Articles of the Month

How  Can  We  Show  Our  Love  To God  and To  Jesus? 

     We need to thank Our Almighty Father and Our Lord Jesus for allowing all of us to begin another great year in Their service.  We should all be grateful to Them for allowing us to begin a new life and a chance to lead good lives by following God's laws, the Catholic faith and the Catholic Church.  Many people forget that it is by God's loving mercy and care that we have all that we need to continue on life's journey.  Where would we all be without Our Heavenly Father or without Jesus? Do we  ever thank Our Heavenly Father or Our Lord Jesus for the things that we have or do we just take it all for granted?  After all, if it was not for God, we all would not be here on earth.
     Many people, and some Catholics too, forget to thank God and Our Lord Jesus for whatever They have.  Many times, people only remember to pray to God and to Our Lord Jesus when things are going wrong in one's life or when faced with adversity but they forget to thank or pray to God and to Our Lord Jesus when things are going right and when they are blessed with abundance.
     Now that we are all in a new year, let us remember that it is our duty and responsibility to give love, praise, honor, glory and thanks to God and to Our Lord Jesus.  How can we show Our Heavenly Father and Our Lord Jesus that we love, honor, praise, glorify and give thanks to Them for all that They do for us?  There are many ways that we can show our love for God and Our Lord Jesus.
     First, we can show our love and appreciation by loving others.  Our Lord Jesus taught us that we should love our neighbors.  In fact, that is the greatest commandment that Jesus taught,  "Love your neighbor as yourself."  When we learn to forgive others, show other people that we care and go out of our way to help other people, we are showing love for God and for Our Lord Jesus.  We are here on this earth to love and help others, especially those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  
     We should not be selfish and greedy but learn to share our blessings with our neighbors.  And, who are our neighbors?  Our neighbor can be that elderly woman who needs help crossing the street, or our nieces/nephews who may be missing a parent or the homeless person asking for food on the corner.  Whoever our neighbor turns out to be, we have an obligation to help and show love whenever we can.
     Secondly, we can show our love and appreciation to God and to Our Lord Jesus by making sure that we are following God's Laws and Our Lord's Holy Catholic Church.  The Ten Commandments are one of the most important precepts of the Catholic faith.  Without God's Laws, people think that they can do whatever they want without any rules or guidelines to follow.  If it was not for the Ten Commandments, there would be chaos and disorder around the world.  
    We must follow God's strict laws and pay the consequences if we should break any of them.  The consequences of breaking God's Laws is called mortal sin.  Living with constant mortal sin in our lives can lead to eternal damnation and eternal separation from God if we do not confess our sins to a priest and return to the loving and protective arms of the Catholic Church.  Also, Jesus gave us the Sacraments of the Catholic Church and gave us His very Body and Blood in order to be more closely united to Him in this life and in order to share eternal salvation with Him in the next life.  
     We can show our love to Our Heavenly Father and to Our Lord Jesus by making sure that we follow Them in this world and in the next by going to Church every week, obeying the Ten Commandments every day and by receiving Holy Communion every week.  It is by diligently observing our Catholic obligations and laws that we can be certain that we will share in the glory of God.
     Lastly,  we can also show our love and appreciation to Our Heavenly Father and to Our Lord Jesus by regularly taking the time to visit the Blessed Sacrament weekly in order to show our love and thanks to God and to Our Lord Jesus for all that they do for us every day.  Perhaps, you can stay 20-60 minutes praying or thinking about God and Our Lord Jesus in the still of the silence in the Church or chapel.  Many times, it is in the silence that God and Our Lord Jesus speaks to us.  We can all surely afford to sacrifice a moderate amount of time to show our love, appreciation and praise to God and to Our Lord Jesus for all that They have done for us, for our families and for the world.   

    

Single  Catholics  can  have  a Valentine's  Day  too!

     Many single Catholics oftentimes feel left out on Valentine's Day and say, "I don't have a Valentine's of my own to share the day with."  Valentine's Day has become so commercialized nowadays.  Single Catholics may not have boyfriends or girlfriends but they have nieces and nephews to share the day with.  Remember, that it by giving that we are truly blessed.  
     Even though single Catholics may feel alone on Valentine's Day, that does not mean that they are really alone.  After all, Our Lord Jesus is there for them all of their lives.  One single woman once told me,  "You know, I don't think of myself as being totally alone.  I have Our Heavenly Father, Our Lord Jesus, Our Blessed Mother, the angels and saints in my life.  Whenever Valentine's Day comes around, I give Valentine's chocolates to my friend's kids.  They are my Valentines."   Another single Catholic told me, "I give roses to Our Blessed Mother on Valentine's Day to let Her know that I am thinking of Her on this day.  After all, She is my Mother and I love Her dearly."
     If single Catholics want chocolates and flowers given to them, what's wrong with ordering them yourself and having it delivered to you by a florist?  Who's keeping track anyway?  It's a known fact that singleness is not a disease.  There are millions of singles all over the world.  There is a reason that singles are single.  Perhaps, it's God's decision for you not to have someone in your life at this time or ever!  Only God knows our future and perhaps having a boyfriend or girlfriend would not be good for you right now or perhaps you would do well not to have one at all.  .
      Well, you may be asking yourself, "How did this Valentine's Day get started anyhow?  Well, Valentine's Day got it's name from St. Valentinus.  According to Wikipedia, "St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Several martyrdom stories were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to February 14, and added to later martyrologies. 
    A popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell."
     Valentine's Day comes once a year.  It's not something that one should get panicked or have a fit about.  The best thing to do when confronted with the thought of another Valentine's Day at home, with a handful of DVD's, popcorn and chocolates, is to thank God and Our Lord Jesus for all of the blessings that They have chosen to give us instead.  And, perhaps, in the future, when God and Our Lord Jesus sees that you are  following your Catholic faith the way you are supposed to and doing everything to go to Heaven, then maybe They will send someone into your life.  No one knows when that time will come.  But, in the meantime, don't fret because you should already know that there are many who love you already.  May God bless you and have a great Valentine's Day.