Prayer to end school violence

Not Just News: Shooting at high school: Five students were shot around 7:40am by a fellow student at Chandron High School in Ohio on February 27, 2012. The student threatened to br...

Please God help keep our students safe and healthy while they are in school. Be with them in time of need and offer comfort. Help the soul for those who wish to be violent to others. Guide them in the direction of truth. Amen.

Pope urges people to shun artificial procreation

SATURDAY 2/25/12 - At the end of a three day conference on infertility. Pope Benedict XVI spoke about how infertile couples need to shun artificial procreation.

He reminded people that conception of human life should be reserved for the union of husband and wife - not a science lab. God created sexual intercourse to strengthen the bond between married couples and create new human life.


Artificial procreation like in vitro fertilization takes God out of the equation. Pope Benedict XVI agrees that we need to research infertility issues.

Often times when trying to create human life in a science setting, thousands of embryos are thrown out based on disability, gender, too many of them or any other reason. An embryo is a living human being and not trash used only if wanted.

Why abstain from meat on Fridays?

There are a variety of reasons that exist why Catholics abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent. Technically and traditionally, Catholics should abstain from meat every Friday of the year as penance. Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten that, and just abstain during the Lent season.

 

Since the earliest days of the Catholic Church, on every Friday throughout the year, Catholics are required to do some kind of penance. Most Catholics do not eat meat on Friday as a penance. As far as research says, no Pope introduced this practice, but it gradually became a practice.

Abstaining from something helps us refocus on what is important and it cuts out the things that might have seemed important. By abstaining, we have better ability to concentrate on God.

During the Season of Lent, however, the Catholic Church asks Catholics to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Catholics also should carry on the tradition of not eating meat on Fridays through Lent.

One belief of why meat was chosen is because most people feel that giving up meat (beef and chicken) is an inconvenience. The Church asks us to inconvenience ourselves sometimes to serve as a reminder that they should always have God as a top priority and pleasures as a lesser priority.

Another belief is that in many poorer countries, beef is a specialty. For us to give it up, helps us to remember about people who are less fortunate than we are.

Why do we uses ashes on Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is the official start of the Lent season. Lent is a forty day season, excluding Sundays, to prepare and meditate about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Roman Catholicism uses ashes on Ash Wednesday. Ashes are a tradition in Catholicism. During the Ash Wednesday Mass or service, the priest places ashes on the middle of people's forehead if they want. This might sound a bit unusual, however, there is meaning behind it.

Ashes are an ancient symbol meaning repentance. Catholics repent for our sins. Having ashes reminds us that we need to apologize to God for sinning. Many Catholics attend confession during Lent.

Another reason for the ashes is to remind us that one day we are going to die. Our physical bodies will turn to dust, however, our souls will return to God. The ashes are a physical reminder that what how we live our life matters. We will not be on Earth forever, but our souls never die.

40 Ways to Celebrate Lent

Lent allows us to focus on Jesus and put our life back in perspective.

 

 Here are 40 suggestions to use during Lent. 

 1. Spend 30 minutes or more talking to your family about Jesus Christ.
2. Be active in Operation Rice Bowl.
3. Pray on a daily basis to deepen your connection to Jesus.
4. Shut off the computer or TV and read the Bible.
5. Attend Mass during the week and not just Sunday.
6. Plan a big Easter celebration.
7. Attend the Stations of the Cross on a weekly basis.
8. Spend time sitting quietly and praying.
9. Try out some new recipes during Lent.
10. Educate others about your faith and Jesus Christ.
11. Listen to your children and tell them how special they are.
12. Pray the Rosary together.
13. Say grace before eating meals.
14. Take the time to talk to your family about Lent.
15. Prepare meals for a shelter.
16. Donate clothes and toys to charity.
17. Pray for someone you do not know.
18. Smile more often.
19. Try to stop complaining and being critical of others.
20. Plan a garden to learn how to nourish living things.
21. Call a friend or relative you lost touch with.
22. Take someone to Mass with you.
23. Go to confession.
24. Be a happy and positive person.
25. Do some art projects related to Lent especially with children.
26. Pray every morning and night giving thanks to God.
27. Help someone with their projects or tasks.
28. Volunteer your time.
29. Have fun with your family and don't forget to play with them.
30. Send thank you notes to those that helped you.
31. Give some time helping at your Church.
32. Visit a nursing home and talk to people.
33. Research a charity you're interested in and help them out.
34. Pray as a family on a daily basis.
35. Create a journal on how Jesus helped your life.
36. Invite someone that might be alone over for dinner.
37. Try to let go of anger, hate, greed, and jealousy as fast as you can.
38. Try to look at the positive side of life.
39. Rid yourself of negative behavior and attitude.
40. Make some friends and share happiness.