90th Anniversary of Mary's Apparitions at Fatima

This Sunday, May 13th, marks 90 years since Mary first appeared to three young children in Fatima, Portugal. How appropriate that we will commemorate this apparition of our Mother in Heaven on Mother's Day! To read a history of the visits at Fatima, visit http://www.santuario-fatima.pt. Click on the British flag to read in English.

Mary's message at Fatima, as it has been whenever she has graced us with her presence throughout the centuries, was a call to prayer and sacrifice. She especially wanted people to pray the rosary in order to bring about peace. It is a message as relevant to our world as it was in 1917.

The Knights of Columbus offers a free booklet on the Message of Fatima. The booklet is item #341. You may get one by sending your name and address to:

Catholic Information Service
1 Columbus Plaza
New Haven, CT 06510-3326

You may also download a copy at the Knights of Columbus website www.kofc.org

National Scrapbooking Day

I'm a day late on this one, but yesterday was "National Scrapbooking Day." Have you ever considered creating a spiritual scrapbook? For more information, check out these articles:

Creating Your Family's Spiritual Scrapbook

Share Your Faith

Young Children in Love

My six-year old boy has fallen in love. The object of his affection is a very sweet young lady in his class who apparently likes him, too. Still, I was a bit surprised when David came out of school Thursday afternoon with the girl’s phone number. “Mama, I have to call her! She told me to call!”

On the way home, somewhat shell-shocked that this was already happening in David’s life, I had a mental debate with myself over whether to allow him to call or not. I am friends with her parents so that weighed into the equation as well. I felt comfortable with him calling their house, but I wondered whether her mother actually wanted a little boy calling her daughter!

I don’t want my child dating until he is sixteen but I know that at this age, there is nothing sexual in his feelings. He simply sees her as being someone special. I also know that his feelings are real and to dismiss them would be to do him a disservice. Eventually, I did allow him to call. I told him how to ask politely for her on the phone, and they ended up having a very pleasant three-minute conversation. He was so happy! The following day, I saw her mother at a social function and asked whether she minded that David had called. She said that it wasn’t a problem and that it had made her daughter’s day as well.

This is not the first time David has fallen for a girl. At age two, he fell in love with a girl a year-and-a-half older than him. They played together from the time he was born and they were great friends. When she moved away, he was truly heartbroken. Whenever we would get pictures of her from her family he would look longingly at them and insist that they go in his scrapbook. The mere mention of the state she moved to would bring him to tears. This lasted for three years! I’m somewhat relieved that he is moving on.

I never had a crush at such a tender age, but my husband did. He can recite the list of girls he liked from the time he was in first grade. Even now, at age 39, he remembers them with fondness. As he states, “I never thought girls had cooties!” I guess I know where David gets it from.

Lucy Emerson Sullivan, writing for “Sesame Street Parents” (www.sesameworkshop.org/parents), states that

Experts agree that a child's primary caregiver is her first love object. But then your little baby starts to grow up, and one of the ways she does is by focusing on someone besides, well, you. "This generally starts to happen in kindergarten or first grade, at ages four, five, or six," says Elyse V. Goldstein, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in New York City who specializes in relationships and intimacy.

These early romantic yearnings are all a part of a child's first effort to move beyond the circle of her family. "A crush shows a child's willingness to separate from her main love object," explains Dr. Goldstein. This looking outward, in turn, helps a child define herself, to see herself as a person who exists beyond the family.

It is good to know that this process is normal. I know in David’s life there will be many crushes. God gave him a very loving and sensitive heart. I also know that he will be heartbroken many times as well. As much as I hate to see that happen, I know that all these experiences will help him grow to be the man he will eventually become. The best I can do is to be there to celebrate in his joy of a new-found special friend, listen to his feelings, and be there when it ends to hug him and tell him I love him.

Book Review - Where is That in the Bible

"Where is that in the Bible?" by Patrick Madrid is the perfect brief book for anyone who has wondered what the Biblical basis is for some of the things that Catholics do and believe. "it is designed to be a handy reference guide, an overview of the major biblical passages that pertain to many issues that tend to come up between Catholics and non-Catholics." But even if you never use this book to debate with anyone regarding your faith, it is useful simply to have a deeper understanding of one's own faith.

There are six main divisions to the book dealing with authority, doctrines, the sacraments, customs and practices, moral issues and non-Catholic beliefs. The chapter on "Authority" discusses the roots of the papacy, the authority of the Church, the role of tradition and the role of Scripture. "Doctrines" discusses Catholic's understanding of Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Trinity, Purgatory, salvation and more. The roots of the seven sacraments are covered in the chapter on "The Sacraments." "Customs and Practices" covers many of the practices that others may take issue with in the Church. For example, the role of priestly celibacy, tithing, and repetition in prayer. "Moral Issues" covers many of the hot-button issues of our day including abortion, divorce, and homosexuality. The final chapter "Non-Catholic Beliefs" seems somewhat out of place in the book, but it deals with why certain non-Catholic beliefs are not biblically based such as the claim of Jehovah's witnesses that only 144,000 will be saved.

"Where is that in the Bible?" is not an exhaustive discussion of these beliefs and practices. Rather, it offers brief treatments with a few well-chosen Bible passages. It is a worthy introduction for those who have wondered about any of these issues.

If you love me . . .

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." John 14:15

This passage from John immediately follows the Gospel reading for today (John 14:1-14).
Over the years, there has been much debate among Christians about what matters - our faith in Christ or what we do in terms of our actions. The truth is that the two are intimately connected. If we truly love and believe in Jesus, it will show in how we live our lives. We will love God and love our neighbor, not perfectly of course because none of us are perfect, but the attempt will be there. People should know we are Christian by the way that we live our lives.

Mary, Our Mother, in the Bible

May is traditionally known as the "Month of Mary." Over at Catholic Exchange today there is a wonderful article on Mary, Our Mother, in the Bible

When at the Point of Death

This was today's post on the Inner Fulfillment ezine. To subscribe, please visit:
www.EmphasisonMoms.com/Fulfill.htm


INNER FULFILLMENT ~
God doesn't want a perfect woman ~ Just a willing one!

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us
in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure above strength, so that we
despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we
should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. (1 Corinthians
1:8,9 NKJV).

We all know that Paul was a man of faith, a man who was not easily deterred. But
things had gotten so bad that even he despaired even of his life.

None of us want to go through severe trials. None of us want to experience such
pain and hardship that we hit the point of despairing of our lives. None of us
welcome difficulty. Unfortunately, in spite of the fact that none of us want
those things, despair, pain, and hardship are unavoidable parts of life. The
good news is, there is a plus side to experiencing hardship.

Notice that things got so bad for Paul that he had to turn his attention from
self to God. The issues and problems at hand were beyond him. In that state, he could
only do one thing: trust in the God who raises from the dead. Paul's trials were
too much for him, humanly speaking, but he knew they were no match for the God
who has power and authority even over death.

Trials in our life likely have many purposes. But perhaps one of the main
purposes of trials is to show us that we can't possibly handle things on our
own; we need God's help. Apart from trials, we may be tempted to fall into an
attitude of self-sufficiency when in reality we need to always be leaning on God
and His strength.

Father, we acknowledge that we cannot handle things on our own; we need Your
help, Your strength, and Your wisdom for every situation in our lives. Help us
to always call on you in times of adversity. Help us to be quick to ask for Your
help and strength. We thank You that You have the power even over death and are
more than capable of handling each and every situation we could ever possibly
encounter. We commit every aspect of our lives to You. Amen.

Thought: Are there difficulties in your life you are attempting to handle on
your own? Acknowledge your inability to do it on your own, and ask God for His
help. Grapple with this issue in your journal. (Note: if you don't like to
journal, spend some time in prayer on this topic.)

copyright by Rebecca Livermore
www.rebeccalivermore.com