Rejoice

We are in the third week of Advent. If you attended Mass this past Sunday, all the readings were about rejoicing. The second reading was from Philippians 4:4-7.

Guarding Your Heart and Mind

Guarding your heart and mind is difficult, especially at this time of year. We get caught up in the busyness of Christmas and attempt to do too much. This is exactly what happened to me last week. On Thursday Father Leonard, who was celebrating a wedding in Laguna Beach, was our guest. Mike made Father Leonard’s  favorite chili rellenos for dinner. It was such a quick visit that I did not have time to arrange for a Bible study and luncheon. The following morning he concelebrated Mass at our parish, plus it was Mike’s birthday.

Mike

We continued the tradition of celebrating Mike’s birthday at Ruth’s Chris. From the appetizers to the salad, it never disappoints. The best part was sharing it with family and our friends Larry and Helen. We missed Maddie, who was in the middle of finals.

I had no idea that Mike had saved a bottle of a 1990 Far Niente wine. This was a special day because my husband of almost 53 years was celebrating his 75th birthday. At first I was skeptical of how the wine held up for over 34 years but, much to my surprise,  it aged with grace and the oaky flavor was wonderful. The following night I had a dinner to attend at St. Norbert.

St. Norbert

Both my grandson Jacob and I attended the appreciation dinner for volunteers. At first Jacob was reluctant, “Am I going to be the only kid there?” I had no reply. Thankfully there were two other young boys there that Jacob could interact with. Jacob’s art skills came in handy because he won a gift card for his snowman.

The Surprise Party 

Our son Mikos had been planning a surprise party for his wife Jenny for several months. By the grace of God he pulled it off. He stored most of his supplies in our garage but by the time Saturday, the day of the event, arrived he was a wreck. His out-of-town guests arrived in time to save the day because not only did they set up the party, They helped  re-organize the furniture.

Jenny was truly surprised to see her mother, brother and sister-in-law, niece and grand-niece.  We ate, sang and danced the night away.  I did not get to bed until 1:30 a.m.  Mikos, Jenny and her family were all catching flights the following day. Mikos and Jenny were traveling to New York.  Our son asked if we could host a brunch for the Minnesotans.

The Brunch

Mike got up early and said he was going to cook some beans. “No! They won’t be ready on time! Besides we have plenty of food.” It’s a good thing that he didn’t listen to me, because the beans were a hit. We served fresh salsa, guacamole, eggs, chorizo and huevos rancheros. We had enough food left over to pack burritos for their trip. We love Jenny’s family, so it was a pleasure hosting a brunch for them.

Mass

Since we were hosting guests I could not attend our usual  Sunday Mass service. Because I was a walking zombie, I missed the 2:00 p.m., the last Mass at our parish. So Jacob and I attended a 4:30 p.m. Mass at his parish, La Purisima. This parish is much larger than ours, and I was overwhelmed by the sight of all the beautiful flowers for Our Lady of Guadalupe and all the lit Christmas trees. As tired as I was, the peace of God filled my heart with the message of rejoicing, and receiving communion filled me with great adoration. I was refueled to continue my day.

Overeating

This is the time of year that I pack on a few pounds because I do not make time for exercising, and I’m usually eating way too many desserts. Sugar does a number on me and makes me sluggish. My poor, foggy brain sends me messages to stop, but sometimes I’m too tired to receive any brain wave activity. Pray for me and for all of us suffering from brain fog.

Mario Update

Please continue to pray for Mario. He is doing great with the six college courses he is taking. Mario’s grades are five A’s and one B. Please pray that he gets into a program “Firefighters Workshop.” This program trains prisoners in firefighting skills, and it could be an open door for a career when he is released.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank You for Jenny’s wonderful celebration and for my son, who lovingly put the party together. May You grant us all a wonderful Advent as we await the celebration of Your glorious birth. May we all rejoice with the choir of angels in welcoming You into our hearts and homes. Amen.

We are in the second week of Advent.

December 8th

On December 8th Catholics honor our Blessed Mother Mary’s Immaculate Conception. This refers to the Catholic belief that Saint Anne, Mary’s mother, conceived her without the stain of original sin.

The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception

Pope Pius IX formally defined  the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Ineffabilis Deus, in 1854. In 1858 the Blessed Mother Mary revealed her name to Saint Bernadette, an uneducated, peasant girl by saying, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Notre Dame

On December 8th Paris, France will be buzzing. Dignitaries from all over the world will witness the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Marie Ulrich, consecrate the altar of this grand cathedral. It is by no coincidence that this celebration falls on December 8th. It is the providence of God that this is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Dates and numbers are important in our liturgical calendar.

Holy Number Thirteen

It is not surprising that Satan wants to take over the 13th day of the month. He mimics anything holy, attempting to rob us of our blessings by using the 13th as a cursed number. Those of us who were properly catechized recognize the schemes of the Devil and will not yield to his diabolical antics.

The Blessed Mother Mary appeared to the three shepherd children of Fatima six times between May and October in 1917, always on the 13th day of the month.

Saint John Paul II

On May 13, 1981, while Pope John Paul II was greeting thousands of visitors in St. Peter’s Square, there was an assassination attempt on his life. After over five hours of surgery and the transfusion of six pints of blood, the pope survived. The pontiff credited his survival to Our Lady of Fatima by saying, “One hand fired the bullet, while another hand guided it.” A supernatural force saved him.

On this exact day, May 13, 1981, in Fatima, the pope had given permission for the Third Secret to be read. During the reading of the Third Secret the pope was shot.

The First Secret was the vision of Hell, and the Second Secret was the rise of Communism in Russia. The Third Secret was much more intense and apocalyptic.

The Third Secret Of Fatima

This information is from the Fatima Center in Portugal: In the conclusion to his study of the Third Secret, Frère Michel sums up his findings as follows:

“Having reached the end of our inquiry, we are able to discern, with near certainty, the essential elements of Our Lady’s final secret: While ‘in Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved,’ in many nations, perhaps in almost the entire world, the Faith will be lost. The pastors of the Church will fail gravely in the duties of their office. Through their fault, consecrated souls and the Faithful in great number will let themselves be seduced by pernicious errors spread everywhere. This will be the time of the decisive battle between the Blessed Virgin and the devil. A wave of diabolical disorientation will be hurled over the world. Satan will introduce himself even to the highest summit of the Church. He will blind the minds and harden the hearts of pastors. And God will deliver them to themselves as a chastisement for their refusal to obey the requests of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This will be the great apostasy predicted for the ‘last times’; ‘the False Lamb’ and ‘False Prophet’ will betray the Church to the profit of ‘the Beast’, according to the prophecy of the Apocalypse.”

This Third Secret was given to the three children on July 13, 1917.

President Trump

There was an assassination  attempt on President Trump on July 13, 2024. His life, too. was spared. In the words of President Trump, “God spared my life not once but twice.” In the same speech President Trump stated that he would restore religion back to our country.

Preparing

How do we prepare for the great apostasy predicted in the Third Secret? As for me, I will continue to occupy until He comes. My life will be unchanged because God knows my heart. I am a sinner, whose sins have been nailed to the Cross. Attending daily Mass and receiving Holy Communion absolves me of all venial sins. The Devil cannot condemned me nor remind me of my past sins because Jesus paid the price on the Cross for not only me but for everyone.

Fear Not

If you are truly serving God, you have nothing to fear. The Enemy will use every trick in his dirty bag to try to bring you down. He is like an attorney from hell, and logic is his key weapon. But God has given us great discernment and wisdom to fight off the fiery darts of the Devil.

Covered By The Blood

Stay on the right path and know your giftings. We all have special gifts. The closer you approach the throne of God, the more revelation you will receive. Most importantly you must have a covering; mine is the Catholic Church. Be aware of false teaching, and flee if the beliefs of that church do not align with the Word of God. Lastly, stop preaching to Catholics that their doctrine is incorrect. We’ve been around for over 2,000 years, and our first pope was Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ!

Paris

I have visited the Cathedral of Notre Dame many times. Once when we were attending Mass, it was crowded with many pilgrims, so we had to stand. At that time Mother Teresa’s nuns were giving communion. When a nun approached me, she motioned for me to open my mouth. As awkward as this was for me, I understood the reverence.

The Crown of Thorns

Only years later did I discover that the Crown of Thorns is deposited in the treasury of Notre Dame Cathedral. We praise God because the Crown,  along with other beautiful icons, was saved from the fire of 2019. I know soon, God willing, Mike and I will make our way back to Paris to visit Notre Dame and all the other holy sites that France has to offer.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for restoring Notre Dame. In many ways I believe that You are restoring France as well. Lord, just as You can rebuild edifices, You can restore us. Bring us from the ashes and breathe new life in us all. Amen.

I lost my phone on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.

Holiday Parking

I normally park a distance from where I’m shopping in order to get some steps in. Because it was such a busy shopping day, I wanted a good parking spot; so I prayed and got the best spot! Stationing my car next to a handicapped parking was ideal. There was a woman ringing the Salvation Army bell directly outside Hobby Lobby. Before exiting the car,  I looked in my wallet for some loose change: two dimes and several pennies, that  was not enough money!

Hobby Lobby

Hobby Lobby is my go to place for inexpensive Christmas accessories, and I needed to purchase gift prizes for the Bingo game that we play every Thanksgiving. Of course I ended up with stupid, useless items that inevitably will be returned.

Salvation Army

Supporting the Salvation Army has always been part of the holiday season for me, so I felt a tug in my heart to give. Searching deep in every compartment of my handbag, I found a five-dollar bill. I got out of my vehicle and donated the money. Gathering all the stuff that I pulled out of my purse, I quickly shoved everything back into my handbag. I was almost home when I discovered that my phone was missing! “No phone detected,” read  the screen in my car!

Back to Hobby Lobby

Through so many mishaps and two trips back to Hobby Lobby, Sonja found my phone! “Mom, it’s in the parking lot.” Upon returning, a white car was parked where I had originally parked. Needless to say, I was not having a good  day. It had been several days since I had washed my hair, and I was not dressed for anything but cleaning the house. By this time I had gone home and got Mike’s phone. I made several attempts to look under the parked car, but I did not want to get on my hands and knees. I approached a young couple; the man had a cross tatted on his neck. “Excuse me, can you help me?” They both ignored my plea. Who could blame them? I looked like a homeless pan handler. “Please, can you help me, I’ve lost my phone?” They both looked at the phone I held  in my hands, “No, this is my husband’s phone; mine is under this car.” The man agreed to look under the car but to no avail.  There was no phone underneath the car.

Next Step

Mikos called me and told me that the phone was in the parking lot, but it wasn’t. So I drove to Sonja’s. “Mom, what is your Apple ID?” I did have it but it, was stored  in my phone. Sonja was busy baking pies for Thanksgiving, and without the ID she could not help. “You’re going to have to go to the Apple Store to get this sorted out! Good luck with that on Black Friday!” Russ thoughtfully reported the lost phone to the Anaheim Police Department in case it was turned in. By this time my phone had stopped pinging; it was either run over or picked up to be sold on the black market.

The Landline

I begged Mike not to get rid of the landline; thank God we kept it, because this was our means of communication.  Mike’s and Sonja’s cell and Helen’s landline are the only numbers I have memorized. I used Mike’s cell phone to call my sisters because I knew that on Thanksgiving Day I was going to be without a phone.

Mike To The Rescue

In my dreams and in real life Mike always comes to the rescue. We got up early Friday and headed to the Brea Mall. Again I silently prayed for a parking spot and we quickly found one. Yes, the line was out the door at the Apple Store, but within an hour I had my new phone. One problem: without an Apple ID I could only receive calls.

Russ was at our house hanging our Christmas lights, so he offered to help me. Nothing was working! I received a message from iforgot.apple.com, informing me  that it would take 12 days to get it restored! When I get negative messages like this, I do not receive them! I prayed.

Keaton

I called my friend Helen and shared the dismal news. She suggested that I contact Keaton. “He might know your Apple ID,”  she added. Keaton is the young man who  fixes all my Blog issues. After an hour of research and with a lot of patience, Keaton was able to reset the Apple ID. Without a doubt he is a genius.

Moral Of  The Story

There is a moral to this story. Do not go shopping for things you do not need. Be careful of your surroundings, and always keep your phone inside your handbag. I noticed my phone was half way out of my purse when I was shopping. Be organized and, if you’re willing to support the Salvation Army, have  the money in your hand. You can live without a phone for a few days; it’s not the end of the world.  Also make sure your Apple ID is not stored in your phone. Lastly, trust that God will always get you through these situations.

The Lord allows us to go through these trials to slow us down. Earlier this month I was in a fender bender accident. After the investigation, it was concluded that it was my fault. I was impatient, and that caused the accident. I feel that this November  I’ve become a liability; first the car, and now the phone. I do need to slow down. Please pray for me.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving ; the only downside was that I could not take pictures using my phone,  nor could I send out text messages wishing others a Happy Thanksgiving. We played bingo, but  the winning prizes from Hobby Lobby were left behind.

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, teach us to be good stewards of our money. Everything we have is because You have bestowed and entrusted us with these gifts. May this Advent season bring us closer to You.  May every day be a day of Thanksgiving. Amen.