A-Head of it all

This past summer my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily the doctors caught it early. My Aunt, my Mom's sister, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and had a double mastectomy. Needless to say, my Sister and I are now frightfully aware that we may have breast cancer in our lifetime.

I'm getting ahead of myself.

She was getting a routine mammogram ... well, should have been routine.  The tech saw something in one of the x-rays and took a few more pictures ... then there was something in the other breast ... again more pictures.  When all was done the normal 4 pictures turned into 13.

Then she was called back for an ultrasound and a biopsy. 

I am unsure if any of you had had a biopsy, but let's just say that they hurt!  They use a huge needle ... huge I mean in circumfrance, not length ... so they can suck the tissue right out of you.  Tissue that should be left alone under normal circumstances. 

It's funny how God answers prayers ...

I had prayed the night before that God would give me my Mom's pain.  It was a short quick, fleeting-of-the-moment, mindless type prayer ... but I do remember asking.  My Mom never felt a thing!  The doctor had a few biopsies to do because both breasts had questionable spots.  The needle went in, cells came out, and my Mom felt nothing.

I, on the other hand, had a major headache that day.  It was cloudy, work was a bit stressful, so I took some tylenol and thought nothing of it.

She decided to get a double mastectomy.  In fact they were not going to be used any longer ... we were all weaned and on solid foods now. (yes, you can laugh).  As the doctors made preparations for the surgery and additional doctor's appointments, my headaches grew worse and were happening daily. 

I had made some doctors appointments but nothing was working.  I do not get migraines, so I knew that was out.  But every test that was taken, everything came back normal - even the CT scan.   But I did not put 2-and-2 together.

My Mom had the surgery ... the doctor's said everything went really well.  She had staples from one side of her chest to the other, two drains, one on each side, and lots of bandages. 

My headaches had gotten worse to the point that I could barely think.  I couldn't concentrate and just keeping my eyes open was painful.  Imagine Uncle Fester putting your head in a vice and tightening it then grabbing a sledge hammer and hitting the back of your head with it ... my headaches were worse than that!

The next day my Mom and her Sister were in the hospital room ... my Mom felt no pain whatsoever!  She has traintracks running across her ... she just had major surgery ... and she felt no pain!  Nothing!  In fact, she was up and walking around (not far, mind you) that day.  The hospital, however, in their infinite wisdom, put her in a room with a patient who had massive infections (doctors were overheard talking about major antibiotics to attack the infection).  Needless to say, my Mom was NOT going to stay there any longer than she had to, in fact, she asked her doctor to discharge her that day so she could recouperate at home.  Because she was feeling well and the drains were working properly, the doctor did discharge her.

For the next 2 weeks, I had major headaches ... nothing was working ... even major pain pills.  They would knock me out, but when I would awaken, the pain was back.  My doctor's scheduled an MRI.  I had to now wait for the radiology department to call so we could schedule it ... 3 weeks later was the earliest I could get in.

It wasn't until my Mom and I were talking that we were able to connect the dots.  God allowed me to take her pain ... He gave me that gift, and what an awesome gift it was!  As I was in pain, I would offer up my pain, ask that it would be combined with Jesus' suffering, for anyone who needed prayers.  I am just amazed at God's infinite wisdom and kindness.

When the staples and the drains were taken out, she felt nothing! 

As she recouperated, my headaches lessened.  The day of the MRI, I had no headaches at all. Well, not like they were.  I would have a twinge here or there, but it was more of an annoyance than actual pain.  The MRI came back normal - everything that should be in there is in there and nothing that should be in there was not.

I now have no headaches at all.  They have completely disappeared.  And my Mom? Well, she's been a swell patient.  She made sure (as did we) that she did not pick up anything too heavy, lift anything above her head, and was able to rest as much as she needed.  She's now back to doing her exercises.  

Would I do it again?  Absolutely!
God gave me a gift ... a gift of faith.  He allowed me to get a snippit of the pain Jesus felt in his suffering. 

My Mom, on the other hand, yells at me when I tell her I would do it again ...

Another gift from God ... an answered prayer.

Listening - the Lost Art

A Priest that I know often sends an email to several people asking for feedback on his sermon idea for the following Sunday. This Sunday's homily is on 'Listening'. Here were my thoughts:

Listening.... it's becoming a 'lost art'

The thing about listening - is that I have to stop talking in order to listen.
Listening to God - I have to stop telling God what I want before I can hear what He wants for me.

And sometimes, listening means that I have to accept criticism - even from the Church (ecclesial & Magesterial). Lately, many Priests are receiving criticism from parishioners & Bishops for speaking the Truth about what the Church teaches and how we, as children of God, should live our lives. My take on this - the Priests and Bishops are our Shepherds. They are the ones that are trying to save our souls so that we can live with the Holy Trinity, the Angels, the Saints, our Heavenly Mother in the next life - in Heaven. Without them, we would be lost.

And if a Priest told me something that I need to work on and I am offended - actually, I should be thanking God for him being here to guide me so that I can become holy. If I am offended - that leads toward pride, which is not of God. This also means that I need to listen ... really listen to what God is telling me through that Priest.

This also goes for the Laity - it is our jobs to help guide others toward holiness. It's not just the Priests - we, as the ecclesial Body of Christ, need to listen to what Christ, the head of this Body, is telling us.


But listening has become very difficult to do -
I get up in the morning, I have the radio on. I eat breakfast at the computer, reading the stories for the day. I get to the train, conversations of others are overheard and the stops are announced. I get to Tower City, music is playing. I get to work, the phones are ringing, meetings are held, cell phones and pagers are going off, emails are read, etc. I get home around 7pm and eat dinner in front of the TV, family and friends call, friends come over, neighbors chat.... we have become such a 'turned on' society that we 'turn off' listening because it happens every minute of every day.

When do we actually MAKE time to pray? When do we MAKE time to listen to God?
Without a synthetic connection to God - like email, pager, phone, TV program - He is tuned out because we can't stand silence. And silence is what is needed when we talk to God.



Your thoughts?

Prayers

Adoro recently published a post about Praying Always, which made me contemplate how much I really do pray. Yes, we are to have a set prayer time, and for those of us who are in religious communities, whether a Priest, Religious, or lay, we have the Liturgy of the Hours (LOH) that we must pray.

So the question arises, how to 'pray always'.

This came to light this morning as I was shoveling the driveway. I offered all of the snow that I shoveled for anyone who needed prayers and for those in Purgatory. I offered my work for those in need. On my way to work I take the train where I usually pray the Rosary. Today, however, I felt the need to pray for those struggling in these dark economic times and prayed the Hail Mary repeatedly.

It's not that we must always utter prayers every moment of the day, although I'm certain God would not disapprove. It's offering your day or a part of your day for someone or something. Sometimes when I am driving or riding the bus, I would offer up every rotation of every tire on the road as a prayer for someone or something - a friend who is going through a difficult time, a Priest who is just starting out, a stranger I met the day before, a family who is struggling due to a loss of a relative. Before I go to sleep (if I remember), I offer up every breath for those in Purgatory.

If you are unsure of what to pray for, pray for the Pope's intentions. Pray for the World Day of Peace with the Pope. Pray for those in Purgatory or for your family (immediate & extended). Pray for the Priests. Pray for the God's Angels or Guardian Angels. Pray for anyone who needs prayers.

Distractions

Satan loves to distract us when we are trying to talk to God. Music, TV, Wii, games, phone calls, email, work, etc. Distractions are all around us. How do we overcome these distractions? There are several things that have helped me.

• Asking one or more of the Saints to pray with you
• Asking your Guardian Angel to guide and protect you
• Blessing yourself with Holy Water before praying (I keep a small vial in my purse & in my office)
• Asking for Mary's intercession

These are only a few that I commonly use. I also ask my Guardian Angel to pray with me and if I fall asleep during my prayers at night, that he will continue praying for me.

What to Pray

God wants a relationship with us. Think of your best friend. What do you talk about? How do you greet each other? How do you feel when you are with this person? God wants this same type of relationship. Yes, He already knows what you are going through, He already knows your fears, your desires, your needs, your joys, but He wants to hear it from you. He wants you to share your life with Him...to be a part of your life like your best friend is a part of your life.

When you are not sure what to say, you can ask God just to be there with you in those moments of silence. Just like a friend, sometimes it is good just to be present.

For those times when you need to pray but can not find the words, pray the Hail Mary or the Our Father. Pray the Rosary. Pray the 23rd Psalm. Pray the Act of Contrition. Pray a favorite Bible passage (mine, Galatians 2:20).

The more we talk with God, the closer we become. So offer those tire rotations, offer up every breath you take, offer up every word you utter at work, offer up every letter you type, offer up every movement, every eye blink, every step.

Be Still & Know that I am God

This morning I received an email from a Benedictine Sister that I do not know. How she received my email & why she sent me this e-card, I'm unsure. But what I do know is that God knew I needed this card.

After I woke up this morning & got ready for the day, I did a quick check on emails and just happened to fall upon a St. Jude web site that asked for prayers/petitions. At the end of a year, I always ask God for one petition for the New Year and I have been praying about what to request this next year. (One year I asked for patience - it was the longest year of my life!) There was only one petition that has a lot of meaning for me this next year - to become a worthy spouse for our Lord. I fall short, way short. However, I know that our Heavenly Father can mold me into a spouse that is worthy of His Son.

I am trying to do it all - get it done quickly, efficiently, and effectively ... but God is telling me to 'Be Still...and know that I am God.'

Saints & Souls

Happy All Saints Day!

Happy All Souls Day!

Visit my new site: Purgatory Page

Add a name & Pray for a soul today!

St. Jude

A Prayer to St. Jude

Most holy apostle, St. Jude,

faithful servant and friend of Jesus,

the Church honors and invokes you universally,

as the patron of hopeless cases,

of things almost despaired of.

Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.

Make use I implore you,

of that particular privilege given to you,

to bring visible and speedy help where

help is almost despaired of.

Come to my assistance in this great

need that I may receive the consolation

and help of heaven in all my necessities,

tribulations, and sufferings, particularly

(here make your request)

and that I may praise God with you and

all the elect forever.

I promise, O blessed St. Jude,

to be ever mindful of this great favor,

to always honor you as my special

and powerful patron,

and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.

Amen.

Prayers for our Priests

Special prayers are needed for the Priests in the Cleveland Diocese.

They are attending a Convocation for the week.

Please keep them all in your prayers.

My prayers for them

That the Holy Spirit will come down upon them and rekindle

their love for our Lord and the excitement they had becoming Priests.

That Mary, our Heavenly Mother, will guide their discussions.

That the Lord's will shall always be first and foremost in their hearts and minds.

Co-mingled with God

This tale is a great example of how we are all co-mingled with God - we are one Body - the Body of Christ. We are all in common union with each other, with God as our leader.

*********************************

On a Saturday night several weeks ago, this pastor was working late at Almighty God Tabernacle, his church, and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about 10:00pm, the pastor let the phone ring many times, but his wife did not answer. He thought it was odd but decided to wrap up a few things and try again in a few minutes. When he called again, she answered immediately. He asked her why she had not answered before, she replied that the phone had never rung. They brushed it off as a fluke.

The following Monday, the pastor received a call at the church office. The man that he spoke with wanted to know why the pastor had called that Saturday night. The pastor could not figure out what the gentleman was saying. Then the man said, 'It rang and rang, but I did not answer.' The pastor remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that he had intended to call his wife.

The man said, 'That quite okay. Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did, I prayed, 'God, if you are there, and you do not want me to do this, give me a sign now.' At that point, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and it said 'Almighty God'. I was afraid to answer.'

***************************************

We may never know why God wants us to do something - but it is all part of His plan.

Purgatory Box

I was reviewing some information on Spirit Daily and came across this article:

http://www.spiritdaily.com/neri.htm

What a wonderful idea! A couple years ago I had so many people ask me to pray for them, I was 'forgetting' to put some on the Altar at Mass and then I felt horrid! How could I forget this person? I felt as if I let them down. That was when I created my 'Jesus Jar.' It is a wicker basket (actually a kleenex box basket with lid) where I drop in a note with a prayer intention or a person's name that I am praying for. At Mass now, I place the 'Jesus Jar' on the Altar - and I know everyone is included.

Why not do the same with those in Purgatory? I have already listed relatives who have died in my Jesus Jar (my grandparents - both sides; Aunts; Uncles; Friends; and others who I know need prayers)...but why not include more? Why not include all of the Priests, Deacons, Religious, and all lay people in the Jesus Jar - or - in this case - a Purgatory Package.

I have been told that there are many in Purgatory who need our prayers. When they are finally lifted into Heaven, able to share in God's Heavenly Kingdom, they pray for those who prayed for them, asking God to send us graces beyond our comprehension.

I have some International Coffee boxes in my office - I think I will convert one into a Purgatory Package...and pray for them often.

St. Gertrude the Great prayer: A prayer which would release 1,000 souls from purgatory each time it is said.

"Eternal father, I offer you the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. - Amen"

The Family Tree

There have been many sins that have affected my family, immediate and extended, which have then directly affected me. Sins resulting in my present and past sufferings ... things that have taken years to overcome, yet still being taunted and tormented by their effects.



Passed down from generation to generation, these sins influence our very being, our souls, so that it has ramifications upon everything we do. This burden slowly wearing us down until we find it so difficult to move, to live, to love, while desperately trying to cling onto the Word of God to keeps us going. We find ourselves drowning in the everyday battles. We know He is there, we know He is beside us, but the suffering is so great that we feel like we are losing the war.



Can we ever be completely healed by the influences and effects these sins create? Can we be free from this bondage, this burden placed so heavily upon us? Can we feel His love again? Yes! Through the Sacraments. Through prayer. Through fasting. Through Jesus. He died so we could have everlasting life ... free from the bondage of sin, including the sins of the past, present, and future.



I pray this prayer in hopes of being completely healed, as well as healing for my family, one day.









Prayer for Healing the Family Tree


Heavenly Father, I come before You as Your child, in great need of Your help. I have physical health needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs, and interpersonal needs. Many of my problems have been caused by my own failures, neglect and sinfulness, for which I humbly beg Your forgiveness, Lord. But I also ask You to forgive the sins of my ancestors whose failures have left their effects on me in the form of unwanted tendencies, behavior patterns and defects in body, mind and spirit. Heal me, Lord, of all these disorders.


With Your help I sincerely forgive everyone, especially living or dead members of my family tree, who have directly offended me or my loved ones in any way, or those whose sins have resulted in our present sufferings and disorders. In the name of Your divine Son Jesus, and in the power of His Holy Spirit, I ask You, Father, to deliver me and my entire family tree from the influence of the evil one. Free all living and dead members of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships, and those in extended family relationships, from every contaminating form of bondage. By Your loving concern for us, heavenly Father, and by the shed blood of your Precious Son Jesus, I beg You to extend Your blessing to me and all my living and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted through all past generations, and prevent such negative effects in future generations of my family tree.


I symbolically place the Cross of Jesus over the head of each person in my family tree, and between each generation; I ask You to let the cleansing blood of Jesus purify the blood lines in my family lineage. Set Your protective angels to encamp around us, and permit Archangel Raphael, the patron of healing, to administer Your divine healing power to all of us, even in areas of genetic disability. Give special power to our family members' guardian angels to heal, protect, guide and encourage each of us in all our needs. Let Your healing power be released at this very moment and let it continue as long as Your sovereignty permits.


In our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy bonding in family love. And let there be an ever deeper bonding with You, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to Your Son Jesus. Let the family of the Holy Trinity pervade our family with its tender, warm, loving presence, so that our family may recognize and manifest that love in all our relationships. All of our unknown needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus precious Name.


Amen.

Speak, Lord...

Growing up in a very faith-filled home can be absolutely wonderful, but can also be intimidating. Not so much for the faith - that was the wonderful part. It was beyond the faith that was trepidacious.

My parents taught us how to live God-filled lives. They taught us to love the Lord, our God, to spread that love to others and how to listen to God's voice. The latter of which, I have the most difficulty. It's not so much having the desire to listen, it is more slowing myself down (and my mind down) in order to listen. My mind wanders continuously so trying to remove all thoughts during Adoration or Mass can be quite the challenge.

It was not uncommon to see my parents pray. In fact, they usually prayed about everything ... everything that mattered. They tried not to fret over the little things that attempted to block their view of God's path. It was wonderful to see them praying ... to observe their faith. It was when they instantaneously invited us to join them, and 'no' was not heard - we were included anyway, that became a bit embarrassing. It wasn't that we were praying, it was we were praying as a group. With my prayer, I am more introspective, more private. These are my personal prayers to God. My parents, however, firmly believe that when two or three or more are gathered in His name, the prayer will be answered. Maybe not in the way expected...but yet answered.

It was when we were living in the south that I was introduced to the gift of Tongues. For a girl who was already shy about praying aloud, it was disquieting to be around people who had this gift...especially when they used it! My parents usually used the gift when they needed to step back, out of themselves, during prayer, and ususally during their private prayer time. They needed to focus on God's view rather than the world's view.

When we moved to Ohio, maybe three years after we moved, they joined a charismatic prayer group. Every once in awhile the group would meet at our house and all of the kids would hide. But it was in those brief moments when we HAD to run downstairs that we heard the group speaking in Tongues. It was intriguing, yet intimidating. For a brief second I was straining to hear each of the different words ... then my fear got the better of me and I headed back upstairs to the safety of my own room - where I knew and understood the language spoken.

A little over a year ago, I joined a charismatic prayer group. They had a beginning series to introduce us newcomers to the Holy Spirit and the Most Holy Trinity, although the Holy Spirit and Jesus were the usual topics of discussion. I remember being prayed over to receive any gifts of the Holy Spirit that God wanted to bestow upon me. I also remember telling God, 'anything but the Gift of Tongues!' What a way to halt any endowment of God.

It was after I left the group earlier this year that I actually started opening more to God's word and trying to listen to what He was trying, ever so patiently, to tell me. It was then that I was opening more to God.

Little by little, phrases would come into my thoughts. Actually, they were more like utterances since I did not understand what they were, the language, or if it, in fact, was a language. I continued to pray about it, discern, and accept what I was slowly being revealed. About a month ago, my mom and I went to Adoration. The utterances became stronger. I knew I heard a few of the words before, so I asked my mom to speak in Tongues. The Lord was revealing to me His special gift ... a gift only given to me ... the gift of His Tongue!

I'm not a person who seeks a religious ecstatic experience, you know the kind, the 'allelujia, praise God! Be healed and be saved!' type person. Actually, even the enthusiastic ministers seen on TV send a chill up my spine. I am more reserved, more conservative with prayer. I use this gift during my personal prayer time when I am praying about a specific person or specific situation...not unsimilar to my parents. I ask for God's will to be done, not mine, and use the gift to praise God and His holy Name.

I have also found that I use this gift during Mass - during the epiclesis and consecration. Since the Gift of Tongues is actually a language used to praise God, I want to praise Him during the most sacred time during Holy Mass, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What I found is that this gift has truly been a blessing. I have used it when I pray with friends, usually those who also have the Gift of Tongues. In my Church, we do not use the sanctus bells, so I pray with the Gift of Tongues, quietly, during the epiclesis and consecration...creating a joyful noise to the Lord.

Little did I understand what a blessing this Gift of God would become. Little did I understand the power of God and that He wants what is best for me. Little did I understand I do not know what is best for me in God's eyes. I need to remember Samuel's words..."Speak, Lord, your servant is listening," and then truly listen...

A Holy Family

I received this description of a holy family during our family reunion. Like many families, ours is one in turmoil right now...one of my siblings is going through a divorce. Not only does this divorce affect their lives, but it also affects the lives of the families to whom they are close.

I loved what this had to say and I thought I would share it. It is written by Fr. Scott Detisch.


What Makes a Holy Family?

Would you consider your family holy? You might be inclined to answer immediately: 'No way! We argue too much. We have too many problems and issues. Plus, we aren't spiritual enough.' People who would respond in this vein are equating holiness with perfection. But that is not what holiness is about. Holiness is a lifelong process of striving to live more and more in sync with God. It means being grasped by the love of God in such a way that we desire to be the persons God has made us to be. Yet, we recognize that we will stumble and bumble along the way to becoming those persons.

All the great holy ones in our Church - the Saints - stumbled and bumbled along the way. Look at St. Peter and all of the Apostles. They denied and abandoned Jesus at His hour of deat; yet they eventually surrendered their lives to what the love of God called forth from them. This did not happen all at once. It took years to unfold. The same is true with us and with our families.

Our families may not seem as if they are holy, but if we are truly opening ourselves up to what God has called us to be, then our families are holy because we are allowing the process of surrendering to God to unfold. What could help our families open up more to the process of holiness? Here are a few suggestions:

• Pray together as a family before meals
• Parents: talk with your children about your own experiences of God and Christ as a real presence and power in your life. Encourage your children's questions and wonder about the things of God
• Celebrate the Eucharist every week with the larger parish family as a way of receiving what Christ offers to every member of the family; love, forgiveness, wisdom, challenge, strength, hope, healing, and joy
• Have family night every week to share what is going on in each person's life and also to have some fun together and delight in each other. [Parents: this might mean having to say 'no' to your children's requests to be involved in everything that interests them.]
• Adopt some form of service to the needs of others as a year-long family venture
• Adopt language of affection, support, and forgiveness in the home. Do not hesitate to use the powerful words: 'I love you,' 'I am sorry,' 'You are forgiven,' 'You can tell me anything,' 'You are wonderful.' Our children begin to live the words they hear from us.

Please note: there is NO feast of the Perfect Family!

Georgianna's Choice

'The baby Georgianna Garry was carrying had severe birth defects that gave him little chance to survive. She had every right to abort the pregnancy when she found out, her doctor told her. But she decided to carry her son, Liam, to term, hoping for 10 minutes with him. What she got was so much more.'

My sister works with Georgianna's father. This is an amazing story of love, hope, and miracles. (I also know Fr. Dave Woost, from Divine Word, in Kirtland. He is an amazing and holy Priest.)

Read the rest of Georgianna's Choice (by Heide Aungst).

Can you hold, please?

Hello?

Hi, how was your day?

Who is this?

It's your mother! What do you mean who is this?

Oh, hi. Was'up?

What's up? How was golfing?

I'm not here, leave a message.

My nephew recently bought a new cell phone and created the above (in red) as his voicemail message. My sister had heard him set it up. When she called him a couple days later, she had forgotten the set up and started talking as if he was live. In fact, we've all fallen for his message. Teenagers! *grin*

We have become so dependent on being 'connected' through technology (cell phone, text messages, email, voicemail, call-waiting, caller-id, web-cam, and even blogs), that we have actually become disconnected. We are constantly using technology to talk to each other that person-to-person contact is becoming a rarity. For example, I rely heavily on the computer and email at work due to the nature of my job. I am also contacting my customers via phone. In other words, I am in constant contact with my customers through technology. I find even the meetings I attend are becoming shorter, time-wise, and packed with so much information that it is often difficult to get beyond the meeting agenda. It can become so easy for me to only use email and my computer rather than the phone (which voicemail itself can become annoying) or personal visit.

Gone were the days of visiting others in their offices or even at lunch or after work. Even if we try to use the phone to contact other agencies or companies, many companies will try very hard to prevent customers from connecting with a live person and we get stuck in automated voicemail hell.

Can you imagine if God answered our prayers through automated voicemail? It may have options such as this:

To request prayers, say 'Supplication'

If you need specific help with your life, say 'Subvention'

If you are seeking general help, say 'Assistance'

If you need comfort, say 'Consolation'

To request a miracle, say 'Methionyl­glutaminyl­arginyl­tyrosyl­glutamyl­seryl­leucyl­phenyl­alanyl­alanyl­glutaminyl­leucyl­lysyl­glutamyl­arginyl­lysy­glutamyl­gycyl­alanyl­phenyl­alanyl­valyl­prolyl­phenyl­alanyl­valyl­threonyl­leucyl­glycyl­aspartyl­prolyl­glycyl­isoleucyl­glutamyl­glutaminyl­seryl­leucyl­lysyl­isoleucyl­aspartyl­threonyl­leucyl­isoleucyl­glutamyl­alanyl­glycyl­alanyl­aspartyl­alanyl­leucyl­glutamyl­leucyl­glycyl­isoleucyl­prolyl­phenyl­alanyl­seryl­aspartyl­prolyl­leucyl­alanyl­aspartyl­glycyl­prolyl­threonyl­isoleucyl­glutaminyl­asparaginyl­alanyl­threonyl­leucyl­arginyl­alanyl­phenyl­alanyl­alanyl­alanyl­glycyl­valyl­threonyl­prolyl­alanyl­glutaminyl­cysteinyl­phenyl­alanyl­glutamyl­methionyl­leucyl­alanyl­leucyl­isoleucyl­arginyl­glutaminyl­lysyl­histidyl­prolyl­threonyl­isoleucyl­prolyl­isoleucyl­glycyl­leucyl­leucyl­methionyl­tyrosyl­alanyl­asparaginyl­leucyl­valyl­phenyl­alanyl­asparaginyl­lysyl­glycyl­isoleucyl­aspartyl­glutamyl­phenyl­alanyl­tyrosyl­alanyl­glutaminyl­cysteinyl­glutamyl­lysyl­valyl­glycyl­valyl­aspartyl­sryl­valyl­leucyl­valyl­alanyl­aspartyl­valyl­prolyl­valyl­glutaminyl­glutamyl­seryl­alanyl­prolyl­phenyl­alanyl­arginyl­glutaminyl­alanyl­alanyl­leucyl­arginyl­histidyl­asparaginyl­valyl­alanyl­prolyl­isoleucyl­phenyl­alanyl­isoleucyl­cysteinyl­prolyl­prolyl­aspartyl­alanyl­aspartyl­aspartyl­aspartyl­leucyl­leucyl­arginyl­glutaminyl­isoleucyl­alanyl­seryl­tyrosyl­glycyl­arginyl­glycyl­tyrosyl­threonyl­tyrosyl­leucyl­leucyl­seryl­arginyl­alanyl­glycyl­valyl­threonyl­glycyl­alanyl­glutamyl­asparaginyl­arginyl­alanyl­alanyl­leucyl­leucyl­lysyl­glutamyl­tyrosyl­asparaginyl­alanyl­alanyl­prolyl­prolyl­leucyl­glutaminyl­glycyl­phenyl­alanyl­glycyl­isoleucyl­seryl­alanyl­prolyl­aspartyl­glutaminyl­valyl­lysyl­alanyl­alanyl­isoleucyl­aspartyl­alanyl­glycyl­alanyl­alanyl­glycyl­alanyl­isoleucyl­seryl­glycyl­seryl­alanyl­isoleucyl­valyl­lysyl­isoleucyl­isoleucyl­glutamyl­glutaminyl­histidyl­asparaginyl­isoleucyl­glutamyl­prolyl­glutamyl­lysyl­methionyl­leucyl­alanyl­alanyl­leucyl­lysyl­valyl­phenyl­alanyl­valyl­glutaminyl­prolyl­methionyl­lysyl­alanyl­alanyl­threonyl­arginyl­serine.' [Tryptophan Synthetase. Formula C1289-H2051-N343-O375-S8]

If you would like to thank and praise God, say 'Thanksgiving' and we will immediately direct you to one of God's angels.

Yet, this technology has been a blessing. It enables people from other cities, states, and countries to contact each other. Friends and family who are thousands of miles apart can talk and see each other like never before. Through a web-cam and microphone, the internet connects father to son, daughter to mother, and husband to wife. Even those away at war can connect with loved ones back home. Before technology was prevelent, this contact was only through 'snail mail' letters and photographs. Technology has provided the means to create a smaller world, so to speak. But it has also created a crutch for those working or living in the same city or even neighborhood. It has provided a way to communicate without connecting.


Prayer is our person-to-person connection to God. 'The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is He who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; His asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.' (CCC 2560) The Catholic Church heavily relies on person-to-person contact, which God desires each and every day. Prayer is what keeps us connected to Heaven. In fact, the Mass is actually a very long series of prayers, thus one reason (but not the main reason) why some call it 'Heaven on Earth.' Mass teaches us how to pray...contrition, listening, praising, thanksgiving, and requesting are all part of the Mass.

Our prayer keeps us connected with our Lord and Savior, and He will only accept person-to-person calls. A friend of mine asked me about my email address, what 'kneemail' meant. 'Knee mail' is prayer. My 'prayer-mail' to God on my knees. It is my direct contact with the One who made me and desires to know me, personally. I am certainly glad that God desires a personal relationship with each one of us. Can you imagine trying to request a miracle through the automated voicemail.? *grin*