May 2006 Archives

(sorry this is late, I've been with a laboring mom all day. 6#5oz baby boy! and all is well.)
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O Father in Heaven,
I beg You to send the Holy Spirit.
May Your Holy Spirit remind me
when I am apt to forget Your law.
Your love, Your promises.
May Your Holy Spirit strengthen my memory
to recall frequently Your sanctity,
omniscience, wisdom, and goodness,
faithfulness, and love.
May Your Holy Spirit encourage me when I am slothful;
strengthen me when I am weak;
enlighten me when I no longer can help myself.
Breathe into me, O Holy Spirit,
that I may do what is holy.
Stir me, that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, that I may preserve what is holy.
Protect me, Holy Spirit,
that I may never lose what is holy
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Great Falls, MT

Come, O Spirit of sanctity,
from the glory of heaven
and send forth the radiance of Your light.
Father of all the poor,
light and peace of all hearts,
come with Your countless gifts.
Consoler in desolation;
refreshment full of loveliness,
come dear friend of my soul.
In weariness send repose;
breath gently cool refreshing breeze;
console the desolate who weep alone.
Light of Beatitude,
make our hearts ready;
come enter our souls.
Without Your grace,
man stands alone;
he cannot be good or sure.
Cleanse what is soiled;
heal what is wounded;
moisten what is arid.
Bend the stubborn will;
warm the cold heart;
guide the wandering footstep.
O Holy Spirit,
we beg You to give us grace through Your sevenfold power
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

Give us merit for the present,
and one day beatitude when we have finished our earthly journey.

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Name: John C. S.
Email Address: Sandrock01@yahoo.com
URL:
Comments:

I am James' father. (Ref: James and Nancy
I just visited this site again today and found the posting by Alicia and the 3 other posts. I could not believe that any agency has the POWER to invade a person's home without a court order. This being Memorial Day weekend, it seems even more unbelievable.

today we are tackling decluttering our house
it is really amazing how much stuff we have managed to accumulate
it reminds me somehow of how sins and pecadillos manage to accumulate
and how our souls get cluttered, sometimes to the point where we can't see or hear God through the clutter

O God, Who today by the light of the Holy Spirit
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
give us, by the light of the same Holy Spirit,
a love for what is right and just
and a constant enjoyment of His comforts.
Pray Holy Spirit,
that I may strive to learn more of my faith;
that I may ever be conscious that reason in all
its human magnificence is capable of grasping
but a glimpse of the reality that is God.
Pray that I may accept as the motto of my life:
"All for the greater glory of God"
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Modern Commentaries: The letter "J"

Heavenly Father,
You have called me to be a member
of the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ,
and to be a temple of the Holy Spirit.
I ask You to give me these gifts of the Holy Spirit:
wisdom, that I may understand the follies of this world;
understanding, that I may grasp more fully
the meaning of my existence
and the purpose of all things in the world;
counsel, that I may always choose the proper way;
fortitude, that I may remain faithful to You
under the pressure of temptation.;
piety, that I may revere You in all I do, think or say;
fear of the Lord, that should the motive of love fail me,
I may quickly be awakened to the eternal consequences of my deeds.
Visit me by Your grace
and Your love
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Begin by reciting the following prayer...

O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler!
I adore you as my True God.
I bless You by uniting myself to the praises
You receive from the angel and saints.
I offer You my whole heart,
and I render You heartfelt thanks
for all the benefits You have bestowed
and do unceasingly bestow upon the world.
You are the author of all supernatural gifts
and who did enrich with immense favors the soul
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God,
I beseech you to visit me by Your grace and Your love,
and grant me the favor
I so earnestly seek in this novena...
that you bring forth the truth in the case of the Sandrock family, and that you protect the innocent and chastise the guilty, and remain with the children.
also that you inspire the hearts of those preparing for confirmation.

O Holy Spirit,
spirit of truth,
come into our hearts:
shed the brightness of your light on all nations,
that they may one faith and pleasing to You.

Amen.

O Holy Spirit,
make me faithful in every thought,
and grant that I may always listen to your voice,
and watch for Your light,
and follow Your gracious inspirations.
I cling to You,
and give myself to You,
and ask You by Your compassion
to watch over me in my weakness.
Holding the pierced feet of Jesus,
looking at His Five Wounds,
trusting in His Precious Blood,
adoring His opened side and stricken heart,
I implore You adorable Spirit,
helper of my infirmity,
to keep me in Your grace,
now and always,
and grant us the favor we ask in this novena...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

because I need a break from the seriousness of the last few weeks.

Julie D. passed this along.

The rules of this game:

Comment on this entry and I will give you a letter.
Write ten words beginning with that letter in your journal, including an explanation of what the word means to you and why.
Pass out letters to those who want to play along.

She gave me the letter "R"
1. Religion - the outward practices of the faith given to me as a free and unexpected gift. I am so glad that I am able to practice my religion, even though it is getting more and more difficult in our culture.
2. Rome - a city I have never visited, though it is the "Jerusalem" of my religion. A home where I have never lived, a paradox like so much of faith.
3. Rebellion - the nature of much of my life. I have rebelled both against the evil and the good in my life. It is truly a miracle that I am able to be even a touch obedient, as it is not part of my human nature.
4. Resilient - yep, that's me. I can bend without breaking - up to a point. Please, dear God, protect those around me when I get to my breaking point because it isn't pretty.
5. Recipes - broad guidelines for what to do with the food in the house. Fun to read and even more fun to try.
6. Reading - what used to be my favorite recreational activity. "Outside of a dog, books are a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." Who said it?
7. Rhetoric - a tool for reasoning - sadly neglected in our day and age. Often mis-defined as anger or emotional language and/or speechifying.
8. Rubrics - why, oh why, do so many priests find it easy to ignore the rubrics? They are even color coded! I don't need creativity in my liturgies (besides which, they aren't 'my' liturgies, they are Christ's). I need reverence, and awe, and dignity, and joy, and all seven gifts of the Holy Spirit!
9. Redemption - what I hope for, pray for, and an trying to work out 'in fear and trembling'. Pray for me, Holy Mother of God, that I may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
10. Righteousness - I wish I were there. Thank God for the gift of purgation.

Begin by reciting the following prayer...

O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler!
I adore you as my True God.
I bless You by uniting myself to the praises
You receive from the angel and saints.
I offer You my whole heart,
and I render You heartfelt thanks
for all the benefits You have bestowed
and do unceasingly bestow upon the world.
You are the author of all supernatural gifts
and who did enrich with immense favors the soul
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God,
I beseech you to visit me by Your grace and Your love,
and grant me the favor
I so earnestly seek in this novena...
that you bring forth the truth in the case of the Sandrock family, and that you protect the innocent and chastise the guilty, and remain with the children.
also that you inspire the hearts of those preparing for confirmation.

O Holy Spirit,
spirit of truth,
come into our hearts:
shed the brightness of your light on all nations,
that they may one faith and pleasing to You.

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

O Holy Spirit,
bestow upon us Your seven holy gifts.
Enlighten our understanding that we may know You.
Give us wisdom that Your will may be clear to us
and that we may accept it.
Grant us the gift of counsel
that we may always perceive what is right.
Fortify us that we may always be capable
of fulfilling Your Divine Will.
Inspire us with the spirit of learning
that we may be able to penetrate more deeply
into the truths that You have revealed.
Let our hearts be steeped in the spirit of childlikeness
that we may bring You joy.
Let us have proper fear of God
that we may never grieve You
or wander from the path of goodness.
Give us the fulness of Your gifts
that we may glorify You.

Amen.

Look with compassion upon us,
O Holy Spirit,
and grant us the favor we seek in this novena...

if it be in accordance with Your Holy Will.

midwifery practice (including obstetrics) in Malta
(warning - .pdf format)

Wisconsin governor signs abstinence bill - Education

St. Jude, the Church invokes you as the universal patron of things despaired of. Pray with us, blessed apostle, for Nancy and James Sandrock, and their beloved children. They need a lawyer to help them in their hour of great need. We pray that they find one, and that the truth of their plight be exposed. We implore you, St. Jude, to use your special place in heaven to help this family go on when their will and resources fail.

Archangel Michael, join us in this battle against the forces of darkness bent on destroying this family. Help them defend against all assaults, and to maintain their strength during the coming weeks. Defend the youngest and most innocent against any ill that might befall them.

Mother Mary, St. Joseph, go to the parents. Guide and comfort them, and help them expose the truth. Lend your protection and succor to them and their youngest especially. Keep them safe and warm in their parents stead.

We trust in the mercy of Christ, and pray in his name, Amen.
********************************************************

Way back when, I was originally planning to do a Novena to the Holy Spirit for the kids in our parish who will be confirmed on Pentecost. I am going to add special prayers for Nancy and her family to my novena. Please consider doing likewise.

I am not good at some of these practicalities. I will be the first to admit it. That is why I have been asking for help. If I were not 2600 miles away I might be able to be of more practical help.

Dear Prayer Partners,
On May 3,2006, my mother, Ruth Schardin, suffered a frontal lobe stroke. While it did not affect her physical movement, it hit the portion of the brain that controls her personality, will, and emotions. She is currently in a hospital to try to control some of the damage. She is scheduled to come home on Friday and have a 24 hour a day care taker. This person will live with my mother around the clock. My sister, Linda, and I need wisdom in choosing this person. If this does not work out, it will be necessary to place her in a Dementia/ Altzheimer unit.
Please pray for us all, Diana Gearhart

Nancy's eldest daughter has posted a comment in the combox below with the latest update.
I'm worried a lot about Neil (the breastfed baby). I have seen pictures that were taken before CPS took him as well as pictures from when they got him back for that short time - with bruises and a black eye.
I really think that part of the dynamics here is a social convention that basically says that having more than 2 or 3 kids is in and of itself child abuse. Most states have laws that regulate foster homes by their physical plant more than any other criterion. For example, you have to have x square feet of bedroom space per child, no more than 2 children per bedroom, a bathroom for every x children etc. Most families with many children would not be able to meet these criteria. I grew up in a large family - as an Air Force brat until I was 14. There were many assignments where our housing was such that we had 3 or 4 kids in a bedroom - and sometimes 2 kids in a bed (at least for short periods).
And then let's talk about vaccinations. If you don't follow the state's guidelines for vaccination, you run the risk of being considered abusive or neglectful. I personally vaccinated my kids, but I know that there are many loving, thoughtful, and caring parents who do not choose to walk in lockstep with the advisory panels. Some are concerned about the fact that many vaccines have ingredients that, however remotely, derive from aborted fetal tissues (mostly collected in the 1960s). Others are concerned about the preservatives used. Still others are really worried about the long term health effects of directly challenging an infants immature immune system with so many different agents in such an unnatural way (through the muscles to the blood stream). They argue that our current epidemic in asthma, allergies, and auto-immune disorders are the long term effect of all these immunizations.
G.K. Chesterton had quite a lot to say about the 'nanny state' second guessing parental concern. You can read much of it in the compilation Brave New Family. Part Six is labeled "The Assassins of the Family". On page 221 of my edition, close to the end of part six, is the following quote:
One by one, the defences of our civilization are being broken down by a concentrated attack on the mind. Rome's barbarians were a menace on her borders; ours are also within the state. (Aug 30, 1930)
He earlier (page 219) had quoted a Church of England clergyman as saying:

If the State assumes the axiom that every child born has a claim upon the State for maintenance, then there must go along with that the claim on the part of the State to say whether a child should be born or not

And on page 266, in a bit about the King's Christmas address (Jan 3, 1935):
We that are Christians believe that the family has a divine sanction. But any reasonable pagan, if he will work it out, will discover that the family existed before the State and has prior rights; that the State exists only as a collection of families, and that its sole function is to safeguard the rights of each and all of them.
Chesterton was in Britain at a time when Nazis were winning hearts and minds on the continent. So he, not unreasonably, was sensitized to the abuses that the State could commit in the name of the greater good. He railed against the Nazi, the Communist, and the Capitalist with equal fervor, for all of them wanted to displace the family. All the -ists and -isms that have become a modern day idolatry are still alive and well and fighting against those who would prefer to defer to the natural law. It is to weep, and wail, and gnash the teeth, and ultimately to pray and to act.

Sixty-four teenagers from our parish (St John the Evangelist) are scheduled to be confirmed on Pentecost. I don't know how we were blessed enough to get the best possible ever date for that Sacrament, but I am tickled pink by it. Saturday was the day retreat for candidates and sponsors - as a first year teacher I didn't have to be there, but my husband is a second year teacher and our daughter is sponsoring one of her friends, so I was there as a general extra pair of hands.
One of the activities was to create a poster illustrating a theme - (loosely based on the works of mercy as far as I could tell)the kids were assigned the themes at random and then had a short time to snip pictures and words, add markers, etc. One poster, about helping friends, had pictures of beer bottles with a circle/slash (the universal NO symbol) as well as a drawing of a marijuana leaf with the circle slash and a pack of birth control pills with the circle slash. It also had positive messages about loving and trusting and walking with Jesus.
Then, Saturday evening we drove up to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire to hear the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra perform. The conductor of this group is also the High School's music director and also the conductor of the Greater Manchester Youth Symphony. He graciously allowed our daughter to play with them as they were doing some of her favorite pieces - Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Beethoven's 7th Symphony. The performance was almost sold out and it was indeed a magnificent event. I'm waiting for the CD to arrive so that I can listen to it in the car during my commute.
The basement has continued to seep water, and John has continued to pump, vacuum, and blow air across it. He says that it is looking better. I've been afraid to go down there myself but I probably should.
The rhubarb plant is very happy after all the rain. I'm hoping to have a great harvest this year.
Meanwhile, my posts about my friend Nancy were picked up by Amy Welbornthis morning. I haven't had an update yet today, but I'll let you know if and when I hear anything more - good or bad news. Meanwhile, I had a really scary thought and I hope that it is just my hyperactive imagination acting up.

If you were a really savvy pedophile, where would be the safest and best place to hang out and get your fixes? Where would you be not only allowed to but expected to view child pornography, make kids talk about sexual stuff, and watch/read/report about their naked physical bodies? How about the child sexual crimes unit of any big police force? Does anyone know how they screen cops to prevent this from happening?

God, our refuge and our strength
The Lord is our refuge and our strength, a true help in our troubles.
Therefore we do not fear, even when the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the depths of the sea,
the waves roar and foam and rise up to shake the mountains.

The streams of the river give joy to the city of God, the holy dwelling-place of the Most High.
God is within it, it will not be shaken; God will give help as the day dawns.
The nations are in turmoil and kingdoms totter: at the sound of his voice, the earth flows like water.

The Lord of strength is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come and see the works of the Lord, who has done wonders on the earth.
He puts an end to wars over all the world: he tramples the bow, shatters weapons, and burns the shields with fire.
Stop and see that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.

The Lord of strength is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erika Bachiochi Speaking in Lynnfield, Sunday May 21
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erika Bachiochi, a keynote speaker at the 2006 Boston Catholic Women's Conference, is speaking at the Adult Formation Series at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Lynnfield.

Her topic is "Women & The Church: Defining A Feminism of Faith. "

Sunday, May 21, 6:00-8:00 PM
St. Maria Goretti
112 Chestnut St.
Lynnfield, MA

About Erika - Erika Bachiochi is the editor of and contributor to "The Cost of 'Choice': Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion" (Encounter Books,2004). A lawyer and theologian living outside of
Boston, Erika has lectured at top colleges and law schools and was the
keynote speaker at Boston’s first Women’s Conference earlier this Spring. She is the full-time mother of three young children.
For more information, contact Jaymie at (781) 334-2367 or faith@stmaria.org.
Click here for the event poster. -

Child Protective Services "CPS" False Accusations | Family Rights v. Child Welfare
Please pray Psalm 46 for this situation.

Isabella Marie Bettinelli

The Catholic Nursing Mother's League.
Please check it out and give it your prayer support.

That's how we're emptying the water from the basement. Actually, I shouldn't say 'we', as John has been doing most of the work. He bought a pump but it isn't working at all. So he's been vacuuming up the water into the shop vac, dumping it into the buckets, carting the bucket up the stairs and away from the house, and dumping the water out. I carried only a few buckets worth before my knees started to really complain.
I finally pulled him away from it at 2230 - we still have to get up in the morning and I have to leave for work between 0630 and 0645. So it's off to the showers and to sleep. We still have lots of standing water to clear out, but John is willing to wait till tomorrow to work on it.
Have I mentioned how much I love my husband? Not only is he a great dad to our kids, but he also takes good care of me. And he is also handy with all kinds of chores. There's a lot to be said in favor of marrying a hands-on engineer.

done by bunnies!
Caddyshack

an article in, of all places, Indian Catholic - News Site of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India.
Who woulda thunk it?

Unless they delay it yet again, today is Nancy's hearing to try to get her children back. Prayer support is critical.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
(Please keep praying for Nancy - I can't even imagine how she must feel today. And if the foster families didn't take her children to Mass, were their First Amendment rights violated?)


This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up puke laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's okay honey, Mommy's here"

You will recall that I recently posted prayer requests for my good friend and fellow midwife Nancy. With her permission, I am posting more of what is involved in this situation.

Reuters Health Information (2006-03-31): Episiotomy use should be minimized: new guidelines
ACOG Recommends Restricted Use of Episiotomies

I just wish that they would show equally common sense in other areas of obstetrics and midwifery.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno :TV's Top 5! April 24, 2006 - 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'
featuring Robin Williams

with much to say to us today.
The Mutual Duties Of Husbands And Wives Towards Each Other

The Da Vinci Code Catechism

(Except for the bit about respect for actors - pah. Now chefs, on the other hand...)

You're California!


In many ways, you are larger than life and almost defy description.
You certainly love to shake, rattle, and roll with the best of them.
You have a generally sunny disposition, but are capable of resorting to harsh extremes when pressed.
You are more likely than most to become rich, or famous, or perhaps both.
While you have the golden touch in so many regards, your respect for actors is a little over-zealous.
This endless faith in actors needs to be terminated.


Take the State Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Registration required, and there will be an ad when you first click on the page. Contra-Contraception - New York Times
The writer actually gets quite a bit of what it's all about. He doesn't agree, though, and he makes the usual snide remark "Natural family planning, otherwise known as rhythm".
But I think that he is honestly baffled by the cultural currents he is seeing.

Scattershot Direct: Tornado damage

I get requests from lots of folks for links and reciprocal blogrolling. I guess it's kind of flattering. My blogroll is already quite long despite my periodic attempts to trim it down to size. I have limited time and lately it seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day, so I have been trying to focus on my personal priorities. I figure that if God has other stuff He wants from me, He knows how to get my attention (oh, boy, does He ever!)

Anyhow, I was recently approached again for blog linkage. I could probably (given the time) put in some valuable input here, but frankly, right now I don't hear a call to do what really seems needful here. I am going to post correspondance, links, a few thoughts, and then I will ask those of you who have time and/or interest to respond to this blogger. I think that she is seriously seeking the truth, otherwise I wouldn't have even done this much. So be nice even as you are sharing truth with her.

with a song in my heart.
Parental discretion is advised.

Gotta love "They Might Be Giants".
Istanbul
Blue Canary
and so on

Today we went to a talk by Christopher West. This was the short one "Introduction to the Theology of the Body". Last year, John and I attended a video series on Created and Redeemed at a local parish. And we have both also listened to the 10 CD set "Naked Without Shame". We like what we are hearing in the Theology of the Body, and while Pope John-Paul II's original writings are the bedrock, they are dense (like all good bedrock) and so it is easier to start the study with an engaging and knowledgeable speaker like Mr. West.
He's even better in person than he is on-screen.
Let me just share a few tidbits.
"When we reclaim the truth, we need to be prepared for a raging spiritual battle." (So true. I have a friend whose life has been falling apart, her family under attack, ever since she decided that she really needed to not only follow Catholic sexual teachings personally but to apply them to her professional life.)
"The scriptures tell us to gird our loins with the Truth, not with latex" (about the lies that the Father of Lies would have us believe about preventing the spread of AIDS - among other lies)
"If the task of the 20th century was to rid itself of the Christian sexual ethic, the task of the 21st century must be to reclaim it" (how true!!!)

Lots of good stuff. I wish that I could remember all the insights that popped up. But if you get a chance to hear Mr. West speak, do it!

My midwife friend Nancy has asked for lots of prayers for a very difficult family situation involving her children. I pray that the truth will be found and that the truth will set free all those involved.

Please also pray that she will be able to continue her practice as a pro-life NFP only midwife in her community.

St Gianna, pray for them.

30000 Filipina moms and their babies

One for Bill Luse.

Cesarean Art
Pray for her.

What important adjective is missing from this story?
Missouri Race May Hinge on Stem-Cell Opinions
by Greg Allen
All Things Considered, May 2, 2006
Election 2006
Supporters of stem-cell research in Missouri have likely turned in enough signatures to place a measure protecting stem-cell research on the ballot. But Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO) has announced he will oppose the measure -- a stance that pro-life groups had long requested.
The adjective is embryonic.
Here's a letter that I sent NPR on this very topic.
And here, following, is the reply I rec'd - almost a full month after my original letter. Do you think it would be worthwhile to send in another letter on the same topic?

NPR : Revisiting 'Birth of a Nation' in Today's America

I hope that in a generation or two, the hoi polloi are just as embarassed by the distortions and prejudice in the DVC movie (and book) as they are now by the distortions and prejudice in such classics as 'Birth of a Nation' and 'Protocols of the elders of Zion'. But I'm not holding my breath waiting for it.

more last than star

Kind of blurry, taken with my Palm Zire.
I'm home now.
will be busy with work the next few days but will try to pop in.
send me email if you have anything urgent!