 7-10 days.

• Eat healthy.


• You’re pregnant, eat whatever you crave while you can.



• Eat small portions every few hours.


• Fill up your plate honey, you’re eating for two.



• You’re going to have these three (huge work) projects completed before you go on maternity leave, right?


• You really should try and take it easy during these last two months.



• You know you shouldn't be traveling during the last trimester.


• Why didn’t you go on the big Colorado vacation with your family this week?



• Are you having fun setting up the baby’s room?


• You shouldn’t be moving furniture or even in the house with paint fumes at all!



• Make sure you get plenty of exercise! Keep moving!


• Sit down, get plenty of rest, and put your feet up!



• You’re so big!


• You’re so tiny!



• You look tired.


• You look great.



• I’ve heard that having a baby after 40 is really risky.


• Don’t you just love being pregnant again after all these years?



• You don’t seem to be affected at all by pregnancy hormones.


• Why are you so sensitive and emotional all the time? Can’t you control yourself?



• They keep this building so cold during the summer, you don’t mind if I turn on the office space heater, do you?


• I just don’t know how you can be pregnant during the summer with all this heat

Are you expecting? Do you recognize any of these? Share them with me! We need to stick together and laugh, before those darn hormones kick in and we discover we’re really crying about… what was it again?

What happens after Shuttle ends?

Forty-two years ago today the world watched in awe as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took that “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” Before many of us wake tomorrow, history will be made again with the words “Wheels Stop” as Shuttle Atlantis lands, bringing the Shuttle program to a close.

It is with very mixed emotions that we mark this day. It seemed so far away when, in 2004, President Bush announced the Shuttle Program would end making way for the Constellation Program: a new vision with a new vehicle to lead us back to the moon, an asteroid, and then apply those accomplishments to the ambitious goal of reaching Mars.

NASA's Message
A week before the STS-135 launch, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a four-time Shuttle veteran, released a statement to NASA employees and contractors via email that sounds very much like a political speech written by the White House, with broad talking points, little direction, and no specifics.

“President Obama has given us a Mission with a capital "M" -- to focus again on the big picture of exploration and the crucial research and development that will be required for us to move beyond low Earth orbit. He's charged us with carrying out the inspiring missions that only NASA can do, which will take us farther than we've ever been -- to orbit Mars and eventually land on it. He's asked us to start planning a mission to an asteroid… The President is asking us to harness that American spirit of innovation, the drive to solve problems and create capabilities that is so embedded in our story and has led us to the Moon, to great observatories, and to humans living and working in space, possibly indefinitely. That American ingenuity is alive and well, and it will fire up our economy and help us create and win the future now.”

For many of us non-NASA lay people, it’s difficult to understand how this President’s “Mission” differs from the now cancelled-Constellation program. What we do understand is that the iconic thirty-year run of the Space Transportation System, affectionally dubbed "Shuttle," is ending, the promised Constellation project is cancelled, and many of our friends, neighbors, colleagues are being laid off. Despite the President and Administrator Bolden's messages, the phrase I hear most often when talking to JSC employees about the future of human spaceflight, JSC, or their role after October 1, is “I don’t know.”

Future of Johnson Space Center
Mike Coats, Director of the Johnson Space Center and another respected Shuttle veteran, does more to answer the question, “What’s next at JSC?” His message includes these specifics:

“At JSC, we will continue to lead operations of ISS, including planning, training and executing the increment missions, while ensuring the health and safety of our astronauts. Six-member crews have been, and will continue, to live and work in space 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until at least 2020.

At JSC, we’re leading the design and development of a new NASA vehicle, the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), which will enable human deep space exploration.

We’re partnering with industry in a new way to foster development of a commercial capability for both cargo delivery and crew transportation to low earth orbit.

JSC will be contributing to, and in many cases leading, these and other high risk – high return development activities in partnership with the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT). In addition, the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program is pioneering new approaches to rapidly develop prototype systems and subsystems, mature and demonstrate key capabilities, and validate operational concepts for future human
missions beyond Earth orbit.

In addition to the new exploration activities, JSC is actively pursuing other opportunities, including partnerships with non-aerospace companies such as Dow Chemical, Shell Oil, and Chrysler.”

This last one offers few specifics, but is interesting to note, considering today’s Houston Chronicle story about some NASA engineers re-translating their jobs into the Energy sector.

Keep the Shuttle operational, on stand-by
A number of high-profile NASA veterans, astronauts, and directors, endorsed a letter to Charles Bolden (cc: President Obama and Vice-President Biden) from former JSC director Christopher C. Kraft and Scott Spencer, a transportation management consultant, stating that retirement of the Shuttle fleet creates an unacceptable flight risk for maintaining safe operation of the International Space Station. In addition to listing specific tasks required for the ISS that only the Shuttle vehicle can perform, the letter offers direct actionable items for bridging the gap between the end of Shuttle and the next vehicle being ready to fly. It concludes, "given the risks and liabilities for NASA and the ISS partners if the International Space Station is crippled by a systems failure or accident, the Space Shuttles are too valuable an asset to be retired into museums.”

Unfortunately, NASA and the White House have not publically referenced this letter and the STS Orbiter Vehicles are already being stripped for museum storage. Last weeks sad image of Discovery makes me more than a little glad Houston is not receiving this locust-shell of the greatest flying machine in the world.

Will children still dream?
Immediately after the STS-135 launch, Lisa pondered on our SMAS Facebook page, “Will children still grow up gazing at the stars and dreaming to travel among the stars if there aren't any more astronauts?”

For the near future, Americans will continue to hitch a ride into low-Earth orbit to serve on the ISS. Future astronauts may not be NASA or military employees, employed instead by private companies in commercial vehicles. However, I firmly believe that humans will always seek to push beyond their limitations. Space is still a large enough frontier to capture our wandering spirit. No matter what course of action we do or don’t take today, there will always be children wanting to know what, why, how, and when can I go? The dreamers of tomorrow will some day seek the knowledge stored in the NASA Archives in order to build upon whatever vision then-exists.

The end of the Shuttle program may be the end of an era, but I do not doubt that one day we will achieve greatness in human spaceflight again.

WOW: Kids CatholicTV Challenge

My kids have fallen in love with WOW: The CatholicTV Challenge, a fun Catholic game show for children featuring 3rd graders answering questions about Catholic life. We watch it streaming directly from the CatholicTV website.

The 28-minute show hosted by Fr. Robert Reed is broken into short segments with teams of different contestants. Perfect for limited attention spans, Father Reed engages the kids with energy, enthusiasm and just enough humor to make it fun. In between the questions and answers, Fr. Reed takes a brief moment to tell you something about the most recent question or answer while keeping the action moving right along.

Each show has a topic with questions flowing in a natural order. We started watching with the show on “Christmas” and moved to “Growing Up Catholic.” Their posted schedule also includes shows about Easter, Sacramentals, The Holy Rosary, The Blessed Mother, The People of God and more.

CatholicTV has taken all the elements that make a game show entertaining and mixed it with interactive stuff kids like to create a fun program the whole family will enjoy. When a contestant gets a question right, the underage audience says “WOW!” While I found it a bit cheesy, my kids loved it and were soon saying “WOW” right along with the show. My three, ages 9, 7 and 4 were amazed at how quickly the children hit their buzzers and answered the questions correctly. They found it fun to watch other kids compete on a reality show and now mine desperately want to be on it.

CatholicTV is a nationally broadcast television network streaming a live feed 24 hours a day at www.CatholicTV.com. If you do not receive CatholicTV from your local cable provider, visit CatholicTV Everywhere to help them grow, and then watch their programming directly online at CatholicTV.

WOW is lots of fun! And it’s an entertaining show for our kids about our Catholic faith! What a great combination.

Friday's Catch - July 15

Catholic Faith Influenced Ryan’s Proposed Budget Plan
Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), Chairman of the House Budget Committee, discusses in an article for Our Sunday Visitor, how he applied Catholic social doctrine and his Faith in drafting the proposed federal budget. He says, "Social teaching is not the monopoly of one political party, nor is it a moral command that confuses the preferential option for the poor with a preferential option for bigger government." He warns that budgetary discipline is a moral imperative and that is immoral for governments and individuals to believe they are entitled to huge debts at the expense of future generations.

Ryan quotes Pope Benedict in "Caritas in Veritate," that solidarity without subsidiary "gives way to paternalist social assistance that is demeaning to those in need." His proposed budget reflects President Clinton's successful welfare reform, by transitioning federal dollars into block grants to give the states more control over the implementation of the anti-poverty dollars.

HOME: Christmas In July

Our area has a terrific volunteer organization called “Help Our Military Endure” (HOME) that organizes care packages for United States servicemen and women serving in far off countries. Collection boxes sit in most of our local area schools and businesses asking for donations of individual items such as non-perishable food/drink (nuts, powdered drink mixes, single-serving canned fruit), toiletry products (deodorant, chapstick, eye drops), and miscellaneous (batteries, duct tape, books, magazines). My daughters enjoy participating in Operation Shoebox, where they fill a shoebox with donations. Last night HOME volunteers gathered for their “Christmas in July” packing party to sort these donations into individual care packages and packed them for overseas shipping.

Every box includes a personal letter or card expressing our gratitude for their military service. Last year they shipped over 1000 boxes. However packed boxes cannot be shipped without funds; each box costs $12.95 flat rate. Please consider sponsoring one box and/or send a personal card to help get these items to a serviceman or woman serving overseas. You can donate via their website or regular mail.

Peace Cord Bracelets

Last week everyone seemed to be buzzing about Peace Cord Bracelets. These bracelets are hand woven by Afghan women using military grade US parachute cord and US military buttons. Organized through ARZU Studio Hope Mission (ARZU means Hope in Dari), all proceeds stay in Afghanistan, with a mission of empowering Afghan women to lift their families out of poverty. Bracelets come in six different sizes and are reasonably priced at $10 or $15 each. You can order up to 10 at a time for the same low shipping cost. I love the bracelets and their symbolism, and especially the goal of helping the Afghan women, even if only in a small way. Keep these in mind as a gift for the veteran or military family members in your life, or wear one of your own to show your support.

Restaurant Bans Children

My husband and I have a special restaurant we go for special date nights. Early in our parenthood experience we decreed that we would never bring our children here. It was that one place we could go, enjoy a little live jazz trio while savoring a drink with our succulent meal. The moderately expensive price tag ensures that’s not a place we want to explore whether or not they have a child’s menu.

McDains, a restaurant in the Pittsburgh area, recently instituted a ban on children under the age of six. They seem to be catching a lot of attention for it with people weighing in on both sides. Personally I applaud them. According to the article, it’s a small restaurant with seating for about 40 along a golf course that caters to an older clientele. Regulars were complaining about very young children disrupting the entire restaurant.

I wondered how my husband and I would feel if we hired a sitter to slip away to enjoy our quiet date night location only to be seated next to a family with very young children. I would be a little miffed having to listen to the noise and etc. that carries over. Children over six may be expected to behave in a nice place, but not a toddler who has just started learning self-control.

I think restaurants and other private companies should have the right to designate themselves either a family or adults-only restaurant. A good businesses knows the demographics of their patrons in order to serve their desires better, to make their business a place people want to come.

Called Home to God

My husband and I have friends who were practically adopted by my mother-in-law years ago, so we’ve always considered them part of my husband’s “family.” Two months ago they called us and asked, “So how hard is this parenting thing anyway?” All I could do was laugh. We were thrilled to learn that they’d been selected by a birth mother to adopt a little boy diagnosed with Down Syndrome. My husband and I shared knowing smiles as they enthusiastically bubbled over with new parenthood anticipation.

Duncan arrived the evening of July 3 and, after a few hours with his birth mother, was delivered into the waiting arms of his new parents. Even now I’m smiling remembering the beautiful transformation of my friends as they became parents to a perfect little child who promised to bring a pure radiant joy and sweet innocent love into their home.

Everything seemed to be falling into place. In a world where adoption often becomes a messy legal story, the young mother remained firm in her decision and all legalities were proceeding smoothly.

Down Syndrome babies are checked thoroughly for any anticipated medical issues, especially their heart, but Duncan’s heart passed with flying colors. However, he seemed to have a little trouble with his colon, so they moved him to a major medical center for testing, which revealed a small section that didn’t work properly. They scheduled laparoscopic surgery to remove this tiny section for Tuesday morning with excellent long-term prognosis for recovery.

Monday night our family prayed for Duncan. In the prayer I asked God to guide the doctors and nurses, to be strength for our friends and their family while waiting, and to see Duncan through the surgery without problems. I also prayed for other babies in the NICU, who faced their own trials. My daughter remembers me saying that we know not every child will go home with their families, but be called to live with God in His heavenly home and I prayed for them as well.

As we waited for news of Duncan’s surgery Tuesday afternoon, we received a terrible phone call.

God called Duncan.

The details for us are unclear, but complications arose that prevented the doctors from saving him. What should be a joyful time has turned into unspeakable grief. We now sit numb with sorrow and pain. When we lose an elderly relative, we take comfort in that they lived a long life, a good life, shared the love of family and friends, and passed on their wisdom to others. When we lose infants.... there are no words, only tears. We have no understanding why this is the path for some parents. How some babies survive against overwhelmingly incredible odds while others die from what should have been a simple procedure.

I give thanks to God for the nine beautiful days that turned our friends into parents. I thank God that this little boy knew their unconditional love all of his short life and who will be remembered in our hearts for all of ours. I thank God that his birth mother chose life for her son and gave that greatest gift of all to him. I pray for all involved with Duncan, that they may heal in their grief and remember the joy he brought.

And With Your Spirit

Have you heard the news?  There is a new Mass translation coming to a parish near you this Advent.  Websites abound with the new translations, descriptions and rationale behind the changes.  I’ve seen cheat sheets for purchase and recently downloaded a new iPhone app, “The New Mass” for explanation on the go. We've recently reviewed the Ascension Press booklet, "Guide to the New Translation."

Logically, I completely understand why we have a new English translation.  In fact, I was surprised to learn that until now English-speaking countries differ in their Mass translations. I wrongly assumed the words of the Mass were the same across the English-speaking world.

I love the idea that this new translation recaptures the beauty and accuracy of the original Latin Mass translation.  For those who remember the Latin Mass from pre-Vatican II, you might recognize the reflection of the Latin in the new English translation.   Because the change in the Mass over four decades ago was much more substantial than now, this new translation might not seem as shocking.

For us post Vatican II babies, implementing this new translation might be more difficult.  In my life, the words to the Mass have remained relatively unchanged.  The prayers and responses are etched in my brain since childhood.

Reading through the coming changes, I find myself apprehensive about saying “And With Your Spirit” rather than “And Also With You.”   And the word “consubstantial” now appears in the Nicene Creed?  I needed a dictionary to figure out that it means, “of the same substance” and a theologian to discover it more accurately describes the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. 

My eyes well up with tears at every Mass when I am called upon to say these words, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”  It is a humble, personal moment before God when I ask for His grace so I can receive Him in the Eucharist.  These precious words are replaced in the new translation with a prayer quoting the centurion in Mt 8:8 when he asks Jesus to heal his servant.  Reading through the new Mass translation I find myself praying, asking God to aid me in connecting with the new words. “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”  This new phrasing is to remind us to emulate the centurion's humility and faith before God.

We have several months to learn, understand, and become comfortable with the changes coming in the new Mass translation.  I am confident that God has blessed this new translation and the new words will bring me closer to God through the Mass in ways I cannot predict.   It is my prayer that we embrace the new Roman Missal with enthusiasm, to learn more about the Mass and be drawn closer to Christ during this time of implementation.

For more details, explanations and examples on the translation visit the USCCB site – Roman Missal, or Our Sunday Visitor’s The Roman Missal Blog.

Impending Debt Crisis

As Congress continues to debate whether to raise the debt ceiling as an answer to the looming debt crisis, many of us have questions about where our country is economically, how we got here, and what can be done to preserve our nation for the next generation.

What is a Debt Crisis?

Federal debt typically is measured as a percentage of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The GDP is one of the primary indicators used to gauge the economic health of the economy and is defined as the total dollar value of all goods and services produced over a specified time period. As a percentage of GDP, our federal debt has increased to the point that our nation's debt threatens to rise to a level higher than our GDP.

What Created the Debt Crisis?

In simplistic terms, the debt crisis was created by a serious increase in spending coupled with a simultaneous weakening of the United States economy. In the past decades, even though federal spending increased, the percentage of debt vs. GDP decreased due to strong economic growth. Because the GDP increased many times more than what we were borrowing for spending, the percentage of debt vs. GDP remained low. As we enter our third consecutive year of trillion dollar deficits due to unprecedented spending increases, the country is borrowing more money and taken on too much debt in a time of economic stagnation. This causes the percentage of debt vs. GDP to rise.

How Do We Solve the Debt Crisis?

The President and many members of Congress advocate increasing the federal debt ceiling so the United States can continue its spending spree. The debt ceiling is the alleged limit of debt the country can borrow. Historically, whenever the debt ceiling has been met, regardless of party, Congress votes to increase the ceiling. Jimmy Akin has a great analogy to help understand the debate over the debt crisis and the debt ceiling in a piece titled, "US *Desperately* Needs a New Credit Card."

Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) released a short video explaining the debt crisis and his serious proposal to get the country out of the debt crisis.

Even though the law requires Congress to pass a budget yearly, 799 days have passed since the Democrat controlled Senate passed a federal budget. Despite his public addresses, the President has not submitted a budget proposal, only giving a speech that vaguely outlines possible budgetary measures.

Tough Decisions Need to be Made

House leadership in Congress is ready to tackle the incredible deficit spending that is crushing our country, acknowledging that this task is something many of them were elected last year to do for the American people.

Cuts of the magnitude needed to address Congress’ runaway spending are not easy to make. You can't address our massive spending and debt without making cuts to large, popular programs. Everyone will fight for their piece of the pie. These cuts are not going to be popular, but in the time of economic instability we want our representatives to take on the big issues, look at each appropriation, and make the hard decisions necessary to get our nation back on sound economic footing.

Last week President Obama accused Congress of not taking this issue seriously, yet later the same day he dismissed a request from Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to meet. Today the President is expected to accept Sen. McConnell's request and begin discussions. Rather than continue to kick the can down the road, we need Congress and the President to discuss serious options to dig our country out of this financial mess. Representative Paul Ryan, (WI-R), as Chair of the House Budget Committee, has put forth a serious budget proposal to cut back spending, reform entitlements and pay down the deficit. He discusses one of the most difficult but necessary reforms in the second Path to Prosperity video.

There are many possible options to solving the debt crisis in our country, but at present only the Republican leadership appears to be proposing serious solutions to the impending crisis. Citizens of our nation need both sides and the President to come together with specific proposals, credible alternatives and the willingness for the government to adopt some of this "shared sacrifice" being discussed.

Catching Up on Friday

It's the end of another week and there's still a handful of items accumulated in my mental in-box. Sometimes little things gather that I just don't have time to write much about, but I think you might be interested in knowing. Fridays are becoming a good day for playing "catch." Let us know if you like this idea for a regular feature.

Religious Censorship of Veterans Funerals?
When the new Houston National Cemetery director Arleen Ocasio arrived last year, one of the first things she did was close the cemetery’s on-site Chapel. This week news broke that she is allegedly censoring Veterans organizations, banning them from using the words “God” and “Jesus” during funeral services and prayers. The non-profit Liberty Group filed a formal complaint in federal court on behalf of the American Legion Post 586, Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4, and the National Memorial Ladies. Lawmakers are seeking explanations, and local citizens are calling for the director’s removal.

Houston Area Pastor Council, an inter-denominational and inter-racial ministry of and for pastors, invites all interested citizens to join them for a rally at the Houston National Cemetery on Monday, July 4 at 10 a.m. If you are in the Houston area and you want to know more about this attack on Christianity, please make plans to show your support by attending.

The Pope Tweets
Did you see the video going around of Pope Benedict XVI sending a tweet? Though they’re speaking Italian in the video, it’s clear to see that he is being shown an iPad, and the new Vatican webpage with twitter. The tweet is already written in English and the Pope presses “send.” The tweet reads: Dear Friends, I just launched http://news.va/ Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI.

I must admit there was something kind of cool to be RETWEETING the Pope. Just in the last two months, the Vatican held their first Catholic Bloggers meeting, the Pope spoke to astronauts on the International Space Station, and now the Vatican launches a new website, including the Pope “on Twitter.”

How much can we help others?
In Texas and Louisiana, the grocery store Kroger operates a “Neighbor to Neighbor Program,” offering non-profits the opportunity to earn a portion of $1 million offered annually. The program runs from July 1 to April 30, with funds divided and awarded in May. Shoppers link their Kroger plus card to the local non-profit of their choice and 1% of your purchases are contributed to the total donation. Our local parish asked parishioners to link to our Christian Action Food Pantry. From this small seemingly-inconsequential action, our parish emerged as the 3rd top “earner” in Texas and Louisiana when Kroger presented us with a record check for $13,415.43!

Virtual pilgrimage
Last fall our parish announced they were putting together a pilgrimage trip called “In the Footsteps of St. Paul,” with stops scheduled in Turkey and Greece. My husband and I drooled over the description, eyeballed the price-tag, and half-seriously discussed what it would take for us to make the trip. A month later we discovered I was pregnant and the dream of traveling with our parish came to an abrupt end. Thankfully, we were able to live vicariously through the travelogue photos and videos posted on the Parish website. If you’ve ever wanted to visit Ephesus, Crete, Corinth, or the island of Patmos, where John wrote Revelations, check out our parish’s website.